And at the LA Premiere...

And again, I was looking at the picture of Jamye and myself, and thinking about "things that would only happen to me" and I had this funny little memory...
Everytime I've been in or around LA, I've seen random famous people, but not really the ones I would ever think I'd want to, know what i mean? For example - in 10th grade Mom and Dad took Delia and I out there. Picture the scene - 16 years old, "we are too cool" attitudes, you can't tell us anything - we're, like, 16, okay?! At that point we would have lost it over seeing Tom Cruise (this was around and about the Risky Business era), or someone from one of the super-cool bands we listened to - so let's just say, Jello Biafra? Okay, so anyway, we end up staying at the same hotel as the Judds. Nothing against the Judds, but at that time, we were like, "Oh come on!". Then one day we were riding along Hollywood Blvd. and we see - Barry Manilow! Again, nothing against him, but jeez! Again, we're like, ya know, okay? Um, 16, right? Duh. You get the idea...
Around my sophomore year in college, my cousin Lisa and I went out to LA. Woo hoo! I thought I was hot stuff at 16? Wow! I'm like, totally 19 and all-knowing fer shur this time! But alas, the same thing seems to happen. 1 - We see Madonna jogging in Beverly Hills, which okay, I guess that's kinda cool, and then 2 - We see Ed McMahon driving slowly by our 'tour bus' (and don't even get me started on the 'tour bus' thing). Again, I'm thinking I am some sort of not-exactly-A-List-Celebrity-Magnet.
So, let's fast-forward a few years, shall we? It's 1995. I'm 25, first year out of college (hey - so I was in for six years...). Jamye had gotten a part that year in a movie (which shall remain nameless), which was filmed far, far away from LA, near where I was living, we'll say kinda east-coast, on the coast, somewhere like that. I'd actually gotten to go visit her while they were in that town filming, and I picked up an interesting souvenir that evening, right as it was tumbling down the street with the wind. But I digress again... So, Jamye called me and asked me to meet her out in LA for the Hollywood premiere of this film. I was really excited to go, to spend time with her, and to go back to LA. I do recall having the fleeting thought of "who am I going to see this time???" I should have known it would be a good one!
So apparently, the "big" premiere of this film had been in NYC (or I could be mistaken...), and this LA premeire was the second one. Not like either one of us were particularly star-struck anyway, honestly. Needless to say, the "big name" stars of the film were not there. If they were, we never saw them. I do remember, when the two of us were standing outside the theatre waiting to go in, i saw Marg Helgenberger there, and this was waaaay before CSI days. So Jamye and i are standing there, talking amongst ourselves, and at the same time, we both hear this voice; this very distinctive, familiar, voice... I'm not sure which of us realized it first, but I'm thinking, "wow - that voice. It sounds really familiar, but I haven't heard it in a really long time. No. It can't be. No way. That's too random." I looked at Jamye, she looked at me, we turned, and... Wow. It was 'Mike Damone', from Fast Times at Ridgemont High!!!! Now, I'm sure a lot of people our age had grown up watching that movie. But it was more to me! In fact, from 8th grade on Delia and I had probably watched that movie a couple hundred times, laughing hysterically and quoting it. Shakespeare it aint, I know, but still one of my favorite movies!! So I'm trying to conceal fits of giggles. Mike Damone, as in, "Hey, Rat! I found your wallet." For real! Can't you just hear that voice now????!!!! So I just can not believe this! Damone! From Fast Times! We barely recover from this, and we go into the theatre, and really, there were not many people in there. So we sit near the front. Then 'Damone' (okay - yes, I've seen it sooo many times, I really do know the man's real name is Robert Romanus, but I just like Damone - point of reference...) and the handful of people he is with come into the theatre and sit RIGHT BEHIND US!!! I swear. It was just the funniest, most coincidental, random "Me-moment"!! We were like, "wow - when did Fast Times come out? Like early '80's? I think his career peaked with that film and it's, like, 1995?! How random!" So, no Spiccoli, no Mr. Hand, no Mr. Vargas, not even Brad, Tina, or Stacey. But WE got Damone!!!!!!