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how to spot a celebrity at a nikon party
If you’ve been reading my blog for awhile, you know I tend to sometimes write about celebrity sightings. Well, that’s petered off a bit since I moved to Westchester. Mostly because it’s hard to write about celebs when you don’t actually see any.
But last night I was back on the big, ritzy island of Manhattan. And celeb magic struck again.
Marinka, Jessica and I went to this Nikon party. It was a promotional event to check out cool cameras and sleek Vespas. Which unfortunately is not the same thing as actually getting a camera and a Vespa.
A model sat on each Vespa with her shiny hair blowing effortlessly in the artificial breeze.
How do models sit there for hours, with the fake wind blowing in their face and not want to off themselves? I’m glad I passed up that profession.
We got some drinks and savored the lovely hors d’oeuvres. Jessica sipped her diet coke and then mistakenly sipped some other random diet coke on the table. Once we assured her that she had not contracted H1N1 (although honestly, how the hell would we know?!), we were able to search the crowd for notable guests.
And then Jessica saw him.
BEN STEIN.
Umm… maybe you need a refresher on this guy. He’s not exactly A-Rod. He used to have that show “Win Ben Stein’s Money.” He’s a political commentator, actor and a comedian. Nothing? He looks like this…
So anyway, Jessica insists she sees him. Marinka insists it’s not him. And I have no idea because it’s been a really long time since I’ve seen “Win Ben Stein’s Money.”
But Jessica is confident he’s the real deal so she approaches the guy. And he is very sweet and very nice and very much not Ben Stein. Here he is…
So basically, we saw a Ben Stein look-alike.
My celebrity glory days might be over.
That guy could totally make some extra cash working parties. Can you imagine how many requests must come in for a Ben Stein impersonator?
Oh, right. None.
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Haha, Ben Stein is actually the guest speaker at Morningside’s Waitt lecture series this month. Weird coincidence.
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Seeing as I’m the queen at spotting the lower level celebs, I could have saved you the trouble and told you this guy is definitely not Ben Stein! Bueller, bueller, anyone, anyone?
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I can think of several parties that would probably love to have the Clear Eyes spokesperson. Or a poorly postured approximation thereof….
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So THAT’s who drank my diet coke. I was in Manhattan auditioning for a Ben Stein impersonator role. There were so many woman accosting me I now worry that I could have caught swine flu, especially as I feel so unwell now. But anyway, I nipped to the toilet at one point during the evening and when I returned someone had been drinking my diet coke. I know because I measured it before I left.
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LOL – better luck at the next party, maybe you’ll spot an Antonio Banderas look-alike
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I’m pretty sure it’s his twin Sam. Sam Stein has no money. Come to CT and go apple picking with everyone and their brothers and sisters. There was a Hugh Jackman siting a couple of miles from here. Of course my Nikon and I were no where near. Oh, that could be because I have a Canon. That’s OK, I still missed it. Though caught sight really up close ofHarry Connick a couple of years ago… he’s deelish!
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Hey, don’t dis Ben! I love Ben! Yes, it’s true I watch too much cable news.
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Actually, my husband would probably pay good money for Ben Stein’s autograph. Not as much as for Warren Buffett’s, but still!
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I think one of the early signs of H1N1 is a Ben Stein mirage. Poor Jessica.
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Hee-hee – and there I was, being all jealous of your fashionable party. Thank you for putting a stop to that.
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Heather & I are no longer jealous we were the only housewives who didn’t go to the party.
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that guy did look like him!
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The Wonder Years!
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Totally Ben Stein! Wasn’t he the Ferris Bueller guy?
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Jealous of your night out. The fact that Ben Stein was not really Ben Stein helped immensely.
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And here I thought you were going to tell me you saw Ashton Kutcher … you know, he does the Nikon commercials. Sigh.
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My father-in-law still hasn’t gotten over the time a couple of years ago when somebody came up to him in a restaurant and insisted he was Buddy Hackett. The guy just wouldn’t believe him that he wasn’t – wanted his autograph. WHich was particularly embarrassing because Buddy Hackett was…dead. So at least Jessica didn’t think the guy was a DEAD celebrity.
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I just read Jessica’s post and that guy TOTALLY looks like Ben Stein. I’m just so proud of Jessica for not sleeping with Fake Ben. She didn’t mention nearly contracting H1N1. Thank goodness you were a good friend… and lied to her.
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Oh I disagree. Lots of requests for Ben Stein Look-alikes. At the “Pin the Tail on the Right Wing Asshole” party game.
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Especially because there are half a million guys that look exactly like him in NYC alone.
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This would be more like the kind of celebrity sightings we get in DC. We once had a heated debate in a Baskin Robbins about whether the man in line in front of us really was Dick Van Patten. I totally think it was him. But seriously, it wasn’t nearly as glamorous as it sounds.
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So I can’t imagine a worst thing to have someone come up and say ‘you look just like BEN STIEN’. I mean its not like you said “You look just like BRAD PITT”…..the female equivalant? ‘Are you Rosie O’Donell?
OY.
Awwwwwwkwaaaaard.
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See, you should have moved to Montclair. Ron saw Mary J Blige and Simon LeBon. I saw a soap star. My girlfriend saw Lauren Hill. No Colbert or Wendy Williams sightings for us yet. But you really can’t beat NYC. Just the other day I saw Tyra there. She is so freakin’ tall.
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So, if it HAD been Ben Stein… What would you all have said? “Hey, Ben! I just LOVED it when you lost your money on your show… you did it with such begrudging panache! I would’ve been all like, ‘This EFFING sucks!!! Give me back my $500 bucks!!!’ C’mon, you really hated giving people your money, didn’t you.”
No matter what was said, or who wasn’t seen… I wish I’d been there!
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i loooove ben stein, and am very sorry/disappointed (not jealous anymore) that you didn’t actually see him.
guess i have a little secret crush on him.
and on david sedaris
and on the voice of ira glass
ok, gotta go
TMI
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I would settle for a look alike celebrity sighting here in my border of Idaho town. So, I’m jealous. Actually, I’m jealous that I don’t get to go to parties with you and jessica and Marinka. I have a look alike celebrity at my local SB (the cute hobbit that’s now on lost) and he’s way cuter than Ben Stein.
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Enough of this ‘farting around’ at boring parties. Star in the new t.v. show – Real Housewives of Westchester County…(who wished they still lived in Manhattan).
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now THAT is funny!
and I adore Marinka……..she took me to a gay bar when I was in NYC.
I still laugh and laugh about that!
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Ben Stein actually spoke at my new manager training at my prior job. I thought our “leadership” that attended were going to pop blood vessels with the amount of F-bombs he threw – but I thought it was hilarious. Btw – maybe you should pitch yourself to be on a Real Housewives of Philadelphia cast and then you can meet lots of celebrities. I would totally support if you found yourself in any ridiculous catfights. I’m only right over the bridge. I could be there in a jiffy.
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As the spotted “look-alike” at the Nikon event, I will chime in.
The real Ben Stein is quite a renaissance man. Perhaps most famous for his dry lines in “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off” and his quirky Emmy award-winning game show, “Win Ben Stein’s Money”, many are unaware of several other pieces of notable Ben Stein trivia.
Ben Stein is six years older than me, but I look older than him. His cleaner living, no doubt.
Unlike me, Ben graduated from Yale law school.
Mr. Stein served as a speechwriter for Presidents Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford.
Again, unlike me, he worked as a trial lawyer for the Federal Trade Commission.
And of course, let us not overlook his cameo appearance on “The Family Guy” episode, titled “When You Wish Upon a Weinstein.”
Based on a few other similar experiences, there must be some resemblance between me and Ben, but that’s no big deal. After all, we all look like someone. Given a choice, I don’t know that I would have opted for Ben Stein. Still, it has been the source of occasional fun and beats the heck out of looking like Barney Frank.
Perhaps someday, Ben and I will meet. We’ll let him be the judge of the resemblance.
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