Rubbing Shoulders with the Stars in NYC

Sharon Gless, former costar of Cagney and Lacey and Queer as Folk, was seated across from Bill and me in first class on an American Airlines flight from Miami to New York only two weeks ago. Ms. Gless was caught talking on her cellular just before take-off and was reprimanded by the flight attendant; and just after breakfast, she made her way into the galley looking for warm cookies. Unfortunately for all of us no cookies were served that day. She seemed nice enough as Bill helped her with her bags before and after the flight.

B.D. Wong, formerly of Oz on HBO and currently starring in Law & Order: SVU was next to us outside the Guggenheim on Fifth Avenue last weekend. He, along with his partner, their young son and a friend came out of the museum and stood next to us while their little boy climbed onto B.D. Wong's shoulders. We made small talk before they walked away. Their shy friend waved goodbye and then we made our way across the street to Central Park.

On Saturday night at Antique Garage, a hidden gem in fine Mediterranean dining located in Manhattan's SOHO, Bill and I along with our friends Gilda and Rafael had an enjoyable evening. From the ambiance and amazing food & wine to the excellent service, the only thing that made the experience better was being seated next to Stanley Tucci and fellow actress Patricia Clarkson. Mr. Tucci, a veteran actor, writer and director known for his roles in Big Night, and Blind Date among others, is currently in several productions. He will star in Julie & Julia, currently being filmed now. This movie also stars an acquaintance of ours, Chris Messina.

I can personally attest that Chris is a great guy. His career has really taken off over the last few years. Chris has had many roles on the big screen already but my favorite role of his was Claire's boyfriend on HBO's Six Feet Under. I mostly love that role because I didn't realize that he was someone I actually knew until after the series was over. I was drawn to his character and there was something appealing about the actor himself but I bought into who he was playing. I guess that is the mark of a good actor.

Speaking of Six Feet Under, Patricia Clarkson is on top of my list of favorite actresses. I love her choice in roles. She played Sarah O'Conner, the sister of Ruth Fisher in Six Feet Under and appeared in other television and movie productions. One of my favorites was her appearance in The Station Agent.

New York City is an amazing place filled with high energy and creative people. Of course I'm grounded in knowing people are just people and we are all the same; however, these high profile actors are the movers and shakers in entertainment and form what we watch on television and on movie screens throughout the world. It's exciting to know we live amongst them. The summer promises to offer more sightings and you can read about them here. Stay tuned.