we sight celebrities so you don't have to vol. 5

last night we had two very exciting and up-close-and-personal celebrity sightings. our friend we call 'the fairy godmother' hooked us up with skybox seats for the tenacious d show at the universal amphitheatre. hungry and in need of chairs for our aged bodies, we went up to the skybox early to chow on some chicken fingers and watch the opening set by andy dick as daphne aguilera.

suddenly, a flurry of activity seemed to be occurring in the box (which is about the size of a small doctor's office waiting room). a security guy asked who we were guests of, we answered, he seemed to think a little and then receded into the shadows quietly. the next thing we know, it is the three of us, jack black, his wife, his new little baby, and four security guards. just sharing a tiny space, watching andy dick pull a tampon string out of his thong. for about 30 minutes, we had to smile and laugh and pretend not to notice the mega movie star sitting five feet away. the irony of l.a. ironies: we have to pretend not to see the person we are there to see.

then, during the tenacious d set -- which was thunderingly awesome -- i notice a frizzy -haired schlumpy guy standing behind me, munching on popcorn from the catering table. lo and behold, it is oscar-nominated actor john c. reilly, who has appeared in some of my absolutely favorite movies. we shared the space with him for about an hour and a half, much of which was spent with him standing directly behind me, laughing and munching.

a rare occasion -- close encounters of the cool celebrity kind!

here's a fun little short by miranda july starring john c. reilly i found poking around today bathed in the afterglow of celebrity proximity:

are you the favorite person of anybody?