Celebrity Sighting #108349: Jasmine Guy

I have a connection with certain things and certain people that I cant completely explain. I knew for days that I was going to meet a celebrity (someone that I care about) soon. I kept telling my coworkers that and they laughed, threw stones at me and called me a fool-- okay, maybe not that much, but Im sure they thought I was just talking.Well today I joked with my girl/coworker Q about this. I even joked and told her I saw John Legend getting on the airport tram. (The man was fine, but wasnt John). Within an hour of me saying this, I was alone in the store with the customers and a woman walks in looking at the books on the front table. I greet her as normal and she says hello back and thats when I recognzed her voice. Just to be sure I asked her if I could help her with anything (I did this so I could get her to look at me again and say something else). She does just that and I smile inside and ask my famous question: "Do I know you from somewhere?" She says, "I'm an actress."I smile back and say, "I thought so." And I let her browse the store while inside my mind I am thinking, "OMG! That is Jasmine Guy!!! That is Whitley Gilbert from A Different World!!!"A lil bit later when the store cleared out and she was standing near me I say to her, "Excuse me, Ms Guy? You can say no, but I was wondering if I can get a picture with you?"She smiled and says yes. I ask another customer to take the picture. Jasmine Guy puts her arm around me for the picture and I notice I am towering over her. Shes short. Wow. Im only 5 feet even. We chat some more as shes getting her items. We talked about the bookmarks she was buying. She bought a hardcover book about James Baldwin, a keychain and two book thongs (they are bookmarks but they are string with jewels on them instead of the traditional paper bookmarks. Very pretty).Then I did something that felt I needed to do for myself but didnt know how to go about it. I wanted to tell her how much I appreciate her without sounding like a dorky fan. Q says I failed this mission lol. I very cooly and casually told her how I respect her and how she was inspiration for me to become an actress. I also told her how I am a writer. She thanked me and suggested I read author Pearl Clegg. Then she left with her boo (I expected it to be Dwayne Wayne aka Kadeem Hardison, but it was actually some hispanic looking guy lol).And that was my 15 minutes of fame with Whitley Gilbert.Oh! Did I mention she's a Borders Rewards member?? Sign up today for free!!! LOL*Pic to come soon when I develop my disposable. You know the drill.*

My Radio Win! (I knew my ego would get me somewhere good)

An hour had passed since I had walked out of the store toting a plastic bag of golden legends: Lupe Fiasco's "Food & Liquor" and "The Cool" and J Dilla instrumental compilation "Donuts". I was in my car with the radio blasting Channel 95.5 when I got stuck at a railroad track with a slow moving train trudging by. Radio personality, Bo, was playing the cocky Kanye Grammy speech and then Bo challenged his listeners to call the station with their best Kanye-style biggest ego speech to win tickets to Kanye's concert. I called immediately and it rang on the first try. A minute later someone answered. "Hello. I have the biggest ego." I told her. She transfered me to Bo and this is the speech I gave him:"First most I want to thank The Most High-- ME. (Bo cracks up hysterically) I deserve to win these tickets because I am The Best. I am better than everyone in Detroit AND in the suburbs, I dont care where you are. These tickets are MINE. I listen to the radio the best. My ears are the best and I have the best taste in music. I've got the best lips-- so plush! Ive got the best thighs and butt and I am going to look FLY when I go to that concert. I am going to be front row and Kanye is going to pull ME up on stage because I am The Best and even HE cant deny that I am better than him!"Bo is laughing non-stop and says, "You've got the tickets. You nailed it!"I scream my thanks and the people in the cars around me look at me with raised eyebrows as we sit at the red light and Im jumping around in my seat throwing my arms in the air. May 22nd I will be at the Kanye West, Lupe Fiasco, Rihanna, and N.E.R.D. concert at The Palace. This makes it my 6th time winning a prize from the radio station:1. Motor City Classic/ Pepsi Greek Stepshow/ Young Dro CD (WJLB Fall 2006)2. Ciara/Rihanna/ Young Joc/ Tone Tone concert (WJLB Fall 2006)3. North American International Auto Show (WJLB Winter 2007) 4. Singles Mingle Pajama Party (Channel 95.5 Winter 2007)5. Hip Hop Car Show (WJLB Summer 2007)6. Kanye/ Lupe/ Rihanna/ NERD concert (Chanel 95.5 Winter 2008):-)

Celebrity Log #A29337: Michael Eric Dyson

It's Black History Month so this celebrity sighting is very appropriate.At about 12:30pm on Feb 19th I was busy ringing up customers at my airport bookstore as usual. It was pretty busy in there and I was already at my register when my next customer stepped up with his purchase. He was a normal looking guy. Dressed down in non-spectacular clothes, a baseball cap turned the right way halfway concealing his face and he had on glasses. But by his voice I could tell he was a joyful, nice man as he immediately started chatting with me. Just normal register chit chat. He handed me his credit card and was telling me his email address as I looked up his Borders Rewards Membership account. Thats when it all started clicking.I listened to the email which had his name in it. I looked at the name on the credit card. I looked at the picture on the credit card. I listened to the voice of the man. My heartbeat skipped as I looked into the mans face and a strange litle laugh escaped me as I realized who he was. He looked at me questioning my laugh. I smiled and said, "I'm sorry. I just realized who you are. It's an honor to meet you."I swiped Micheal Eric Dyson's credit card and handed it back to him.The professor and author of "Debating Race" and "You Know What I Mean?" who is always on the front line when it comes to matters of the Black race. A public activisit of our day. And I just found out hes from Detroit! I never knew that!He told me about the new book he has coming out soon. I looked at the book he purchased, the James Baldwin biography. I tell him, "The last celebrity that came in here was Jasmine Guy and she bought this book too."Maybe I should set that book right out front so it will draw in more Black celebs...But to every high note there is a low....That evening as I waited in the parking lot of Walmart for my mother to come out I saw a Black woman, obviously on drugs, trying to escape-- without a coat on in the dead of winter-- from a young Latino Walmart employee. She had tried to steal from the store but was unsucessful. She was also a failure in escaping his restraining hold across her chest. Two older white male officers approached and in the middle of the parking lot at about 5pm they put her face into the pavement as they clasped her arms behind her back. They pulled her up and she struggled to be released as they took her back to the store.All this during Black History Month...

Celebrity Sighting #29749- John Salley

The sunlight coming through the windows made my vision impaired. I could vaguely see his face, but I could clearly make out the wide grin that I translated to mean, "Yeah, you know who I am..."I stared at him wondering, Could it be? Then my coworker says, "Is that...?"I say, "He's somebody, isnt he?" I didnt want to say who, but I was growing confident."Hes an actor! Hes an actor!" my coworker yelled. "No, if hes who I think he is, hes Sports. If hes who I think he is, hes John Salley!"I grabbed my disposable camera from my bag-- which I almost didnt put into my bag today-- and I jogged down the airport-- reminicent of my Morris Chestnut stalking days lol. I see John zigzagging through the food court and go to the coffee shop. Trying to be discreet but watch where he was heading, I stopped at one of the restaurants and asked for a cup of water-- I was parched after my jog and it allowed me to watch without following. John turned and glanced at me. The girl says, "Heres your water." I turn to her and say thanks, grab my cup and then a straw. I turn my attention back to the coffee shop-- Johns gone!!! I scan the open space and cant find him. How do you lose a 7 feet tall bald head black man?!!? I walk around the area and cant find him. I figure hes gone into the restroom. Another airport employee is coming out of the mens room and I ask him if John Salley is in there. He laughs and says no. I sit in a seat across from the restroom-- just in case. I still cant find the man anywhere and Im determined not to go back to my store empty handed.As a journalist, as a Snoop Sister, I could NOT fail my mission. I could NOT disapppoint myself or others. I began to walk back towards my store, still scanning the gates. Then I see him. The bald black man in the corner sitting with his laptop on his lap and what looked like a guitar case next to him draped with his jacket. He was talking on his blue tooth when I approached him."Hi, are you busy?"He smiles, "No.""Are you John?""Yes.""I'm Tiana." I extend my hand.He shakes my hand, "Hi Tiana, Im Im John." "Can I take a picture with you?""Sure. Who has the camera?""I do. You are John SALLEY, right?" (Didnt want a random John lol)"Yes."I magicallly pull my trusty disposable camera from my khaki pocket. I look around for someone to take the pic but John says, "Give me the camera. I'll show you how we do things!"I smile and hand over my disposable, but not without trying to wind it and turn the flash on first. John smiles and takes the camera and does it for me and says, "I can do that. Ive had ghetto cameras before."I laugh and say, "Yeah, you are from Detroit-- right?" (Actually he just lived in Detroit while playing with the Pistons as one of the Original Bad Boys)John holds the camera away-- its like 4 feet away from us because his arm's so friggin long, and he says, "You smiling?" "Of course!" I grin. Flash!I thanked him, took the camera back, got up and yelled at him, "Come buy a book!"He laughs and says, "I already have enough books!"I went back to my store where my coworkers and customers anxiously await my return to learn the outcome of my stalking mission. Mission Accomplished.

Celebrity Log #294092 Nick Cannon

I had a fight with Ronald McDonald which caused serious damage to my poor little tummy. My cheeseburger Happy Meal had indeed made me sad. I considered going home early from work but I forced myself to stay, thinking that perhaps if I had some non-toxic food it would overpower the contaminated clown cowburger I had devoured the night before.I ventured to Max & Erma's but as I was passing Chili's I thought, "Hmm, I havent eatten breakfast there before..." So I made a U-turn and went to Chili's. The restaurant wasnt crowded, but the hostess tried to seat me at a little table next to a booth where a massive black man sat. Since I wasnt feeling well and saw no reason to be in the man's face, I requested a different seat further back from people. (Big mistake #1)As I sat back there I saw the outline of another male come join the massive man and stand next to the table as they prepared to leave. The beaming glow of sunshine from the window behind me blocked my view of his face. My Spidey-sense tingled and a random thought popped in my head:"What if that guy is a celebrity and I missed out because the sun is in my eyes? That would suck. But oh well. It's not." I dismissed the thought (Big Mistake #2)and finished my meal after the men left. I asked my waitress for my check and showed her my badge to get my discount. I had hide the badge under my jacket to stay incognito so folks wouldnt ask me directions as I walked through the airport. (Big mistake #3) She tells me that she didnt know that I was an employee otherwise she wouldve told me that that guy sitting at that table right there was Nick Cannon. Are you serious?In my diva-ish attitude I had missed seeing Nick.I go back to my store at gate A67 upset that I actually failed a celebrity mission. My coworker says, "Dont worry. He'll want a book. He'll come in here." I call the other store at A17 and tell my coworkers down there what happened. I get a call like 20min later:"Tiana, your boy was just in here.""Nick Cannon?!""Yeah, he bought a playaway (an audiobook) and hes sitting a the gate across the hall.""Im coming down there!"I grab my camera and race to the other end of the terminal. I see him and the massive man reading magazines by the window. "Hi, can I sit with you?" I ask Nick. He says sure and I sit next to him and introduce myself, shaking his hand and the big old bodyguard's hand. This began a nice lil chat.I tell him I met him 2 years ago in Atlanta after he hosted a concert. He says, "Oh yeah, the Boost Mobile concert?" "Yes."I say, "Actually I told you that I was going to work for you one day because at that time I was working for an improv theater company.""You still do that?" He inquired."No, it didnt pay well enough. You know how acting jobs are."Nick smiles, "Yeah."I tell him that Im a freelance journalist and he wished me success. I told him Im sure our paths would cross yet again because of our careers.I also asked him what he thought of the Dub show (which I now hear was pretty horrible). Nick said, "It was cool. Just a car show." I asked what he thought of Detroit talent because Trick Trick and Tone Tone performed. He said it was cool too and that he's known Trick for a while now.I asked him about his future projects. He tells me hes going to be in a couple of movies and is producing a tv show.I ask him if he wanted me to enroll him in the mile high club and he said yes.(lol joking about that last part.)Finally I asked his massive bodyguard to take a pic of us. He takes my trusty disposable and snaps a pic of me and Nick (as I molest Nicks lower back lol). But I noticed the man's huge finger was halfway over the lens. I pointed that out and asked him to take another one. He nicely argued that it wasnt until Nick came to my defense. "Man, your finger IS in the way."The man attempts again but finger is still there. He cant help it cause his hands are huge and my camera is like a toy to him lol. Nick says, "Its still there... Ok, thats better."We take the second pic and we kiss goodbye (lol jk). As Im going up the escalator to the train the bodyguard is smiling at me and we wave at each other. Then they got up to board their plane to New York.Mission acomplished once again. I almost missed out because of my sickness messed with my celebrity-radar (Darn Ronald McDonald!!!), but it got back on track after a few eggs, potatoes and orange juice! Ta-Dah!Pictures to come soon-- after I get my disposable developed. You know the drill lol

Terry McAuliffe

Why do people grow into the person they are? Opportunity. Or lack there of.Why does a person chose their certain greek organization? Why does a person attend a certain school? Why does a person get any career they are in? Because there was someone there who they admired who led them in that direction.Heres something surprising about me: I admire politicians and businessmen (SOME of them). Politics actually do interest me. But the boring stuff pushes me away at times, but sometimes I get those people and issues and events that spark that fire in me and makes me excited about business, politics, the world around me. I starve for knowledge and opportunities and I salivate when I see someone else doing the things I want to do or things that interest me. This week I met Terry McAuliffe, the organizer of the Hillary Clinton presidental campaign, former fundraiser for the Democrativ National Convention, and very close friend of the Clintons. He came into my store (Borders Bookstore in Detroit Metro Airport) and signed a few of the books (which gave me a scare because I thought some random crazy man had just come in defacing books lol). But he told me who he was and he got that spark lit inside of me as he told me about his book, "What a Party!" which is about the Democrats. He was fun, animated, a jokester and so charming. Then he gave me his Blackberry phone so I could talk to his friend "Duke" who I later found out is John "Duke" Kinney, the co-organizer for Hillary's campaign. McAuliffe jokingly tried to hook me and Duke up and assures Duke that I am "adorable" (McAuliffe: "Youve gotta come see her, Duke! Shes GORGEOUS!") Im reading his book now and its a page-turner for real. Its moments like this, people like him, that prove that politicians are real people and politics dont have to be boring. I wish so badly that his plane wasnt about to board because I wouldve LOVED to have talked to him more. I feel envious of his children who are allowed to have the opportunities I want.Just 10 minutes with this man left me with a memory I will cherish and a motivation that Im allowing to drive me on to dig deeper into politics. Its a tricky subject with a lot of lies and scandals, but its better to know of lies and call out the liars than to sit back and let the liars defeat you.So one day I will do something amazing in my life and I will send a special thanks to Terry McAuliffe, who may not remember me past next week, but that doesnt matter. He was another seed sown for me to become better educated and well-rounded about politics.

Me & Morris Chestnut

On what seemed to be a normal day working at the bookstore in the Detroit airport, my coworker, Jess, and I were doing what we usually do on the job-- people watch. Then, I catch the profile of a brotha walking by the store on his bluetooth, toting a bag and talking away. I jokingly say to Jess, "Mmm! Now THATS what I call dark chocolate!" A few minutes later the same yummy man walks by-- still on the phone. This time I look a little closer at him and I say, "Jess... is that--" "Didnt he just walk by here?!" She cuts me off. I say, "Yes! But isnt that Morris Chestnut??" "Who?"I repeat to the white girl, "MORRIS CHESTNUT!""I dont know. Who is he?""The actor! I think that was him! Was it?""I dont know! Go find out!""I WILL!" I run out the store and see the man walking fast paced down the terminal. I power walk towards him but hes still so far away! He gets on the moving walkway and I jump on after him and Im now running after this man and he has no clue. Im still trying to decide if this is really Morris or not but looking at his expensive velvet maroon blazer and leather shoes and gucci carry-on bag, I know it has to be. He steps off the walkway and I run off it behind him and now Im walking beside him. Hes still on his bluetooth. I say, "Excuse me?"He turns around and looks at me with that Hollywood smile. I KNOW for a fact that this is him."Dont I know you?" I ask."I dont think so. I dont live in this area. I live in L.A."(Im thinking why is he playing games when we both know I know who he really is?!?!!""Yeah. Isnt your name Morris?" I play along.He smiles bigger and says, "Yes.""I thought so. Well I know youre on the phone. Sorry."I walk in another direction trying not to do cartwheels. I go up to the Charleys Steak restaurant in the open food court and tell the girl at the register, "GIIIRRLLL!!! You see that guy about to walk by with the bald head?? That is MORRIS CHESTNUT!" She then tells the other workers and we are all looking at him sitting at his gate still on his bluetooth. I then decide that I better run and get my camera.I literally run down the airport back to my store not knowing if Morris will take a pic with me or not. I mean, he didnt even seem to want to admit to who he was although obviously I already knew. But whatever. I get back to the store and yell to Jess that it is him. I hurridely help her ring up customers and get them out the store. Then I grab my camera and fly back down the hall. I see a plane boarding and no Morris. Im getting sad... Then I realize he was sitting further down-- and there he was! Still sitting there on the phone. I considered waiting until he ended his call, but theres no time like the present!I walk up to him and overhear his convo, "...Look in that drawer at the bottom...""Excuse me?""... Hold on baby," He says on the phone and looks at me, he doesnt look annoyed. (Im wondering who he called 'Baby'!?!)"Im running the risk of being rude," I calmly say. "But can I have a picture with you?""Yeah. Im about to board my plane, but are you ready?" He smiles on.I magically pull the camera out my pocket. A woman sitting nearby takes the pic of us. Morris has his arm around me. Picture Perfect.I thank him and he boards his plane. I turn around to reality and see all the workers of all the restuarants in the food court staring at me. Im loving it. LOL I am now The Girl Who Took The Picture With Morris Chestnut.Did I mention that I love working at the airport...