Celebrity Sightings

One of the perks of working in the heart of a major metropolitan city such as Vancouver is that there are many opportunities to spot the celebrities who are out wandering the streets during the day. Actors, musicians, reporters, and politicians are all either working or relaxing in the general vicinity of my office. Apart from occasions when flocks of busy professionals and ESL students shriek with delight after spotting me in the downtown core during my lunch or coffee breaks, there have been two other prominent celebrity sightings during my days with ResponseTek so far.

Gene Simmons, member of the legendary rock band KISS, was at the L2 Leone fashion store inside Sinclair Centre to unveil his locally designed clothing line. Famous for wearing black and white makeup and wagging his tongue, Gene Simmons was in the guise of promoter rather than a rock star when I encountered him without any makeup on. He is an astute businessman who has his own reality TV series - Gene Simmons Family Jewels.


The other, and most delightful, celebrity encounter was with the lovely Liz Hurley. The actress and model was in town to raise awareness for breast cancer, as her grandmother had been a victim of the disease. I saw her and she saw me, quite possibly at the same time, at the upscale Holt Renfrew department store where she was signing autographs for her fans. We did not speak, but she smiled at me and I nodded in acknowledgment. I was accompanied by my friend Sri, who captured the event with his camera phone.