This piece by Mark Evanier...
http://www.newsfromme.com/archives/2009_08_14.html#017554
...reminds me of a couple of parking related incidents I noticed while working on various studio lots. I had a great office at Universal for several years that overlooked a lot packed with famous names. I am not ashamed to admit I'm still a star-gazer ("hey, was that Brian Setzer of the Stray Cats?!") so this was a fun place to wile away the writing hours.
I will note that it is always a mistake to park in someone else's marked spot. I used to think this wasn't such a big deal until I got my own spot, and someone inevitably parked there when I was running late and/or was in a bad mood. If I hadn't been a bad mood before, the stolen space would definitely put me there. In his piece, Mark Evanier mentions being blocked in by an *ahem* important movie star who was too busy to leave his keys with the parking valet (now THAT'S busy!), but I've seen considerably worse.
One time a sad messenger parked in a movie star's spot to drop off a package... at exactly the wrong moment. Said movie star rolled in and deliberately parked behind the guy (blocking half the driveway, I might add), caging the messenger in then refusing to give anyone to the keys to move his car for two hours. For the first fifteen minutes I thought the movie star was justified, but after that it was just mean...
The most dramatic incident, involving the same parking impaired star, came one evening when I happened to be giving a friend a tour of the lot. We were coming back to my office when I saw a familiar Land Rover pulling out. "Hey, look," I said, "that's ***** ****!" My pal was suitably impressed and we both watched as ***** backed out, and out, and out -- until he smashed into the parked car behind him! There was a clatter of broken glass, then ***** gunned it and got outta there! Moments later, a woman ran out of the building in disbelief. Her car had taken the hit and she wanted to know who did it. "It was ***** ****," I said, and her face fell. She knew there really wasn't much she could do about the damage at that point.
Ahh... memories...
