Celebrity Sightings
by Heidi Chambers

On February 5th 2000, my good friend Lesley and I headed over to the Hollywood Forever Cemetery where Leelee Sobieski's new movie, My First Mister was filming. You may remember her as the daughter of the costume shop owner in Stanley Kubrick's Eyes Wide Shut. My First Mister tells the story of a rebellious teen (Sobieski) who gets involved with an older man (Albert Brooks). Christine Lahti is directing.

We arrived on the set at 8:30 p.m. and had no trouble getting in. Don, an electrician for the movie, was very nice and explained what was happening and what the movie was about. He also told us that the whole cast was there except for John Goodman.

As a location, the Hollywood Forever Cemetery seems rich in cinema history. Some of the notables buried there include Charlie Chaplin, Cecil B. DeMille, and Mel Blanc - the voice of so many Looney Tunes characters, including Bugs Bunny.
Then Lesley and I got to meet Leelee - a very different looking actress than what most people are used to. Instead of her normal long blonde hair, we saw her in a black wig and fake nose ring, physical changes dictated by the definition of her character for the movie. When the time came, I politely said hello and asked if I could have her autograph. She said, "Sure, no problem," and signed my 3x5 card.

Next, Lesley asked if Leelee would take a picture with us. Again, she was only too happy to comply. I handed my camera over to a crew member and he snapped the photo. But there was no flash. Leelee said that if we stuck around for 15 minutes, she would take another photo with us. So wait we did. True to her word, Leelee was back in 15 minutes, and we took another picture. This time the flash worked, and all was well. We chatted with her for a while. Leelee asked what we were doing at a cemetery during the middle of the night. We told her we were there to see her, and she was flattered. She even hugged us good-bye as she went back to work on the movie.

Remember to check my Web site www.heidichambers.com for more Celebrity Sightings!