Streisand Sighting

Barbra was performing at a fundraiser at the ballroom of the Beverly Wilshire tonight. Although I could not even consider the ticket price, I figured it would be crazy not to hang around and try to catch a glimpse of her, since the place is not far away, and I knew in advance she would be there. I'm glad I did. I met a reporter from Fox News, named Jamie something. Nice guy. Since I look like a techie, I stayed with him and his camera man until the event was over. (Barbra was already inside when I got there.) He told me he had been thrown out three times. No press was allowed.

Some security guys came over to talk with him. They were amazed at how much money was being raised. Nine million. They said Barbra sounded great, and although they were clearly not fans of hers (they found her comments about social programs hypocritical, considering how wealthy she is,) they could detect no sign of age in her voice.

Ron Howard walked by. Then Michael York. After Jamie finished his news piece, I walked over to the stage door. The security fellow there was very helpful. He pointed out which vehicle belonged to Barbra's team. He said she would not be going anywhere without them. Sometime after 11PM, the secret service guys came out and let it be known that Barbra had already left. The group of fans who had been hanging around decided to leave. I stayed.

I heard one security guy tell the other that he was going to get her now. A black limo pulled up and backed into a spot next to the stage door. About ten minutes later, the door opened and there she was. I was the only person standing on the sidewalk, about fifteen feet away. She looked beautiful, her hair is extremely shiny. She looked at me, then looked away and the security people led her to the limo. There was a little girl with blonde hair with her, and her husband, who was walking with a cane.

Then something a little bizarre happened. A young mom with her two boys came and stood next to me. They had no idea what was going on, but live nearby and wanted to see someone famous. The woman was wearing a babushka and pajamas under her coat, and her sons were in yarmulkas. Standing together, we must have looked like a poor young Jewish family gathered by the stage door to wave at the famous blonde lady in the big stretch limo.

We did wave, as the limo pulled out in front of us. We could not see if Barbra was waving back, since all the windows were tinted. My wife and kids for the moment stayed to see if Barack Obama would emerge as well, but I was happy to have seen Barbra, and the night was already complete.