I remember having dinner with my family in Studio City a few years back when suddenly I noticed a very familiar face exiting Jamba Juice. It was none other than Corey Maggette, forward for the Los Angeles Clippers. I couldn’t believe my eyes. I quickly grabbed my 35 mm camera and ran as fast as I could down a massive concrete flight of stairs. Nearly falling down, I couldn’t bare to miss a photo of my all time favorite basketball player! Star struck and out of breath, I asked him if I could snap a photo, and he kindly said “Yes, as long as you are in it with me.” In an instant, I felt as if I was as famous as he. As soon as the roll of film was developed, I showed the photo to nearly everyone I knew. During my conversations, I was pleasantly surprised to hear that I wasn’t the only one to have a brief encounter with fame. Many celebrities have been sighted here in the Santa Clarita Valley. It seems as though our valley is a place where many stars reside, relax and do some work too. For instance, I was speaking with my fellow editorial girl, Stephanie Jimenez and she told me about her recent brush with fame. She had been doing some very last minute Christmas shopping at the Westfield Valencia Town Center and ran into none other than Duckie from 16 Candles. They were both perusing the popular store Hot Topic and trying to make their way through the crowd. It has been many years since John Cryer played the role of Duckie in the famous 80s movie and he can currently be seen in “Two and a Half Men” with Charlie Sheen on CBS 2.
Another popular celebrity has also relocated to Santa Clarita and with him brought his famous pit bull, Daddy. Yes, you guessed it! Cesar MilLan, a.k.a The Dog Whisperer, has been spotted on numerous occasions walking his magnificent animals on Copper Hill, near Tesoro Del Valle. Look out for him and his famous furry friends when you’re in the area. You’re almost certain to catch a glimpse.
Karo Parisyan, otherwise known as “The Heat” in the UFC community, was spotted at Sidekicks Fight Academy in Canyon Country. Karo’s current professional mixed martial arts record is 25-4-0 with 9 of his wins coming by way of submission. He enjoys coming to the SCV and can be seen teaching Monday night classes at Sidekicks Fight Academy. Have you seen a celebrity in the SCV and got a great picture with them? Send it to us via email at editorial@santaclaritamagazine.com and we will include it in our monthly celebrity sightings column. Did you see a celebrity and not have the opportunity to take a photo? Let us know anyway. We will include those as well. Have fun Santa Clarita and happy celebrity sighting!