Two times I had something similar happen to me, but I think I had more cause to be embarrassed...

A couple months ago I was having lunch in the Rockefeller Club / Rainbow Room with a colleague and I could've sworn that I knew the guy behind me in line at the lunch buffet. "Hey, I'm sorry but did we meet at the XXXXXX event this morning? I feel like I know you from somewhere." "Yeah. I used to be governor of New York" "Oh... Sorry." "Yeah, me too." It was Eliot Spitzer.

The other time was about 9 years ago when I was living in South Korea. My friend HoonAh asked me to come along with her and her boyfriend to go out for the night and one of her friends from highschool was coming along as well (a girl). When we were hanging out after introductions, I asked her what she did "I'm an actress." "That's nice. Like in what? Plays? Or are you still studying?" "In a lot of things." (then she got in kind of a ***chy mood) Later, my friend told me that it was Kim Hee-Son / Kim Hee-Seon who was not only really, really, really famous actress and Miss Korea, but also going through a bit of a scandal involving some unsavory photos and videos. I explained that I really never watched Korean TV or movies. Oops.

I think that most celebrities like it when people treat them like a normal person. It must be refreshing. Some have egos that need to be stroked, but it's even more fun to claim indifferent ignorance to them, IMHO...

peace,
~Ben~