Costas Mandylor Meets His #1 Fan

When it comes to celebrity gossip, other blogs specialize in Brangelina or Nicole Kidman or Tom Cruise. Me? I specialize in former stars of Picket Fences. Or at least, that’s the trend I’m hoping to start. That’s right, over this past weekend, my friends and I came smack-dab, face-to-face with none other than Costas Mandylor, former cast member of the beloved ’90s drama, Picket Fences. Normally, such a B-List sighting would barely get a mention, but in this case, there was a bit of hubbub around the actor, thanks to my friend Meeshie, who coincidentally happens to be Costas Mandylor’s biggest. fan. ever. Well, actually she’s only his #2 biggest fan ever (the #1 spot is reserved for Meeshie’s mom).

The excitement all began when my friends and I — Jash, IndianJones, J-Unit, Meeshi, and Mags — arrived at local restaurant, Boulevard, for dinner. Since there was no table ready for us, we all took a seat at the bar where a round of libations were had by all. I should note that many libations had been had by all throughout the day as we were all at about hour eight of a pub crawl, but I digress. Well, at one point, Mags looked at the corner of the bar and announced, “I recognize that guy. I think he’s on a soap opera.” Normally, I would swivel my head and confirm the sighting as I like to employ my famedar at any possible chance. However, my bladder necessitated that I focus on more pressing issues, namely the swift quest to procure a urinal or perhaps a small, disposable jug.
Well, once I returned from the bathroom, I saw in the corner none other than Costas Mandylor. It took me a moment or two to place him as he’s packed on a few pounds since his heyday as Officer Kenny Lacos (not to mention Mark the waiter from Soapdish). Clearly this was the actor that Mags had pointed out, but before I could even open my mouth to inform her of her sighting, I realized that she and Meeshie were no longer in their old spots by the bar. That’s right, they had completely relocated to Costas’s corner, and while I don’t recall exactly what Mags was doing (I think talking to Costas’s friend), I very clearly remember Meeshie emphatically conversing with Costas. It was around this time that she then turned, saw me, and then yelled across the way, “Ben, IT’S COSTAS MANDYLOR!!!”
Many people would find this embarrassing, but we were drunk, and besides, we had become old pros at approaching celebrities. In fact, earlier that day, we ran into Andy Milonakis and chatted with him (but that’s only because — oddly enough — he went to the same high school as me, Meeshie, and Mags. Amusingly, we spent the entire talk asking him about our friend’s brother. We never once asked him about his Hollywood career). Anyway, I happily sauntered on over to Meeshie and Costy, and as I got closer, I could hear her assuring him that her mom would be SOOOO excited about this. In fact, I think she mentioned it more than once. Costas, however, took it all in stride. He didn’t cop an attitude or shoot sidelong glances at his friend. He seemed to be totally enjoying the experience, especially because let’s face it, he probably doesn’t often get a bunch of people crowding around him and acting like he’s David Beckham.
Of course, it didn’t take long for the shutterbugs to come out. And by shutterbugs, I mean me. I took a picture of Meeshie and Costas (as seen above), and amusingly, as they got ready to pose, Costas grabbed Meeshie’s arm and pulled her in. So the answer is no, she did not drape herself over him (but did she enjoy it? OH YOU BET). Also present in the picture is Mags’ finger, which can be seen pointing at Meeshie and Costas, surely indicating laughter on her end and perhaps the utterance, “It’s Meeshie and COSTAS MANDYLOR!”
I should note that I wasn’t above such silliness. As we walked away for our table, I told him that he was funny in Soapdish (he only had like three lines in the movie, but I wanted to refer to something other than Picket Fences). He gave me a little salute, and I kind of felt silly afterwards.
Ultimately, while the sighting was rather c-list, the experience was beyond a-list. Just another glorious night in Los Angeles.