C.J.: A tragedy, indeed: The king arrived too early at Spoonriver

King Lear had trouble getting a table at Spoonriver on opening night. Oops!

Ian McKellen, the inestimable, world-famous Shakespearean actor now playing "King Lear" at the Guthrie, went into Spoonriver, the restaurant next door to the theater, about 4:30 p.m. Friday. But the restaurant opens at 5:30 p.m., so he was turned away, in part, because nobody recognized him.

"We got King Lear in the second night," restaurant owner Brenda Langton said with a laugh.

It's a block-headed restaurant staff that won't seat Sir Ian, whenever he shows up.

"You didn't hear the right story. We were booked. We had room at the bar and he wanted a table. He ..." Langton said, pausing. "I don't even want to talk to you, C.J., if you're going to write something nasty."

Langton then switched into high-obfuscation mode. She said he wanted to eat later than 4:30. "I was going to get another table and put it in the dining room because we were booked at 5:30," she said. "We went and talked to him and everything was fine. I worked with the Guthrie; we told him we had a seat for him. Five minutes after he left, he was contacted. He was very gracious."

When told that McKellen wasn't recognized by a Spoonriver staffer, Guthrie PR woman Melodie Bahan said: "Oops."

Instead, Bahan said, McKellen took his pre-performance meal at Cue in the Guthrie. "My understanding was that he went over [to Spoonriver] after the show," Bahan said. "Maybe it was refreshing for him not to be recognized."

Langton said McKellen and others from "Lear" have subsequently eaten several times at the restaurant.

The theater crowd is one of the reasons Langton presumably picked real estate next to the Guthrie for her second restaurant. Therefore, it would be second nature to cater to actors, especially those from the Royal Shakespeare Co.

If Langton has staff meetings, perhaps she could use part of that time to familiarize staffers with photos of big-time celebrities, such as Sir Ian?

"I have some young people here [who] might not know who Ian McKellen is and that's a fact of life," Langton said.

So acquainting young members of the Internet set who haven't seen "X-Men" or "Lord of the Rings" with a photo of McKellen is a good idea, right?

"I don't do that," Langton said. After going round and round with Langton, who gives as well as she gets when confronted with abrasiveness, I asked what was the one suggestion not-so-bright me had made.

"The picture," she said reluctantly.

Bingo! Get your staff a Playbill.

Celebrity sightings

"My mom and I are sitting at the Rainforest Cafe at the MOA. Daniele and Nick from 'Big Brother [8]' just came down the escalator. They headed towards Macy's. Might add that they had a cute little lip lock as they were riding down. Guess the boyfriend may be out of the picture," wrote "Jolee Molitor" from her BlackBerry on Friday.

Another reader, "Susan Scott" e-mailed: "Nick and Daniele from 'Big Brother' were spotted shopping at Nordstrom's Rack this afternoon around 2 p.m. Their romance was for real. Luv ya."

Don't know Jolee, Susan, Nick or Daniele, but I know the Mall of America PR staffers, and no one could confirm these sightings of the CBS show alums.

No pictures, please

Movie producer Bill Pohlad is camera-shy.

Pohlad attended Wednesday's champagne groundbreaking for the new J.B. Hudson, one of the Pohlad family's holdings, which is relocating in the Young Quinlan Building.

Bill very sweetly leaned over to greet his dad, Carl Pohlad, Twins owner and the jewelry store's board chair, at the conclusion of the media event.

I started rolling tape on the star producer behind "Brokeback Mountain" and "A Prairie Home Companion." Having recently heard gossip about some private "Into the Wild" event for which Pohlad family members reportedly flew out west, I asked how the movie premiere went.

"Sorry, I'd rather not," he said. "So could you stop that please."

I understand, totally. I hate being photographed, too, but my disdain never stops local media from shooting me when I'm working.

As you can see from video posted at www.startribune.com/video, the shaggy-haired Pohlad put his hand over my camera.

After I stopped shooting him, Pohlad asked who I was; I wasn't sure which of Carl's boys he was, either.

"That's rude for you to take my picture when I ask you not to," he said. "Very rude."

I wasn't shooting video from hedges on the family compound. This was a public place.

C.J. is at 612.332.TIPS or cj@startribune.com. E-mailers, please state a subject -- "Hello" doesn't count. Attachments are not opened, so don't even try. More of her attitude can be seen on Fox 9 Thursday mornings.