The following story was submitted by a fan of The Howard Stern Show who wanted to share their ''Brush with Greatness'' with others.

Submitted by: James B. 11/09/00

The story...

I responded to the open casting call for extras in the Bryant Park scene at the end of "Private Parts". I was with a friend of mine, and we were ushered into the area of the park which corresponded to our colored bracelets. We were right in front of the stage, standing by Baba Booey, Jackie, Robin, and the actors playing Howard's parents. We were perfectly content watching Howard do take after take of his 'victory speech'. A special bonus was seeing all the t*ts being flashed in the audience (which was encouraged by a flyer we received upon entry.)

AC/DC played the opening to "You Shook Me All Night Long" about 90 times, and we faked enthusiasm from #7 through till the end. I pondered what a clean motor has anything to do with a woman.

People were anxious to leave, as Howard and the crew were nowhere to be seen. We were near the front corner, though, and could see director Betty Thomas, Howard, and two actors dressed as policemen blocking the next shot. AC/DC wrapped up and we saw some of the extras being chosen to 'upgrade their status' and be shown in close-up for the next scene. Nobody seemed to be paying attention, and even though they had stopped after selecting 5-10 people, I snuck into the group. Betty Thomas came out to show us what we'd be doing. Howard would be rushing his pregnant wife off the stage, and with the help of two cops, would part the crowd and speed off in a car. Us 'special extras' were to grab on to him as he passed by like rabid fans. I started to get really nervous when I saw Howard about six feet away ready to plow through the crowd.

They must have filmed 12 takes, from the front and from behind. Every time, I made a forceful lunge for Howard; either grabbing his coat, touching his hair, or patting him on the shoulder. I even snapped a flash photo on camera, which came out perfectly. It was obviously a surprise to Howard, who stopped in confusion when he saw the flash. The fake cops pretended to be real cops and shoved me during that take.

I went to see the movie on opening morning, and realized the footage had been cut down to about 1/2 a second. It wasn't until I came across an unedited Private Parts VHS with extra footage that I was able to spot myself on the big (er, small) screen. And coincidentally, I once saw Stuttering John wheeling a baby carriage down 4th Avenue near Virgin Megastore. He looked like such a big p*ssy that I couldn't respect him enough to offer a kind word.