Brushes with Fame
Submissions 1 - 10
A Riddle
I was staying at a hotel in Miami while attending a conference. As I left my room, a man stepped off the elevator. He was smoking a cigarette, so I smiled at him. (My family were tobacco growers for many years.)
After putting out his cigarette, he returned my smile and said, "Have a great day, sweetheart." I thought perhaps I had met him earlier at the conference, since his greeting was warm and he seemed somehow familiar. It wasn't until I left a restaurant that evening that I figured out who the man was.
His image was on a large poster Read more
Gender-Bending with Janeane: My Life on the D List
While attending college at USC, I worked at the Starbucks in West Hollywood described as the gayest that Santa Monica Blvd. has to offer.
I had been watching Janeane Garafolo order lattes for about a month before I had a chance to talk to her. Then one evening, I dressed in drag to attend an open-mic amateur night at a club on Robertson. Looking up from my cocktail as I sat at the bar, I said hello to Janeane, who sat on the stool beside me. She turned her attention toward me and, without skipping a beat, introduced me to Read more
Matthew, Michael, and Ron
Hi. My name is Kathy. And I am an Ardent Admirer of Matthew Macfadyen.
My AA admission may be different in substance from the more well-known AA introduction, but it describes a connection just as addicting. I bought the Pride and Prejudice DVD in the spring of 2006. It wasn't until my fourth viewing, two months later, that I realized I was hooked.
I watched the movie over and over. I started to fast-forward to the romantic parts between Lizzie and Darcy. My family and friends thought I was demented. Matthew's portrayal of Darcy did something no other performance had Read more
Call Me Dean
The room was jam-packed. Whispers of anticipation rose high in the air. Visions and life waited to enter across the silver screen of the director's cut. I stood to the side, trying to catch a glimpse of its light, and then I saw him.
Dean Winters was once like everyone else. He had taken an ordinary job and lived a regular life--but then opportunity found him. And he took flight, racing across that sea of dreams and enveloping the screen with the depth of his heart and soul.
But do I dare approach him?
Some stars love the attention, love the fame, Read more
I Met Arnold Schwarzenegger
During the filming of Terminator 2: Judgment Day on location in Fremont, California, I held a part-time job as a holiday display trimmer at Macy's. I was unpacking crystalware and building a gift-display rack. Boxes were everywhere on the floor, as it was early in the morning and we were still not expecting too many customers.
Earlier that morning, mall security had informed us that Arnold Schwarzenegger would be coming through to do some holiday shopping, and that he might come through our department. Store management had instructed us not to ask for autographs or take pictures with him. (Of course, Read more
A Tale of Hoffman
There I was at the mall bookstore, browsing, when standing right next to me was Dustin Hoffman!
I could not believe it. What should I do? He was engrossed in a book, so I decided not to disturb him. However, as he moved about the store, I must admit I stalked him.
Feeling guilty, I left him alone and walked away. I will always regret that I never said, "Hello, Dustin, I love your movies." Sometimes opportunities come and we let them slip by, and regret lingers, lifting its ugly head every time something reminds us of an opportunity lost and gone.
So Read more
Hairdos and Don'ts
I did PR for the movie Steel Magnolias.
At the Ziegfeld Theatre premiere, the actresses had their names on paper taped to their individual seats. The director called the actresses to the front of the theater stage. Dolly Parton stood, and the 8 1/2 × 11 piece of paper with her name on it was stuck to her huge hair.
What to do? Rip it off and risk having her wig come with it? Or tell her as she is walking to front of theater?
Glamorous quick decisions we publicists must make.
I Sang for Michael Jackson
I attended a small private elementary school in Miami Beach. The year was 1983, and Billie Jean had been somebody's lover. The school looked like a church and smelled like a church, but it was a school. Nobody would have suspected it was a school--it was that private. Perhaps this is why the Bee Gees sent six of their kids there? Celebrities love privacy.
My classmates often arrived in limousines. I was a pauper by comparison. But they were nice to me anyway. And I could learn the words to any song, including "O Come, All Ye Faithful." In Latin. Which Read more
Cindy Anthony
Regarding the grandparents of Caylee Anthony.
I once had a dream about Cindy Anthony that I couldn't shake, so I emailed her and told her so. We became friends through that, and I love her like a sister now. Watching the protesters in front of the Anthonys' home makes me sick. What those grandparents don't need and never did, is obnoxious publicity.
Protesters camp outside the home day and night, hoping to be able to say what is on their slanted minds. Some have gone as far as verbally abusing them at the top of their lungs, while their young children Read more
Bill Clinton and the Water Closet
In 1993, I was a congressional page for then-Speaker of the House Tom Foley.
Following one visit to the Capitol, then-President Bill Clinton stopped by the Speaker's office for a visit. Those of us staffers lucky enough were allowed to line up to greet him.
Of course, the call of nature came right before he arrived, and he used the water closet.
So he comes out of the restroom and is walking down the corridor lined with people. No one is shaking his hand--it was really bizarre.
Not to miss my brush with fame (as the youngest staffer, I was toward the end of Read more
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