I’ve always had a fascination with celebrities. I get a little thrill from meeting them in person or connecting with them in some way.
Quenching my thirst to be around famous people has not been easy, given that I grew up on a small Indiana farm and have lived in a tiny town in that same state for most of my adult life. So I’ve had to sometimes scale back the definition of a celebrity. At other times, I’ve redefined what an encounter with one is. To be perfectly honest, I’ve had to do both in many cases.
By my own criteria, here are my favorite brushes with fame:
While studying for a quarter (similar to a semester, only shorter!) in London in college, a group of us saw Sylvester Stallone one night. He was filming the movie Nighthawks in a street that had been blocked off. I got his autograph. He signed it Sly Stone and I’ve still got it—somewhere.
On that same London trip, a friend and I passed Dustin Hoffman one evening, walking along a deserted street. He had been to a performance of “Death of a Salesman.” Years later, he played Willy Loman in that same play. When we went to a performance of Rudolph Nureyev, the ballet dancer, I waited backstage afterward and got his autograph.
Then in my last college summer, I worked in a small lakeside resort. Willie Nelson had performed in the area and came back to stay there for the night. Willie and a few of his band members walked in around closing time. They proceeded to give an impromptu concert on the little dance floor, and it lasted into the early-morning hours. To this day, I can easily recall the experience and hear his smooth, distinctive voice crooning “Always on My Mind.” My summer job was almost over and I was desperate for a Willie Nelson T-shirt but they’d run out. Necessity being the mother of invention, I persuaded one of his band members into exchanging his concert T-shirt for the waitress T-shirt I was wearing!
When I began working as a reporter, my star-seeking prospects improved. One year, Marcia Wallace, who played Bob Newhart’s receptionist on his T.V. show, was the headliner for a local women’s expo. I was assigned to interview Marcia beforehand by phone. At the time of my interview, she was best known as the voice of The Simpsons’ Edna Krabappel. Her publicist said she would be talking with me while staying with her best friend, Brett Sommers, famous for being a panelist on Match Game. I awarded myself bonus celebrity.
My conversation with Marcia Wallace was warm and funny and real. Her well-practiced line was that when her teenaged son told her he wanted to go into acting, she said, “Fine. Act like you like me.” She’d met her husband late in life and he’d become ill and a few years later, he because ill and died, creating financial struggles for her. Before he passed, they said to one another that they were glad they had “used the good china.” At the end, Marcia asked me to bring her a copy of the story I would be writing. When I met her and handed her the story, she wrote on my copy: To Cathy--Loved talking to you. Love, Marcia Wallace. A couple of years later, I managed to contact her on my own and interview her again for a piece I managed to get assigned to.
Then there was my phone interview with Virginia Madsen, the actress known partly for being a wine expert in the movie “Sideways.” I’d admired her voice and demeanor in the movie. To have her practically purring into the receiver was a bit surreal. She talked about down-to-earth subjects like struggling after having a baby and what she did on her long career gap until she’d gotten that movie role. (She’d invested in herself and a gym membership, keeping herself in good shape until the next opportunity came along). I spoke with her mother, Elaine, and could immediately tell where Virginia had gotten her grace and talent. They were actually teaming up with a Botox manufacturer and spoke about getting that done safely, under a doctor's care. I think of her when I look at the indents in my forehead and think , "Should I?"
Fortunately, it’s a great time to be a celebrity-watcher. I follow Virginia on Instagram and that’s how I know she recently married again!
Another time, I interviewed Hugh Hefner’s personal assistant, who had originally come from my area. When she passed away, I ended up getting invited to the Playboy Mansion in L.A. to cover her funeral. It was a dignified affair, led by a team of bagpipe players. Days prior to the event, I got out my teeth whitening kit, and stepped up my moisturizing routine. A friend from Hollywood finally said, basically, “Relax, you won’t be competing with the bunnies.” LOL. There weren’t any celebrities I recognized in attendance, but quite a few who were there had “enhanced” figures, in various ways. Guests were allowed to mingle around the downstairs of the mansion and to go outside in the gardens.
Although I’m not a reporter anymore, I write freelance. I enjoy the work, typically writing short features about everyday people doing interesting and sometimes wonderful, even extraordinary, things.
A few weeks ago, I was called on to cover an event. The keynote would be Kimberly Williams Paisley. The editor emailed, “What I’d like is for you to interview Paisley. She’s known for her role as ‘Annie’ in 'Father of the Bride' and is author of Where the Light Gets In.”
Needless to say, I latched onto that assignment. I’ll be completing it next week, and might even do a little teeth-whitening beforehand. I haven't quite decided yet. What will I wear? There's still time to decide, and to freak out a bit, if I want to go that route. Ha. This time, I'm going to get a photo with her, hopefully. I was too starstruck when I met Marcia.
Who knows? Maybe I’ll report back to you about what Kimberly is like. Would anyone be interested? Are there any fans of hers reading this?
So, what’s your take on following famous people? I’d love to hear.
.jpg)
