Have y’all ever had a “brush with celebrity?” Were you excited when you did? Did you act like a moron? I’ve met some of my favorite singers, but no one that y’all would be too excited about. I did my best to act nonchalant when I met them, but I was sweaty palmed. Just meeting someone I had seen on a stage was a bit of a thrill. I wonder how they feel about meeting their adoring fans? I was thinking about “celebrity” this week, and remembered an incident that happened to my son. This is his brush with celebrity.
A couple of years ago, I called my youngest son in San Francisco on his cell phone. He said, “Mom, I don’t have a very good connection. I’m in a hotel room.”
“What in thunder are you doing in a hotel room?” I asked. He’s got an apartment in a building that was once a hotel. It’s just off of Union Square, a pretty desirable part of San Francisco. That place is as tiny as a postage stamp, in fact I’ve seen bigger closets. It’s called a “two bedroom,” but that means you have to put a bed smack dab in the middle of the living room. Though it’s minuscule, it’s quite charming really, with a phenomenal view. However he pays through the nose for the privilege of living there. His rent is astronomical.
It turns out that a movie company had looked at his building as a possible site to film a four minute flick for Sony Pictures to enter at the Cannes Film Festival. They liked the view from his apartment and offered him a sweet deal:
They moved him into a pretty decent hotel, and paid for the room and his meals for a week. The company moved all of his stuff out, painted the walls, and brought in their own furniture for the set. They pretty much took over the apartment building for the week. At the end of the filming, they painted his walls back the way he had them, put his furniture back and moved him back into his own lair. They also paid him $1500 for the use of his apartment (basically a month’s rent!).
I said, “Matt that’s so cool!”
“No, Mom,” he said. “What’s cool is that the mom character in the film was Princess Buttercup!”
“Princess Buttercup from the Princess Bride?” I squealed. Robin Wright Penn! Yes, indeed. Robin Wright Penn, the wife of Sean Penn, was born in Dallas, Texas. If you’ve seen The Princess Bride, you know her. You might have also seen her as “Jenny” in Forrest Gump, and she has been in a host of other films.
The Princess Bride was a movie that my young ‘uns and I watched over and over. I still love to watch it, and my husband and I have been known to quote phrases from it.
“Did you get to meet her?” I asked. “You didn’t say ‘As you wish’ to her did you?”
“No, Mom.” he said with just a touch of disdain. “That’s something you would do. Sure, I met all the cast and crew. They used my kitchen to cook a meal and someone stole my furikake.” [note: Furikake is a hard to find Japanese seasoning...Matt loves it for flavoring his vegetarian meals.]
“I’m sorry,” I said, “but was it worth it?”
“Oh yeah,” he replied. “Now I can tell everybody that Princess Buttercup peed in my toilet.”
Hey, not everybody can say that! Not everybody would want to!
I’ve thought about this incident for awhile, but couldn’t find the link to the film they made. It was an artsy fartsy little film, but interesting. It had been on-line for awhile, then they took it down. Tonight, I was pleasantly surprised to find “Max” on a YouTube video, so I can share it with you. Remember, I said it’s artsy fartsy. But, that’s my kid’s apartment (and his dishes!).
No, I haven’t had much of a brush with celebrity. But, last week I got to be a celebrity!
That’s right.
I was standing in line at Starbucks one morning. I needed a coffee fix, and it was early. I hadn’t taken time to get on my makeup or my performance clothes. In fact, I don’t think I brushed my hair. I was in a strange town, so I didn’t expect to see anyone I knew. I just fell out of bed and headed out the door.
I was chatting with the woman next to me in line, and she said, “You look familiar.”
“I don’t live around here,” I said. “I come down for two weeks every year to tell stories in the middle schools.”
She pointed at me and jumped up and down. “Kahla Middle School two years ago!” she squealed. “You told stories to my daughter’s class and I was there. Oh, that ghost story about the bed was awesome!”
I was puffing up with pride. Then, she said, “I’m sorry, I don’t remember your name. And, I almost didn’t recognize you.”
Sigh.
There is no such thing as a “famous storyteller.” Like “jumbo shrimp,” “sympathetic lawyer,” and “military intelligence,” those words are an oxymoron.
But, just in case I might be recognized, I probably should start brushing my hair before I go out into the wide world. Only a moron would fall out of bed and head out to greet her public without taming the moptop. The celebrity needs to brush!
Technorati Tags: San Francisco, Princess Bride, Robin Wright Penn, Max
