Monday, November 24, 2014

On the red carpet with CLC

Since we've been asking authors questions about celebrities all month, we thought we'd take a turn in the "hot seat."

Melissa A:

Favorite musician: 
Billy Joel. His music is timeless and he sings with such passion and emotion that it gives me chills. His songs are so memorable and I get them in my head all the time.

Who is the celebrity that makes you swoon the most?
These days, it's Chris Messina from The Mindy Project. All he has to do is dance and I completely melt. I also have this thing for Luke Bryan. More for his sexy voice though.

Celebrity girl crush:
These are just some of them. And now that I've seen Obvious Child, I can add Jenny Slate to that list.

Have you ever missed an opportunity to meet a celebrity because you didn't know they were famous at the time?
When I was a kid, "Refrigerator" Perry from the Chicago Bears was at the airport and I had no clue who he was. Then the Bears won the Super Bowl that year. I was totally kicking myself and I'm not even a sports fan! (As a side note, my sister was at a restaurant in L.A. and Haley Joel Osment was sitting nearby but The Sixth Sense hadn't come out in theaters yet, so she had no clue who he was.)

Which celebrity would make a great chick lit character?
Mindy Kaling, hands down!

Have you ever met a celebrity? If so, what was the experience like?
I've met a bunch of celebrities! Here's a list up through 2010. (Since then, my bucket list of who I want to meet has changed, and will probably change again soon.) I'm sharing a picture I don't think I've shared here before. It's from when my sister and I saw Tick, Tick, Boom (written by the late Jonathan Larson of Rent fame) in 2003 and met Wilson Cruz, who played Ricky on My So-Called Life. It was a really positive celebrity encounter, as he was so sweet and stuck around to talk and take pictures. I've met a few other celebrities since I wrote this post. Thanks to BEA, I even got to meet Neil Patrick Harris! (And B.J. Novak too!) I'm glad I met him before I saw A Million Ways to Die in the West though. (He was funny in it, but there's just this one super embarrassing part...) In most cases, I've been totally star-struck and have basically said one or two words. With (most) authors, it's different, as I feel like they're friendlier and easier to talk with.

When my sister (right) and I met Wilson Cruz 
from MY SO-CALLED LIFE in 2003.


Amy:

Who is your favorite talk show host?
Ellen DeGeneres. She's one of the funniest people on television.

Who is your favorite news reporter?
I have to choose several here. I'm a HUGE Good Morning America fan and overall ABC news. So it's going to be Robin Roberts, George Stephanopoulos and David Muir. I also love Diane Sawyer.

Who is your favorite Broadway star?
Another two: Idina Menzel and Kristin Chenoweth.

What is your favorite source of celebrity news?
People magazine. I get SO excited when I see the mailman walk into our office with our copies of People.

If you were hosting a party and could invite any three celebrities, who would you choose?
Now this is a hard one. I have to choose four: Brad Pitt, Jennifer Garner, Sandra Bullock and George Clooney.

Do you think social media has made celebrities even more famous?
Absolutely.

Jami:

Have you ever met a celebrity? If so, what was the experience like?
Soap stars aren’t like other celebrities. They work killer hours, they don’t get a lot of respect in the entertainment industry (more than reality stars, though!), and their characters play out storylines that are often viewed as laughable. Because of all that, they are very grateful to their fans (the non-stalker ones), and reach out to them in ways that movie stars would never imagine.

In many book reviews, I’ve mentioned my sometimes-obsessive love for General Hospital. I’ve also been a fan of other shows, and about ten years ago my friend Kathleen and I ran Daytime Encounter, a soap opera fan fantasy camp. Through it, I got to meet many stars from All My Children, One Life to Live, and Guiding Light – including William DeVry, a very nice man who is currently setting hearts afire on General Hospital. The camp was an all-day affair that let soap fans experience life as a soap star, from auditioning for a part, getting hair and make-up done, and acting alongside their favorite soap stars. For the actors, it was another workday on top of the other five they’d had that week, but they were all gracious, kind, funny, sweet to their fans, and non-complaining. And All My Children’s Walt Willey is funny as hell if you’ve ever wondered.

But General Hospital is first in my heart, and my favorite experiences naturally revolve around that show. Through the early magic of AOL, I was able to meet other fans of my favorite GH actress – Leslie Charleson, who plays Monica Quartermaine. That led me to volunteering for her fan club, and I flew out to LA several times to help with her fan events. If there’s anything better than meeting a star you’ve idolized since you were eleven years old, it’s this: Finding out that star is warm, witty, wonderful and very appreciative of her fans. So naturally I returned the favor in the most Monica way possible, trying to steal her TV husband. ;-)

With Stuart Damon, who played Monica’s husband Alan


Becky:

Who is your favorite actor?
Ryan Gosling, and not just for his looks, I genuinely think he's a great actor and chooses very diverse films.

Who is your favorite comedian?
Milton Jones is becoming a favourite.

Who is your favorite dead celebrity?
Karen Carpenter, I've loved the Carpenters since i was 11 she had such a unique voice. I paid homage to them when i went to California once, including visiting Karen's grave.

Who is your favorite reality star?
Jedward! It's a few years since they were on the X Factor now but i still love them, they always cheer me up when i see them on TV or see their tweets.

Have you ever dreamt about a celebrity?
Erm I regularly dream about the TV presenter Declan Donnelly, he's usually trying to tell me it's never going to happen..I have a very longstanding crush!

Who is your favorite musician?
Paolo Nutini. His album Sunny Side Up is probably my favourite ever album.

Gail:

Who is your favorite talk show host? 
Ellen DeGeneres, no question. I've never seen anyone so full of joy and happiness on a daily basis. The world needs more people who know the value of a smile.

Who is your celebrity girl crush? 
Either Jen Lancaster or Emma Stone! I'm pretty sure if we ever met we'd totally be BFF.

Do you have a celebrity doppelganger? 
I've heard from a few people that I look like Hillary Scott from Lady Antebellum or like actress Sara Ramirez. I'm not sure I agree 100%, but I won't disagree because those ladies are gorgeous!

Do you think social media has made celebrities even more famous?
I think social media has made celebrities appear more accessible, and perhaps that has made them more famous, but I also think social media has made almost every celebrity think harder about each and every step they take. Social media has taken on a life of its own and the vast array of viewpoints and opinions out there can turn a faux pas into a major issue in minutes.

Have you ever met a celebrity? If so, what was the experience like?
I've met Alice Cooper a few times and he's easily one of the nicest, most down-to-earth guys. Seriously. He came backstage into the meet and greet area after a concert and promptly went around the room and shook everyone's hand and proceeded to introduce himself. I was probably mostly standing there with my mouth hanging open, on the verge of a Wayne's World-esque "we're not worthy" breakdown, and he was all "Oh hi! I'm Alice! Great to meet you!"

1 comment:

Janine said...

This was really fun to read