tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post3834733209613452159..comments2024-03-28T20:14:01.928-05:00Comments on Althouse: "One of the reasons I love living in New York is that no one gives a shit about celebrities."Ann Althousehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01630636239933008807noreply@blogger.comBlogger168125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-25968162504766741822013-05-30T19:53:39.633-05:002013-05-30T19:53:39.633-05:00Lou Reed? Kickboxing?!?! I'm sure he's REA...Lou Reed? Kickboxing?!?! I'm sure he's REAL good at it; what is he, like 125 years old or something?Captain Trippshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02303143412847947308noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-22101927894849968372013-05-30T13:39:06.661-05:002013-05-30T13:39:06.661-05:00Another celeb-sighting story: In my first year in ...Another celeb-sighting story: In my first year in NYC, I was at an afternoon showing at long-gone theater at Broadway and 72nd, (now the site of an Urban Outfitters), of the documetary "Best Boy." (It's about an adult retarded man whose aging parents were worried how he would fare after their demise).<br /><br />Former teen heartthrob Robby Benson came in with a young lady and they sat about 4 rows in front of me, directly in my line of vision. As it was an afternoon show of a movie about a not-very-exciting subject, the theater was more empty than occupied. <br /><br />Throughout much of the movie Benson and his date necked passionately, going at it like two high school students exploring "their bodies, (their)selves." Torrid!Robert Cookhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06951286299515983901noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-20835640198179279432013-05-30T12:27:05.628-05:002013-05-30T12:27:05.628-05:00I remember seeing "My Favorite Brunette"...I remember seeing "My Favorite Brunette" and realizing 5 minutes into it that Hope's character was the Woody Allen prototype. And Allen is upfront and gracious about it.<br /><br />I don't knock the guy for being a hung-ho immigrant-patriot.<br /><br />Or for preferring Anita Ekberg to Diane Keaton.Chip S.https://www.blogger.com/profile/13210586187250159751noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-42882432392487952842013-05-30T12:07:34.012-05:002013-05-30T12:07:34.012-05:00Thanks, Chip S. I believe I had seen a brief excer...Thanks, Chip S. I believe I had seen a brief excerpt, but never the whole thing.<br /><br />Of course, the Bob Hope of the later era, the cue card-reading hack of endless tv specials and conservative politics that we see lampooned here is a very different (public) character from the one he portrayed in his films from his great era. There, he was a fast-talking phony, a coward full of lust and false bravado and prone to comedic asides...as the early Woody Allen film character was.Robert Cookhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06951286299515983901noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-89367100570062340352013-05-30T10:46:52.479-05:002013-05-30T10:46:52.479-05:00@RCook--ever seen this?@RCook--ever seen <a href="http://youtu.be/yjYVyyTBdh4" rel="nofollow">this</a>?Chip S.https://www.blogger.com/profile/13210586187250159751noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-69907767630078398022013-05-30T10:15:32.744-05:002013-05-30T10:15:32.744-05:00Sorry, Garrison Keilor was getting into a cab on 2...Sorry, Garrison Keilor was getting into a cab on 25th street near 8th Avenue.Terihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14963866738372943658noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-65608620901823332332013-05-30T10:14:00.600-05:002013-05-30T10:14:00.600-05:00I talked to Miss Piggy on the phone one time. Fra...I talked to Miss Piggy on the phone one time. Frank Oz was a customer of the exclusive place I was working. (I wasn't exclusive, the place was. I was the bookkeeper.)<br /><br />A few years later my husband and I rode in an elevator at the Waldorf-Astoria with John Tesh and Sally Jesse Raphael. They were famous at the time and chatting with each other. I was of course too shy to say anything and my husband was new to the US from England and didn't know who they were.<br /><br />And then there's the time that I'm prettty sure I saw Ric Okasek get into a cab at the Greyhound station, and another time I saw Garrison Keilor get into a train station.<br /><br />Notice that I never <i>met</i> any of these people, and I really wouldn't want to . . . other than Frank Oz. Terihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14963866738372943658noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-75460158289929644902013-05-30T10:02:10.452-05:002013-05-30T10:02:10.452-05:00In his heyday as a film star, Bob Hope was High-la...In his heyday as a film star, Bob Hope was High-larious!! Woody Allen has said that he fashioned his screen persona after Hope, and, having heard that, it's completely obvious!Robert Cookhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06951286299515983901noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-45129559185429563682013-05-30T09:45:46.908-05:002013-05-30T09:45:46.908-05:00Well, might as well add my first celeb, Bob Hope. ...Well, might as well add my first celeb, Bob Hope. My Father was a WW II vet in the ETO and a big fan of Hope, and I became one too. In Spring, 1963 Bob Hope was scheduled for a show at LSU. One of my fraternity bros was VP of the SGA and said he could get me in to meet him at sound-check on Fri afternoon at the Parker Agricultural Auditorium (where concert was being held). We had a tennis match with Kentucky that pm also, so after my matches (which I won--singles & doubles) I hot-footed it across campus to the auditorium towel around my neck still in tennis togs w. rackets under-arm. As I approached the stage I hailed the great man and explained about the admiration that my Father and I had for him and that I had just rushed over upon finishing my match and said "I just want to shake your hand." He leaned down, but hesitated: "Did you win your match? I don't shake hands with losers."<br />I allowed as I had, and we shook hands. Now, I know that types like Hope are always "on" and feel pressured to always come up with an appropriate clever quip, so I've always cut him some slack, but still, that experience left a sour taste in my mouth. What if I had lost? And, as a veteran of the Vietnam war, I always wondered in later years if he considered us "losers" as well post Vietnam. Still a great fan, tho..virgil xenophonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14577165785872035948noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-74357774963390430332013-05-30T09:15:26.042-05:002013-05-30T09:15:26.042-05:00I got a text photo on my phone from Anthony Wiener...I got a text photo on my phone from Anthony Wiener. At least I think it was him. bagoh20https://www.blogger.com/profile/10915174575358413637noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-35765837372750289132013-05-30T08:36:29.774-05:002013-05-30T08:36:29.774-05:00Well, if we're dropping names, I've had em...Well, if we're dropping names, I've had email convos with a semi-famous porn star, a famous Manhattan hooker and author, and a science fiction writer.<br /><br />But the BEST one is that I urinated next to Robert Reed.Anthonyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05973774692416760687noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-51679368510146818652013-05-30T08:24:19.796-05:002013-05-30T08:24:19.796-05:00BTW, after lots of ups and downs, my friend from t...BTW, after lots of ups and downs, my friend from the story is presently celebrating 18 months of sobriety, and still attending meetings. That's the <i>best</i> part of the story.Robert Cookhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06951286299515983901noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-26906377077469317182013-05-30T07:57:58.218-05:002013-05-30T07:57:58.218-05:00Broadway and Amsterdam. Checking my NYC map, that&...Broadway and Amsterdam. Checking my NYC map, that's Upper West Side.AllenShttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08848966772462502893noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-47234703966716011082013-05-30T07:36:20.843-05:002013-05-30T07:36:20.843-05:00That was a good story.That was a good story.AllenShttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08848966772462502893noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-14116935648127416122013-05-30T07:21:38.307-05:002013-05-30T07:21:38.307-05:00"Mr. Cook, don't you life in NY? Have any...<i>"Mr. Cook, don't you life in NY? Have any good stories to tell about celebs?"</i><br /><br />In the years I've lived in NYC I've seen many, many celebrities, mostly going about their business walking the streets. I worked for a few years at a hotel by LaGuardia Airport, where, of course, quite a few celebs came through, flying in or out of the city, the most illustrious being Bob Hope and Nina Simone, (but also including Linda Blair, Patricia O'Neal, the comedian Gallagher, George Thorogood). Ms. Simone was quite imperious and curt. (I'm guessing she was offended no one seemed to know who she was. I knew who she was but had no functional reason to approach her so I stayed away.) I checked in Jam Master Jay of Run DMC one night very late, who came in with a young lady. He signed in under his own name, which I recognized. I asked, "Aren't you Jam Master Jay?" and he seem startled I knew him. (This was when they were just beginning to take off in popularity). He left very early, alone. I guess the young lady was still upstairs, sleeping. Paul Stanley came in one night by himself, also very late. There are others I've forgotten.<br /><br />Martha Plimpton lives in my neighborhood and I see her out strolling or walking her dog all the time.<br /><br />The only "good" story I can summon up is this: a few years ago a very dear friend of mine had collapsed into an alcoholic crisis. Her family and I prevailed upon her to go to an AA meeting, telling her we'd take her and go in with her, as she was scared and reluctant. We piled into a couple of cabs and went to a meeting that was taking place on 71st Street between Broadway and Amsterdam Avenue. We went in as the meeting was already underway and a young woman was speaking about her experience with alcohol and recovery. I surveyed the large room, very crowded with many people, and I saw someone in the far back who looked familiar. I thought, "Is that...?" I told myself it couldn't be, I was imagining it. But the more I looked the more certain I was that it was he. Presently the meeting ended and people started filing out. Many approached my friend, as it was apparent she was new to this and was in crisis. The man I had seen and recognized stopped as he was heading out, put his hand on my friend's arm and squeezed it, and said, "Keep coming back. We need you." And then he left. <br /><br />For obvious reasons, I will not name the man, but his name has been mentioned elsewhere in the comments. I have always been impressed with his generosity and graciousness in that moment. I hear he still attends meetings around NYC.Robert Cookhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06951286299515983901noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-68729377000023979322013-05-30T06:33:07.043-05:002013-05-30T06:33:07.043-05:00Damnit! I forgot that when I was in a military hos...Damnit! I forgot that when I was in a military hospital in Japan in 1968, Bart Starr visited and shook my hand. There's a picture of the two of us somewhere.AllenShttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08848966772462502893noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-35015174829537241302013-05-30T01:00:40.086-05:002013-05-30T01:00:40.086-05:00I know people who rub shoulders with people who ru...I know people who rub shoulders with people who rub shoulders with Scott Walker daily, that's special, ain't it? Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-33683440165947971972013-05-29T23:13:25.825-05:002013-05-29T23:13:25.825-05:00Scarlett Johansson Boyfriend Robot says: I Then Pu...Scarlett Johansson Boyfriend Robot says: I Then Put Scarlett Over My Knee and Spanked her Lightly saying "I'm Sean Penn, I can Do This" and She Giggled Like a Little Girl.<br /><br />It Is About Trust.<br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-78868227535596623502013-05-29T23:12:49.342-05:002013-05-29T23:12:49.342-05:00Scarlett Johansson Boyfriend Robot says: I Once Pu...Scarlett Johansson Boyfriend Robot says: I Once Put Scarlett Over My Knee and Spanked her Lightly in a "Ha Ha I'm Spanking You: sort-of-Way. She Did not Like That.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-45591642434906497872013-05-29T22:57:14.987-05:002013-05-29T22:57:14.987-05:00Scarlett Johansson Boyfriend Robot says: I Laugh a...Scarlett Johansson Boyfriend Robot says: I Laugh and Tell Scarlett I would Kill Woody Allen in His Sleep. We Laugh and Laugh 'cause She Knows I'm Joking. Woody is like a Father Figure to Her. I Understand.<br /><br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-5316481524717015202013-05-29T22:50:49.691-05:002013-05-29T22:50:49.691-05:00Scarlett Johansson Boyfriend Robot says: I Laugh a...Scarlett Johansson Boyfriend Robot says: I Laugh and Laugh and Laugh along. There is No Reason for Her to Leave Me.<br /><br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-16343888569053155892013-05-29T22:49:21.788-05:002013-05-29T22:49:21.788-05:00I was in a not so special restaurant where Sylvest...I was in a not so special restaurant where Sylvester Stallone was with a party. He went to the bathroom. His bodyguard stood outside the door to make sure no one else could go in. I thought that thar was kind of self important and celebrityish. Years later, on a talk show, he told how when he was standing at a urinal someone came up behind him, slapped the back of his head, and told him he didn't look so big. I guess being a celebrity has its downside, especially when taking a leak in public places.Williamhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07837540030934495651noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-72799074220366907892013-05-29T22:49:12.532-05:002013-05-29T22:49:12.532-05:00Scarlett Johansson Boyfriend Robot says: Gwyneth P...Scarlett Johansson Boyfriend Robot says: Gwyneth Paltrow calls her Private Area 'Shaved Baby Soderbergh'. Gwyneth and Scarlett Laugh and Laugh and Laugh.<br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-25476497889361438042013-05-29T22:46:25.481-05:002013-05-29T22:46:25.481-05:00Scarlett Johansson Boyfriend Robot says: Me and Sc...Scarlett Johansson Boyfriend Robot says: Me and Scarlett have Nicknames for Each Others' Genitals: only Gwyneth Paltrow Knows.<br /><br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-45194880381005617662013-05-29T22:43:40.129-05:002013-05-29T22:43:40.129-05:00Scarlett Johansson Boyfriend Robot says: Ethan Haw...Scarlett Johansson Boyfriend Robot says: Ethan Hawke Once Tenderly Fondled My Balls Ina Hallway Thinking it Would Get Him closer to Scarlett. Please, Ethan: you had a third-rate Scarlett in Uma Thurman and She Still Cut You Loose. Let Go.<br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com