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11:46 am - FRI 2/15/02
Advisory--If you don't care about what celebs I've seen out here, or what I think of this season's \"Buffy\", you can skip this entry
FRI 2/15/16 8:35 am (Offline)

For the past couple days, I've gone to bed late, and woken up earlier than ever. Add this to the fact that I seem to be categorically unable to NAP anymore, tired or not, and it's feeling like a real PROBLEM. At work, by mid-afternoon I'm ready to fall over.

But anyway...

There's something I've been meaning to do in here for awhile, and I've even had something of a special request for it, so here goes--Here is a list, to date, of all the celebs I've seen out here (At least all the ones I remembered to write down).

1. William Daniels (Actor--"St Elsewhere", "Knight Rider", "Boy Meets World")

2. Peter Bogdanovich (Director, Actor--"Last Picture Show", "Paper Moon", "The Sopranos")*

3. Stan Lee (Founder of Marvel Comics)

4. Todd Solondz (Director--"Welcome to the Dollhouse", "Happiness", "Storytelling")

5. Abraham Benrubi (Actor--"Parker Lewis Can't Lose", "ER")

6. Kathy Bates (Actor--"Misery", "Primary Colors", "Fried Green Tomatoes")

7. Giovanni Ribisi (Actor--"Saving Private Ryan", "Friends")*

8. Tom Hulce (Actor--"Animal House", "Amadeus")*

9. James Woods (Actor--"The Onion Field", "Salvador", "Diggstown")*

10.Dan Butler (Actor-"Frasier")

11.Paul McCrane (Actor-"Fame", "Robocop", "ER")*

12.Justin Miceli(Actor-"NYPD Blue")

13.Linda Lavin (Actor-"Alice")*

14.Margaret Cho (Comedian)

15.Ben Stein (Actor and Game Show Host--"Ferris Buellers Day Off", "Win Ben Stein's Money")

16.Stephen Webber (Actor--"Wings" )

17.Sherry Stringfeld (Actor--"NYPD Blue", "ER")*

18.Janel Maloney (Actor--"The West Wing")

19.Michael Lerner (Actor--"Barton Fink")*

20.Lisa Edelstein(Actor--"Ally McBeal", "Keeping the Faith")

21.William H. Macy (Actor--"Fargo", "Pleasantville", "Magnolia")

22.Norm McDonald (Actor--"Saturday Night Live", "Norm")*

23.Jules Asner (TV Personality--"Wild On...")*

24.Nicole Sullivan (Actor--"Mad TV")

25.Kevin Spacey (Actor--"The Usual Suspects", "American Beauty")

26.Reese Witherspoon (Actor--"Freeway", "Election", "Pleasantville", "Legally Blonde")

27.Dwight Yokum ( Country Singer, Actor--"Sling Blade", "Newton Boys")

28.Emily Watson (Actor--"Breaking the Waves", "The Boxer")

29.Bruno Kirby (Actor--"The Freshman", "City Slickers", "Good Morning Vietnam")*

30.Paul Giamatti (Actor--"Private Parts", "The Negotiator", "Big Fat Liar")*

31.Robert Prosky (Actor--"Hill Street Blues")

32. Kyle Secor (Actor--"Homicide", "Philly")*

33. Shannon Elizabeth (Actor--"American Pie", "Jay & Silent Bob Strike Back")*

34. Alannis Morrisette (Singer)

35. Halle Berry (Actor--"X-Men", "Monster's Ball")

*People I had direct contact with.

There have been lots of other people I recognized from tv and movies, but couldn't remember their names. And I missed probably the biggest celebrity--Ali--who showed up at the store on one of my days off.

I don't have a lot of big, outstanding impressions of anyone. Usually, I just kind of SAW them, and that was about it.

Early on, when I tried to talk to some people, it was pretty hit-and-miss; I felt like I embarrassed myself with Paul Giamatti and Kyle Secor, but Paul McCrane was very gracious with me, as were actors from "Angel" (A character actor who had a continuing role on the show till he was killed off), and "Six Feet Under" (The actor who plays the flower shop owner). On the whole, I've gotten the impression that if you genuinely appreciate the person's work and say so, they're usually friendly and gracious; When I got in trouble was when I was just trying to have a conspicous "brush with greatness", when it was more about getting myself in front of them than anything else (At this point, I don't tend to approach people, though if I end up waiting on them, and they're someone whose work I know and like, I will say something. The last person I talked to that way was Bruno Kirby, who is an actor I first saw on "Room 222" a million years ago ).

Most people looked like I might have expected, though Reese Witherspoon was SO skinny I didn't recognize her right off. Halle Berry was more petite than I realized (And in regular clothes and makeup looked like any other attractive black woman you might see on the street), and I thought Jules Asner was actually MORE attractive than she looks on tv (Abraham Benrubi looked older and heavier--He was back on "ER" last week, btw--and Tom Hulce looked so bad that at first I thought it was someone who KIND of looked like Tom Hulce).

Norm McDonald was very nice to me; I waited on him one day, and when there was some sort of issue with the book he'd purchased and he had to return it the next day, he recognized me in passing and said "Hey, how's it going?" (As I think I've said before in here, with anyone I've seen in the store more than once, I assume they live in the area. I just don't see anyone going out of their way to frequent the store where I work, since it really kinda SUCKS. But anyway...).

Kevin Spacey was so non-descript someone had to point him out to me. I found myself wondering if that was a "disguise" he was putting on to not be bothered, or if that was just HIM, if you know what I mean.

I waited on Sherry Stringfeld, and was struck by the fact that, while she's an attractive enough woman, I didn't get any big "star feeling" from her till she smiled at me. At that point, I have to admit, I went ever-so-slightly weak in the knees, and saw the stuff that got her roles in two prime time series.

But mostly, having these little celebrity sightings, it's just a moment where you go, "Oh, that's so-and-so", then life goes on. It's kinda COOL, to be sure, but it doesn't change your world (Truth to tell, I can't think of that many celebrities who would really "rock my world" if they came into the bookstore. Julia Roberts, definitely. Dustin Hoffman. Paul Newman. Maybe James Gandolfini or Dennis Franz. It's hard to say).

And I guess that's all I have to say about that, at least for now. I hope I haven't bored anyone too much.

While we're "sort of" on the topic of show biz...

Carrie mentioned in her diary recently how much "Buffy" has sucked this season, and I have to agree (That's been a frequent topic of conversation between John C. and I at the bookstore).

I felt uncomfortable about her and Spike "hooking up" from the get-go, and now it seems apparent that they don't really know what to do with it; I think all it's served to do is make Buffy more "skanky" and Spike more boring (It's SUPPOSED to be "Buffy the Vampire Slayer", not "Buffy the Vampire LOVER". I know there was Angel before, but she loved HIM. And if Spike is supposed to be so in love with Buffy, and he's able to "hurt" her now, for some reason, where is the pull towards wanting to make HER a vampire? Maybe they're going to go in that direction, which would be at least SORT of interesting, but now it's just...dull).

The whole thing with Willow becoming "addicted" to magic was sort of cool initially, but they've taken it too far ("Spellcasters Anonymous"? PLEASE...!). Again, they've made a character that was always interesting and fun kind of...dull. There was a rumor that "Willow" was actually going to be this season's "Big Bad", and I think that would have been really interesting. But apparently that's not going to happen. They've chosen instead to just make her dull and unhappy.

And Dawn has become worse than dull. She's actively ANNOYING. I wish they'd just gotten rid of her at the end of last season.

And without a "Big Bad" this season, the show has no direction, no dramatic thrust. The three nerd guys are not believable (A world of vampires and demons is one thing, but college-age science geeks creating "invisibility ray guns" and warping the fabric of time just feels...stupid), and not interesting to me. No matter what the writers do at this point, I find it hard to believe they're going to invest these guys with any genuine sense of menace (They're sort of making Warren more of a genuine psycho than the other two guys, who are just dweebs, but that's not really ENOUGH, not when you're talking about a heroine who has saved the world on numerous occasions, and from far worse threats than three guys who can't get laid).

Anyway...

Well, I'm feeling like this entry will be profoundly dull to anyone who doesn't really CARE that I've seen a lot of celebs out here, or that I'm very disappointed with this season's "Buffy", but what can I say? To steal a line from the cotton commercials, THIS is "the fabric of my life".

And I kind of went off in this direction in order to not go off in ANOTHER direction, which is how I'm continuing to wrestle with feeling tired and listless and depressed. So here I am, acknowledging it while not DWELLING on it.

And actually, the fact that "Buffy" has been very disappointing this season DOES kind of connect, in a small way, with my being a little depressed of late--As embarrassing as it is to admit, as pathetic as it feels, "my stories", as it amuses me to refer to them, have helped me stave OFF depression out here. When life is seeming dull and depressing, it's nice to be able to go home, fire up the magic entertainment box, and lose myself in what's happening with "Ross" and "Rachel" and "Buffy" and "Sipowicz" and "President Bartlett", and so on and so forth.

So when a show I've looked to for entertainment, and even some level of comfort and solace turns to SHIT...well, it's not the end of the world, but it IS a little depressing.

And being a creature of some habit, the fact that the Winter Olympics are on, which I don't care about at all, and are preempting many of my favorite shows--"Ed", "The West Wing", "Friends", "ER"--is another thing, I'm embarrassed to admit, that has me feeling a little bit ADRIFT.

Okay, Since I don't think this entry can get MUCH more boring, I'm going to close with ANOTHER list I've been thinking about putting in here lately.

These are the shows I make a point of watching on a regular basis:

Monday--"Boston Public", "Angel"

Tuesday--"Buffy", "NYPD Blue", "Philly"

Wednesday--"Ed", "The West Wing"

Thursday--"Friends", "CSI", "ER"

Sunday--"Alias", "The Practice"

And with that, I leave you. I need to get some groceries, and get back home in time to (Hopefully!) catch an actual NAP.

I'm so TIRED...

 

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