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JOURNAL
October 2005
Celebs I've Met
This September marks my 20th year in New York City. I've been too busy to do anything to celebrate. But one thing I can say after all these years is that what interests people outside of New York most, and the question I get asked most often is, "Do you ever meet any celebrities?" The quick answer is "No" but as I think back over the 20 years, I've compiled quite a list of celebs I've seen and met. Most I've only met for a moment or two but it was long enough to create an impression; many I've just seen passing on the street. My general impression is that most are pretty nice, and most look better in person than they do on TV or movies — which explains why they have a "star quality" that got them noticed in the first place. Because I chose to go the solo route with my career, I have not had the experience of working with any stars — meeting them has just been luck or careful planning.
Let me start with the ones I've seen on the street: John Turtoro, Nipsey Russell, Cynthia Nixon, Hulk Hogan, Julianne Moore, Jerry Orbach, Tony Bennett, Doug E. Doug ("Cosby"), and Malcolm Jamal-Warner ("The Cosby Show"). Moore was eating in the Chelsea Market and seemed more petite than she looks on screen; Hulk was talking on a cell phone; Turtoro was walking in Prospect Park with his wife and a child in a stroller. Tony Bennett was taking pictures in Central Park.
I've met several at book or CD signings, which allowed me a moment of chitchat: Carly Simon, Liza Minnelli, Tracey Ullman, Liz Smith. Simon was polite but seemed shy; Minnelli was bubbly and gracious (I met her again at the club 88s); Tracey Ullman was far more gorgeous than the Plain Jane she portrays in her comedy — she was nice to us fans but I could sense that she has an edge. Liz Smith had plenty of southern charm.
My many years of work at Rose's Turn and Don't Tell Mama offered me many opportunities to meet the rich and famous. I waited on Jerry Stiller and Anne Meara, who had come to see their un-famous child, Amy Stiller, perform sketch comedy. Anne did most of the talking, and they left a $20 tip. Tom Brokaw came to see a comedy show about the airline business and didn't seem to mind being cramped in the tiny cabaret space — he had a healthy sense of humor. I saw Rue McClanahan in a show and was able to talk to her afterwards. She is rather shy — not at all like her vampy "Golden Girls" character Blanche Devereaux. Danny Bonaduce came into the bar with a girlfriend to have drinks and seemed thrilled that I recognized him ("Partridge Family"). At the time, he was a deejay on a New York radio station, so I wasted no time giving him my CD. A week later he was fired. Nathan Lane came into the bar on a crowded Friday night and wasn't there for more than a minute when I heard him say "Who do I have to f — - to get a drink around here?" I don't bow to celebrities and made sure he waited a bit longer. He left $1 tip. Porn star Jeff Stryker came in when he was at the nearby Actor's Playhouse trying to do legitimate theater work. It was surprising that someone who is known for being so, um, big, was . . . small. Couldn't have been more than 5'6". I was NOT there the night Olivia Newton-John came in for drinks — just as well. She's one of my faves, and I surely would have been a babbling mess. I briefly met Rosie O'Donnell before she hit it big, doing a show at the Duplex. She was rather standoffish. The late Gregory Hines popped in to watch me rehearse a little of one of my early shows. Damn, I wish he hadn't seen that, but he was polite.
And then I had some real encounters with a few stars. Florence Henderson came to see one of her assistants do a show that I directed. We talked for a good five minutes and she's still very proud of being known as Carol Brady. She even got up and sang an impromptu song afterwards. In her late 60s, she looked 45. Once I was invited to a movie premiere — a really bad B film starring one of the Baldwin brothers. However, I met and talked with Bernadette Peters about her Carnegie Hall show (a favorite live CD). She was as nice as can be and looked about 15 years younger than her actual age. At the same party, I introduced myself to a very drunk Amy Irving, who was collapsed against a wall. However, she really perked up and became girly when I asked her when she would sing again (I knew she was the singing voice of Jessica Rabbit, which impressed her).
At one of my gospel choir gigs, I met Ann Curry ("Today Show"), who complimented me on my solo. The same perkiness could not be said for Al Roker, who seemed to be very grumpy walking around the Renaissance Faire with his family. I saw Hilary Swank and her hubby Chad Lowe trying to hail a cab on a corner. I strode up to Hilary (ignoring Chad) and said, "Don't they know who you are?" (This was when she had merely one Oscar.) She graciously gave me an autograph with a heart around it, while my shell-shocked out-of-town friends snapped a photo. I bravely gave my CD to then-named Puff Daddy. He was actually somewhat soft-spoken and nice. I don't think he has sampled any of my ballads on his raps as of yet. I shook Rudy Giuliani's hand during a parade (back in '97) and made some comment to him, which made him laugh like hell. Much friendlier in person. And recently I was able to go backstage at Fez and personally meet Joan Rivers and have her sign my book. Let me tell you, the facelift looks fantastic in person. I kept waiting for her to insult me, but in person she is the kindest person you can imagine. And this year I've twice met singer Ari Gold — look for him to become a major star soon!
So that's the dish. After 20 years, I'm still as eager as I was when I was 22. I'm hoping the next time I meet a celeb, it will be because I'm working with him or her. I'm hoping for Meryl Streep, so I'd better get to work!
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