OT:Snipes

On 7/15/08 11:13 PM, "Olwyn Mary" wrote:

I think this is part of living in places like DC, or NYC, LA, and now parts of Miami. Around here there is plenty of celebrity sighting and interaction

- depending on where you work, play. But, not all show business types.

We know some who really like the "normal" way they're treated, and one infamous (IMO) sports guy who didn't like the lack of fame treatment. The absolutely best hockey coaching job was St. Alban's (the prep school of many connected power DC types, lots of tradition, where the memorial for Tim Russert was). DH had coached there for some time, I got to join the staff (running the JV on my own 1 year). There were some very well known faces on the front page parents - who were fabulous to deal with - very normal. While others, more of the not so famous but socially connected (mostly moms, sad to say) not quite as easy.

When I was a kid, my uncle was partner in an ad agency (according to my cousin, very like what is seen on "Mad Men" the AMC series). One Sat night, my folks, aunt, uncle all went to dinner at IIRC, La Grenouille in NYC (a famous French Restaurant) and at the table next to them were Paul Newman & Joanne Woodward. My DM was in heaven, and evidently spent much time trying not to stare at his blue eyes (he was her heart throb). Evidnetly, they were quite nice and exchanged some greetings. Interesting to me in that my DGF (mom's dad) was in show business and repped a bunch of theatre/tv/music and sports figures. So, my DM & DA grew up in crazy households that had lots of celebs around - it was the norm. The comedian Henny Youngman was the Emcee at my parents wedding....the film is hysterical. And at my grandparents beach house the "TV" room (dead center of house, a little get-away cum library extra guestroom) was wall-papered with custom stuff made of photographs - family, friends, and tons of show business. What I remember of my contacts is a lot of musicians (some concert types), the METS (children of some with whom I learned to play ball), and a boxer - Rocky Graziano. Who, was quite dedicated to my grandfather, and always around - and infamously came to visit me after my eye surgery (when I was back home) bringing a friend "big John" along. Next day - front page of the paper - Big John arrested as mob hit man. My DM never forgave him.

Ellice

Here in Denmark, the famous people are just around, doing everyday things and are respected just like everyone else, it brings it more down to earth. Where I live there is a sausage stand, and sometimes when eating a sausage some famous Danes have eaten there, next to me, which is really cool and more special than a screaming mob. Now if there were a star that I would be excited to meet would be Sissel K. What a voice!

We got used to seeing famous people and as a rule we took it in stride, but every so often you saw someone that you knew was delighted to be recognized and who encouraged us to "annoy" them. I personally never did autographs but I worked with a young man who did and he would report to us every day on whether or not the star he asked to sign his book was gracious or obnoxious.

Most New Yorkers would never dream of bothering anyone in a restaurant. At least not the ones I know.

Lucille

As with anything else, a lot depends on just *how* the subject is broached! I like to know where people are "originally" from so that I can hopefully learn something about a part of the country or the world that I am not familiar with. I would only ask the outright question of where a person is from if they had a noticable accent. For peope who don't have an obvious accent but who seem to be from some other place, I would usually ask if they were born in the area or moved there from somewhere else. Since I haven't lived near where I was born and raised for over 40 years, I usually start of by saying that I am a transplant. I can see where many transplanted people could be hurt by locals asking about their heritage, etc. Your friends are lucky to have been exposed to several cultures, etc. in their lifetimes. They have become Canadians BY CHOICE and that likely makes them better citizens than some of the people who are Canadian because they were born there. CiaoMeow >^;;^<

PAX, Tia Mary >^;;^< (RCTQ Queen of Kitties) Angels can't show their wings on earth but nothing was ever said about their whiskers! Visit my Photo albums at

Some of this is Old Money versus New Money.

We had a girl at college whose family had been in America since the

And then there were the New Money kids who couldn't resist any opportunity to proclaim "do you know who my father is?"

Therer were some film stars at His Holiness' teaching including Uma Thurman. Her father is Robert Thurman and he is a professor at Columbia University in New York and very famous in Buddhist circles. Not one person bothered Uma, her mother or father. I did shake his hand after his lecture and thanked him for his most recent book.

Sean Penn and Brad Pitt just filmed a movie here in Austin. They are making many movies here now too. It employs Americans, while being as cost effective as Canada to make movies.

In DC it's not really about the money - old or new. It's who you know, what you do. Not money. There is a lot of tech new money here - the AOL millionaire - and some "old" money - downtown socialites, etc. But, for the most part this is a high income area (even living in the quasi-boondocks 20 miles outside of town - in a county with the highest median income in the country). When you're at any function - be it a charity event, theatre thing, a party, a hockey game - what people you're meeting will establish is

With the mom's - it was more about the connection stuff. Particularly at a place like Alban's (which is not about the money). I've had plenty of time at some other situations where it is more about the money, and everyone must have a gifted child (on the ice, off the ice, etc).

I never really heard a kid at St Alban's, or Gonzaga, or do the "who my parents are" thing. People would laugh at them. I'm sure it was about the

Ellice

Same difference. Old power/new power. The ones who are newest to it throw it in your face, and the ones where it's been there for generations just assume that you know. Or they don't care whether you do or don't.

No, honey, MY accent is mid-Atlantic. Yours is not.

Elizabeth

Of coise!

Elizabeth

But I'm guessing his first language wasn't Polish, either....

Elizabeth

Very true. I'm unsure but I imagine his first language was probably Yiddish.

I know that he lived in Poland near the German border and spoke several languages, but when he corresponded with his brother in Israel I believe it was in Yiddish. However, when they were face to face in my apartment in Brooklyn they were speaking Polish and I asked them to please use Yiddish so we could at least understand a little of the conversation.

I only know a very little Yiddish but my husband was fairly fluent in the language.

Lucille

Just because I'm in the mood to nit pick, two of them were from Brooklyn and one was from Philly.

And if you're going to go by my accent, you need to spell it "cawse."

Whaddaya mean by that ? Are these fighting words ?

Coulda sworn you said Brooklyn, not Boston....

Elizabeth

Dunno. How do you pronounce "Baltimore?"

Elizabeth

I soitenly did, but Brooklyn loves the "aw" sound like cawfee and aw right and New Yawk.

Nobody in Brooklyn would ever say "pack the ca in Havad yad" like they do in Boston.

Ball tee more >

Obviously. *giggle* It's "pahk the cah in Hahvuhd yahd."

Elizabeth