claims to fame :-)

Rainey · Posted: Fri Jan 12, 2007 4:13 am Post subject:

I think Billy Connelly is certifiably hysterical! I would just love to run into him. He seems like someone you'd really have fun having a beer with. And someone you could.

We also have a rather new personality in the States. Craig Ferguson, originally from Scotland. Anyone from the UK familiar with him? He's on very late night TV and it's hard to decide whether to listen to the music of his accent or the razor sharpness of his wit. I can't stay up late enough to enjoy him as often as I'd like to.
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God writes a lot of comedy... the trouble is, he's stuck with so many bad actors who don't know how to play funny. -- Garrison Keillor

madameshawshank · Posted: Fri Jan 12, 2007 10:24 am Post subject:

oh emilyj...Billy...I doth forgot Billy Shocked

We saw him at the Capitol Theatre a few years back...sidesplitting funny...I thought it might be a fine idea to go to the stage door...ya never know...

The doorman said he might be out in a little while or a long while...he never knew...we were a group of about 8 or so...we waited...the guy brought us chairs which I thought sweet...

'n then the lad himself...what a joy! he stayed and chatted for longer than a half hour....I asked him what it felt like when someone heckled constantly...as a guy had done that night...(after a lightening verbal strike he clammed up rather quickly Wink

)

He told us he walks around the stage until he gets back...into the swing...told us hecklers were ok when he worked the pubs in the UK...however not the big concert gigs...

From memory he told us he was reading a Robert Hughes book..maybe The Fatal Shore

delightful conversation...might try to find the photo..guess who is looking very happy!
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"I've never accepted the external appearance of things as the whole truth. The world is much more elaborate than the nerves of our eye can tell us." - James Gleeson

brighidsdaughter · Joined: 02 Oct 2004 Posts: 233 Location: Canton, TX USA

Raising my hand here as a fan of both Billy Connelly and Craig Ferguson.

But my brush with fame was with Greer Garson, in the early 1980's. At that time she and her husband, Buddy Fogelson, lived permanently in Dallas for health reasons. A dear friend of mine who was also a "theatre person", lived near them. My friend and I often ate an early dinner at a neighborhood cafe, which was frequented by Ms. Garson. She usually picked up takeout for herself and her husband. If she came in and saw my friend, whom she met through a mutual acquaintance, she'd sit with him (he usually dined alone) and chat til her takeout was ready. I was privileged to be in her company on several occasions. Reserved, polite, and genuine was the way I would describe her. She didn't like any undue attention, and was totally devoted to caring for her husband. She, my friend, and I had several short chats that I remember vividly. It's been over 20 years, but I still remember her, and I miss those times.

Pesto Man · Posted: Fri Jan 12, 2007 1:53 pm Post subject:

I once ran a spotlight for Minnie Pearl (what a lovely and well spoken woman she was!)

More recently, Sarah Moulton (sp?) from the Food Network visited our market and purchased a pesto (as I remember, Cilantro Chipotle).delightful lady and quite short....oh and Geraldo RIvera once crossed the street asI was driving by.....

I guess the big time like Clotilde and Griffin will have to wait Surprised

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I would like a gin martini, straight up, olives on the side, as dry as my wit, as clean as my conscience.
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Raven · Joined: 07 Apr 2006 Posts: 46 Location: Vermont, USA

Donna · Joined: 14 Oct 2005 Posts: 827 Location: Oakland, CA

Well, I've met Clotilde AND Rainey! Cool

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L'appetit vient en mangeant. -Rabelais

Rainey · Posted: Fri Jan 12, 2007 6:03 pm Post subject:

Sara Moulton! Some of the favorite recipes in my database are from Sara Moulton. Last night we had her chicken and cornmeal dumplings and I still remember (salivating ever so slightly and ever so charmingly) a creamed mussel soup Rachel made from the recipe of a guest on her show.

Letting her go has to be the biggest mistake the FoodNetwork has made. Bigger even than their obsession with Rachael Ray.
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God writes a lot of comedy... the trouble is, he's stuck with so many bad actors who don't know how to play funny. -- Garrison Keillor

Griffin · Joined: 09 Jun 2006 Posts: 932 Location: England

EmilyJ,

Ya got to sit on Hugo Weaving's knee!!! He's not just famous in Aus any more... not after Lord of the Rings and the Matrix! ... I don't remember him in Priscilla tho', I do remember Guy Pearce who is also turning out to be quite a surprise after being in Neighbours all those years ago!

I did receive two letters from the writer Iris Murdoch in the 80s. I was studying English Lit for an Advanced Level school certificate. We were doing her novel 'The Bell'. I wrote to her asking if certain ideas our teacher had about the novel were meant. She wrote back a lovely letter saying no they weren't. I then told the teacher that I disagreed with him because of the evidence... and then said that I'd written to her and she'd disagreed, which was my evidence!!

I also wrote to her about what makes a classic novel and she wrote back that a classic novel depended on a point of view - quoting Hamlet 'Nothing is good or bad but thinking makes it so.'

I also have a letter from Laurie Lee, the author of Cider with Rosie among others. I'd sent him some poems and he sent back a kind letter advising against being a writer as a full-time job!!
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Confusion comes fitted as standard.

Rainey · Posted: Fri Jan 12, 2007 7:35 pm Post subject:

Well, Griffin, I'm happy for your correspondence but have to utterly disagree that you shouldn't have a life as a writer. I think your wit is incomparable and something the world is the poorer for not experiencing.

And I'm proud to say I've met Donna! Wink

And Alisa too. And Chicago Bear's sister. I'm a lucky girl!
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God writes a lot of comedy... the trouble is, he's stuck with so many bad actors who don't know how to play funny. -- Garrison Keillor

Deni · Joined: 25 Jul 2006 Posts: 52 Location: Kona, Hawaii

In 1966 I stood with 8,000 screaming girls and tried to listen to a 1 1/2 hour Beatles show @ the San Francisco Cow Palace. My cousin brought me & by the way it scared me so...

Harrison & Melissa Ford with their 2 children in 1997 hung out in the dry storage room @ my patisserie on Kauai while they were filming 6 Days & 7 Nights. They loved the fact that they could hide from the tourists seeking them out while having a coffee drink & pastry.

Not quite a claim to fame but some great memories though...
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Aloha nui,

Deni

Lost no more but still in paradise...

Rainey · Posted: Fri Jan 12, 2007 10:16 pm Post subject:

Deni- What are those intriguing things in your icon. A pastry of some sort, no doubt. But details, s'il vous plaît.

It's a little sad to think of them in a storage area. Not free to relax like anyone else. At least in LA people more or less go about their business. I'm not kidding that notable people are just there in the grocery line and the coffee shop and folks have the good manners to just let them be. Pretty much. [/i]
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God writes a lot of comedy... the trouble is, he's stuck with so many bad actors who don't know how to play funny. -- Garrison Keillor

Judy · Posted: Fri Jan 12, 2007 10:20 pm Post subject:

Aloha Deni

I was just in your beautiful part of Hawaii last week. Do you now have a patisserie in Kona? Wish I'd known you lived there - we could have met up and talked about food.
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Doing what you like is freedom
Liking what you do is happiness

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madameshawshank · Posted: Fri Jan 12, 2007 11:09 pm Post subject:

not in alphabetical order (or in Strine: Afferbeck Lauder Wink

)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Afferbeck_Lauder ~ rather in order of meeting

The Barbara
The Judy
The Debbie
The Alisa
The Clotilde
The Griffin

have a feeling there will be other THE meetings...

have a letter from Brett Whiteley....years back there were two exhibitions on ...of his work....I wrote him a letter telling him how I felt about those canvasses...

a tiny envelope...typewriter letter...odd spelling at times..and a signature...'twas sweet..

why didn't I keep my Beatles ticket?

my brother...a clever dude...wrote to The Stones when they first came to Sydney....he was early teens...said he'd broken his leg at the airport in the crush (untrue, however ya do what ya do)...enclosed a slip from one of those autograph books with the gold edging (maybe an Oz thing)...two days later an envelope slipped under our shop door (grocery)...Stones' autographs...how's that!

these are interesting tales of fame... Wink

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"I've never accepted the external appearance of things as the whole truth. The world is much more elaborate than the nerves of our eye can tell us." - James Gleeson

Barbara · Posted: Fri Jan 12, 2007 11:21 pm Post subject:

I nearly forgot - Micky Rooney in a restaurant in Auckland. Anyone want to buy his autograph?

If we are including letters. I have several from MFK Fisher and an email from Frances Mayes.

Food writers I've met. Diane Holuigue and Donna Hay.
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Barbara

Judy · Posted: Fri Jan 12, 2007 11:22 pm Post subject:

Oh, oh, I've just remembered a food-related meeting.

I went to a Thai cooking class taught by David Thompson, formerly of Darley St Thai in Sydney and now at the Michelin starred Nahm in London. I got there early enough to sit in the front row and he got me to taste his Tom Yum. I thought it tasted great even before he started getting the flavours balanced.

At the time he was writing a column in a weekend newspaper and he mentioned that cooking class so I wrote to him and told him I thought it was great. He wrote back and I have the letter tucked inside his beautiful pink Thai silk-covered Thai Food cookbook.

And another one - we sat next to Stephanie Alexander at a dinner a couple of years ago and got her to sign both my copies of The Cooks Companion
_________________
Doing what you like is freedom
Liking what you do is happiness

www.cupcakerecipebook.com.au