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a beautiful day
by mg at 02:58 PM on October 16, 2001
Yesterday was a good day.
Looking back, I can’t say for sure that anything great happened. It was just a lot of “good” things. It’s been rare that I’ve been able to have a good day, recently. More often, it’s been a string of days, neither good nor bad, with one no different than the other, stretching out to infinity.
But, yesterday was a good day.
I had somewhere to be yesterday (I’ll get to that later). On my way there, sitting on the subway, I looked up and saw what do I see? Sitting diagonally across form me was none other than Lili Taylor, a real life celebrity (unlike me, an internet celebrity).
You probably don’t know Lili Taylor. She is sort of an indie movie superstar though, like Parker Posey or Steve Buscemi. All that really means is that she has been in lots of movies that have audience ranging well into the dozens. She is idolized and adored by indie geeks the world over.
Well, there she was sitting right there in front of me. But I didn’t gush. Being an indie geek myself, I am well familiar with her work. I’m always excited and shocked (because she never gets top billing) to see her in a movie. But, to tell the truth, I didn’t really like I Shot Andy Warhol, and the witches vignette was my least favorite of the four rooms in Four Rooms, despite the nudity.
Besides, I save the gushing for when I talk to really famous people. And, if you live in New York, you never never never ask a celebrity for an autograph. It’s just poor taste, and if someone catches you doing it, they have the right to take away your “Cool New Yorker” card.
If you live in New Your long enough you are guaranteed to spot a celebrity. They are everywhere. I used to see them all the time when I used to work in Soho. In the hood I worked, there were three major films shot in the period of the eight months I was there. One of the films was Glitter but I never saw Mariah Carey (and no one saw Glitter).
But you can also see celebrities on a pretty regular basis doing normal all sorts of normal. You can spot the shopping in the supermarket, riding the subway, sitting at the next table having a few drinks, and picking up transvestite hookers. You know, normal stuff.
Even though you see celebrities all the time, I imagine there is some secret neighborhood in the city where all the celebrities live, and folks like me can’t get in. Some magical world that only the most famous people can visit. And then, of course, a ghetto of that neighborhood for indie stars like Taylor, Buscemi, Michael Rapaport, and Eric Stoltz.
So, while I certainly wasn’t going to ask Lili Taylor for her autograph I was thinking of following her home. You know, just to see where the celebrities hang out. Unfortunately, I had someplace to be…
comments (7)
You didn't say anything to her? Nothing? Aw man. You gotta seize the moment, get her number and then give it to me, cuz I'm never going to be able to talk to strange women. What about the "most perfect Chineese girl"? Have you spotted her again?
by Mr Blank at October 16, 2001 3:16 PM
It's much the same, as you might imagine, living in LA. Celebs pop up anywhere, but you have to pretent you don't notice them. Even movie stars sometimes do their own shopping, but who'd want to be accosted in the grocery store by some nutty autograph seeker?
My favourite celebrity sighting in the three years I lived in LA was rather like yours: I saw Tracey Walter in a thrift store on Melrose. No-one knows this guy's name but everyone knows his face: He's been in tons of flicks; his most famous roles were as the Joker's sidekick "Bob" in Batman and the guy in Repo Man who has the "plate of shrimp" monologue about the "cosmic unconsciousness".
I'd rather run into a celeb like him than a dozen Mariah Carrys, let me tell you. But I'd have been persona non grata in LA for months if I'd asked him for an autograph!
by Muad'Dib at October 16, 2001 4:05 PM
Man, I was tempted to give you a "just plain bad" for this one, because you're so terribly about finishing these to-be-continued stories. Bah.
Still seeing Lili Taylor = way cool.
by space at October 16, 2001 4:41 PM
Yeah, LA is definitely one of those places that stars expect to be invisible. I wonder, though, if that applied equally to character actors or indie film stars. Maybe we're being mean by giving the same nonchalant "too cool to be starstruck" treatment.
by kd at October 16, 2001 5:14 PM
We have those here in Texas too. Like the story I could tell about my meeting the ever SHORT Chuck Norris....I could go on but I wont. He actually offered me his autograph, I declined. No I am not a bitch, just not an auto collector. Though all of my friends felt like I had really hurt his feelings....actors and actresses are so fickle, one min. they want to give you their John H. and then next they think it's too rude...sheezz...but really you should have at least tried to talk to her. Who knows MG?
by Pristine at October 16, 2001 8:50 PM
You saw Tracey Walter?!?!?!?!?! I am a fan of his too. I loved him in "Erin Brockovich" and "The Silence of the Lambs" ("lotsa tiiimes, when a body comes out of the water, there's like, leaves and Thangs in the mouth" lol), and "Repo Man" of course. This guy is in like everything. If I saw him I'd totally go up to him. I'm sure he'd be flattered! He seems like a cool guy.
by Laura at January 24, 2002 3:30 PM
Lili Taylor is an indie film actress, I know most of her work since her start in the late 80's, you may think that I am crazy but if I saw her in real life, I would run the exact opposite direction as fast as I could, because I would not want to embarras her by talking to her, much less be around her another second!
by Dustin at March 4, 2003 11:25 PM