Peeing With Steve Martin

Years ago, Steve Martin filmed a movie in my hometown. A gentleman with whom I worked at the time had the great fortune of peeing next to Mr. Martin in the men’s room of local comedy club.

This gentleman babbled nonstop about it for three days. He spoke of it as if he’d found the cure for cancer. All excitement….like it was some sort of earth-shattering discovery.

I feel sorry for most celebrities. After all, they’re just people. But because they’re in the limelight, in some form or fashion, we pedestrians feel as if we own a little piece of them. We attend their movies, buy their music, and spend countless hours watching them on TV. As a result, we give ourselves permission to praise them, bad-mouth them, and force ourselves upon them at any given moment.

A friend of a friend once saw Tommy Lee Jones at a convenience store. She approached him, asked for a picture, and he replied that he’d rather not. She was offended, but I think Mr. Jones was perfectly fine in declining her request. Convenience stores simply aren’t, well, convenient most of the time. We’re there to get gas, buy a candy bar, and then hit the road. In and out – we usually don’t have time to take requests.

Just because one’s famous doesn’t mean he wants to be bothered.

And this is true for anyone with even the slightest bit of fame.

When I worked as a radio disc jockey, a woman attending one of my live broadcasts told me that she didn’t like my hair. She didn’t say ‘hello’, or ask how my day was going. The first thing out of her mouth was her opinion about my hair. So, how does one respond to this? Quite baffled as to how to handle the situation, I told her we were out of bumper stickers and donuts, but thanked her for stopping by anyway. We had plenty of bumper stickers and donuts, but I didn’t feel as if she deserved them after her tacky comment. Was this the right thing to do? Probably not, but I felt a little vindicated nonetheless.

Had I been a bank teller, a doctor, or a librarian, would she have done the same thing? Probably not, but then again, scores of weird, rude people roam the streets daily, so you just never know.

A lot of folks are star-struck, but I’ve never been one of them. During my stints in radio and television, I met an awful lot of famous people. Some of them were absolute gems – others, not so much. For laughs, I tell my friends about the time I interviewed a certain up-and-coming country music superstar who behaved dreadfully. He was rude, snarky, in desperate need of a shower, and definitely overstayed his welcome. After the interview, I said to my boss, ‘This guy will never amount to anything.’ A year later he was the hottest thing going, and today his music still tops the charts.

Shows you how much I know.

Anyway, I don’t tell this story in order to make him look bad – I really don’t. It was just truly one of the most uncomfortable and absurd moments in my life, so I have to share it with those who are near and dear. Trust me, I didn’t lose any sleep over it, and I’m happy that things turned out well for him.

Of course, in this age of technology, anyone can become a celebrity. We’ve YouTube stars popping up and garnering some pretty serious attention. Anyone with thoughtful or entertaining comments can gain quite a following on Twitter or Facebook.

So I guess the lesson of today’s little musing is this: we’re all basic, standard, run-of-the mill people. The movie star is no different from the maintenance man – he just makes his living a different way. Just because someone is ‘known’ does not mean that you have the right to pester him. Please respect the privacy of others and don’t paw at them. Mind your manners and speak kindly. If they’re having a private conversation with someone else, don’t interrupt them.

And let them pee in peace, why don’t you?


Beth Newman
Image Consultant/Life Coach/Author
Newman Image
www.newmanimage.info
Look, feel, and LIVE your absolute best!

The Herd

I’m not sure who Heidi Montag is, or why she’s famous, but I can tell you one thing: she doesn’t look like she did a year ago.

The other night, Kent and I snuggled in to watch The Late Show with David Letterman. When Dave’s guest, Claire Danes, took the stage, Kent commented, “She looks just like everyone else in Hollywood.”

What has Bruce Jenner done to himself?

I’m all for a subtle tweak here and there, but I fear our society’s obsession with youth, big lips, uber-golden-locks, and disproportionate boobs has reached an all-time, outrageous high.

I base much of my business on helping others look their best. I preach the gospel of Jackie O. Yet I’ve never suggested anyone go under the knife or have something injected in order to reach her style goals. People should look like …well…people.

I understand that celebrities must resort to certain measures in order to remain employable. In her book, Everything About Me is Fake and I’m Perfect, model Janice Dickinson discusses in great detail her ‘upkeep’ in order to keep working. With all due respect, Ms. Dickinson has crossed the line. Her once-gorgeous face now appears frozen, with only a slight hint of the beauty she once possessed. The same holds true for Meg Ryan. And I fear Nicole Kidman – one of my personal style role models – is dipping her toe a little too far into the scary plastic pool as well.

People with a little character to their faces appeal to me. My jaw literally dropped when Lauren Hutton guest-judged on last week’s Project Runway. She looked fabulous! Yes, lines have formed on her face, and yes, that famous gap between her teeth remains intact, but she possess a presence that so many models and actresses don’t.

And that’s what’s missing in the world of celebrity these days: a presence. It’s that sense of self-awareness and the ‘I’m somebody’ vibe that separates the delicious from the dull. It’s not about looking a certain way – it’s the confidence that one oozes when she (or he) knows she (or he) is fabulous.

Something tells me Ms. Montag, and so many like her, lacks that security. Thanks to reality TV and the internet, we live in an age where darn near everyone can achieve fame. As a result, those who may not necessarily have the talent to maintain that status may resort to some disturbing measures.

The overly-peroxided-blonde, big-boobed, bigger-lipped gals bore me to tears. I’ll take a flat-chested, red-haired Debra Messing over them any day. And while you’re at it, pass me Penelope Cruz’s nose and Catherine Zeta-Jones’s hips. Oh, I’ll take a few Mick Jagger crevices, too. Throw in a Tina Fey scar while you’re at it. It’s the little (and sometimes not-so-little) things, after all, that set us apart from the herd.

Beth Newman
Image Consultant/Life Coach
Newman Image
www.newmanimage.info
Look, feel, and LIVE your absolute best!