Name Dropper

A couple weeks ago, I received a forwarded email from my boss with an attachment. The attachment was a script we've purchased and the email was from Jamie Lee Curtis, actress, wife of Christopher Guest, daughter of Janet Leigh of PSYCHO fame and Tony Curtis of SOME LIKE IT HOT fame. I have Jamie Lee Curtis's email address...and had an irrational desire to email just to say "hi, remember me? I almost took you out with the office door? Remember that? Yeah, hi."

I was recently talking to my therapist about the fact that I love my job and hate my job at the same time. I love what I do, but I can't really talk about it without feeling like I'm bragging. Because -- hello! -- I get to meet famous people. When I inadvertently name drop, I feel like I'm purposely name dropping, but I can't help it because sometimes I'm genuinely excited. (Jamie Lee sooo nice!) But sometimes I'm genuinely perturbed. ("Call me Love"? *Gag*) But depending on who you are, you might either be impressed or repulsed when it happens, and I'm very cognizant of it. So, I'm torn. There's moments when I don't want to talk about my job at all. I don't want to be one of "those" people. Always ready with some production drama or actor gossip. People have whole careers based on it. At the same time, I'm not completely without my own petty indulgences. (There is currently a plan afoot to smoke George Clooney out of his office with some burnt toast. Camera phone will be ready!) Fame, and it's effect on people, is a weird thing. Which brings me back to JLC (hey, we have the same initials! It's a sign, doncha think? BFFs. Totally).

It must be weird to be famous. In JLC's case, she grew up with famous parents (one, who infamously made a mean comment about Marilyn Monroe -- bad Tony!) then starred in the cult classic Halloween at the age of 18. She's pretty much been known ever since. Which means millions of people know who she is, and she probably knows a couple thousand. A few hundred semi-well. About twenty, intimately. However, she'll be stopped on the street by strangers who think they know her and want to have an authentic interaction which might truly lead to BFF-dom or at the very least, a great story to tell everyone on Thanksgiving. It's strange. Anonymity is held cheaply by those who have it. But try to be on a popular sitcom and get onto a plane, and you'll have seven people stop you to take a picture and comment on your last job performance. And, no matter what kind of day you're having, you have to be nice to them. Think about that. I barely like most of the people I do know, I couldn't imagine having to pacify strangers.

I will not be emailing JLC. I will respect her boundaries. After all, I wouldn't email any other stranger who I almost plowed over with a door. But if I did, I'm sure she wouldn't mind. She's, like, so incredibly nice! We could totally be good friends. Sadly, we will never know...