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After last week, I may never talk to Johnny Knoxville again.

I saw how many people are trying to get to him. Dozens of calls come to his cell phone every day. He juggles life appointment to appointment, more than 12 hours a day.

Each new meeting means someone else wants another piece of him. It's a nonstop grind.

"Take this interview." "Get me into the premiere." "Stand over here and read this for the camera." "Improvise." "Go here." "Do this." "Hurry up." "We're late ... again."

This wasn't a new situation for me to witness. I've seen other famous people dealing with celebrity. Still, this gave me a more personal insight into this wild world of stardom as a public commodity.

The South Knoxville native, born P.J. Clapp , resisted the urge to whine about it all.

For friends and associates, it's a matter of standing in line to get to him now, except for Pat O'Brien of "Access Hollywood," a devoted fan of his who does better to just ambush him. He has vowed to make Knoxville a bigger star if he wants.

Even Knoxville 's wife, Melanie, and daughter, Madison, are subjected to the chaotic schedule he's assumed to promote "jackass the movie."

Melanie saw him one day during two weeks, and his 6-year-old daughter didn't see him that much.

I now know how tough it is to catch him. I know even better how much he does not need another phone call, even if it is from a friend who may want nothing more than to check on him.

On Tuesday night, he was winging it back to New York to do his second appearance on "The Howard Stern Show" in less than two weeks. By all indications, the film version of the TV show could be the No. 1 movie in the country again this weekend.

With that, his schedule doesn't look to be getting lighter. As soon as he finishes promoting his movie, he will begin work on another film, an independent production titled "Grand Theft Parsons" in which he'll star as the devoted manager of the late singer Gram Parsons.

At this rate, I figure he won't have time to talk to me until February That is, if he isn't on Mars pushing a movie. I cringe at the thought of trying to reach him these days. All the guy needs is yet another call.

Look at the box-office take, and all his work appears to be paying off. The film opened at $22.7 million last weekend.

The movie played to packed houses over the weekend at Knoxville Center, where several shows were reportedly sold out.

The film's success is also opening doors for the other cast members. Director Jeff Tremaine is looking over scripts for his next project. Bam Margera is working on a reality show pilot for MTV. Chris Pontius is co-starring in the next "Charlie's Angels" flick.

All this doesn't seem to change Knoxville . Sunday night, when CNN announced his movie was No. 1 at the box office, he was working out in his living room. His wife was watching television.

They weren't clicking their heels and drinking expensive champagne. He wasn't shooting himself with a taser, asking a professional boxer to punch him out or even picking his nose and explaining to me what he was expecting to find there.

Instead, he and his family were spending a quiet night alone.

On the day of the movie's opening, I walked along the Third Street Promenade in Santa Monica, Calif., when I came upon the matinee of a four-screen theater. It said "jackass the movie" was playing on two of its screens.

There was a long line waiting to get in, even around 9:30 p.m.

I turned and saw a college-aged guy rushing past me to get to the theater. He was wearing a black T-shirt with Knoxville 's face on the front.

I knew where he was headed. An odd mixture of pride and happiness came over me because of it. This wasn't my movie. I have no stake in it, other than the fact I know its star, just a guy like us, from South Knoxville .

I guess that was enough.

Because I caught myself smiling.

© 2002, Knoxville News Sentinel
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