Dish behind some of my celebrity encounters during 2009:
MOST AT EASE.
Kevin Bacon. Talk about awkward. The Baconator was footloose and fancy free until the subject of Bernie Madoff came up. Madoff had ripped off the star a few weeks earlier. But being the classy guy he is, Bacon didn’t deflect the topic: “We’ll march on. We have to. There’s nothing you can do about it. You can’t change what happened. Things could be worse. You remember that, and you go on with your life.”
MOST LIKELY TO KEEP AN APPOINTMENT.
Jay Leno. Imagine my surprise when the then-host of “The Tonight Show” called from his hospital room. All entertainment journalists were trying to get hold of him when he was hospitalized suddenly in May. But we had a standing appointment, and he kept it. “I said I would call, and I did,” he said. “It’s flattering people are concerned. That’s very nice,” he said, adding that his one-night stay “definitely does not seem like a news story. One guy here tried to sneak in (dressed) as a Jesuit priest. It’s hilarious. You get on the blogs and (it reads), ‘He’s really dead, and they are pretending he’s still alive.’ It’s hilarious. It’s unbelievable.”
MOST COMFORTABLE.
Jerry Seinfeld. For a man who’s such a huge star, he’s very accessible. My favorite story from him: He likes to torture his kids when they tell jokes the wrong way. He’ll teasingly say to them, “No! THAT’S not that the way deliver it!” Cruel? Yes. Funny? Absolutely.
STAR I’D MOST LIKE TO HANG WITH.
Drew Barrymore. She’s definitely one of those women who is more comfortable with men than other women. She told me how she got lost while driving around Pigeon Forge a couple of years ago. “The Bermuda Triangle is not anywhere near Florida,” she told me. “It’s in the Great Smoky Mountains in Tennessee. I drove for five hours and kept coming back to the same spot. I couldn’t believe it.”
LEAST ACCESSIBLE.
Kenny Chesney. It’s too bad that one of Knoxville’s biggest stars ever won’t talk to local media much. In fact, his mouthpiece told me he’s unhappy with how the local media portrays him. He hates anything less than glowing reviews and can’t take any lighthearted teasing, says she. That’s unfortunate if it’s true.
MOST ACCESSIBLE.
Dolly Parton. There’s a reason Dolly Parton continues to be a favorite of the media after 40 years in show business. She’s understanding of the media’s role and how she plays into it. Has she liked everything I’ve written about her? No. Does she talk it out or let it go when needed? Yes, and that’s what makes her a class act.
Terry Morrow may be reached at morrowt@knoxville.com or 865-342-6445. His blog can be found at http://blogs.knoxnews.com/knx/telebuddy/.
© 2009, Knoxville News Sentinel Co.
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Comments » 1
TNgirlygirl writes:
I don't blame Kenny Chesney I live in Knoxville and it's true most of the local media do not give him the respect he deserves Kenny has worked hard for everything he's gotten and I'm proud to say he is from here, I'm not his family or friend but I get sick and tired of hearing the negative comments about him and I'm sure his family and friends do to. I can handle a joke or kidding but some of it gets ridiculous between the paper and the local morning country radio show, it gets old. I'm sorry to rant but you brought it up.
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