Star Sightings

I fascinated by all people, of course, but there is something surreal about seeing the actors who portray fictional characters on TV. They almost don’t seem like a part of our reality, and yet, in theory, they're just like you and me. I've actually had a few "star sightings" of my own this past month. So random, but here they are...

Matthew McConaughey

Who doesn’t love a good shirtless shot of Matthew McConaughey(hello, “How to Lose a Guy in 10 days”) or a line delivered with traces of his Texas accent (“I would have to say based on the evidence…”)? Maria and I were driving through Malibu in early January. She had showed me Pepperdine (where she is a brilliant 2nd year law student), and we had started winding through neighborhoods to admire the type of houses you only see in magazines. Maria had just finished telling me about her professor that lived in the particular neighborhood we were driving in and how Matthew McConaughey lived in that same neighborhood. She was cracking jokes about how the neighbors complain that he never wears very much (no joke), and there he was driving an insanely nice black Mercedes across the way from us at a four-way stop. I think I could get used to Malibu living.

Bart Johnson

Last Thursday, Jewels and I went on a trek to the Mac store in Salt Lake. While we were finishing up a man walked in that was instantly familiar to me. I knew he was in something, but I couldn’t figure it out. I looked at him much longer than I should have (because he eventually saw me looking at him and I didn’t really smile (as you normally do) because I trying to hard to place where I knew him from). I overheard him talking about his phone, etc, etc and heard his name. Still didn’t ring a bell. I had pieced together that it was a teenager movie of some sort, but that was it. Finally, halfway down the Gateway shopping center – it hit me. High School Musical – he was the dad (the one that looked way too young to be married to Troy’s mom, the one that needed to cut his hair in the third movie, and the one who never would have made enough money to live in the house they did). Bart Johnson aka Coach Bolton is good looking in real life and no, I’m not embarrassed to admit that I know HSM characters well enough to be able to reference them out of context. Go Wildcats!

Kristin Scott Thomas

I went up to Park City last weekend to check out the Sundance Film Festival. I wasn’t there to see any movies. The life of a college student doesn’t really allow for the cost of those festival ticket packages, but it was fun to walk around and see everything in action. They had cool lights strung up all over, and there were so many interesting people walking around. Lots of artsy people, lots of B and C wing looking people (Clayton Valley graduates – you know what I’m talking about), and lots of urban chic people. One of the urban chic people caught my eye because her outfit was so dramatic. Her hair was so black and her outfit with serious black boots and white fur (probably faux fur considering we were in Prius driving Hollywood land) was exceptionally dramatic. I looked at her twice partially because of her outfit, and partially because she looked like someone – Kristin Scott Thomas, to be exact. To be fair, I am not 100% about this one because I haven’t watched many of Thomas’ films, but if wasn’t her, she was certainly “somebody” or thought she was “somebody.”

Now, all these little tales make me think of that question of “if you could meet one actor, who would it be?” There’s a difference for me between meet and have a conversation with. For example, I have adored Matt Damon since I was 13. I’d love to meet him. More than that though, I would love to have a conversation with someone like Edward Norton. Po-tay-toes, Po-tot-toes, right?