Your Most Disturbing Realizations

[Lean'n'mean]

Golly gee & oh my goodness...really ????

Have you never flirted with just looks and smiles ?

 

[2jakes]

Have you never flirted with just looks and smiles ?

For sure!

Btw; Just found out that Muhammad Ali passed away at 74.

I remember watching him when he was at his best.

Rest in peace....Champ !

 

[LizzieMaine]

It was really disturbing to think of him as a feeble old man, unable to put sentences together. A man whose wit hit harder than his fists shouldn't have ended up that way.

 

[Fading Fast]

It was really disturbing to think of him as a feeble old man, unable to put sentences together. A man whose wit hit harder than his fists shouldn't have ended up that way.

It's a brutal thing to think through: brilliant, quick witted, incredibly talented athlete and man who became and stayed famous for years as a boxer who, especially in later years, won fights in part by absorbing a massive amount of blows ("rope a dope -" not all those punches landed on his arms) that, probably, caused or, at least, accelerated and exacerbated his Parkinson. No boxing, no public Ali, but also (maybe) no or a slaked Parkinson. Basically, what made him famous probably also ruined the second half of his life.

 

[Bruce Wayne]

I have zero desire to meet [Jane Fonda].


Bartender Edit: Please remember that we don't do politics in the Lounge. Thanks!

 

[LizzieMaine]

Had he been born in another time or place, he could have accomplished so much more.

It's a brutal thing to think through: brilliant, quick witted, incredibly talented athlete and man who became and stayed famous for years as a boxer who, especially in later years, won fights in part by absorbing a massive amount of blows ("rope a dope -" not all those punches landed on his arms) that, probably, caused or, at least, accelerated and exacerbated his Parkinson. No boxing, no public Ali, but also (maybe) no or a slaked Parkinson. Basically, what made him famous probably also ruined the second half of his life.

I think of all pro athletes, more boxers have ended their lives tragically than practitioners of any other sport. Ali's fate isn't too far off from what happened to Joe Louis -- who was even more famous than Ali was in his heyday, and more universally loved. Managers and promoters ruthlessly exploited him and robbed him, and he ended up with enormous tax debts while battling mental illness and drug addiction, a shell of himself scratching out a living as a gladhander in a casino.

 

[tonyb]

I can't help but feel guilty for watching boxing. I love it, though, and I kinda hate myself for it.

 

[Stearmen]

I Had the privilege to meet Ali back in the 80s. He was a really nice man.

 

[skydog757]

I can't help but feel guilty for watching boxing. I love it, though, and I kinda hate myself for it.

Same here. Boxing's place in history (Schmeling vs. Louis was a lot more than a prizefight), it's characters, the skill and the brutality of it just fascinate me. However at it's essence it is a bloodsport and time is not often kind to the majority of it's athletes.

 

[2jakes]

I Had the privilege to meet Ali back in the 80s. He was a really nice man.

James Garner on a movie set. A truly nice fellow.

And in boxing, Jake La Motta.
It was around the time that “Raging Bull” came out.
I remember doing the interview with him, but I don’t recall anything
specific on a personal level to relate here.

 

[Zombie_61]

...I personally don't care about signatures of people I admire, it's just a pretext to actually meet them...

Living in the Los Angeles area of southern California, I've seen a number of "celebrities" here and there--mostly actors, musicians, artists, and authors. And I've never once asked for an autograph or even approached them to say hello unless it was at an event of some form where they were supposed to "meet and greet" people. The way I see it, they might be well known because of their careers, but if they're out enjoying their free time or running errands it would be discourteous for me to disturb them.

That being said, I have had some very pleasant conversations with some well-known people simply because the circumstances permitted, and they were all very nice down-to-earth people who exhibited no egotism about their various levels of "fame".

 

[skydog757]

Zombie_61: I agree completely. I've gone to a number of book signings for authors, open signings for athletes or some musicians after concerts in small venues but I would consider approaching them "out in the world" to be rude. I should also say that a picture of me and whoever together has no value to me.

 

[Fading Fast]

I'm with the above view as, in NYC, I regularly see celebrities, but (1) would feel like I was being rude to bother them, (2) wouldn't even enjoy just "saying hello" and (3) have no interest in getting an autograph, etc.

I did meet Richard Gere at a business function - he was there to "study" Wall Street for a movie he was filming about hedge funds. I spoke with him for awhile and, since he is a really nice guy, seemed genuinely interested in Wall Street (for his role) and was low key, I really enjoyed it. After talking with him for awhile, I told him how much my girlfriend and I enjoy his films and he asked me if I'd like a picture of us together for her - which was really nice as I think he knew I wouldn't ask (I hadn't even thought of it).

I also met Terry Bradshaw once in a bar as he knew a few of the guys I was with. Seemed nice - very much like his on-air persona. Also, he has one giant hand - when I shook it, it felt like he had a baseball mitt on it was so large.

 

[Edward]

Problem with news & from any source, is that it's biased. I never read newspapers so I get my info from the TV or radio, sometimes I triple check on the net if there's an interesting story & then I strain it through my own biased filter.

I'm a big fan of UK broadcasting law, which places a duty of impartiality on all broadcasters (it's not perfect, but it mostly works reasonably well). Of course, it often means that all sides of the spectrum whine about the BBC or whoever being "biased", but if they're all annoyed, that usually means they're donig their job well....

 

[MisterCairo]

The only "celebrity" I've truly met (as opposed to having seen on the street or wherever) is Andrew Sachs, aka Manuel from Fawlty Towers. He was appearing in a pantomime at Hamilton Place, Hamilton, Ontario, in 1984. My dad contacted the stage manager and arranged to meet him after the performance in his dressing room.

He autographed the programme from that evening, and our copy of the Fawlty Towers record album (yes, two episode audio tracks on an LP), each with "Ole"! Manuel/Andrew Sacks.

A truly charming man.

He was staying with his sister who emigrated to Canada and lived in Mississauga, Ontario, just west of Toronto.

 

[Trenchfriend]

Cpt. Dallas/Tom Skerrit will be going 83, this year.

 

[LizzieMaine]

I was at a Red Sox game in 1972 and a bunch of players were signing -- Yastrzemski, Fisk, Aparicio, Reggie Smith, a few others. But I was too small to push thru the crowd, and by the time I got to the front, only third-base coach Eddie Popowski was still signing. Which was fine with me, because he was always one of my favorite characters on the team. Even though he kept my pen.

To this day that's the only face-to-face autograph I've ever gotten.

At another game several friends and I sidled our way down from the cheap seats in right field to a spot right behind the visiting team's bullpen, and ended up about a foot away from the back of Detroit Tigers utility infielder Ike Brown. He knew we were standing there, and was just waiting for us to ask for autographs -- but before we could get up the nerve, this big Irish meathead of an usher latched onto us and said "awright, gibback ta ya seats." I always felt bad for Ike Brown, because he was the kind of player who probably didn't get asked much for autographs.

 

[MisterCairo]

Cpt. Dallas/Tom Skerrit will be going 83, this year.

YIKES!

 

[2jakes]

YIKES!

Doris Day Celebrates 92nd Birthday, Poses in Never-Before-Seen ...

 

[MisterCairo]

Doris Day Celebrates 92nd Birthday, Poses in Never-Before-Seen ...

God bless her!