Or maybe she’s supplying him with the rope to hang himself.
Well, I never heard anyone call her trusting or open-minded.
He seemed pretty well hung already…
Great thread, Moonchild. I am soooo jealous.
At these celebrity parties, do they have famous bands play? If so, who are they and what do they drink?
Rock stars party way harder than actors, I’d assume. 
I know I have never waited on him. I’m trying to think if I’ve ever seen him at an event. My first thought would be no. Cusack is sort of the quintessential cinema voice for my age group (I’m 39) and I think it would definitely stick out if I’ve seen him.
And I’ve never heard any of my catering compatriots mentioning his name, either.
Some celebs just do not attend celebrity functions. I’ve never seen Harrison Ford. I only saw Julia Roberts once – but that was at her premiere, which she’s obligated to attend (“America’s Sweethearts”). I’ve seen Demi Moore twice, but neither were at functions (once was at lunch – with Ashton and her Bruce-like kids – the other at a “Tonight Show” taping). It’s funny: some celebs you see all the time, others never. Luck of the draw plays a factor I’m sure, but some celebs just really shun that world. IMHO, I think it’s for the better; best not to get too caught up in it because so much of it seems a fascade. Unless you’re Colby from “Survivor”: then, I say, milk it for all it’s worth (waited on him once: domestic beer drinker).
You’re right: very little carding going on and unless it was someone like Haley Joel Osment (i.e. very young). I would be cool. Obviously, they’re going to get it anyway and virtually every caterer would approach it the same way. Better get it from me than Michael Jackson. (And no, I’ve never seen Michael, but I played softball against Jermaine – pretty gentle, a bit shy, even self-conscious when it came to softball – and I think Jackie, who was a pretty cool, carried himself with a lot of class, esteem.)
Elaborating on the under-age question, I most likely would say (or would have said), “Is this okay with your parents?” in a very pointed manner after asking them if they were 21.
You know, I would bet I have waited on a child celebrity and given them alcohol, but probably didn’t know who they were (TV programming, especially of the Nickelodeon variety – they’re at all the parties and I can tell they’re “somebody” by the way they speak; children celebrities speak very adultlike, a bit over-the-top polite . The only one probably on the fence was Mena Suvari, but I knew she was close enough or older than 21 (it was post-American Beauty) and I was no way going to embarrass her, or myself.
FYI, I did wait on Osment once, quite a while ago, before “Sixth Sense.” He asked for a coke at the Nickelodeon studio opening in Burbank, CA. The way he said, “Thank you very much,” was priceless. I couldn’t stop saying how little Forrest Gump was so damn cute. You could tell this kid was going places. I’d bet money he’ll be the next Ron Howard (child star turned director).
Besides HJO and Mena Suvari, can you name any others that you’ve waited on? I mean, others that you can positively identify?
Pick up any blips on your gaydar?
Whoops, you already covered that in post #51. Gotta read the whole thread before posting.
Wouldn’t Cusack have been at that premiere, too?
Being a large guy I’m always very concious of size of people and how they carry themselves.
So who’s the tallest star you’ve served?
Who is the most physically impressive in stature and how they carry themselves?
And who would you say has had the most command presence?
Awesome thread, keep it rolling.
I would like to second this. My sister’s BIL was a conceriege(sp) to the stars (at LAX IIRC) and when he passed away recently Tom Cruise sent flowers and a personal message to the family at the funeral home.
My sister’s In-laws have all sorts of Hollywood connections through movie studios and tv stations. [hijack] When they were in LA a few weeks ago they spent an evening partying with Eddie Griffin. Sis says that when he has a bit too much to drink, he gets very getto, but that he is very nice[/hijack]
Oh, I way crossed the line for speaking to Sandler in that manner. In fact, we’re forbidden from talking to any celebrity and going any further than “sir” or “ma’am.” Of course, there is an intuitive and appropriate way in just providing good service that anybody with a head on their shoulders knows.
And of course I crossed the line. But those are just “the rules.” To have let that opportunity pass would have killed me; it was a no-braiiner. I did the same with Dennis Dugan (director of “Happy Gilmore” and “National Security” with Martin Lawrence) regarding the same script as he exited the “National Security” premiere and he was also responsive in the positive – but then I was rebuffed in follow-ups, ironically. I was informed he felt he wanted to move into directing dramas and such.
Both instances, the shout-out to Sandler and approaching Dugan I believed – and still believe to a certain extent – that was destiny calling and the risk was very much worth getting fired. The one time I didn’t do it still eats me alive to this day. At a Christmas party at the home of Steven Bochco, Brian Grazer came to my bar and Grazer was the absolute #1 person I wanted to see this script. I am sure I could have convinced him. But it was Christmas. At a person’s home. (i.e., a little bit more intimate settings). I convinced myself it just didn’t feel right. But it was right, I just chickened out.
So he came to my bar, I instead told him I was a big fan of his movies, Grazer asked me which ones, I stumbled a little bit, tried to get out that EDTV I thought was a lot better than it got credit for, and then just froze for enough to feel stupid. For Chrissakes, "Parenthood is on my top 20 all time, I couldn’t even think of it. He asked me if I saw “Grinch” yet, I wasn’t and wasn’t going to (turd of a movie) and then I just balked, didn’t pull the trigger on “Super Sunday” (said script). And that opportunity was just golden. And I kicked myself over it for probably a year.
Speaking of that Christmas party, Kim Delaney looks unbelievable in black leather pants.
The above said, David Arquette, whom I also had on my target regarding the script, came to my bar at a Pediatric AIDS Foundation fundraiser and it was a total disaster. Not so much between him and me, but everything surrounding it. I had sponged an ice cream off another vendor and so he picked that exact time to ask me if I would take a picture of him with Arquette and Courtney Cox, his wife, who was there with him. Just as I’m trying to give a one-pager (description) of the script. And for whatever reason, with maybe a hundred celebrities on hand, that couple was the “it” couple. So just as I’m taking the damn picture, a swarm of kids descended on my bar to sidle up to them. I get back behind my bar and Cox is staring me, either in disbelief or was feeling as odd about the whole thing as I was, Arquette was cool, after first declining the one-pager, he accepted it (probably advice from his manager, just to get jerks like me to leave him alone), but I felt just mortified for about two days. But think about it: two days for taking a chance and feeling stupid (Arquette) versus a year of not taking a chance on an opportunity that haunted me for a year and could have made all the difference in my life (Grazer).
A quote from Sidney J. Harris: “Regret for the things we have been done can be tempered in time; regret for the things we didn’t do are inconsolable.”
Now, there were times where I was professionally inappropriate and there were no consequences – talking to Anne Heche and Ellen DeGeneres about a book called “Conversations with God,” and they were cool, Heche even telling me about other books to read, and probably 20 other times I actually got going in genuine conversations about something other than beverage service or where the toilet is.
The one time where I really felt bugged for a long time about chattering away to a celebrity was with Dennis Quaid, who was in attendance at the DNC fundraiser that featured Clinton. I made a joke that the extra security was to keep out Monica Lewinsky because she lived in the same city where the fundraiser was held: Brentwood, CA. It bugged me because it was about two weeks after Meg Ryan split on him for Russell Crowe and he didn’t find the joke very funny and I can’t blame him. He was there with his son (maybe six or seven years old) and the last thing he needed was some smart alec bartender making adultery jokes to him.
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Every see a celeb tell some to kiss off for hounding them or coming on too strong/gushing?
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Usually, they handle it pretty well. I was mortified when Michael Jordan was rude (“Get that thing out of my face!”) to a fan asking for an autograph at 2am in the Hyatt in Houston at NBA All-Star weekend in 1989 (I was a guest of the NBA, not bartending), but for all I know – and I bet this was the case – the seeker was someone he’d seen before who does it professionally: collects autographs strictly for resale. A better example was Glenn Close at Sundance two weeks ago. She was eating breakfast and some guy started gushing. She was appreciative but when he asked for a picture she said very cooly but pointedly, “I don’t think so.” He got it and left.
Okay, my son pooped his pants; I gotta go change diapers.
Great Thread!
Question: I work in the entertainment industry, so I will have the occasional peripheral contact with a “name” or two, and even though I try to condition myself to act non-chalantly (since it is a work environment), there have been the times where I simply can’t help but do a double-take, because, well, “I can’t believe so-&-so just walked in/by/up to me!”
Does this happen to you? Any particular moments where, despite all your conditioning, you still couldn’t help acting a little bit like, uh, “Holy Cow!” ?
How much do you get paid for working at these events?
Umm, yes, but it’s not the norm, with the exception of some fundraisers (Hootie played one year while still in his prime).
I tended the wedding of a Telecom giant and the cost of the wedding was reportedly $5-million. Entering the reception David Crosby was strumming atmostphere music. Then after dinner, the entertainment was, in this order: Christopher Cross, REO Speedwagon, Journey, Rod Stewart
All the above had long since fallen off the scene, but all sounded terrific. Being an 80’s rock music fan, I was blown away, almost as much as I was by all the trophy wives in the place. Unreal. And I mean that in many ways.
The year was about 1998, and Journey had long since broken up, but sure enough, Steve Perry of Journey was at my bar ordering a drink. But yet, something just seemed wrong. It looked like Perry, but, like I said, it just didn’t seem right. Then I learned much later that the new front guy for Journey was not Perry, but a guy who was hired who played for a Journey cover band. But he sounded the real deal. The lead for REO came to my bar also, struck me as a cool head.
Oh, the hosts for the wedding: Jay Leno and Dana Carvey. I gather none of the aforementioned were personal friends of the groom, but he just opened up his checkbook to draw them in.
Then at his NYE party the same year, Chaka Kahn was the entertainment.
At the Pitt-Aniston wedding, Melissa Ethridge played, but I gather she’s a personal friend of Pitt’s. Might have been somebody else playing there that night, too. If I think of it later (or other bands) I’ll mention it.
As for partiers, yes, I gather rockers are pretty hard core (we’ve all seen the VH-1 “Behind the Music” documentaries, right?), but my experience with them is limited. Eddie Van Halen came to my bar once (America’s Sweethearts premiere; why does that particular event keep coming up???), which was after he had sworn off the booze. Nonetheless, he asked for half a glass of vodka, neat, knocked it down in one shot. And to me he looked more than a bit guilty over his action, like he was sneaking it from the parents liquor cabinet. Personally, my heart went out to the guy. He struck me as a good person, a bit low-key, but that alcohol demon, just another case of guilt and desire doing the endless dance. I know of it well. Another tormented genius. (Him, not me.)
One of my caterer/bartender friends worked a party at Tommy Lee’s, talked about the midgets, the albino tigers, guys running around with their pants off peeing all over the place (this during the Heather Locklear/Tommy Lee days), but I wasn’t there for it and most of my interaction has come around TV & movie people, not musicians.
I have worked a couple parties at the home of producer David Foster and although the parties were mellow, the guy’s home is insane. Malibu ($$$), a back yard about the size of a football field and a tram going from the back yard up to the second story patio. His wife wears a diamond ring that has to be four or five karats, but it’s not from Foster: she used to date Elvis Presley and he gave it to her.
I also worked a small dinner party where Pat Benatar and her husband **Neil Geraldo(sp?)**were onhand. Besides the $800 bottles of wine nothing out of the ordinary alcohol-wise. But based on that party, I got the feeling that musicians are a little looser than TV or movie people. I looked in back and notice that one of the cooks/BBQ guys was smoking a stogie with Geraldo and Geraldo was the one flipping the steaks! And Geraldo and I were talking old Benatar music and stuff. He was super cool.
Let me think about it. Most likely, but no names come to mind yet.
Probably so. But I got stuck outside the party at the service bar that night (see post #32) and didn’t see the main tables. Most stars are obligated to attend their premieres (but not always), but there’s always a ton of butt-smooching going on there and it’s very congested. The bars at movie premieres are usually on the periphery of the tent so you only get glimpses of the main focus at the Premiere.
But I got a good look at Nicole, Meryl & Juliane at “The Hours,” one of the few instances the opposite was so. I was surprised how patient and friendly both Kidman and Streep were. They aren’t much for those types of functions, but stayed around until the very end.
Oftentimes the stars will sneak out just a few minutes after the after-party begins.
My brother tended bar at a local celebrity golf tournament for charity. His co-worker for the day was Harrison Ford. (He’s a local boy originally - attended Addison Trail and Maine Township high schools.) My brother said he was amazingly good-natured, not at all “starrish” or aloof. When the bar ran out of ice, Ford offered to make a run to the local convenience store. Unnecessary, since the event was sponsored in part by a local restaurant who delivered ice minutes later, but nice just the same.
Really? On his A&E Biography, they said he went to Hollywood High School.