# If a magic genie granted you a wish to ... **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 30, 2016, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-a-magic-genie-granted-you-a-wish-to/744653 "2016-01-30T15:09:44Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Charlie\_Wayne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/4bbf92/32.png) [@Charlie\_Wayne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Charlie_Wayne)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2016, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-a-magic-genie-granted-you-a-wish-to/744653/1 "2016-01-30T15:09:44Z")
If a magic genie granted you a wish to spend an evening with any living celebrity you chose, which celeb would you pick? For me, it would be Dennis Leary. If I chose someone with whom I was starstruck (like Kerry Russell), I fear that I wouldn’t be able to make any intelligent conversation. But after watching Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll, I get the feeling that I could hang out with Leary for an evening and enjoy sharing some old war stories. The only restriction I suggest is that it has to be someone who is currently alive and it has to be a real human being. No cartoon characters and no characters from novels or movies. I’m posting this because I wonder if the person that people would choose somehow reflects on their personalities. I don’t think that I’m anything like Dennis Leary. But I wonder if there is some other kind of connection. Who would you choose? ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2016, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-a-magic-genie-granted-you-a-wish-to/744653/2 "2016-01-30T15:32:39Z")
David Attenborough. Not only must he have many tales to tell from his broadcasting career, but he used to go climbing with my father. ---
**Author:** ![DeepLiquid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/deepliquid/32/14893_2.png) [@DeepLiquid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DeepLiquid)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2016, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-a-magic-genie-granted-you-a-wish-to/744653/3 "2016-01-30T15:46:24Z")
Ellen DeGeneres, I think it would be an evening of laughter and good stories. ---
**Author:** ![MLS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/919ad9/32.png) [@MLS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MLS)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2016, 12:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-a-magic-genie-granted-you-a-wish-to/744653/4 "2016-01-31T00:59:42Z")
Harrison Ford ---
**Author:** ![Alice\_The\_Goon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ed8c4c/32.png) [@Alice\_The\_Goon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alice_The_Goon)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2016, 1:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-a-magic-genie-granted-you-a-wish-to/744653/5 "2016-01-31T01:12:27Z")
Prince. I love him. ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2016, 1:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-a-magic-genie-granted-you-a-wish-to/744653/6 "2016-01-31T01:31:43Z")
I was going to say Denis Leary but it seems he’s busy that night. ---
**Author:** ![Prof.Pepperwinkle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/prof.pepperwinkle/32/13627_2.png) [@Prof.Pepperwinkle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Prof.Pepperwinkle)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2016, 2:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-a-magic-genie-granted-you-a-wish-to/744653/7 "2016-01-31T02:06:54Z")
At the moment, Donald Trump. If he’s having an isolated, quiet evening with me, he’s not pestering the rest of the world. As far as someone I’d like to spend time with, author Neil Gaiman. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2016, 2:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-a-magic-genie-granted-you-a-wish-to/744653/8 "2016-01-31T02:15:59Z")
Elizabeth II. Not so much for the evening, but for the chance to name-drop that evening for the rest of my life! ---
**Author:** ![Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mean_mr.mustard/32/3865_2.png) [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2016, 2:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-a-magic-genie-granted-you-a-wish-to/744653/9 "2016-01-31T02:20:30Z")
My initial choices\* would not be very forthcoming, I think, and would make for a boring evening, so I had to dig deeper. I’m going with **Ringo Starr**. mmm \*Bob Dylan, David Letterman, Neil Young ---
**Author:** ![CatastrophicFailure](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8c91f0/32.png) [@CatastrophicFailure](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CatastrophicFailure)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2016, 2:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-a-magic-genie-granted-you-a-wish-to/744653/10 "2016-01-31T02:40:17Z")
Tim Minchin. I enjoy his wit and sense of humor, and think he would be a lovely conversationalist. ---
**Author:** ![Trinopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/2bfe46/32.png) [@Trinopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trinopus)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2016, 3:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-a-magic-genie-granted-you-a-wish-to/744653/11 "2016-01-31T03:45:52Z")
Neill DeGrasse Tyson. (Actually, I’d prefer David Quammen, my favorite living science writer, but he isn’t quite a “celebrity.”) Stan Lee would also be fun! ---
**Author:** ![joyfool](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/df788c/32.png) [@joyfool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/joyfool)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2016, 3:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-a-magic-genie-granted-you-a-wish-to/744653/12 "2016-01-31T03:57:53Z")
Normally, I’d say Uncle Alice, but tonight I’m feeling my grrrl power. So, Pink. She’d be hella fun and could regale me with probably truer stories of life on the road. ---
**Author:** ![Charlie\_Wayne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/4bbf92/32.png) [@Charlie\_Wayne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Charlie_Wayne)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2016, 5:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-a-magic-genie-granted-you-a-wish-to/744653/13 "2016-01-31T05:17:39Z")
> [@don\_t\_ask](#): > > I was going to say Denis Leary but it seems he’s busy that night. Grin. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Deeg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/deeg/32/2955_2.png) [@Deeg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Deeg)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2016, 5:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-a-magic-genie-granted-you-a-wish-to/744653/14 "2016-01-31T05:31:37Z")
It would be between some really hot actress who is likely to dress sexy or Bono. It would be interesting to see how sane he is after 30 years as a rock god. Neil Peart (from Rush) might be in the running except that he would hate it so I’ll spare him. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2016, 5:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-a-magic-genie-granted-you-a-wish-to/744653/15 "2016-01-31T05:51:14Z")
UK comedy actor David Mitchell, and if his wife Victoria Coren-Mitchell was there too all the better. ---
**Author:** ![Scruff](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Scruff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scruff)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2016, 6:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-a-magic-genie-granted-you-a-wish-to/744653/16 "2016-01-31T06:47:02Z")
Angelina Jolie for unspeakable reasons. Graham Norton and/or Stephen Fry for conversation and humor. Carrie Fisher to listen to her stories. John Scalzi to listen to his stories. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2016, 10:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-a-magic-genie-granted-you-a-wish-to/744653/17 "2016-01-31T22:36:56Z")
Dan Savage. Assuming my husband will be joining us. ---
**Author:** ![TreacherousCretin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treacherouscretin/32/476_2.png) [@TreacherousCretin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TreacherousCretin)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2016, 11:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-a-magic-genie-granted-you-a-wish-to/744653/18 "2016-01-31T23:37:12Z")
Michael Palin. ---
**Author:** ![SpoilerVirgin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/4491bb/32.png) [@SpoilerVirgin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SpoilerVirgin)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2016, 12:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-a-magic-genie-granted-you-a-wish-to/744653/19 "2016-02-01T00:08:27Z")
It’s a tossup between Alan Alda and Stephen Colbert. Both are fascinating, thoughtful people that I would love to meet someday. ---
**Author:** ![Don\_t\_Panic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/don_t_panic/32/398_2.png) [@Don\_t\_Panic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Don_t_Panic)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2016, 12:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-a-magic-genie-granted-you-a-wish-to/744653/20 "2016-02-01T00:20:31Z")
My social skills are so awful that, with most celebs, it would be an evening of torture for both parties. I’d have to pick someone who could deal with my toxic levels of shyness and awkwardness. It certainly won’t be someone I find hot. And it won’t be some charismatic, extraverted people person. (So, don’t take this personally, Jennifer Lawrence. I’m still happy to worship you from a distance, while hiding behind a rock.) Ideally, it would be someone I wouldn’t have to speak to at all. I think I’ll go with Woody Allen. I have a feeling that he’ll sympathize when I’m saying nothing and just staring into my salad the whole time. Or, maybe I’ll pick Kevin Smith. Although that’s for almost the opposite reason, sort if. I’d just have to ask him one question, no matter how banal, and he’d talk nonstop for the next ten hours, stopping only for bathroom breaks and to catch the occasional breath. I wouldn’t get a word in sideways even if I tried. So, I would get away with shutting up all evening, and just laughing and nodding occasionally. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-a-magic-genie-granted-you-a-wish-to/744653.md?page=2)