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Who Would You Like to Meet?

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Oftentimes, when doing interviews, people ask me “who would I most like to meet” or “if you could meet anyone dead or alive” or “if you could have dinner with anyone, dead or alive, who would it be?” This question always stumps me. I feel like I should answer with someone like Eleanor Roosevelt or Mahatma Gahndi or Jesus or something, but honestly, those answers sound a little pretentious. What would I say to Eleanor? Or Gahndi? Or Jesus, for Heaven’s sake . Um, thanks?

I’m more in the moment. Not too many historical figures interest me–not because they don’t interest me, but because I wouldn’t know what to say to them and the conversation would be, in my opinion, very one-sided. I prefer conversations. I do think I might have liked to meet Princess Diana. I always thought she was way more than her image and would have made a good friend. At the very least, I think she’d actually be interested in talking to me, and not just me talking to her. Know what I mean?

When I look at celebrities, I’m not all that interested in most of them, either. I mean, there are many actresses, actors, directors, singers, producers, writers, etc, that I admire, but I admire their work above all else and it seems to me that since reporters ask them about their work all the time, I’d imagine the last thing they’d want to talk about over drinks and appetizers is their work. So then what?

So here’s my question…with what celebrity would you most want to have a normal conversation? Just a chit-chat. Not an interview. Just a talk between friends.

I thought hard about this and I think you’ll be surprised by my answer. I have a few choices. One, of course, is JK Rowling, but honestly, I wouldn’t want to discuss Harry Potter. I’d just like to know more about her, about her life, both growing up and now and raising babies and such. In every interview I’ve seen with her, I thought she had a very wicked sense of humor that she has to keep at bay because she writes for kids. So I’d like to hang out with Jo by the pool, fix her up a mojito and talk about living in England versus in the States and if she hates shopping for a bathing suit as much as I do.

My next choice would be Rachel Ray. At first glance, I don’t have a lot in common with her except for our mutual love of all things culinary. But then I think about her relationship with her family. The influence of her grandparents on her life. Her close relationship with her parents and siblings. She loves dogs, too, another thing we have in common. And frankly, I’d like to hear her take on just about any topic. She seems like such a hard-working, down to earth, common sense kind of gal. And I think I could make her blush, which would be fun. I watch her show and I think she has a very low threshold for anything really, really sexy.

My final choice would be Ellen Degeneres. I just think she’s hilarious and unpretentious and would generally be fun to hang with. Hmm…I don’t know if we have anything in common except that she’s from New Orleans, one of my favorite cities, and I’d love to hear about the places she goes when she goes home to visit. And imagine the tangents those conversations could go on? Clearly, she’s a fun person, but also very smart and very ambitious…in a laid back sort of way.

Hmmm…no guys on my list. Huh. Okay, I’ll add one more–Stephen King. I know it will be impossible not to talk writing with him, but man, I’d take his drink order. You know the guy has to be utterly fascinating. And he happens to have a summer home in my general neck of the woods.

So here’s my question to you…if you had a chance to have a casual conversation with someone well known, who would it be and why? And if you couldn’t talk about the thing that makes that person famous, what would you talk about?


Oh…and have you gone to the bookstore yet to buy a copy of CROSS MY HEART and SHE’S NO ANGEL? What ARE you waiting for???

This entry was posted on Wednesday, June 27th, 2007 at 6:00 am and is filed under Julie. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.

38 Comments

  1. Hmmm, interesting question. I’ve always been fascinated by Drew Barrymore, her legacy from the Barrymore family and well as some of the demons she’s overcome having been a child star. I just love her free spirit.

    And Josh Bernstein, from the History Channel. He’s traveled to so many incredible places, had rather an amazing life, and he’s intelligent to go along with those good looks of his. I did meet him this past January at a booksigning, and he’s incredibly funny and friendly, but you only get a quick moment with him.

    Maureen O’Hara, who is still beautiful and I bet as fiesty as ever. She was in one of my favorite movies “The Black Swan”, and I would love to hear about those days in Hollywood.

    I know there are more, but that’s who immediately came to mind today.

    Comment by Stacy ~ — June 27, 2007 @ 6:28 am

  2. I am on vaca and 1/3 of the way thru She’s No Angel. I want to kill her aunts myself.

    I agree with most of your choices except for Stephen King. Rachel Ray is local girl and I have thought about going to her show live many times. She gets a kick out of having locals in the audience. I have learned alot about cooking from her.

    I would like to have a sit down with Alton Brown- or rather have him trapped in my kitchen with me. He’s another one who I have learned from.You should read his cookbooks, if you can call them that. They read more like novels than cook books.

    Princess Di always fasinated me.

    Of course, any of the Monkeys.

    Time to get ready for our busy day with the twins. Ocean City I think today.

    Comment by ev — June 27, 2007 @ 6:34 am

  3. Awesome topic! Made me think …

    Jennifer Garner seems like someone I would want to be friends with - raising babies, married, keeping outside the Hollywood frenzy. I think the main thing I’d want to ask her is how she got and kept motivated to get that body for her movies/TV shows. I HATE working out and I’d love to know if you have to love it or if you do it because of the drive to succeed in career. Unfortunately for us romance novelists, the drive to succeed leaves us with spreading behinds from sitting in chairs. But she just seems so happy and cool and all about family. Like me.

    Comment by Carly — June 27, 2007 @ 6:49 am

  4. Wow. Well, I’d say right now I’d love to meet any editor that would want to read my stuff!

    But seriously…I’m with you on Diana. HUbby and I were just talking about her the other day, the way she tried to raise her boys. We are very, very fortunate and have a wonderful life. Unfortunately, our son doesn’t have any concept of the real world and how a lot of people live. Despite spending time with my family in the “hollars” of Ohio.

    We talked about the challenge that Diana faced in raising her boys but her determination to make them “real” people. I really do miss her!

    Keith Urban is the only other person I can think of (Other than Plotmonkeys - ’cause I know you guys would be a hoot!!!). I’m as fascinated by the things he says in interviews as I am by his music. I think he has a deep spiritual side and that his beliefs tend to fall in line with my own so I’d be very interested in talking to him.

    Everybody always rolls their eyes and say, “Yeah, talk, right!” But seriously, that’s it!!! Maybe…

    Comment by Jodie — June 27, 2007 @ 7:30 am

  5. Can I pick the time I want to meet my famous person, too? I’d want to hang out with Katharine Hepburn in the thirties, when she was boxoffice poison and the only one in town wearing pants. I’d want to have lunch with her just after she’d dumped a bucket of water over Ginger Rogers’ head (she was preening in a fur coat) when they were both gunning for the role of Mary Queen of Scots (Kate won).

    There’s something about her gravelly voice, bizarre accent (New England, my ass), and FU attitude that I’d love to see in action, up close and personal, just once.

    Comment by Heather — June 27, 2007 @ 7:56 am

  6. This is going to take some thought. I guess I would like to sit down and chat with Paula Deen. I love the fact that she cooks with butter and is about comfort food. Not the low cal, low fat diet crap. LOL!! Can you tell I am dieting? Anyway, her cakes and desserts are delicious. And I would love to talk about her fear of going out and how she overcame it.

    I would also love to sit and talk with Gwen Stefani. I wonder what she was thinking and feeling after marrying her husband and THEN finding out later that he had a teenage daughter with another woman. That must have thrown her for a loop.

    Oh, and I would LOVE to sit and talk with Jennifer Aniston. I would love to know how she REALLY feels about Angelina Jolie. The circumstances surrounding Brad and Jen’s break up seem foggy at best. In my opinion Angelina came between them in which case if I were Jennifer I would want to kick her A@# like Sydney Bristow would. LOL!

    Comment by Kelly F. — June 27, 2007 @ 8:28 am

  7. Awesome topic. I would love to sit down and just talk to JK Rowling too. She seems like such a down to earth person in interviews and even not talking about Harry I would love to hear her ideas for future books. My next pick would be Harper Lee. First because To Kill a Mockingbird is still my favorite book I’ve ever read and second because she just about never give interviews. I would just love to talk to her. I would really like to talk to Madonna too. She just seems like an interesting person. She hit the music scene with a bang and has made so many changes, I would like to find out what makes her tick. Of couse, getting together with the plotmonkeys goes without saying…dinner and drinks would be a blast!!!

    Comment by Liza — June 27, 2007 @ 8:42 am

  8. i’d like to talk to Olivia de Havilland.

    I always thought that Steve Buscemi would be someone really interesting to talk to as well. And Adam Sandler.

    my friends who have talked to Rachel Ray says is is quite the opposite of her TV persona and very rude and unpleasant.

    Comment by Cail — June 27, 2007 @ 8:48 am

  9. J.K. Rowling, for the same reasons you listed. Aside from hoping some of her brilliance would rub off on me, I just get the sense that she’s very cool.

    Comment by Rhonda — June 27, 2007 @ 8:59 am

  10. Stacy - hubby watched a TV show about a guy who was trying to get a date with Drew Barrymore. He did all these funny things…I can’t even remember what all he did, but it worked. They had video cameras follow them for the date and she was so cool! The fact that she didn’t get all freaked out and think he was a stalker, but instead saw the humor in what he was doing really showed her down to earth personality. It was neat to watch her interact with him.

    Comment by Jodie — June 27, 2007 @ 9:45 am

  11. Except Steve doesn’t drink. ‘cept for I think.

    I’m seconding the requests for JK Rowling and Steve Buscemi. Also, Jon Stewart, because I think he’s very funny and very knowledgeable. Also: Joss Whedon, and James Cameron, whose movies I love, and who totally won me over in his DVD commentary on Aliens.

    I would have loved to talk to Julia Child.. about food, about espionage, whatever.

    I actually did get a chance to talk to Wendy Wasserstein before her death. She’s amazing.

    I feel very fortunate in that I have been able to meet and speak with many of my personal “heroes.”

    Comment by Diana — June 27, 2007 @ 11:03 am

  12. I’d want to sit down with Russell Crowe. I think he’s gotten a bad rap and would like to see for myself. He seems like an intelligent passionate man who knows how to have fun.

    Comment by Anna Hoevelkamp — June 27, 2007 @ 11:05 am

  13. George Clooney, Matt Damon, Ben Affleck, Hugh Jackman, Josh Duhamel, you know, just a casual convrsatln w/ me and the guys.

    Comment by Leslie — June 27, 2007 @ 11:13 am

  14. Oh cripe!

    A serious topic. I’m working 12 hour days.

    I don’t know if I can do serious so I’m going with

    a fun time instead of a serious conversation.

    I bet a day with Ellen would be a hoot.

    Rachel Ray: My hubby loves her.

    JK Rowling I like her books.

    Hmmmm, I’m gonna go with

    Geo Clooney:love2:, Kevin Cosner or Tom Selleck

    (WOW,did you see the preview ot the new tv show he is doing.)

    :lightbulb:I gotta think some more on this one:lightbulb:

    Comment by jeannie — June 27, 2007 @ 11:58 am

  15. I agree with Diana, but honestly the first person who came to my mind was George, my second husband. I had a dream about him the other day that my little boys and I were at Lake Cuomo with George. He had flown us there (I don’t know how I would have gotten my oldest on the plane). George had a sitter for each of the boys. I had my George….then, I had to meet Julia Roberts (I think I was thinking of that interview they did for Oprah). She told me what a nice person he was, blah, blah, blah. :love2::love2::love2::love2::love2: Then, I woke up.

    Comment by katie — June 27, 2007 @ 12:22 pm

  16. PS. You know the pre order I made at Amazon well it seems that even

    though I paid 2 day shipping it won’t ship until July 3rd.

    I guess I’ll make the store deposit again today so I can get Leslie’s

    “She’s No Angel” I couldn’t possibly leave for Maine without it.

    Hope you mend quickly. Leslie, have you thought about buying

    Naturally Speaking? It is so much better now than when it was new.

    I would think it would be great for you in your current predicament.

    hugs

    Comment by jeannie — June 27, 2007 @ 12:27 pm

  17. Oh my! I have to make choices? Oh MY!!
    Lunch with the Plotmonkeys would be awesome, you all have so much fun & your families are important to you. My sides would start hurting because we would laugh so much & just enjoy ourselves. Jill Shalvis would be on my list, the lady cracks me up! If you read her blog you know what I am talking about. On my list would also be Oprah, she amazes me! Bob Woodruff & his wife, what a story! My vote would also be for Tom Selleck, is he the one that will have a new TV show, yea!! Last but not least David James Elliot of JAG fame, loved that show.
    If I think about it anymore I’m sure that list could grow!

    Comment by Donna M — June 27, 2007 @ 1:14 pm

  18. In the moment???

    Patti Labelle. She’s so down to earth and seems like she’d be a ball of fun.

    Hilary Clinton. Away from the glare of politics, I wonder what’s she’s really like.

    I know it’s cliched but Oprah, because she also seems like fun. We could talk about our weight-loss struggles and I could get some tips (and maybe borrow her trainer and cook)?

    I guess I need a guy too. Hmmm… Has to be someone I don’t find particularly attractive so I don’t gush. Chris Rock, because he’d keep me laughing. Or maybe John Edwards, for the same reason I’d like to meet Hilary. Maybe Will Smith? Definitely Bill Clinton.

    Comment by Patricia W — June 27, 2007 @ 1:18 pm

  19. I know that some will not like this answer and I’m not saying that she is my favorite person but one of the people I would love to sit down and talk with is none other than Angelina Jolie. It has nothing to do with the Jennifer/Brad/Angelina thing. Rather what she does in Africa, why did she decide to adopt children and her acting. I think that she is a great actress and while all do not agree with her I do believe that she does good things in regard to charity.

    I’d love to be able to sit down with the writers of Hero’s. They amaze me. The way they write plot and conflict is unbelievable to me. I don’t write screenplays or TV shows. Still I believe there is much to be gleaned from their way of having the over all conflict tying in to one another, as well as each character having their own internal/external conflict themselves as well as their families. Amazing.

    To sit down with Maya Angelo would be incredible. She seems to be such a wealth of knowledge.

    And then there’s Simon Cowell. I’d like to know what he is really like. What he does for fun and how he started in the business. He’s not always the nice guy (so I know you’re all going DUH) but still most of the time he is right on in his comments.

    There are more but I’ll stop here now.

    Comment by Vicki — June 27, 2007 @ 1:35 pm

  20. Excellent choices with Rachael and Ellen. I’d love to chat with both of them and I think both would be a riot to chat with.

    I’d love to chit chat with Nora Roberts. I see her around blog land all the time and she’s so incredibly funny and down to earth. She would be great to have a one on one with about the writing life.

    George Clooney…though I’d probably just sit and stare…and maybe drool a little. Heh.

    And Denzel Washington. Same as above with George.

    And I love Diane Keaton and Goldie Hawn. Two rule breakers who’ve done it their way. I’d love to chat with them about how they’ve stood their ground and lived life according to their own rules. I admire them both.

    Comment by Jaci Burton — June 27, 2007 @ 2:06 pm

  21. Wow…lots of great ideas here. And Diana, I’d serve Stephen King important Italian water with lime if that’s what it would take to have him sit a spell.

    Comment by Julie Leto — June 27, 2007 @ 4:26 pm

  22. This was tough….so I’m gonna just 2nd what Leslie said…

    Honestly if I had my pick of anyone to speak with dead or alive I would choose my aunt who died from cancer 10 years ago, who I miss everyday and would love to hang out with again, even if it was just one more day.

    Cail, I actually met Steve Buscemi, I was at a funeral for a fireman friend who died Sep.11, and Steve was going to as many fdny funerals as he could. It wasn’t the best circumstances but I thought he was very nice and it was a very admirable thing to do.

    Comment by Tina Martinesi — June 27, 2007 @ 4:37 pm

  23. I’d like to meet authors Nora Roberts and Susan Mallery and have an ordinary conversation with them about life, writing, reading, love, family, etc.

    I’d also like to meet Ellen. She seems so fun.

    I’d also like to meet Jeff Gordon. Oh yes, I lust after him. New baby or not, I still think he’s hot.

    I’d also like to meet actor Luke Wilson just to see if he’s as nice in person as he appears to be… well, and cause I think he’s a cutie.

    Comment by Anne — June 27, 2007 @ 5:51 pm

  24. Hmmmm….lots of people I’d love to meet, for various reasons.

    Nelson Mandela…since we have the same birthday. Different years, of course.

    The person who invented pantyhose…just to ask WHAT WERE YOU THINKING?!?!?

    Comment by ~ Leslie in GA~ — June 27, 2007 @ 6:09 pm

  25. I would love to be able to just hang out with Ellen D. She would be so much fun. As for my ultimate dream man, I would have loved to meet Cary Grant. My Mom was a hugh fan and it was passed down to me. He was funny, tender, and oh, so incredibly sexy!

    Comment by Carol R — June 27, 2007 @ 6:41 pm

  26. lol Leslie from GA I’d like to know what they were thinking too…and I’ll bet it was a man!!

    Comment by Tina Martinesi — June 27, 2007 @ 6:41 pm

  27. Allan Gant Senior 1959

    He attached panties to hose and panty hose were born.

    For those of you not familiar with postage stamp girdles and metal garters

    that left marks pretty much from the time they came off til the time

    they went back on to the oh yeah and those

    darn seams. Boy they were a bugger to keep straight.

    Panty hose were a :present: back them.

    Now a days a fake tan and a nice thong can do the trick.

    Night all

    Comment by jeannie — June 27, 2007 @ 8:44 pm

  28. love to meet u ladies

    Comment by kim h — June 27, 2007 @ 9:30 pm

  29. great reviews for stripped. top pick from RT yeah Julie

    Comment by kim h — June 27, 2007 @ 9:31 pm

  30. I’d want to chat with Bono. He’s done so much humanitarian work and seems to have a good grasp on what still needs to be done.

    Comment by JR — June 27, 2007 @ 9:42 pm

  31. When does STRIPPED come out, Julie..I am such a loser.

    Just finished “California Demon”….I don’t usually like paranormals, but it was hysterical. Highly recommend. Made me chuckle.

    Comment by katie — June 27, 2007 @ 9:52 pm

  32. Johnny Depp, Harrison Ford, Mark Harmon……oh, you mean someone I’d want to TALK to! Sorry. Okay, since you already took Stephen King, who is my standard answer any time someone asks me that question, (although really, I do want to ask him what the Heck was up with Lisey’s Story? Where did he think that was going? Okay, nevermind) SO….I’m going to go with Stefan Sanderling. I’ll wait patiently while you all go google him right now…….Yes, well. It’s the accent. Trust me.

    I did buy Cross My Heart yesterday but haven’t started reading it yet. Painting the office. Finally!

    Are you getting a pedicure????

    Comment by Delia — June 27, 2007 @ 10:02 pm

  33. Hey Janelle,
    Where have you been hiding the past couple of days? We’ve missed you!

    Comment by Tina Martinesi — June 27, 2007 @ 10:21 pm

  34. Thanks, Kim! I’ll post the review next week. I was so thrilled to get a 4-1/2 star top series pick! Very exciting!

    Katie, you’re not a loser. The book comes out in August…just in time for everyone to finish reading CROSS MY HEART and SHE’S NO ANGEL.

    Comment by Julie Leto — June 27, 2007 @ 11:13 pm

  35. Oooh, Jaci…Goldie Hawn is a particularly good choice.

    As for all these hot sexy men…why have them if all you’re going to do (per my perameters) is converse? Geez!

    Who said Alton Brown? I’d love to chat with him. He cracks me up. Tyler Florence? Major hotie.

    Comment by Julie Leto — June 27, 2007 @ 11:15 pm

  36. George Clooney and Toby Keith would have to be added to my list. But I am not sure how much talking I would want to get done!!

    Comment by ev — June 27, 2007 @ 11:59 pm

  37. Ellen Degeneres would actually be my first choice! She is so funny, I think she’d just be a blast to talk to. I’m a big fan of talking but a hater of small talk, and I can see Ellen just cutting the crap and going right for it, lol.

    Comment by Kate Scott — June 28, 2007 @ 5:39 pm

  38. Leslie and I have very similar taste

    I’d love to talk to Nora, Joss Whedon and Eric Kripke.

    Comment by Mary — June 30, 2007 @ 5:14 pm

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