To Date or Not to Date a Famous Person: One girl’s true account
by Katy Franklin.
You know how, in all those magazines on the stands today, there’s a whole bunch of celebrity worship and gossip, and they kind of make you feel like: a) you could never be a celebrity, and/or b) as a normal human being, you could never be cool enough to come close to dating one. That’s the vibe I get from those publications. But then, if you’ve ever paid enough attention (which, I unashamedly, admittedly have,) every once in awhile, you’ll find that someone really famous is dating someone really “normal.” Nicolas Cage dated and married his sushi waitress. Matt Damon married the girl who was his bartender at a club. Sure, it happens. But not very often. I was definitely skeptical about the reality of these situations until my sister, (we’re going to call her Annabelle) recently dated someone pretty famous (we’re going to call him Brad.)
Now please understand that I do not consider my sister “normal” by any means. She is 24 years old and drop-dead gorgeous. In physical appearance, she rivals any celebrity out there. She’s also extremely intelligent, easy to talk to, bubbly and fascinating, so it’s really no wonder somebody so well-known would have been interested in her. She works as an executive assistant to a very powerful entertainment agent in New York City so she meets a lot of famous people through her job.
So my sister, Annabelle, went to a premiere party for a movie that came out around the beginning of summer. Brad was one of the stars of the movie. You would also recognize him as the star of a popular TV show, and he has some directing, writing and producing credits as well. He’s young-ish, in his early thirties, and even though he lives in LA, he had moved to New York for the summer. So he saw Annabelle at the party and zeroed in on her. He introduced himself, and followed her around like a lost puppy all night. He asked for her number and got it, and used an excuse that he needed to be “shown around the city” by her, even though he had grown up in New Jersey. Annabelle left the party, and being a smart girl, was not quite sure she believed one word that came out of this movie stars’ mouth. And then she received 10 texts from him on her 10 minute walk home. Okay so he was definitely….interested. The texts continued the next day, (which just goes to show you that even famous guys can have really low standards when it comes to communication,) but, because Annabelle and Brad were in the same area of Manhattan, they decided to meet at a bar downtown.
When Annabelle arrived, Brad was already there with his brother and his girlfriend who was also famous, and my sister ended up having a really good time with all of them. Then Kirsten Dunst showed up alone at the same bar, and all of them knew her too. (Which just goes to show you that all famous people probably really do know each other.) Although, after chatting with Kirsten for awhile, they proceeded to gossip and talk badly about her. Annabelle stayed for a few hours, but then had to leave to meet up with some of her non-famous friends for dinner. She invited Brad’s brother’s girlfriend for a girls night out, and she actually wanted to come, but she had plans of her own. (This just goes to show you that sometimes, famous people like to meet and hang out with “normal” people. Sometimes, I guess. Maybe, like, on Sundays.) But, before she left, Annabelle made plans with Brad for the following day.
The next night, my sister met Brad at his (very swanky) hotel room and they hung out. They watched some TV and then Annabelle helped Brad pick out his outfits for his appearances on Regis and Kelly and TRL. He was going to be plugging his new movie and, as my sister found out, he was extremely worried about his choice of clothing and his physical appearance. He wanted Annabelle to help him look younger than his 30-something years, especially because he was going to be on TRL. Luckily Annabelle had a good fashion sense and picked out the clothes he ended up wearing. Then she got kissed. (I guess that just goes to show you that you never know when a good sense of fashion might come in handy and get you kissed by a movie star.) My sister did not stay with Brad that night. She wanted to take things slowly. She also told me that every time they hung out, she always just went ahead and figured it would be the last time. They had lots of fun together, but to say Annabelle wasn’t still skeptical of the situation would be an exaggeration.
The next couple of times that they hung out, Annabelle found out some interesting things about Brad and about dating a famous person. As mentioned, Brad was very concerned with appearances. He was getting ready to present at the Tony awards on one occasion, and all he could seem to talk about was what specific and prestigious designer he was going to be wearing. My sister tired of that “conversation” pretty quickly. He was also a blogger himself and spent a lot of time online and on his myspace page. That was where he kept in touch with all of his fans. He spent a good part of a date showing Annabelle around his myspace page. (Which just goes to show you that famous people really are out there on myspace after all, and your favorite actor’s page might actually be his.) Needless to say, this date with Brad was not exactly Annabelle’s favorite. Brad would be so excited to check his website to connect with his fans, and would spend lots of time in front of the computer when they were supposed to be out.
When Annabelle was able to yank Brad away from his computer, and they actually ventured outside, Brad would sometimes be recognized. When they went to restaurants, my sister would catch people with their camera phones out, pretending to take pictures of the scenery or their friends, but it was obvious to Annabelle that they were taking pictures of Brad. And pretty soon, my sister made a little bit of press as well. The gossip magazines were making a big deal of Brad being in NYC for the summer, so once in awhile they would report on him. One time, US Weekly reported seeing him with an “unidentified blonde.” That would have been my sister.
Eventually, Annabelle and Brad just fizzled out. They continued to exchange texts, but they were both busy and the summer was ending. Brad moved back to LA to continue filming his TV show, and my sister went back to dating non-famous men. Obviously, they dated very casually, and Annabelle found out later that Brad went on to date a string of famous people. Brad was sort of a playboy in New York that summer, and it was all documented in the gossip magazines. My sister knew this, though, and to Brad’s credit, he never really led her to believe otherwise.
I talked to Annabelle a lot about her experiences while she was dating Brad. Like any good sister, I was more concerned with how she was being treated by this person she was dating; I couldn’t have cared less if he was famous or not. But she told me it was fun. It was kind of thrilling dating someone so well-known. She always described him as fun to be with, intelligent, funny and interesting….if maybe a little pathetic at the dating game in general. Which, unfortunately, sounds pretty normal to me.
A final surprise came for Annabelle at the end of the summer. She and Brad had already pretty much lost touch, but he was hosting Saturday Night Live one night, so my sister tuned in. On that episode there was a skit that my sister knew was about her. The writers had, of course, taken creative liberties with it, but they had taken the meeting of Brad and my sister and turned it into a live skit on national television. At first, Annabelle was a little put off by this, but the more she thought about it, the more she was able to laugh about it and take it as flattery. One could argue that Brad did that purely to make himself look better, but isn’t that what being an actor and being famous is all about? To constantly have to sell yourself to everyone? To make sure you always look good in the eye of the general public? If you ask me, that meant that Brad cared enough about Annabelle and their time together to put their first meeting on national television, even if the perspective was a little skewed for comedic purposes. Which just goes to show you that Brad “famous movie star man” really enjoyed his time dating Annabelle “not so famous but all around cool girl.” Which just goes to show you that maybe celebrities are kind of…normal, after all.
About the author: Katy is an aspiring writer who just moved to LA from New York City. She used to work in the entertainment industry, but is now trying to figure out her life and what her next step may be! She loves movies, reading, writing and taco bell, and is enjoying getting to know LA.
Popularity: 19% [?]
October 19th, 2007 at 6:19 pm
I have never dated a famous person!
October 19th, 2007 at 6:19 pm
That was a lot of fun–what it says is we are all “normal people”
October 19th, 2007 at 6:30 pm
What a great read! The author gave a great well rounded account of the story.I am dying to know who this clown is?!?!
October 19th, 2007 at 7:07 pm
Fun story! and while I have not dated a movie star, I have dated a very rich person who knew movie stars, represented movie stars, and fancied himself pretty close to one (a wanna-be-thespian so to speak).
Famous people or people with money have their quirks, no way around it. It’s all about them, their money and/or their famous-ness. Fame and fortune change people, not always to a point where they can’t be with “normies” but usually. My particular person loved the fact I was grounded and did not make him feel like I used him for his wealth. That is a very big deal with these people as they are skittish that everyone is doing that. I had a great experience, but fame and fortune do not bring happiness — doesn’t hurt though!!!
October 19th, 2007 at 7:26 pm
What an interesting article…i was intrigued from the first sentence right down to the last…thanks for sharing Katy!
October 19th, 2007 at 7:39 pm
Hey Katy,
I remeber you telling me about “Anabelle” and “Brad”. I never got a chance to see the skit but i’ll see if it’s on youtube or something.
Well, this article was awesome. I can’t wait to read your next one. When does it come out? I hope it’s sooner than later. If not ima have to write a letter to someone.
Love you babe take care
October 19th, 2007 at 7:56 pm
this was great…very fun
October 19th, 2007 at 8:26 pm
Love your articles Katy. This one was fun to read. I think everyone fantasizes at one time or another what it would be like to date a famous person. Thanks for the insight!!
October 19th, 2007 at 9:32 pm
That was a fun read, quite entertaining. I’m dying to know who Brad is! This is one for US Weekly’s latest Celebrities Are Just Like Us… they’re insecure.
October 19th, 2007 at 10:00 pm
Loved it! Well, clearly, since you’re my new favorite blogger.
Yeah not so sure about 30 somethings who love to check their own myspace pages, but at least she got a couple free drinks out of it.
cant wait to read the next one!
October 19th, 2007 at 11:01 pm
Great Read! I want to see the skit, how can I find it?
October 20th, 2007 at 8:14 pm
Thanks for the great story! Your fun sense of humor seems to really come through in your writing. Keep the stories coming!
October 20th, 2007 at 11:03 pm
I’m wondering why I haven’t seen your writing in other publications — from People to the New Yorker! Keep writing and keep letting us know where your bon mots can be found.
October 21st, 2007 at 7:18 am
Siunds like u are lloking tfor a celeb. I hope yurt snatch in scith.
October 21st, 2007 at 9:10 pm
I loved the story. Although it sounds like it would be exciting to date someone “famous”, it just sounds like too much drama for me. I can’t wait to read your next article and I also look forward to a new katy picture
October 22nd, 2007 at 2:16 am
Great story! Does ‘Annabelle’ ever hear from ‘Brad’ anymore? Hmm… I wonder who he is!! Well, if your sister looks anything like you, I’m sure she’s gorgeous!
I would love to read more articles from you. Your writing style is so personable. It felt like I was just hearing it as gossip from a close friend!!
October 22nd, 2007 at 1:38 pm
This writer has some pop and some insights to her comments–good sage insight for the twenty something dating crowd.
October 22nd, 2007 at 7:03 pm
Great read ! Most interesting ! Annabelle had good ‘ole commonsense. Kudos to the writer and to Annabelle; you go girl go !
October 22nd, 2007 at 8:45 pm
interesting story..always love to read about the gossip. hmm…i wonder who this famous person could be…inquiring minds would like to know.
October 22nd, 2007 at 8:56 pm
“Annabelle” does not really hear from “Brad” anymore, unfortunately. She learned that he is currently dating another actress, but she said that it was fun while it lasted!
Maybe their paths will cross again sometime in the future???
October 22nd, 2007 at 11:00 pm
It just goes to show you, famous people are realy just normal people who got famous but like hanging out with other famous people who are normal.
Great story, Katy. Well written. Loved it. Keep writing.
October 22nd, 2007 at 11:06 pm
cool story and well written! good luck in gettin it all together katy.
October 24th, 2007 at 6:53 am
It sounds an interesting story.
October 24th, 2007 at 1:46 pm
Very cool post! Your sister sounds pretty darn smart.
October 26th, 2007 at 2:19 am
Hi,good story.That just does to show you,you have many pop and some insights.We all should dare to love ,dare to find friends.I have many friends, they may be not famous Person,but they also have good ideas and be friendly.They help me more,they are good guys.
Good luck!!!
October 26th, 2007 at 11:03 pm
Katy and “Annabelle”- You could both be famous if this was important to you, right? You’ve both hung out with bigger fish than “Brad,” although they may not be the showbiz hotties.
I hope to see and hear about all the worlds you enter with such great style.
November 2nd, 2007 at 7:43 pm
It’s all true and it WAS fun. If you really want to know the celeb, you can always look to last season’s SNL and narrow it down
Looking forward to the next blog, Katy!
November 8th, 2007 at 9:22 pm
Great story! I guess you sister was what Brad would’ve considered a good catch if he wasn’t living hat playboy lifestyle.
November 15th, 2007 at 10:55 pm
Looking at the list of SNL hosts at the end of last summer, the male hosts were Dane Cook, John C. Reilly and Hugh Laurie. Of that group only Dane Cook is single (and he released Employee of the Month that summer) so that would be my guess…
November 16th, 2007 at 6:10 pm
Guess again!…..Not Dane Cook
November 17th, 2007 at 8:37 am
Jake Gyllenhaal
November 19th, 2007 at 9:28 pm
Nope…not it either!
November 20th, 2007 at 7:40 pm
Glad it wasn’t Dane Cook, he’s a retard.
November 21st, 2007 at 5:49 am
Annabelle, a youngish Christie Brinkley in a Natalie Portman frame, is too darn smart and too good looking for this goofy playboy! Keep writing Katy
November 21st, 2007 at 8:45 am
Mathew Fox
November 21st, 2007 at 11:56 pm
Haha nope! Not Matthew Fox either…maybe you are looking in the wrong year?
November 22nd, 2007 at 2:08 am
LOL it’s Z, huh?
November 22nd, 2007 at 2:18 am
Zach Braff…
November 22nd, 2007 at 3:12 am
November 28th, 2007 at 1:27 am
I dated a famous person too, back in 1995. Every word of this has got to be true because blow for blow I encountered the same thing. My agent swears “Jackie Brown” is about me. I prefer “Kill Bill”, because the abandoned Bride is straight out of what he did to me, up to and including the lost child.
And as for the famous skank I dated who directed it? The proud reason I came out lesbian. Thank you, Quentin. The one thing you did right.
November 28th, 2007 at 1:28 am
PS: never date a celebrity.
Never worth it.
November 28th, 2007 at 5:18 pm
When you said the famous person was from New Jersey I knew it was Zach Braff. Great article.
November 30th, 2007 at 2:49 pm
thats sad because zach braff is effing gross
December 7th, 2007 at 12:58 am
Great article! I could totally picture it all (it helps to know Annabelle). Keep writing girl!
December 13th, 2007 at 9:25 pm
I figured out who it is. Spluge Bob Squarepants!
January 1st, 2008 at 6:30 pm
To long, didn’t read.
But I would certainly date you for 15 minutes!
January 4th, 2008 at 6:38 pm
As a fellow writer, I would like to give you some feed back:
“They had lots of fun together, but to say Annabelle wasn’t still skeptical of the situation would be an exaggeration.”
That sentence is full of errors that stick out.
Otherwise, interesting story. Reminiscent of a quiet night on a patio exchanging sibling tales.
January 9th, 2008 at 5:23 am
Hey there Gal!
Yeh famous people right? I guess its kinda cool for the first 3 seconds or so. The one thing that people probably need to remember that despite being famous, that these people are still just people. I think we need to stop idolizing them for like appearing to be perfect or something. I reckon they are more screwed up then normal people who haven’t allowed fame to get to their heads. Mainly im talking about the celebrities here though. I think that your sister is extremely smart for doing all that she did and not letting him take advantage of her!
Ps. who needs to know how to write grammatically correct sentences neways? all the best to ya =)
Cheers
January 14th, 2008 at 11:22 pm
Trotter, you said you wanted to give some feedback as a fellow writer because her sentence was full of errors. Well, you wrote, “Reminiscent of a quiet night on a patio exchanging sibling tales.”
I’m not a writer but that’s called a SENTENCE FRAGMENT! There should be a comma instead of a period so that you can complete your sentence. Get your s*** together.
January 26th, 2008 at 12:26 am
I wish I can be famouse so I can I see how it feels to be a superstar and see how it feels to have fans to know that your a star and theres people watching you all around the world don’t no one no me and I want to be known can some one please help me to be famous
January 28th, 2008 at 5:13 pm
I figured it out. It was Heath Ledger!
January 28th, 2008 at 6:32 pm
Your sister sounds more shallow than a casting pond.
January 31st, 2008 at 4:43 pm
I think your sister sounds like a wonderful person. There’s a place in the universe for celebrity-chasing women. If they didn’t exist, who would our talented people sleep with and mistreat? She’s playing a much-needed role and making this planet a better place to live. Good 4 her!
February 11th, 2008 at 7:55 pm
1. If you actually read what the article says, I neither slept with, nor chased a celebrity. Also, I was never mistreated by “Brad.” He certainly wasn’t the love of my life, but he was a perfectly fine person with whom I had a little bit of fun.
2. If going out with a person one finds interesting and experiencing things that are new and different makes someone shallow, so be it. To judge that someone is shallow based solely on this article seems a little hasty.
3. Idolatry and attraction come in all different forms. Someone getting more attention because he is famous is no different than liking a person because he is tall, short, smarter than average or professionally successful. I will venture a guess that everyone at some time or another has chosen to date (or not to date) based on one of these judgments.
Just something to think about…..
February 11th, 2008 at 9:04 pm
Loved your comment, Annabelle, and I totally agree. Thanks for that well-written and insightful retort. Those kinds of comments on this particular article have been hard to come by recently
March 22nd, 2008 at 9:34 pm
You’re all hoochies and star chasers, in my opinion. People who can’t be stars try to hook up with them and live vicariously through them.
June 28th, 2008 at 1:44 am
You slut. Let me know what hell looks like, you trollop!