Monday, May 07, 2007

Would You Ever...Turn Down the Chance to Meet Your Celeb Crush?

Earlier this year, I owned up to my crush on Mark Wahlberg.


No big deal, really. We Buzz Girls talk about admiration for hot celebs all the time.

But the thing was, for me, that confession was a big deal. Because my thing for Mark is “special”. For one thing it’s been going on since his Marky Mark days. (I’m nothing if not loyal.) But mostly, it’s because he’s more than just a celeb crush--he’s my “secret weapon”, the hottie I turn to when the romance writing scenes gets rough, the one who gets my mind whirring and my fingers clacking on the keyboard.

So what I’m about to say might seriously disappoint. A few years back, the husband of one of my friends was working on Mark’s current movie, and was under strict instructions to “tell me everything”. (For the record, I heard exactly what I wanted to hear: Mark was professional and well-liked by the crew.) Then one day, my friend called to say her husband had offered to get us on the set.

My knees went weak, my throat went dry. But without a moment’s hesitation, I turned it down. I remember exactly what I said. “I...I can’t. What if I go...and I never write again?”

I have had countless celebrity sightings over the years, and know that for the most part, celebs are photogenic people who, in real life, look pretty much like the rest of us. I couldn’t risk that discovery with him! I needed to maintain his larger-than-life, curl-my-toes, set-my-romance-writer’s-heart-a-thundering persona. I needed to preserve his reMARKable-ness.

Of course, a case could be made that I would have met him and been bedazzled! I'll probably never know.

So, there you have it. I turned down a chance to meet my celeb crush in order to keep my writing career afloat. Would you ever turn down the chance to meet YOUR celeb crush?

Tina
Top Ten Uses for an Unworn Prom Dress--out now
How to Hook a Hottie--Spring 2008
The ABC's of Kissing Boys--Spring 2009

15 comments:

Dona Sarkar-Mishra said...

Honestly....I might. I have had a crush on Enrique Iglesias for like 15 years now, and if I got a chance to meet him...it might ruin that latin lover mentality I have of him.

Anyway, once he started making out wtih Anna Kournikova all over town, I lost a lot of respect for him, so I think, yes, I would pass up a chance to meet my celeb crush!

alexgirl said...

Tina: no disrespect, but I think you're LOCO in the CABEZA! Passing up a chance to meet a McHotty like Mark Wahlberg? He was so amazing in The Departed, I'd kill to meet him!

I think I'd love to meet my celeb crush. When I used to work as an assistant fashion photographer I LOVED meeting famous people (not that it happened very often.)

There's every possibility that I'd pee in my pants if I met him (Shia, Josh Hartnett, Christian Bale, McSteamy...) but it'd be SO worth it! ;)

Anonymous said...

Tina,
I can't say that I would pass up the opportunity. I think it might get my imagination going to places it may never have traveled. But I also think I'd rather meet the celeb in character, such as Joaquin as Johnny Cash. I love, love, loved him in that movie.

Janie

Kelly (Lynn) Parra said...

Tina, so funny we both blogged about celeb crushes today. haha! Truthfully, I'd probably go just to "see" my celeb crush, but wouldn't meet him. I'm totally shy that way. :) :)

TinaFerraro said...

Okay, if I'm reading this right, we have 3 for "meet him" and 1 for "skip". Pretty much what I thought--my choice was an odd one!

Thanks for your thoughts, and I've love to hear from others, too!

stephhale said...

Oh, Tina. I have to agree with Alex. Were you sick that day? Was your face covered with zits? Had your hair turned green the day before? These are the ONLY valid reasons for not meeting Mark. I wouldn't turn down meeting any celeb crush, especially Shia!
xo,
Steph
ps- On second thought Tina, it's probably good you didn't go because he would have fallen in love with you and you would have had to leave your family and you know how messy that stuff can get. :)

TinaFerraro said...

Fallen for me! LOL, Steph, have I told you recently how much I appreciate you?

But by the way, I am totally open to meeting our boy, Sawyer...

Marley Gibson said...

I don't think I'd pass up the opportunity either (said the person who was THIS ---> <--- far from President Clinton last week in DC!!!), but I do know someone who was hot for a celeb, met him at an event she was covering, and he disappointed her because he was so rude to her. It's a hit or miss with meeting a celeb.

Natalie said...

Oooh, this is a tough one, Tina! It sounds like he's your muse when it comes to leading men in your stories, so I can see why you wouldn't want to ruin that. On the other hand, since you did hear nice things about him (professional, nice to the crew, etc.) I think I would have gone, in that case. Who knows...maybe you'll have the chance again when they make one of your books into a movie and he stars in it (as the MC's dad??) ;-)

Fun post, Tina!

:-) Natalie

TinaFerraro said...

Yeah, Marley, you're right about it being hit or miss...therein lied the rub!

And Natalie, LOL about MW being my MC's dad. I think we'd have to go with "hot track coach" or something, huh? (Gotta get working on THAT story...)

Me said...

I don't know, Tina, I might agree with your choice. 90% of the time the fantasy is better than the reality... but what about that 10%? Aaargh. For my own celeb crush (Nick Lachey) I think I would have to turn it down. I'd say there's about a 75% chance he'd ruin my fantasy. The pretty face will have to suffice. (Now if it was Scott Foley, that's another story...)

Hugs,
TLC

GeminiWisdom said...

Would I ever turn it down? That would be a HELL NO!. Let me rephrase that...HELL NO with flashing neon lights and a marching band!

If I ever met Channing Tatum, Paul Walker, Justin Timberlake, Jesse Metcalf...where was I? Oh, right, if I ever met these guys I'd probably do the nervous giggle thing and say something INCREDIBLY LAME, but I'd be on a major natural high for, like, the next month.

Anonymous said...

Someone on here mentioned Shia, so I have to mention his best friend in the movie 'Holes' is Khleo Thomas. My beloved. He just doesn't know it yet. Since I want to be an actress (well, after this informant gig, that is.)I don't think I would EVER turn down an opportunity to meet him. Especially if I got a chance to work with him.

TinaFerraro said...

Draven, I saw HOLES, too, and I agree he is one cutie! And best of luck with YOUR acting career. Keep us posted!

Heather Davis said...

Wow, Tina. To have come so close and then... Oh, well.

I think if I ever met one of my celeb crushes, the pressure to be cool would be overwhelming. I was a totally fangirl when I met one of my favorite NBA stars once (yes, I used to totally follow b-ball back in the day.) My ex told the guy, "You're my wife's favorite player of all time." I hit him for that, because of course then I blushed, babbled, and generally made a dork of myself. :)