i met phil donohue today

[unblock]

i sat across the table from him for 3 hours. we chatted and had a grand old time.

and we didn't talk one bit about politics or celebrity or career.

why not? because i believe that when celebrities are out and about, they should be treated like regular folks, which is probably what they want anyway. fawning over people just because they're famous, pestering them for autographs, making them shake my hand when they might not care to, i think that's just wrong. we're not a two-tiered society, the famous and the not so much. we're all just americans here, one big melting pot, and fame is just another part of some people's job description, nothing more.









or maybe it was because i didn't recognize him until it was time to go. :shrug:

[TEmperorHasNoClothes]

1. i love him and Marlo

I went to see Phil's show about 25 years ago. I cherish the picture I have of us together.

[unblock]

6. mrs. unblock says she snapped a pic of him, but bad angle and doesn't include me.

paparazza she is not. but i actually do think celebs don't need to be bothered like that all the time.

[Lucinda]

2. LOL

:hi:

[ferrous wheel]

3. If I were lucky enough to meet him, I'd say "Get your butt back on TV, right fucking now!"

:D

[patrice]

5. Me TOO!

[unblock]

7. it's probably not his call.

i never got the impression that he wanted out. others who didn't want reasonable, thoughtful discussions on tv wanted him out and were willing to sacrifice ratings and profits to do so.

[Tangerine LaBamba]

9. He was stabbed in the back

He's an unabashed bleeding-heart liberal and has never been quiet about that. He also genuinely invites opposing points of view, if rational, and embraces discussion.

Now, how does insane behavior like that survive in today's media?

[patrice]

4. Phil Donohue was one of my earliest "guiding lights"!

at a time when

There was NOTHING else in msm.

[Tangerine LaBamba]

8. Good for you

You're a rare one, and I give you props for absolutely wonderful behavior.

Hey, look! I'm complimenting you for acting like a normal human being.

"Fans" are NOT normal.

Well done.

[K Gardner]

10. I'm so jealous.. ! Donahue was a liberal when it was still a dirty word.. oh, wait.. nevermind :-)

[unblock]

11. hah! aren't we all!

here on du anyway....

[lunatica]

12. Please! What did you talk about for 3 hours?

:bounce:

[unblock]

14. we were are a new york times crossword contest

so we were talking about crossword puzzles, wordplay, that sort of thing in between actually doing a few crossword puzzles. plus other chit-chatty things like the local weather and such. and the uk as both mrs. unblock and another contestant at our table were from there.

honestly, i didn't clue into it until the end when the guy from ireland asked him for his autograph.

i met will shortz (editor of the nytimes crosswords) as well.

[rvablue]

17. Very cool that you met Donahue and Shortz, but the more important question is:

how'd you rank?

I'm obsessed with crosswords.

[unblock]

18. let's put it this way

they recognized the top 3 finalists and gave awards to the dozen or so who got all the puzzles perfectly correct.
so basically you have to get all of them 100% correct AND be the fastest.

me, i got nuttin'.

[Submariner]

13. Donahue: Isn't MSNBC looking for someone to follow Rachel Maddow at 10:00 PM?

Bill would be a nice fit.

[htuttle]

15. I agree -- I met dozens of celebrities when I drove a taxi

Sports figures, TV & movie stars, musicians, etc...

I never, ever mentioned that I knew who they were when they got in my backseat. I figured that asking for autographs would blow my tip. They weren't there to perform for me -- they were just trying to get somewhere, like everyone else.

Favorite line heard when two celebrity passengers were getting out: "Pay the man, Steadman." You had to hear the tone of her voice to really appreciate it. :rofl:

[ReliantJ]

16. Ask

Ask him what he was thinking having 2 Live Crew on

[Cass]

19. I just love Phil Donahue and I hope MSNBC will give him his damn show back.

Did you ever see him go rounds with O'Really about the Iraq war? Man, it was a thing of beauty. I'd love to see him back on the airwaves again.