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6 OUR YUCAIPA | FEBRUARY 2016 The Middle of the Road: By Randy Peters, a middle-aged, middle-income, middle-school teacher MY WIFE IS A CELEBRITY MAGNET Last month I wrote about my relationship with Ellen DeGeneres. I haven't received a thank you note from her yet for the extra publicity. But I'm sure it's in the mail. After that column, several people have told me their celebrity stories. I've heard about some famous people that Yucaipans have met or seen. It's made me wonder about the connections we feel for people we don't know. Some people would pay a lot of money to have lunch or even meet sports legends Kobe Bryant, Tom Brady, or Messi. Political junkies like myself wouldn't mind breaking bread with Governor Jerry Brown, Representative Paul Ryan, or former Presidential Candidate Ross Perot. Imagine a conversation with Meryl Streep, Kevin Spacey, and Jodie Foster. My wife, Michele, has made a hobby out of meeting celebrities. Many of her friends have offered to buy extra tickets for her to attend functions because they know Michele will find a way to meet the celebrities there. She says it's her way of thanking certain people for sharing their talents and influencing her life. Most of the celebrities my wife has had the opportunity to meet aren't necessarily the ones that TMZ scouts and embarrasses. She goes for the classics. She always has. Our den has pictures of teenage Michele with Steve Garvey. There are pictures from when she was in college. She and her friend went to several presentations of Pirates of Penzance. They met and took pictures with Barry Bostwick, Pam Dawber, and Andy Gibb. Then she really got serious. Over the years she has taken several pictures with Tommy Shaw from Styx and Damn Yankees. She has seen Styx perform more than 20 times through the years. I think Tommy looks for her now at the concerts. A couple of years ago, we went to a Kris Kristofferson concert at Pepperdine University in Malibu. And, yes, after hanging around after the concert by the library where Kris was a part of a university reception, Suzanne Somers came out. We spoke for a while, and she suggested that we just go in and meet Kris. We did. There's a picture on the wall in our den. Before Kris' concert ever started, we were in the lobby waiting for the doors to open. Michele befriended a very nice elderly woman and offered her part of the bench we were sharing. She and Michele talked like old friends about life, kids, and careers. A gentleman approached the lady and asked if she needed him to get her some water. The lady introduced Michele and me to the gentleman as her former son-in-law. Oh, and he was also Jackson Browne. The four of us met up during intermission and after the show to talk about the performance. After they left, I noticed a group of women who kept following Michele and me. I think they were trying to figure out who we were and why we were hanging around with Jackson Browne. Another time Michele didn't have to seek out the celebrity was when Smokey Robinson motioned her to the front of the stage from her front row seat. He took her hand and sang "I Love Your Face." She didn't get a picture, but at another Smokey Robinson concert she met a man she has respected and admired for years: Berry Gordy. Mr. Gordy was a complete gentleman and took pictures with Michele. She says she will always be grateful to have had the chance to thank him for the music he provided from Motown. Meeting all these men are great except I'm worried about a short list of certain musicians and actors that she's told me if they ever knock on the front door of our home, I'm to politely walk out the back. The list includes Steve Perry, Christopher Meloni, and Keith Urban. She actually met Keith Urban once…and it was quite the meeting. Michele and I went to the Staples Center for his concert. I volunteered to carry a sign that read, "Keith – You can kiss my wife if I can kiss yours." (Mr. Urban is married to Australian actress Nicole Kidman.) Our seats were next to a long ramp that came out of the center stage. At one point Keith and his musicians came down to our end of the ramp to perform. With my wife's enthusiastic suggestion, I held up my sign and waved it around. Keith was talking to the audience between songs and looked over and saw my sign. "There's a sign over here," he told the crowd. "Pass it up to me." I did. He read the sign to the sold out crowd. "Wow," he said. "So should I?" The crowd went crazy. Keith jumped down from the stage, took my wife's face in his hands, and said, "Come here, darlin'." He then kissed her square on the lips. All of this was projected on the large screens throughout the stadium. Keith climbed back on stage to the applause of the crowd. He looked back at me, chuckled in the microphone and said, "Good luck with your half of the deal, brother." Seriously? It's been fun watching Michele pursue her hobby as she appreciates good music and those who provide it. So far, I have not had to provide any bail money. But we are seeing Styx and Dick Van Dyke this weekend. We are seeing Peter Frampton later this month. So, who knows what may happen in the future? Keep your eyes on the road. 5% Military Discount (former & current members) Ask for the Jarhead! 909-965-8404 Since 1985 Licensed & Insured DON'S TREE SERVICE • Ornamental Beautification of Trees • Preventative Maintenance from Wind Destruction • Correct Pruning, Trimming Skills • Tree Removals, Stump Grinding • Tree Planting/Transplanting

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