5 Superstars To Spend Time With

I was reading an interview with Bill Murray the other day, when I began to think about which stars I'd love to spend a day with and hang out. Not all at once, because I'd be afraid of the clash-of-the-titans mentality. But here are 5 famous people I'd love to get to know just for a day:

5. Owen/Luke Wilson, actors/brothers.
-Despite their recent personal complications (both have recently attempted suicide), the Dallas natives are originals. The characters they play are often as eccentric as they themselves are. I wouldn't be surprised if a day with these guys turned out to be a weekend excursion to some remote getaway spot in an exotic locale that Owen discovered some years back. Not to mention, these guys are knowledgeable about all sorts of cultures and customs, so having superstars serve as your cultural guide would be pretty amazing.

4. Mark Cuban, owner of the Dallas Mavericks and billionaire.
-The guy is famous and infamous. He's also one of the richest and smartest people in the world. Read his blog at www.blogmaverick.com. He doesn't write about his popular basketball team. He blogs about business problems, and how to solve them. He's pragmatic. His stuff works. He also once had a post about how in interviews, you always dress to the person you're interviewing with. For that reason, he never wears a suit. He finds them unneccessary, costly, and reminiscent of a time when he put in all those hours to get where he is today. I admire that, and I'd gladly spend a day with him imparting wisdom and knowledge. The guy may come across as an arrogant tool, but let's not forget he's a passionate fan and a successful billionaire.

3. Charles Barkley, former Phoenix Suns all-star and current TNT basketball analyst.
-Watching him on TNT's basketball analysis show is one of the main reason I watch anything other than Mavs basketball. He is simply hilarious. He rips through Ernie (the white analyst) on a regular basis, and when teamed with Kenny Smith can be potentially deadly with one-liners. Not to mention, the dude likes to have a good time, as evidenced by his multi-million dollar debt to Vegas casinos. That's not spent all on alchohol or other party lifestyle expenses. That's straight cash at the poker table. Oh, and did you see the guy not only accept the challenge to race Dick Bavetta (notorious NBA ref) at the all-star game, but also take no mercy on the old man? There's nothing better than seeing an overweight/out-of-shape former NBA superstar beating a 70+ year old NBA ref. As long as I don't have to see Charles eat doughnuts or help foot his tab at a casino, I think kicking it with this 80's/90's baller would be great.

2. Bill Murray, actor/comedian.
-There's a lot of things I feel I can identify with Bill on. He's from Illinois, and I lived in Chicago back in the day. He acts in Wes Anderson movies (one of my favorite filmmakers). He's the title character of The Life Acquatic with Steve Zissou, one of my top 5 favorite films. Groundhog Day is one of my favorite movies. He's a Cubs fan. He's freaking hilarious. The interview I read had enough for me to make this decision: his random conversational tangents; his stories of times past with other famous actors such as Dan Akroyd, Owen Wilson, Chevy Chase, etc; his upbringing in Illinois; and nuances of his particular cool and calm dead pan comedy. The charisma that he exudes would be enough of a reason for me to enjoy his company.

1. Samuel L. Jackson, actor.
-He's cool. He's hip. He's in my favorite movie (Pulp Fiction). Whether screaming madly at sharks, snakes, Star Wars droids, or college kids who are screwing his boss, Samuel L. seems like he's just got an electric personality. Not to mention, he seems like he'd be into weird things that don't get mentioned to the general public. He did the voice of the title character in an anime called "Afro Samurai." The premise utilizes 70's blaxploitation themes (combining elements of kung-fu movies and African-American sub culture) and really good anime style animation. You can just tell Sam digged doing that. So I can see him bringing a bit of the unexpected from a famous actor and pop=culture icon.

Here's 5 I'd rather not spend time with:

5. Lindsey Lohan, actor/singer
-The dissappointment alone from seeing my pre-teen crush doing a line of coke in a club bathroom would kill me.

4. Daniel Day Lewis, method actor.
-The guy has done 4 movies in the past 10 years. He was nominated for Best Actor in 2 of them (Gangs of New York, There Will Be Blood), and won one of those awards (There Will Be Blood). That right there tells you several things about DDL: he's a pompous jerk who only selects roles he'll win awards for, and he's crazy because he's a method actor (never breaking character during filming) and those roles are crazy and violent. The two-time academy award winner may be a fine actor, but he's also a crazy recluse who enjoys woodworking in his spare time and divorced his wife for Rebecca Miller (daughter of playwright Arthur Miller).

3. Tommie Lee Jones
-I like him as an actor, and I typically enjoy the movies he's in. But all reports indicated that he is a total prick in real life, much like his characters. I just don't want that to sour my impression of him.

2. Tom Cruise
-The once pretty good actor who turned into the bane of Hollywood for his near destruction of Paramount Pictures, his scientology claims, and his outbursts about Katie Holmes on Oprah. Side note: rumor had it that Tom wouldn't allow Katie to reprise her character as Rachel Dawes in The Dark Knight due to his distastes with the movie. Replacing Katie with Maggie Gylenhall was the worst part of one of the best movies I've ever seen.

1. Dennis Rodman
-Need I say more?

RP

Blog Reason #42..

Hello to the few who will read this.

I am starting this blog as a kind of way to keep myself interested in posting things about myself. Facebook was a good way to keep in touch with others and keep them apprised of my well being and occurrences in my life. But due to the lack of interest in Facebook these days, I've decided that to keep you all updated in a consistent manner would require that I find a new means of conveying my personal account of things. On top of that, I'll be shipping out to the U.S. Navy's boot camp location, RTC Great Lakes in Great Lakes, IL on 13 April 2009. Because I'm sure ALL of you would at least be somewhat interested in the "exciting life" the Navy has to offer, this blog could serve that purpose for you (when I say exciting life, I mean that because all military branches have commercials that make the military look akin to drinking way too much Red Bull, blasting generic rock music and climbing sheer mountain faces).

The name NAVNUKEBEAR is simple. NAV, as in Navy. NUKE, as in Nuclear Engineering, my speciality in the Navy. BEAR, as in Baylor Bear, the school I attended for 2 years and will always consider my alma matter (despite not graduating... yet). The reason for the run on is to play on the Navy's penchant for running on acronyms and terms for central commands and battle fleets. Ex: NAVSTANORVA. Looks daunting, doesn't it? Despite it's confusing look, it is actually straightforward: Naval Station Norfolk Virginia. Thus, NAVSTANORVA.

EDIT: Name change to Parker's Public House.

So enter, if you will, the sphere of public journaling wth me. Remember the days, those who are of my generation, when we all had LiveJournals and Xangas? Well consider this a more adult, sophisticated way to rant and rave about your day.

Behold, I enter the Blogosphere, and I am not afraid.

RP