Ian McKellen

As is probably apparent, it seems to be very difficult to keep this up. Part of it is the challenge of finding interesting things to write about. Just writing about minutia seems kind of dumb. I'd like it to be relevant. So I think "Oh, this album came out, this movie came out, I should write about that." I don't. Tonight though, I may have something to say. Because tonight, I shook Sir Ian McKellen's hand.

Meeting celebrities is certainly weird. It's always kind of neat just seeing someone famous - or at least sort of famous. Or at the very least, someone I myself can appreciate. In New York, I've seen Jessica Simpson in Virgin Megastore and Drew Barrymore walking around Tribeca. I've met Dane Cook (not sure what I was thinking, there). I've had Pete Postlethwaite hold a train door for me in rural England. The first two I didn't really care about. The third encounter in all probability gave me diarrhea. Meeting Pete Postlethwaite was awesome, because it was someone I actually appreciate. But none of those held a candle to looking Ian McKellen in the eye (he's not a towering giant in real life - but he's at least 6'1 with a slight stoop) and shaking his hand.

That was a tiny part of the night though - the bulk of it was taken up by his interview - "An Actor's Life." It was incredible though - he was, in three words, charming, funny, and disarmingly honest. And I'm going to leave at that for the night, and come back to elaborate tomorrow (or soon thereafter). I may just re-write it.

Here's a few keywords to jog my memory when I come back to it. I haven't got the energy, inclination, or battery power right now, and I'd like to do it justice.

-Gay
-Activism
-Obi-Wan Kenobi
-Stonewall
-Judi Dench
-Magneto and Gandalf
-Thomas Moore (sic)
-Rose
-Intimidation

G'night.