People I love
=Celebrities=
First, Let me start off by saying that these are really in no particular order. I maybe love some more than others but they are basically listed in the order in which they came to mind.
There will be several musicians.
Of course there will be. 😋
Oprah Winfrey
The first person I want to say that I completely love is the only African-American billionaire in the United States. (Or at least she was a few years ago) The fact that she is also a woman makes me just so much more proud of her.
She grew up poor in the US's poorest state and made every penny of that money herself. I never stop being impressed by Oprah. Her accomplishments are all her own and they are profound.
I read her biography a few years back and was surprised to learn a lot of things about her that the average person doesn't know. (Like that she had a baby that died at 14 yrs old). She had everything going against her. Everything about her life was a recipe for continued poverty and struggle but she refused to accept such a fate.
There are so many qualities about Oprah that I admire, such as her amazing insight when it comes to people. She has this rational, realistic viewpoint, such clarity and perspective and yet still exhibits empathy. She also always tries to be fair and objective.
I can write more about Oprah later but yeah. Love this lady.
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Brian Molko
Chances are you don't even know who this is. Well I will tell you :) Brian is a British singer, guitarist and songwriter from the rock band Placebo. (Most popular in the 90's and 2000's)
Brian is the best sort of weird. He's cool. He's unique, confident, edgy and successfully pulls off an androgynous look without crossing the line too far. His high-pitched nasal voice is one of my favorites ever. Placebo has a long list of songs that I love but they managed to land The Bitter End on my list of top 5 favorite songs of all time.
I have to say writing lyrics is maybe not his strong suit but he definitely makes up for it with his other talents. I remember reading a long time ago that his step father was very strict and had decided that Brian would be going to college to be a doctor or a lawyer. Instead he put on some make up, painted his nails and did exactly whatever he chose to do. Maybe every teenage rebellion story but there is simply something special about Brian Molko.
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Scott Weiland
I remember the first time I ever heard his voice. It was 1991 and I was in my bedroom at my parent's house. I thought he was that guy from Pearl jam.
You are more likely to know who he is... but you still may not. Scott Weiland was the powerful voice behind Stone Temple Pilots and later joined members of Guns-n-Roses to form the "mega-group" Velvet Revolver. By that time Scott was probably better known for being a drug addict than he was for his considerable talents or accomplishments.
One thing people respected about Scott was the way he owned his problems - to a fault maybe. He never blamed his addiction for anything. He seemed to be disgusted with himself for the choices he had made and listening to him say that he didn't show up because he's a weak person who makes poor decisions was really just completely heartbreaking at times. He was always brutally honest about his addiction and never tried to hide behind any excuses for anything. I recall hearing a news report when he was caught in a raid on a house. He stated to the arresting officer "I don't live here. I'm not even visiting anyone. I just bought drugs."
Scott Weiland remains my favorite singer ever. He had tone like Whitney. He could sing a delicate ballad like Jim Morrison or power hard, edgy songs as well as (or better than) the best of them. I could never decide which of his bands I liked better but Stone Temple Pilots also landed a song in my top 5 favs of all time. That first song I ever heard of theirs - Sex Type Thing.
The first (and only) time I ever came close to shedding a tear over the death of a celebrity was the morning I heard he was dead. I didnt... but I sure felt that way. Scott Weiland's early death was a terrible loss for music and, it felt, for me personally. 😢
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Stevie Nicks
I cannot even begin to explain how much I love Stevie Nicks. When I was a kid I thought she was the most beautiful and most interesting girl in the world and, I have to say, if I look as good as she does at 70 I'll count myself lucky.
She always had this mystique about her. This romantic quality that speaks to the daydreams of young girls. Songs like Rhiannon and Gypsy are the stuff that drives women to lose themselves in cheesy romance novels. (I dont read those tho lol) I wanted to be exactly like her.
I went to my first Stevie Nicks concert somewhere around 2009. She was old by then but it was still a magical sort of experience. I know that sounds like a goofy thing to say but my friend Sara, who was reportedly named after the Fleetwood Mac song Sara burst into tears when she walked onto the stage. I made fun of Sara for crying over Stevie Nicks but honestly I kind of felt the same way.
Sara and I would return a year later to see Stevie again and a year after that we drove 3 hours to Buffalo, NY to see Fleetwood Mac. I've seen a good number of concerts in my life but these were some of the most profound.
When I decided to write a fan fiction novel my female character (also named Sara) was completely inspired by Stevie Nicks and everyone who reviewed the story seemed enamored by her. I even used her image (an oil paint profile) as the book's "cover image."
I could ramble on about Stevie for ages but I'm just one of millions of middle aged women who grew up admiring her so I think everyone probably gets this one.
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Diane Lane
There are few actresses I love watching quite as much as Diane Lane. I'm not sure why exactly. She is very natural and beautiful and has some sort of charisma but that describes a lot of people.
I have probably watched Under the Tuscan Sun about 1 billion times and I would watch it a billion more. (My cat is named after her character. "Francesca" is what the Italians call her in Tuscany.) Unfaithful is another favorite but basically, any movie featuring Diane Lane is probably going to end up with a permanent residence in my personal collection.
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Chris Martin
Chris Martin is the driving force behind Coldplay.
Coldplay is easily my favorite band but I have many times had a favorite band without any particular leanings toward any of its members. This is not the case here. While I find Chris to be somewhat unattractive, the man is incredibly gifted. He's a pretty nice guy too.
Even Kanye West, sort of notorious for being a jerk, couldnt stop raving about how nice Chris Martin is. He writes little songs and records himself playing/singing them with a personal message to send to sick kids. Stuff like that. He seems to approach every situation with a perspective of kindness.
I have a hard time understanding how someone can have the amount of musical intuition Chris seems to have. (I actually think singing is the least of his musical talents.) I like every single song on every album. Each album has a completely different sound but it still sounds like Coldplay. Each song on the album sounds different from every other song yet they all have this cohesive element that makes them belong together as a set. It's impressive and something few musical acts have ever accomplished.
Coldplay, like Placebo and STP, also has landed a song on my top 5 fav songs of all time. A Rush of Blood to the Head is not only a favorite of mine, but I honestly think it's one of the best songs I've ever heard.
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Angela Merkel
I love this lady. The tough-as-nails chancellor of Germany was the first world leader to send a verbal bitch-slap to Donald Trump and I thought it was the greatest thing ever. CNN's Carl Bernstein wrote recently that "Trump has a habit of haranguing Angela Merkel, even calling her "stupid" on the phone. She reportedly counters his rants with facts."
A former scientist, she is cool, cautious, self-contained, fact-oriented and quiet despite her toughness. She has faced some opposition in Germany, especially after her decision to harbor Syrian refugees, but has remained in office and has remained the EU's most powerful leader. She isnt terribly large in stature nor is she much to look at but Angela Merkel is apparently a force to be reckoned with.
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John Mayer
I've been infatuated with John Mayer for years. Not only do I love his music but he's sooo good looking.
Singer/songwriters are a dime a dozen but he has stood out for me from the beginning of his career. Unfortunately, his last 2 or 3 albums I didn't much care for. They're fine I suppose but have a country slant and I am not a fan of that style of music at all.
However, his albums Continuum and Battle Studies are some of my favorite things. I'm not sure which of his songs is my favorite but, chances are, its on one of those 2 albums. I was fond of Room for Squares and Heavier Things also so there's no telling.
I strongly suspect his physical appearance and sultry romantic bluesy music are what land him on this list but he definitely belongs on a list of people I love.
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John Malkovich
No one delivers a line like John Malkovich. He's old now but is apparently the new Sean Connery in terms of still being quite sought-after as he approaches his golden years.
The photo is a scene from one of my favorites of his films, Mary Reilly, (co-starring Julia Roberts) but I am also a big fan of Dangerous Liasons with Glen Close and Michelle Pfeiffer. The oddball film Being John Malkovich is also worth a look. So is The Libertine. I dont really have a ton to say here. Just a great actor with a memorable voice and screen presence.
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Johnny Depp
I don't have to explain this one. Everybody has Johnny Depp on their People I Love list.
The picture is from the movie Don Juan Demarco which has me glued to the screen from start to finish every time. Aside from being an extraordinarily gifted actor, Johnny Depp is GORGEOUS. Like.... more than anyone else in the world.
I had pictures of him in my locker when I was 13 from 21 Jump Street. Its hard to believe that he was ever just a television actor. He's been everything, it seems, from Edward Scissorhands to Capt. Jack Sparrow. Its hard to pick a favorite role and there are too many great performances to list. 💓💓💓💓💓
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Nikki Sixx
Only this guy was able to steal my 15 yr old heart away from Jon Bon Jovi. Motley Crue's chief songwriter and badass bassist has to have one of the most recognizable hairstyles to date.
It's always the lead singer or maybe the guitarist that garners all the attention in a band but in this case Motley Crue's greatest draws were its hard-partying bass player and its drummer, the legendary Tommy Lee.
A few years back I read the Motley Crue biography The Dirt and it was much as I expected it would be. Tales of booze, drugs and girls. But the chapter about Nikki Sixx was a little more candid than the others. His real name is Frank Feranna and he really loved his grandmother. He was a well-known heroine addict and a lot of that struggle was detailed in the book. I have not yet read The Heroine Diaries but I'm sure it will be equally as interesting.
I'm still kind of in love with Nikki Sixx lol
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Val Kilmer
"Say when."
The picture is one of my all-time favorite acting performances from any person ever. Val Kilmer as Doc Holiday in Tombstone. This role should have been a best actor win but it wasn't even nominated. There was a bit of an uproar about this and rightfully so.
Val Kilmer has a rare talent for becoming his character that supersedes any of his Hollywood peers. I think my second favorite acting performance also goes to Val Kilmer for his portrayal of Jim Morrison in The Doors. He was so spot on that I kept forgetting it was't actually Jim Morrison. Then there were the plethora of personalities he tried on in The Saint. Another very good movie worth watching. (Not for the story but for the acting.) Playing second fiddle to Tom Cruise in Top Gun was just the beginning.
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Morgan Freeman
Here's another one that doesnt need to be explained. Who doesnt love Morgan Freeman? He has played God. That says just about all of it.
I think the first time I remember seeing him was in the movie Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves opposite Kevin Costner and I thought he was great. His best performance, however, helped make the best movie ever recorded into the masterpiece that it is. The Shawshank Redemption. Who doesn't remember his voice near the end, talking about Andy Dufresne, both when Andy was alone in his cell with a length of rope and when his character had to continue on without his friend. Just his voice alone was some incredible acting.
I'm sure just about every one of us can look at this picture and hear "because to tell you the truth... I don't give a shit."
Morgan Freeman has one of the best voices in Hollywood and a great, no-nonsense old man persona to go along with it.
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Stephen King
And so we move directly on to the writer of The Shawshank Redemption. When I was in 7th grade our English teacher read to us Pet Sematary and I was crazy about it. I think I had seen Christine by then and had heard about the original movie The Shining with Jack Nicholson but this was my first real glimpse of SK.
I had already read any book of interest aimed at younger readers in our small public library. To the point that I had worked my way through most of the Hardy Boys books, which were not written to interest girls. I was about 13 then so the librarian made me go get written permission from my mother to check out adult books of a scary nature. My mother loved how I read voraciously and simply told me to stop getting them if they bothered me.
I read so many Stephen King books its crazy. Its even more crazy that anyone has written that many books. I had a huge collection of hardcovers that started when I lived with my parents and ended when I moved to Florida in 2014 when I was 42. I couldnt take everything and my interest in amassing tons of clutter had waned over the years.
My favorite SK book was The Stand. I read The Shining 6 times. The best short story I ever read was Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption. I still have never read Cujo because I'm afraid enough of big dogs without freaking myself out even more. The book I took the most away from was his auto-biography On Writing.
Stephen King has a masterful talent that is so rare among writers. Only some of the greats, dead people from history, have written so well. Most writers are great at several aspects of the craft but fall short someplace. Like Anne Rice excels at description and character development but tanks when it comes to long-term story development and dialogue. Stephen King is excellent at every aspect of writing.
Although he is best known as a horror writer, SK really shines when the horror is absent. Two of his best works took place inside a prison. Shawshank and The Green Mile.
I think the majority of my knowledge of writing and my writing style came from paying attention as I read his books. I learned a great deal from him and there is probably no writer alive today that I admire more. I consider him the greatest fiction writer of our lifetime.
I could talk endlessly about my love for Stephen King. I hope he lives forever.
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Barack Obama
Yeah yeah, I know about 48% of anyone who reads this just discredited my sensibility as a human being but I'm not speaking so much about President Obama, but just the person in general.
I wont carry on as a means to avoid any sort of political opinions but I find Barack Obama to be one of the most respectable people to have found themselves in the spotlight during my lifetime. If you don't agree that's ok. We don't need to talk about it.
I thought Bill Clinton was one of the best speakers I had ever seen but even he cant match the eloquence, simplicity and poise of Barack Obama. He seems so natural and sincere when he discusses just about anything and has a nice sense of humor that never feels forced or unnatural. Whether you favor him politically or not, you have to admit to these things. A Trump supporter friend tried to negate this by saying all speeches are written in advance but I say I dont really take them 100% into account for that reason. I look at the way the person responds when asked a random question. At that point the die-hard Obama hater had to agree that Obama was one eloquent guy. To me he is the epitome of class, integrity and thoughtful intelligence.
As president, the one thing that always impressed me about the job that he did was that he actually enacted healthcare reform. Every single presidential candidate in my lifetime (at least in my memory) has promised healthcare reform. The ones who finally got into office then did nothing. But he did. Flawed tho the end product was, the point is that he made good on his word where every other person in his position did not.
His appearances with Anthony Bourdain on Parts Unknown and also with Jerry Seinfeld on Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee were as epic as his legendary mic drop.
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Dave Grohl
Yes I am a Foo Fighters and Nirvana fan but Dave ends up on this list for the sheer amount of talent he appears to have. If he was any other musician his career would have crumbled or disappeared with the death of Kurt Cobain.
I can hardly imagine rising to stardom as the drummer for what is considered one of the most influential rock bands of all time, then having that suddenly come to a screeching halt. He then rose back to stardom as the guitarist and lead singer of the Foo Fighters. Not a minor, insignificant band. They're very successful and he's great as a singer.
Although not in my top 5, his song Everlong is in my top 10 fav songs of all time.
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Ozzy Osbourne
Another person needing no explanation. Ozzy is magnificent in every way lol. He may possibly be the coolest person who ever lived.
I grew up listening to Black Sabbath and then Ozzy as a solo artist. Over the course of about 40 years he has remained relevant both musically and in popular culture. This alone is incredibly difficult for anyone doing any manner of thing.
In the late 80's/early 90's I had a cassette tape of his live album for Randy Rhodes Tribute and I played it non-stop for about 2 years. I would just keep flipping the tape over and over and over. Eventually, while living with a roommate, one day she and a group of our friends stole my Ozzy tape and drove off with it. They reportedly threw it out the window somewhere about 10 miles away. The whole group was so proud of themselves. I was devastated. It took a while but I finally admitted that maybe I played it too much.
I swear he could have had a second career as a comedian. Ozzy is hilarious, even when he isnt trying to be. One only need watch The Osbournes for 5 min to understand. I read his biography I Am Ozzy a few years ago and I am telling you its some of the best money I ever spent. I cant decide which part was the funniest (the part where he shoots the chickens is probably the winner there) or how many times I just sat there shaking my head but Ozzy Osbourne knows how to tell a story lol. This guy is simply fantastic. 💓
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Anthony Bourdain
I was heartbroken to learn of his suicide. I have been watching his shows for so many years. Originally No Reservations and then The Layover on Travel Channel and finally Parts Unknown on CNN.
I loved him. He was so real. Said what we were all thinking. Made hilariously inappropriate comments. Drank too much over the course of the meals he shared with locals. Just like normal people having an enjoyable dinner with great, meaningful conversation. I learned so much about food, culture and people that even just the loss of the show is sad. I will never know happened to him in his personal struggles but Anthony Bourdain was extraordinary at what he did. I hope that he knew it.
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More to Come...
Queen Elizabeth II
Liam Gallagher
Leonardo Di Caprio
Bobby Flay
Pope Francis
Bruce/Caitlin Jenner
Bill Nye
John Oliver
Bernie Sanders
Elon Musk
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