Celebrity

 

Back when I first began writing, I wanted to be a part of Hollywood. I dreamed of writing the screenplay for a movie, or perhaps having one of my books adapted for the screen. I even took screenwriting courses and workshops at UCLA and Southern Cal, and a creative writing and an extra English course at a community college. Ahhhh, to dream, right? It hasn’t happened yet, but it doesn’t mean it won’t happen. Okay, probably won’t, but I still get to dream, right?

I get a kick out of some who self-proclaim their celebrity status, and the public who buy into it. Whatever! Obviously, there are some who deserve the spotlight, while others try to grab the spotlight and miss. And there are many, many more who get into the spotlight for a short time, only to have that spotlight grow dark. What is that famous quote about five minutes of fame?

Among the many who, at least in my mind, deserve their celebrity status, and I know I’m missing many, are Keanu Reeves and Taylor Swift.

Keanu Reeves is a Canadian-born actor who appeared in films small and large. Some might be considered duds to be sure, but there were also many blockbusters. But it isn’t the acting or the movies I want to accentuate, nor the money and fame. It’s the stuff the cameras don’t record. 

Reeves was abandoned by his father at age three. He wanted to play professional hockey, but couldn’t because of a serious accident. And he had his share of tragedy. His daughter died at birth and he lost his wife because of an auto accident. His sister has leukemia. There are reports he has donated massive amounts of money to cancer research and hospitals. 

Filming one movie, he overheard two costume assistants talking. One cried because she owed $20,000 to a lender and could not pay it. She was worried about losing her house. That day, $20,000 was deposited into her account. Guess who it came from? For some of his more famous films, he took massive pay cuts so the company and production team could hire other notable actors, and he has given motorcycles and other gifts to crew members. 

There is a cute story in 2010 took place on his birthday that makes me smile. He walked into a bakery, bought something, stuck a candle on it, and sat on the steps eating it. When passersby or bakery customers stopped to talk to him, he offered to purchase coffee for them. In 1997, he was spotted walking with a homeless man listening to the guy’s story. He rides public transportation- the bus- to get around. It seems he hasn’t lost his roots or his humanity.

The thing I like most about Reeves is that he doesn’t spout off or brag about what he does. He simply gets up each morning and goes about life, giving back more than he takes. He chooses to live life being a good person.

Dress me in pink, let me wear ribbons, and cover my butt with sparkles, because I am a Swiftie! Besides enjoying her music, especially her lyrics, I like what she stands for. Yes, she, like Reeves, has earned tons of money. She has earned just about every award the music industry has to offer, and like Reeves, she gives back.

Almost every city where she performs a concert (if not every city where she performs), she donates huge amounts of money to food banks and various charities. She gave her crew massive amounts of money in bonuses totaling millions during her Eras Tour. She uses her celebrity to get people, especially the younger generation, out to vote. 

As I said, there are many, many others I could have written about today. Pink. Shaquille O’Neal. So many others. And perhaps at some point, I might write about them. But for today, I wanted to write about two of my favorites- Keanu Reeves and Taylor Swift. They are more than their industry, their fame and fortune. They care and seem to be genuine. I like that about them.  

I’m not saying these two are saints, because I know, like all of us, they’ve probably made mistakes along the way. I will not judge them or look for fault- there’s too much of that in the world today. Instead, I want to honor their humanity, their kindness, their charity. I want to honor their giving- not only money, but their time, and I want to honor their using their celebrity to benefit others and not take from others. God Bless and carry on! Something to think about … 

To My Readers:  

If you like what you’re reading and find a benefit from it, you can check out my other posts at https://www.jrlewisauthor.com under the Inspirational Blog tab. You can find all nine books, their descriptions, and links for purchase at the same site. I can also be found on Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/storiesbyjrlewis

For your convenience, here is the description and purchase link for Blaze In, Blaze Out, named Best Action Thriller of 2022 by BestThrillers; 2022 Readers’ Favorite Honorable Mention - Fiction – Crime; 2022 Author Shout Recommended Read; 2022 Literary Titan - Gold Book Award Winner

A book Big Thrill Magazine wrote: “At its core, BLAZE IN, BLAZE OUT is about unbounded revenge, unrestrained vindictiveness, and callous ruthlessness.” and Sublime Book Review wrote, “Joseph Lewis uses carefully constructed settings and intriguing characters to create this unique and captivating action-packed thriller.”

Working with a joint multi-law enforcement task force, Detective Pat O’Connor infiltrated a Ukrainian crime family headed by Dmitry Andruko. O’Connor and his control, Detective Paul Eiselmann, were the linchpins in the guilty verdict.

The two detectives thought it was over, but it wasn’t.

Eiselmann planned for a quiet weekend with his family at home. O’Connor planned on attending a high school soccer game and then head to Northern Wisconsin for a fishing trip with another cop, Detective Jamie Graff and four teenage, adopted brothers: George Tokay, Brian Evans, Brett McGovern, and Michael Two Feathers.

But Andruko is ruthless and vindictive. From his prison cell, he hires two contract killers to kill both O’Connor and Eiselmann and anyone else in the way. The killers can be anyone and could be anywhere and strike at any time.

The quiet weekend and the short vacation turn into a deadly nightmare as O’Connor’s and Eiselmann’s lives and the lives of the four boys are in peril.

 

https://t.co/NHEUozqP6h

Photographs courtesy of Eric Smart and Unsplash, and the Internet.