Check out the Birthday Gal! 17 today. Old enough to drive, yet not quite old enough to drink or buy smokes. Still, she had a pretty good day – two walks, special treats, apple slices, and some peanut butter and jelly ice cream. Wishing her a very happy birthday – and, hopefully, no tummy issues later tonight. (Thanks to our friend, Lory for the special birthday video – IG: Lo.RY6845).
It’s hard to believe how many fans this gal has amassed over the years. I’m impressed, not so much by the number of followers to her IG account, but people who will occasionally recognize her when we’re out and about. A couple of years ago, we were actually taking a stroll down 4th Avenue in Vancouver when a salesperson popped out of a Lululemon and asked: “Is that Suji?!”. She was absolutely starstruck.
I always find it interesting the types of celebrities who elicit starstricken responses from fans. Take Akemi, for instance. Over the course of the time we’ve been together, I’ve worked with some truly amazing actors, yet she was never starstruck by any of them. In many instances, she was shy around them initially, but warmed up to them in time. Many have became great friends. Robert Picardo, for example, is sci-fi royalty to many, a venerable veteran of stage and screen whose mere presence will have passersby buzzing with excitement (I’ve seen it happen many times). To Akemi, however, he’s just lovable Bob.
I’ve only seen Akemi get starstruck twice since I’ve known her.
The first time was when we met Yael Tygiel, co-host of the Dark Matter aftershow on AfterBuzz (alongside the amazing Tauri Jay Miller and Andrew Mean). While the Dark Matter After Show was running, Akemi and I never missed an episode, so when Yael told us she’d be in town, we were, of course, thrilled to meet up with such an enthusiastic supporter of the series. We ended up meeting her, and assorted others, for dinner and drinks – and Akemi was absolutely thrilled.
Over the years, Yael (along with Tauri Jay) have become good friends of ours – and Akemi still manages to get a little starstruck every time we get together.
The second time I saw Akemi starstruck was the day we came across vloggers Simon and Martina from the EatYourKimchee channel.
I noticed them in passing as we were walking in downtown Toronto and subtly pointed them out to Akemi who was all “OH MY GOOOOSH!”. So we ended up stopping to talk. Martina was absolutely lovely and made Akemi’s day.
As for me, despite my 20+ years in the biz, I don’t recall ever being starstruck. And I can’t imagine anyone having that effect on me. Certainly not any actors. Or even any authors despite my reverence for them. I don’t know. Dreamcatcher maybe?
What about you? Which celebrities would leave you starstruck?
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