Celebrity encounter alert:
I went to the Gay Men's Chorus of Los Angeles concert this afternoon, and as I entered the courtyard in front of the historic Alex Theatre in beautiful downtown Glendale, where the concert was to be held, whom did I find myself face to face with but Miss Marilyn (known as "Jackie" by her family, friends and adoring fans) Horne! Now or never, I figured, so I introduced myself to her and told her how much I've admired her work over the years. I've known from interviews and hearsay that Miss Horne is a very down to earth and personable individual, but I got proof of this first hand this afternoon, as she introduced me to her sister and granddaughter (or grand-niece, I can't remember which it was right now) and she seemed very happy to chat with me. I mentioned that I was a friend of an aspiring tenor who has studied and continues to study with her, and she immediately got very animated and said how excited she was over his winning the Metropolitan Opera Western regional auditions last month and how she thought a young artists program in Chicago that he'll be starting in the spring would be a terrific experience for him. It was very nice to hear her say that, in her opinion, there's no question that my friend will go far. We also talked a bit about Academy of the West (a summer program in Santa Barbara where Miss Horne heads the vocal department) and how much I loved "The Italian Straw Hat" this past summer.
As we wrapped up, I told her I hoped she enjoyed the concert and as I started to walk away, she called to me and wished me happy holidays.
Isn't that swell? Isn't that too too? Can you help yourself from plotzing when you read a story like that?
