Y’all know how sometimes people ask you who you’d like to have dinner with? It can be anybody — living or dead, famous or family, whoever. I’ve never been good at answering that, nor have I been good at filling out the “Who I’d Like to Meet” section on MySpace. Does that mean who I’d like to meet in general or in real life or just on MySpace? If it’s just on MySpace, I have some concerns. I’ve read some people’s profiles who have “the man of my dreams” written down. You want to meet your husband on MySpace? I don’t want to meet anyone on MySpace.
Anyway, in light of this pressing issue (and the second day of watching Macbeth in class), I have compiled a list of who I’d like to meet.
Jesus
Yeah, that’s cliche, but who wouldn’t want to meet Jesus? He’s awesome, and based on his past work, I’ll bet he’d have some pretty amazing things to say.
Al Gore
No, he’s not president, but that’s the biggest blessing he could have gotten. He’s done so much in the past few years, including winning an Oscar and a Nobel Peace Prize, and I don’t think he could have accomplished all of that while being in office.
Carl Perkins
He’s from Jackson. He wrote “Blue Suede Shoes,” and his version was more popular than the one Elvis recorded, yet unless you live in Jackson or are a huge rockabilly fan, you might not know who he is. It seems kind of unfair, but I’d definitely ask him how he feels about that.
Elton John
This one came to me while driving back to Indianapolis with Elizabeth. He just strikes me as someone who has lived a huge life and subsequently has tons of stories to tell. I think he’d be a blast to hang out with. Also, let’s not overlook the fact that Sir Elton is a musical genius. That alone makes me want to meet him!
Elvis
Of course I want to meet Elvis! I mean, talk about living a huge life! I think he’s interesting; he was a really shy and kind of awkward kid, and a few short years later, he was Elvis. He loved his family and was incredibly loyal to them, and I love that. I’m also oddly fascinated by the jungle room at Graceland and am curious to see why someone would do that to his home.
Caroline Kennedy Schlossberg
It’s no secret she’s been through too much in her life: the assassination of her brother and uncle, the death of her mother and brother and sister-in-law, life in the public eye, you name it. Her strength is unbelievable and impressive. Also, I’m curious as to how she feels about being the subject of Neil Diamond’s “Sweet Caroline.” Do you think she thinks it’s creepy? I do.
Ira Glass
He’s the host and producer of Chicago Public Radio’s This American Life. As a former radio intern, I have a huge appreciation for what he does, not to mention the fact that he’s hilarious and mega talented; I love storytellers, and he’s doing a great job of bringing real people’s stories to the rest of the world.
Audrey Hepburn
She’s huge, right? Every girl my age has this weird obsession with her, and it’s all because of Breakfast at Tiffany’s, which just so happens to be one of my favorite movies. She’s a terrific actress, but more importantly, she was a humanitarian. People forget that, but that’s my favorite thing about her.
Zach Braff
How adorable is he? Mostly I just like people who make me laugh, and Mr. Braff definitely does that. And how good was Garden State? That’s in my top ten.
Marlo Thomas
Time for a list within a list. Here’s why I love Marlo:
1. That Girl. Enough said!
2. We have the same birthday.
3. We’re both half-Italian.
4. Her father founded Saint Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital, and since his death, she’s done so much for Saint Jude’s.
5. She’s awesome. End of story.
So there you have it. Those are ten people I’d like to meet. I imagine I’ll be adding to this later, but for now, that’s all I’ve got. This ought to help next time I’m asked who I’d like to have dinner with, right?
