A Slice of Orange

Life is like a box of chocolates…

Writing my monthly blog, “Eye On Hollywood”, sometimes has me feeling like the Forrest Gump of OCC. You see, not only were Forrest and I both raised in Alabama–both had supportive Mamas, but each of us has had a story about either an important event or a famous person we have met. We both got awards, too. Forrest Gump received an Oscar, by being voted best movie of the year..,and me, an Emmy, simply cause I asked for it. No, they weren’t just giving them away. I happened to mention jokingly to an Art Director, who had just won his ninth award that if he wanted to balance out the look of his book shelf, he should give me the extra award. Surprisingly, he handed it over to me. And now the statue, has found a prominent place in my living room. Something like this could only happen to Forrest Gump…oh, and me.

But the similarities between Forrest and myself doesn’t end there…as we both have met Presidents and have had our pictures taken with them. Actually, I also got to meet two First Ladies, as well.

I met Gerald Ford’s wife, Betty, while I was working on the American Film’s Life Time Achievement Awards for Fred Astaire. And up until a few months ago, I would see Nancy Reagan, on a monthly basis, at my beauty salon. When her husband died, I offered her my condolences and gave her words of encouragement, as she reminded me so much of my mother after my own father’s passing. Mrs. Reagan was always sweet, but very quiet and became more frail looking after her husband’s death.

This might have been a coincidence, but I also noticed that the two young and handsome Special Agents that normally accompanied her to hair appointments, were soon replaced by older, heavier Agents, after Ronnie’s passing. And on more than one occasion, the Agents were amused by the tin foil on my head and the blue goo running down from my scalp, as I passed them by the shampoo bowl (I know it‘s shocking to believe…but I’m not a natural blonde).

As far as me meeting a President…. Well, one thing I’ve learned with working with celebrities, and especially men, is that they all have egos. So all I had to do, as he was being shuffled away by a entourage of Special Agents and body guards, was to call out, “Oh, Mister President”. Ignoring the urging of his security team to proceed towards the exit and onto his waiting car, President Clinton turned around and walked back to the twenty or so, CBS employees, who were being roped off by studio security. He shook hands and converse with each and every one of us. Luckily, someone down the hall from the News Department, happened to be there testing a new camera.

With a world population of over six billion people and only 43 men and 43 woman who can claim the title of either being a President or a First Lady of The United States of America, did I ever think I’d get the opportunity to meet one of them? Well, I should have paid more attention to Forrest’s words and realized– you just never know….

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Bobbie Cimo is the OCC/RWA Programs Director who has brought us such notable speakers as Dean Koontz, Tami Hoag, Jackie Collins and Robert Crais.