Sometimes it boggles the mind that so many mediocre celebrities command such high prices and long lines, while other legendary performers like Laraine Newman could be charging so little, be so nice, and be so accessible. I was going to call this posting Connie Conehead, but I didn’t even want to hint at a title that sounded demeaning – because Laraine Newman was not only one of the original cast members of Saturday Night Live, she was truly one of the nicest and most down-to-earth of any celebrity that I’ve ever met.
While she is best-known for the five inaugural years that she spend on Saturday Night Live, developing characters like the youngest daughter Connie of the Conehead Clan and Sheri the Valley Girl, she has also had some memorable roles in more recent sitcoms like Friends, Curb Your Enthusiasm, 3rd Rock from the Sun, as well as an earlier appearance on Laverne & Shirley. But her forte as of late has been providing voice works in animated films such as Cars, Up!, WALL-E, Finding Nemo, and Monsters, Inc.
Remarkably, she was just charging $20 for an autographed photo, which included a free photo op, when she appeared at the Hollywood Show on April 21, 2012. Even more remarkable was that there didn’t appear to be a lot of fans getting in my way to get to her. Of course that was only the particular moment that I was at her table; hopefully she got the business that she deserved the rest of the day.
I told her how incredibly good she looked, and that was no lie; she looks amazing for being 60 years old. And she had a pleasant, instantly likeable demeanor.
If only they were all like Laraine Newman…
Celebrities of the Spring 2012 Hollywood Show will continue…
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