Special Oscar Edition: Bradley & Me

For a refreshing change, this post is not about cancer at all! Rather it is an excuse to tell the story of my 10ish minutes with Bradley Cooper, a Best Actor Nominee for his role in Silver Linings Playbook.  Bradley, I'm sorry you didn't win, but you still have a special place in my heart.

I really wanted to love Siver Linings, as it starred Bradley, along with Jennifer Lawrence, who is an amazing young actress, and did score her first Oscar.  Unfortunately, I feel unqualified to comment, as I have not yet seen the entire film.  Ph and I saw it a month or so ago, and I fell asleep for a bit in the middle of the movie.  I went to see it again with BFF J2, and again I fell asleep atnd missed the same part of the movie as the first time! I've heard that the scene where Tiffany (Jennifer) tells off  BC's Dad (Robert DeNiro) in the kitchen is great, but I have not seen it! I'll clearly need to rent or buy it so I can pause, rewind, etc.

I also recently watched a DVD of "The Words", starring BC and Zoe Saldana, and stayed awake the entire time--but actually wished I had fallen asleep, as so little happened in the film.  Basically, Dennis Quaid is the author of an autobiographical novel; BC plays the main character in Quaid's book; Jeremy Irons plays an old man who actually wrote the manuscript that was found and plagiarized by Quaid/Cooper.  What a waste of three hunky guys!  

Back to me and Bradley.  It was May 2009, a lovely Summer day in Atlanta (and those are rare), during the annual international convention of the organization I work for, and a large group of us were dining at a hip, trendy restaurant (no comment on whether that a rarity in Atlanta).  One young colleague whispered excitedly (kind of a scream/whisper)--there's  XXX (the name did not compute with me or many others at the time).  "Who?" "Bradley Cooper!"  "Who??"  "He's in Alias; was in the Wedding Crashers .  ."  Again, "Who?"

 I suggested she go over and talk to him, and she said no, she was too shy.  "Ok, I'll go talk to him.  I'm old, and have no idea who he is, so why not?" She pointed out a very goodlooking man at the bar, by himself, drinking a bottle of beer (I wish I remembered what brand!)  I headed over to the bar,  many eyes from our table on me/us.  I said: "hi".  He smiled and said "hi".  That was a really good start, I thought.  "I hope you don't mind my asking, but some of my friends seem to think you were in a tv show, or a movie or something .  .  is that true?  "Maybe", he said coyly, still smiling, then, "yes".  He seemed happy that I went over to talk, as he was literally by himself, and said "no one ever recognizes me." I looked back at our table and gave a nod and motioned to come over.  Shy young colleague was glued to her seat, but less-shy young colleague B bounced over and joined me immediatey, and we chatted a bit with BC . . . . Where he's from (Philly! So we had that to talk about) . .  And he said that he had a new movie coming out soon . .  . Called "Hangover".  I said I'd be on the lookout for that (likely obscure, I thought) film.

As we were leaving the restauarnt  (me and my colleagues, not me and BC, unfortunately), we saw BC dining on the outside deck with a young woman and another couple.  Once again, I went over amd said, I'm so sorry to interupt you again, but would you mind if we have a picture taken with you? And thus, rhe photo above was taken of me, B, and friendly, down-to-earth Bradley Cooper, just 2 weeks before Hangover was released.

But . .  there's more! Just months ago, I learned of a different twist to this story, involving colleague P and wine.  Several nights before the BC encounter, a small group of us dined at a new restaurant on Peachtrree street (not to dis Atlanta's creativity in street-naming, but isn't that like the only street in the whole city??) called Livingston.  We (I) selected a wine that was moderately priced, a Spanish Grenache called Evodia.  We liked it so much that we drank several bottles; I tracked it down back in DC and determined that it actually is a very inexpensive wine--which is good to know, and so inexpensive that I likely would not have ordered it at Livingston if it had not been so overpriced.  Since that time, even several vintages later, several of us have purchased/shared cases of Evodia, brought it to department birthdays and other events. A few months ago, it was one of the wines I brought in for a birthday celebration for two colleagues--P and H.  P referred to the Evodia as the "Bradley Cooper wine."  What??? Bradley was not at Livingston restaurant!  And while we did drink the same wine during the BC encounter, P was not there.  So, as much as I respect and admire colleague P--I think his connection of Bradley Cooper and Evodia is tenuous.  My story of meeting Bradley--told to you all one day after his loss in the Oscars--provides much more of a real connection.  

And, btw, the Evodia Grenache is now widely available, even at Whole Foods in DC.  So, since 2009, both Bradley and Evodia have gained notice and popularity, while Colleague P and I are just doing the same old things.

Cheers!

CDiva