Among The Stars - Diane Amos

You know you have made it in Hollywood when people stop you on the street because they recognize your work. This is happening to me more and more lately. So much so, I had to do a bit about it in my comedy act. I talk about the person who came up to me and said, "I know you, you're an actress. I just saw your commercial. Aren't you the Pine Sol Lady?" When the audience stops laughing, I say, "That's right baby. It's the Power of Pine Sol." More laughter. What most people don't know is, the Pine Sol Lady (Diane Amos) is a very good friend of mine. We met at the Phoenix airport somewhere around 1999 or the year 2000 when we were both scheduled to work as comics at a resort in Sonora Bay, Mexico. We hung out together for that whole week and have been buddies ever since. She actually lives in San Francisco, but comes to Los Angeles frequently to do Pine Sol spots and other work. Every time she's in town I feel like I'm on vacation. We do all my favorite things: hang out at hotels, eat, shop, laugh and play cards. She likes this card game called Slick which nobody else I know plays. I've been trying to beat her at it for years now. We always get together with her other girlfriends and we just have the best time. Diane is one of the most grounded and fo’ real sistas I know.

With all of her celebrity status she is never phony or pretentious. When we're together we talk about real life stuff: our families, some politics, current events or whatever is going on in the moment. We hardly ever talk about the business, toot our own horns and we definitely don't name drop or gossip. It's so refreshing to have a friend like that in this industry. I always know where I stand with her. This sista does not play.
What I learn from Diane is that you can make it in this industry and live a centered life. She is very sure about who she is: a wife, a mother, an actress, a good friend and so much more. 

After all these years of being friends, I finally had some time for a long visit with her and her family. It was right after Christmas for my birthday and New Years. Not only did I see San Francisco like never before but for my birthday she threw a party for me! My cousin was in town from Atlanta and she welcomed her with open arms & if that wasn’t enough, she performed stand-up on New Year’s Eve with two other comics I know. I was a great show and a great way to start the year.

I am so grateful to be a part of her sisterhood. Now that's the Power of Pine Sol baby.

Among The Stars - RUSSELL SIMMONS

Two words. Russell Simmons. We grew up in the same neighborhood (Hollis, Queens), went to the same college and rode the same train to CCNY up in Harlem. It was on one of those old rickety E trains that I remember sitting with him and my friend Carmen Bell and he said something I will never forget as long as I live.

 

Russell has risen above his seemingly dismal circumstances to become one of the richest men in show business. He parties with the rich and famous in the Hamptons, always has a beautiful woman on his arm and gives money away to help others. Yet he still wears a baseball cap. If you saw him in the street and didn't know who he was, you probably wouldn't even look twice.
We hung out big time in Finley Hall on the campus of CCNY, basically just partying. He's always been a nice guy. I've only seen him a couple of times out here on the west coast and never mentioned his comment to me. But I can't let it go. I need to have a meeting with him.
This is what he said to me on that rickety E train back in the day: "Stick with me Carlease, I'll make you a star." Carmen and I looked at each other and chuckled and thought, "Yeah, right." Damn. What did I learn from that? Words are powerful. So are intentions and when a person believes in themselves they can make anything happen. Russell knew what he wanted and was not afraid to go after his dreams. He fearlessly connected with the people he wanted to emulate and learned from them. And they helped make him a star. He now helps people all over the world with his philanthropy which is one of the things I admire about him the most. That is definitely a goal of mine as well. But first, I need someone to get me Russell Simmons on the line so that I can find out if the statue of limitations is still open on that comment he made to me on that old rickety E train back in the day.

Among The Stars - SIDNEY POITIER

Back in the day, when I was still trying to find my way around this town called Hollywood, I did stand-in work on award shows. One year while working a rehearsal of the Academy Awards I was roaming around as usual checking out the surroundings at The Shrine Auditorium. This particular year the Academy was honoring all past Oscar winners.

One of my favorite places to hang out is the green room. It's always so nicely decorated, has the best food and all the stars come through there at one time or another. So there I am strolling through the backstage area on my way to the green room and I see this tall Black man walking toward me. Nobody else was around. As we get closer to one another I see that it's Sidney Poitier. Now I'm not usually star-struck but I think at that moment I gasped out loud and held my breath. While still walking toward him, I started to veer away from him on a diagonal. Why? I don't know! Maybe to clear a space, get out of his way??? Anyway, he began to veer as well, directly towards me. I thought, "What is he doing?" Now, I'm almost up against the wall and he stops right in front of me, extends his hand and says, "Hi, I'm Sidney." I looked up at him, opened my mouth and all that air I was holding in came bursting out. "Hiiiiiiiiiiiii" was all I could say. 
And that my friends, was my Sidney Poitier moment.