Hey, Summer Camp Fans!

There are plenty of celebrities who happen to be former summer campers and we love featuring these famous names to learn a little about them. Celebrities who had attended camp were featured in 2013 and, since then, I’ve covered over 100 celebrities on this Blog! Having covered so much ground, now I’m going back to retread some of the big names who were already featured years ago to get a closer look.

In his previous post, I shared that Mr. James Franco not only got his claim to fame from the cult classic TV show ‘Freaks and Geeks’ from 1999 but also attended a four-week program at Innerspark: California State Summer School for the Arts where he focused on a variety of artistic media from Dance to Film to Theater and Creative Writing and more!

But let’s dig deeper to see what makes this Hollywood heart throb tick…

James of all Trades
James got a lot out of his four-week stay at Innerspark! Not only did he come out a famous actor, but the guy is also a painter, an author, a professor, as well as a musician. Talented is an understatement to describe Mr. Franco.

Cashier Acting
Against his parents’ advice, James quit school at UCLA to pursue an acting career. He got a job at McDonald’s to support himself till he started landing roles and used his time talking to the customers to practice his different accents. He eventually returned to UCLA and graduated in 2008.

General Family
James ended up working alongside his mother, Betsy Lou Franco, on the soap opera ‘General Hospital’ playing the role as his mother’s character’s son on the show. James admits the experience was pretty weird to work with his mother, but he eventually got over it.

James Freak-o
When he first met James for casting on ‘Freaks and Geeks’, showrunner Judd Apatow thought James was kind of a homely guy. After James was hired, Judd was surprised to continue hearing from the women around the office how cute and dreamy they all thought he was.

“Always have one artistic thing that is pure,” James has written in his novel ‘Actors Anonymous’. “At least one thing, where you don’t compromise. You can do other things to make money, but have one pure area.” Do yourself the favor of living up to these simple and powerful words. And, as always, thanks for reading.

- John

Hey, Friends Fans!

We all love friends (that’s what friends are for), but I was talking about the TV show. And while every lead character was pretty friendly on that show (hence the show title), I always had a soft spot in my heart for the charm of Courteney Cox. In fact, this isn’t the first time I’ve talked about her on the Everything Summer Camp Blog!

As I posted about her some five years back, I thought it might be time to retread some water and look at Courteney a little closer. In her previous post, I discussed how she attended Camp Mac in Munford, Alabama and some other info on her, like how she is the ‘baby’ of her family with two older sisters and one older brother.

I also covered interesting little tidbits, like how she wasn’t actually going to be Monica. She was initially offered the role of Rachel in ‘Friends’, but she turned it down. Today, however, I want to go real deep so we can attempt to really get to know this woman.

She’s a Foodie
She really loves to eat. “At a diner, I’ll get scrambled egg whites, turkey bacon, sliced tomato, cottage cheese and a scooped-out onion bagel with cream cheese,” she’s said. “My favorite meal is New York grilled steak with sautéed garlic spinach and broccoli and maybe garlic chips or garlic fries.”

She Holds an Unbreakable Record—Period
Courteney Cox was actually the first person to ever say the word ‘period’ on American television—and she wasn’t referring to the grammatical symbol. She was featured back in 1985 (almost a decade before her role as Monica) in a Tampax commercial.

She’s Not JUST a Talented Actor
You may know her for her incredibly successful acting career, but Courteney is talented in the musical department as well! She plays the piano and drums. In fact, she opened the ceremony with a drum solo at MTV’s Movie Awards in 1995.

She’s into House-Flipping
Along with her acting career and musical interest, she’s also into house-flipping for a hobby! House-Flipping is when you purchase a house that needs some fixing up, renovate it, and then put it back on the market for more than what you initially paid.

We hope you enjoy the friendships you make at summer camp as Courteney appreciated the honest friendships she made throughout her summer stays. “I don’t have time for superficial friends,” she’s commented. You’re sure to make sincere friends during your summer camp stay. And check out Camp Mac by clicking here if it seems like a good fit for you. As always, thanks for reading, Camp Fans!

- John

Hey, Summer Camp Fans!

We get a kick out of posting about celebrities who attended summer camp back in the day. And since I first started posting in 2013, I’ve covered over 100 celebrities who have been involved with summer camp somehow in their past. Having covered so many celebrities, it seems appropriate to backtrack and retread some of the famous folks we’ve already featured to take a deeper look.

So, as we posted five years ago on the Blog, Iron Man himself, Robert Downey Jr. was also a fan of summer camp as he attended French Woods Festival of the Performing Arts located in Hancock, New York as well as Stage Door Manor in Massachusetts.

Despite a difficult upbringing, Robert Downey Jr. was able to get his life on the right track of success and responsibility. Winner of a Golden Globe Award and star of Marvel’s Iron Man movies as Tony Stark, here are some more facts about Robert Downy Jr. that we didn’t quite get into in our first post:

Singer
Robert isn’t just an actor. He released his debut album “The Futurist” in 2004. The album sales were not so great but he was at least able to give this other artistic side of himself an outlet for the world to hear.

Go-Getter
At the age of only 17, Robert Downey Jr. moved to New York and struggled through part-time jobs, busing tables, performing in off-Broadway shows, and one time he was even hired as a piece of living art in a New York City nightclub.

Vegabond
Growing up, Robert’s family was constantly moving all over the world as a result of his father’s career in filmmaking. He lived in New York, Connecticut, Woodstock, California, London, and Paris. Yeesh!

Trained in the Martial Arts
Robert Downey Jr. has been a devout martial artist for the last 18 years, spending much of his time in the practice of Wing Chun—a concept-based Chinese martial art and form of self-defense.

The world celebrates Robert as he expands his health and self betterment in his current years. Despite his difficult upbringing, he seems to have no real regrets. “I think you end up doing the stuff you were supposed to do at the time you were supposed to do it,” Robert Downy Jr. has said.

Enjoy whatever stuff you are supposed to be doing once you’re done reading this Blog post and, as always, thanks for reading it!

- John

Hey, Camp Lovers!

In 2013, I first started posting about famous folks who have a history at summer camp and lately I’ve been having fun returning to previously featured celebrities to learn more about these famous folks. In Neil Diamond’s original post, which you can see by clicking here, we talked about how he attended Surprise Lake Camp in Cold Spring, New York and how he went on to become a culturally celebrated singer/songwriter of great recognition!

But we didn’t get around to looking at some interesting details about Mr. Diamond. So, let’s give Neil a closer look right now:

NOT…Diamond?
Little known fact: Neil Diamond was considering a stage name before eventually deciding against it and going with his real name. Among other aliases he had considered, he had thrown around ‘Ice Charry’ for some time as well as ‘Noah Kaminsky’. Good call stickin’ with Neil, Neil.

Who’s Caroline?
It was actually the president’s daughter that inspired Neil Diamond’s smash hit “Sweet Caroline”. Sweet Caroline is Caroline Kennedy, John F. Kennedy’s daughter who planted the seed for this famous song in Neil’s head. Having kept it a mystery who this song referenced for many years, he eventually revealed the song came to him after seeing Ms. Kennedy on the cover of Life Magazine in an equestrian riding outfit.

High School Buds
Many people can tell you that Neil Diamond performed the hit song ‘You Don’t Bring Me Flowers’ as a duet, partnered with Barbara Streisand. What’s lesser known, however, is that Neil and his duet partner were friends in the All City Choir at Erasmus Hall High School in Brooklyn! Let’s hear it for the Class of 1958!

The Music Man
The man has become a legend in his own time where the music industry is concerned. Neil Diamond has secured himself 11 Grammy nominations as well as various honorary awards like being inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame along with the Songwriters Hall of Fame. He was also honored at the Kennedy Center. Oh yeah—and he has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Today, at the wise age of 77, Neil continues enjoying his life and he’s still making music as he’s just released a new Christmas album a couple years ago. On behalf of Everything Summer Camp, I’d like to extend a respectful nod to one of America’s greatest singer/songwriters! Thank you for such excellent music, Mr. Diamond! And, as always, thanks for reading, Camp Fans!

- John

Hey, Camp Fans!

In 2013, this Blog was first launched and ever since the start, I’ve posted about famous folks who have a history at summer camp or those who have at least had significant ties within the camp community. And covering over 100 celebrities who’ve had a past at camp since the beginning of this Blog five years ago, it’s now time to review some of these big names who were previously featured already with a bit of a deeper look this time around.

In William Shatner’s original post, which you can see by clicking here, we talked about how he attended Camp Massad in his home country, Canada, featuring 20 acres of private forest, just north of Winnipeg, in Winnipeg Beach, Manitoba.

Contributing his legendary role to the science fiction genre, check out further interesting facts about Mr. Shatner that we didn’t quite get around to in the initial post about the captain of the starship, Enterprise:

Multi-lingual
Yes, William has learned to speak more than just the English language, but French too as well as the rare Esperanto language that comes from no country but is rather a language invented for two differently speaking people who can communicate while still holding onto their native tongue—something of a global language. It’s no Klingon, but still pretty cool.

Calcium Deposits of Gold
When you’re known as the great Captain Kirk, everything you touch automatically goes up in value. In 2006, Shatner sold something that he not only touched, but something that he created himself. This item went for $75,000. The item: a kidney stone he passed. Shatner donated the money a Louisiana charity housing complex.

Not Horsin’ Around
William Shatner loves horses! He owns 360 acres in Kentucky dedicated to saddlebred horses that he breeds. A believer in the therapeutic effects of horseback riding—something you can read more about in this recent Blog post about equestrian benefits–he provides support for those seeking therapy on the back of a horse.

The Captain is Vegetarian
A longterm vegetarian, William Shatner is dedicated to the frontier of the food he eats, cutting out the consumption of animals. An admirable position to hold on the proper diet, perhaps we can all look to the Captain for a dietary role model.

Forever seen as Captain Kirk, we thank William Shatner for the job he did to portray this icon of science fiction storytelling. About his time in the series, he’s said, “’Star Trek’ never really caught on with audiences, ran for three seasons, and was canceled. I wish I had taken notes at the time, because you people sure do have a lot of questions about it.”

We appreciate Mr. Shatner’s acceptance of this eventually embraced role that he played six decades ago. Click here to check out Camp Massad to see if it the Captain’s old camp might be a good fit for you and, as always, thanks for reading!

- John