Wednesday, April 11, 2007

100 Greatest Human Beings Who Ever Lived: #78 James Caan


James Caan, most famous for playing Sonny Corleone, is the 78th Greatest Human Being Who Ever Lived. I could write up a really long post about how awesome The Godfather is, but I think I'll save that for the Al Pacino post a little further up the list (you didn't think HE wouldn't make the cut did you?).

Instead, I will regale you with a personal anecdote. Once upon a time, when I was working at the front desk of a rather swank hotel on Miami Beach, I was attending to some guest and was having a hard time pulling up her reservation. Her last name was something like Cafferty or Cary. It doesn't matter exactly what except that the name began "Ca." The way the software we used was written, when you searched for a last name, you would just punch in the first two or three letters and it would methodically eliminate all reservations that did not match. So I punch in "Ca" and two reservations are remaining-- the guest at hand and one reservation for Mr. James Caan.

Now normally we would hear about VIPs like this if they were coming in BEFORE the shift started, but we heard nothing of the sort that day so at first I thought this was merely a coincidence. I checked the reservation (the guest was still standing there thinking I was working on her problem, by the way. Why yes, front desk people at hotels ARE snarky assholes!) and indeed it was THAT James Caan, as it had all kinds of special VIP-type notes attached.

I finally helped the guest and then ran to my supervisor and excitedly showed him the reservation, pointing out that this was Sonny FUCKING Corleone! So after a few minutes of giggling like school girls, we each return to doing our jobs. About an hour goes by, and I had sort of forgotten about the whole thing, and I'm checking my email. I finish and look up and standing there checking in with the person right next to me, is James Caan. And he is NOT alone. He's with (I shit you not) George Hamilton, and about six peroxide blondes who were clearly.... on the job, if you will.

So Mr. Caan checks in, goes up to his room, and aforementioned supervisor and I rush to the computer to see if they've ordered any pay-per-view programming (See what I said about hotel people being assholes? They also don't care for your privacy, especially if you're a celebrity!) Indeed, they had almost immediately ordered something called Rod Riders 7. So yes, basically there was an orgy going on involving James Caan and George Hamilton in the hotel. Needless to say this was extremely amusing.

Finally, toward the end of the evening, in one of the more shameless episodes of flaunting of celebrity and wealth I have ever personally witnessed that did not involve a Bentley and spinning rims, Caan walks through the lobby of the hotel with a blonde on each of his arms without a care in the world, as the people around him gawked and wondered, "Is that REALLY Sonny Corleone?" I think one person approached him for an autograph, a request he graciously fulfilled while his female companions were in the restroom.

Next on the list, the man who single-handedly ended the Cold War, because if I can change and you can change, then maybe we ALL can change....

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