Now I’m not one to name drop, but when Tom Bergeron introduced me at Ed Asner’s fundraiser and I saw Mark Hamill staring up at me, I got nervous.
Jeremy James
-Fresh off the red carpet at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel
Lesson one: Name drop for the masses.
Most people don’t know celebrity names unless those celebrities are hugely popular. So pick your names carefully.
Be casual, but calculated. You start with Tom, as he DID intro us, we can totally use that on the promo video, and he’s still in people’s minds as the “Dancing with the Stars” guy. Then you pull out the big guns. Ed Asner: It’s his function, he’s been a star for over 5 decades, his charity the “Ed Asner Family Center” does amazing work promoting mental health and serving special needs children. Plus, he’s the guy from UP. My kids LOVE him. Disney/Pixar is a huge sponsor here, so he’s got to be right up front.
However, you need that one-two punch, that unexpected celebrity who’s super-hot right now to give your name drop clout. Luke Skywalker, is sitting right there, and the Star Wars trailer JUST dropped! Is he looking at you? Kind of, but he’s obviously seated way too close and it’s loud, so he’s not gonna just stare up your nose while you sing your set. Sure, he’ll look around, maybe even cup his hands over his sensitive ears, but THIS is your name drop. The white whale of name drops.
“I just sang for Luke Skywalker.”
Boom. Mic drop.
“I just sang for Luke Skywalker.” Boom. Mic drop.
Any name that is not instantly recognizable, is in need of a context clue. Let’s continue my story with a name drop for my music fans.
But thankfully, Jackson Brown was grooving along with Hootie and Steve from Toto, so I started to relax.
Jeremy James
subtle, but effective musical name drop
Any music fan worth his salt will know Jackson Brown. “Running on Empty” is classic. Plus he re-imagined Frankie’s “Stay” so you start with him. Darius Rucker goes by his name now, but that moniker will never be as popular as Hootie and the Blowfish from his 90’s fame, so stick with Hootie.
After the iffy re-make of “Africa” by Weezer and the surge of the Yacht Rock movement, most people are still hip to the band Toto, but only a true aficionado would know Steve Lukather. So definitely stick the name of the band in there when dropping Steve’s name
Lesson three: Make it personal.
Did the celebrity react to you? Speak to you? Give you a shout out?
You guys KILLED IT tonight!
Brad Garrett
Everybody Loves Raymond
Brad Garrett is a large presence and a kind man. He saw us on the red carpet after our set and gave us the shout out. That’s name-drop gold. Any celebrity endorsement is a great endorsement. (Unless of course, they get “cancelled” for sexual misconduct or spousal abuse. As far as I could tell, Brad seemed cool. The jury is still out on Johnny Depp.)
Now that you know the rules, feel free to name drop as often as possible.
I’ll just leave a couple of my favorites here for you to reference:
Idina Menzel and Kristin Chenoweth were genuinely excited when they presented me with my Drama Desk Award.
At a New York press event for the live Tonight Show experience, Jimmy Fallon hugged me and thanked me for bringing so much joy to so many people every day.
Only three people have every complimented my singing voice. Neil Patrick Harris, Liza Minnelli, and Ariana Grande.
Jeremy James
Name Drop Artist
Legal Disclaimer:
The above name drops are douchey, but true.
Name dropping may lead to scorn and alienation from your peers, ridicule in greenrooms, and a lack of second dates.