Has news about a star's personal life ever made you like them more?

David Mon, May 11, 2009 at 06:28 PM EST

Michael Slezak likes horse racing?? Thinking back, I had noticed the Belmont Park calendar in the office...

Rooting for Rachel Alexandra in the Preakness?

Ricci Fri, May 23, 2008 at 12:52 PM EST

I like stars like Gary Oldman who keep their lives private and don't covet the spotlight. He also cares more about his family than any celebrity status which makes me respect him for being a good father.

NYC Fan Sat, May 17, 2008 at 10:11 AM EST

Master of the personal inquiry has to be James Lipton. See for yourself, including the out-takes. For info on how to attend his upcoming tapings with Dave Chappelle and Mike Myers FREE, go to http://www2.marketwire.com/mw/release_html_b1?release_id=398391

mike Wed, May 14, 2008 at 10:56 AM EST

I started liking Ellen Page even more when I found out that she likes to kick it old school and live in small town Halifax instead of LA. Also, she lives in a former whore house and named her dog after Patti Smith. Awesome!

sarah Wed, May 14, 2008 at 10:54 AM EST

Hearing Shia LeBeouf's back story makes me like him - circus performers! Pot-smoking hippies! Living in the Ghetto! He has it all. Good on him for making it big.

Teri fan Wed, May 14, 2008 at 10:49 AM EST

I loved this story about Teri. Actually, her daughter picked the EXACTA the LAST mother's day (2007.)

Teri's such a sweetheart and such a generous person.

Her mom and dad are great people, too.

And ... the kid ... that kid is going to WOW the world when she grows up.

bonnylass Tue, May 13, 2008 at 09:45 PM EST

Nix--I know, who would have guessed that Slezak is into horse racing? That's so cool. But then again I thought he was pretty awesome already!

Tue, May 13, 2008 at 04:07 PM EST

Can't think of anything I heard that made me like a celebrity more, but there are plenty of times when I've heard something that makes me like them less!

KLF Tue, May 13, 2008 at 02:44 PM EST

I became a huge Everclear fan after watching their "Behind the Music" special on VH1. Does that count?

StupidGroundhog Tue, May 13, 2008 at 12:11 PM EST

This isn't really news about their personal life, per se, but a friend of mine had the opportunity to meet Fergie when she was with Black Eyed Peas. My friend had her 9 year old daughter with her and the kid loved Fergie and she was really nice, she posed for photos with her and she took her for pizza. The next day my friend took her daughter to a Black Eyed Peas signing at Virgin megastore and Fergie recognized her daughter and came to give her a hug. I wasn't a fan, but since then I've grown to like her.

JoeC Tue, May 13, 2008 at 11:30 AM EST

Whenever I heard/read that some celebrity is a dog lover, that makes me more favorably disposed to him or her.

Tipper Tue, May 13, 2008 at 10:31 AM EST

Oh, absolutely. When you find out an actor is a geek about something, or a good guy/girl or really smart, you like them more. I remember my mouth dropping at how intelligent Ben Affleck was when I caught him in an interview once, and it totally changed my impression of him, making me like him so much more. Similarly, when I find an actor is not intelligent, or does terrible things (which we know the media loves) like Mel Gibson's drunken rant last year, then my appreciation for that actor diminishes considerably and I find I can barely watch them.

Ron Mwangaguhunga Tue, May 13, 2008 at 10:15 AM EST

Chris Noth went to my eccentric liberal artsy alma mater, Marlboro College, in the Vermont woods.

Jay Tue, May 13, 2008 at 10:00 AM EST

I think Teri Hatcher is awesome.

SJ Tue, May 13, 2008 at 10:00 AM EST

Knowing that David Tennant is a hard-core Doctor Who fan himself makes me appreciate him as The Doctor all the more.

Em Tue, May 13, 2008 at 08:56 AM EST

I agree with Dixie- finding out I share a favorite author with a celebrity makes me like them just a teensy bit more. Also, if an actor is from the Seattle area (I live in Seattle) they get bonus points.

jeet Tue, May 13, 2008 at 08:42 AM EST

Johnny Depp showing up at the children's hospital that saved his daughter's life to read stories to the patients. In costume as Captain Jack Sparrow. Twice. At least.

Sorella Tue, May 13, 2008 at 08:34 AM EST

Sounds strange but when I read recently Susan Sarandon's mother is an Italian (like my mother) and she made a doc in her honour about it, made me like her even more!! Also that George Clooney bought a house on Lake Como, Italy (very near my Mother's birthplace). Viva Italia!

Nix Tue, May 13, 2008 at 08:32 AM EST

The horses, Slezak? You? Well, that made me like YOU more.

Stamb Tue, May 13, 2008 at 08:27 AM EST

I was very skeptical of Stephen Colbert's true intentions until I found out he gave his profits from his Ben and Jerry's flavor to fund lunches for poor Vermont children and that his profit from Wriststrong went to families of Iraq soldiers (or perhaps the actual soldiers - I'm not quite sure.) Knowing that made me "get" him, and now I love his show.

dana Tue, May 13, 2008 at 08:14 AM EST

gwyneth paltrow is a consistently wonderful actor (Royal Tennenbaums, Proof), but when i found out that she took three years off after that superstar turn in Proof to raise her young children, my respect for her doubled. in reverse, tom cruise's recent blatant personal wierdness doesn't make me lose respect for him as an actor; nothing's changed the fact that he's good at his job.

Ceballos Mon, May 12, 2008 at 07:55 PM EST

He's not exactly what you'd call an entertainer, but let's just say when I read that Barack Obama's favorite show is "The Wire" it definitely didn't hurt his rep in my eyes.

Joe Mon, May 12, 2008 at 07:39 PM EST

NPH. He's the man. When he came out, it was awesome, and then he had the balls to publicly denounce the guest casting for publicity that's been happening on HIMYM. I think that it's great for him and his career. I know I respect him more for it.

DanOregon Mon, May 12, 2008 at 06:16 PM EST

When a celebrity is a fan of a "not cool" sports team such as the Yankees or Red Sox, Cubs or Dodgers.
When they do a USO tour or stump for a political candidate (regardless of party)
Participate in a down-market hobby.

Jill Mon, May 12, 2008 at 06:16 PM EST

I have always liked Michael J. Fox but after he was diagnosed with Parkinsons and wrote his book I really admire the man he has become and how important his family is to him.

Juanita Mon, May 12, 2008 at 04:19 PM EST

I never really cared much for Susan Sarandon until I read an article on how much time and money she donates to charitable causes. That made a difference to me.

Tess Mon, May 12, 2008 at 03:58 PM EST

When David Cook admitted he was a "wordnerd" on American Idol I knew who to root for.

cimagato Mon, May 12, 2008 at 03:41 PM EST

My sister's gonna scream if she reads this, but--Angelina Jolie. I loved it when she adopted her first little boy. I loved when she used her celebrity to bring attention to third-world issues. She doesn't claim to be an expert, but she's trying. (Okay, I've adopted two cute little boys from Asia, too, so I'm a little biased.) She went from being another vapid, pretty face to a complex human being.

Amy Mon, May 12, 2008 at 03:39 PM EST

I was getting in Christian Bale when I learned Gloria Steinem was his step-mom. Awesome.

JMC Mon, May 12, 2008 at 03:27 PM EST

I always love it when I'm find out some actor/actress/director has a really good rapport with the fans. They work with them instead of against them. JK Rowling personally calling inviting the teenage heads of Mugglenet and Leaky Cauldron to the premier of HBP comes to mind. The Twilight production crew, Stephenie Meyer, Twilight Lexicon, and Larry from MTV blogs seem to have a whole dialog going on.

paige Mon, May 12, 2008 at 03:24 PM EST

huh?

annie Mon, May 12, 2008 at 03:11 PM EST

i'm always really excited when i hear that good matches have been made: andy samberg and joanna newsom, drew barrymore and justin long, or when ryan gosling and rachel mcadams were together. i feel like it reflects well on both parties involved.

EP Sato Mon, May 12, 2008 at 03:10 PM EST

I grin from ear to ear any time I see a celeb at a boxing match. Boxing's gotten such a bad rap and has become really unpopular in the last few years, so those celeb plugs make me feel as if maybe boxing's got more fans than folks will admit to.

But a better and more personal story involves Baltimore Native John Waters. He attended this year's Charm City Scooter rally and hung out with the Vespa afficionados. Knowing a kickazz celeb digs the same stuff I do gives a sense of connectivity.

Finally, the band Phantom Planet earned my seal of approval (and my purchase of all their albums) when I read they are big fans of the tv show Lost.

Kathleen Mon, May 12, 2008 at 03:04 PM EST

I caught the tail end of Entertainment Tonight one night, and they were announcing celeb's birthdays. They had taped one of the ET people catching Emily Proctor at some random event, and told her that for her birthday they made a big ole donation to an animal charity of some kind (Gee, glad I remembered the specifics before I decided to tell this story). Anyway - her love of animals is so strong that she actually teared up and was totally touched by this. So now I really like her.

writebabe Mon, May 12, 2008 at 02:47 PM EST

Steven Tyler's assertion in Spin (I think it was) one of the album's he'd take with him to a desert island was Pet Sounds made me a little more eager to hear what Aerosmith was doing.

ecjb Mon, May 12, 2008 at 02:47 PM EST

When I found out that Mariska Hargitay actually trained then worked answering the NY rape crisis hotline, I was really impressed. I thought that was very un-celebrity behavior and immediately made me like her. She also helped create a foundation for sexual assault victims.

Dixie Mon, May 12, 2008 at 02:26 PM EST

I always like to find out I share favorite authors with celebs. I always loved Dolly Parton, but when I found out one of her favorite writers is Lee Smith I liked her even more.
I also like stars like Gary Oldman and Christian Bale who keep their families fairly private; you might see a picture of them with their kids occasionally but they're not on the cover of People every week (I mean you, Brangelina).

Vivi Mon, May 12, 2008 at 02:21 PM EST

I know back when Season 5 American Idol was on, any celebrity that said either they were a fan of Elliot's or voted for him instantly became a favorite of mine.

Oola Mon, May 12, 2008 at 02:18 PM EST

That Bill Nighy, Ricky Gervais and Morrissey loved cats. Can't help it--it made them perfect to me.