En español | As the population of the United States (and the world) continues to stay at home to prevent the spread of COVID-19. We are discovering that social media allows us to spy more than ever on the lives (and the rooms) of actors, musicians, and journalists. Here you will find out more about how some famous personalities are coping with the pandemic and what they are learning about themselves and the world in the process.
Beau Bridges, 78, actor
Quarantine Location: At home, with his wife Wendy and their 26-year-old son Zeke
“There is so much about the normal old life that I miss. Wendy and I have five children together and I miss our two grandchildren very much. We FaceTime every day. The one-and-a-half-year-old doesn’t understand why he can’t hug his Packa and his Mimi, you know, but I juggle for them or play music. I’m taking slack key guitar lessons online with a friend from Hawaii. Every weekday at noon I read children’s stories on Instagram (in English) from a storybook I wrote and it is combined with my mother’s diaries.
“We also try to go outside to remember the wonders that surround us on all sides. We took our two little French bulldogs and went out to listen to the birds. It seems there are more birds than ever. I gather flowers for the lunch table. My father [actor Lloyd Bridges] grew the orchids that we have, and they are flourishing right now. ”
Yo-Yo Ma, 64 years old, cellist
Quarantine Location: At home with his wife Jill Hornor
“We are AARP members, my wife and I, and many people our age or older are locked up at home. What is our sense of independence? We still have the mind, and through art, the mind can go to all kinds of places. Maybe someone gets away with reading a book, or maybe there’s a wonderful movie you can watch that reminds you of a different time. A piece of music can do that too. It can effectively keep you company and temporarily transport you. Music comes into the depths of the soul and lifts us up. If we need comfort but can’t get a hug, well, music can hug us.
“I was talking to colleagues about what we could do to help and we thought we should do live music online. We wanted to call them ‘songs of comfort and hope’, but shortened the name to a social media tag: #SongsOfComfort. The next day I came back with my cello, one of my colleagues pulled out an iPhone and I played several songs and started posting them on Instagram and Facebook (links in English). I invited everyone to join in and was delighted to see the idea succeed. Thousands of People from students to healthcare workers and artists like the Indigo Girls posted videos of them playing or singing a comfort song. That shows how much people want to help. ”
Rubén Blades, 71 years old, musician
Quarantine Place: At home with his wife Luba
Since the pandemic started, I realized that I have been in quarantine for most of my life. And the thing is that when I’m on tour, I only leave the hotel to do sound checks and present the concerts. I remember that once we were in London with Celia Cruz and I invited her to visit the Tate Gallery. “Oh no, mojito, thank you,” he replied. “I never leave the hotel. Do you know how many people are waiting to see my show? I am here to work. Imagine if I go out and something happens to me; people would not see me ”. It’s true what Celia said. One cannot send a substitute for oneself.
When I’m not on tour, I also spend the whole day at home. If I go out to the square in front of my house in Panama, I don’t stop serving people and taking pictures with them. That’s why I stay at home, and in New York, it’s the same. I am still calm. I would not like anonymity. Everyone wants their contribution and their existence to be taken into account. Although fame is a better place to visit than to live in it.
The thought of being alone in a room never bothered me. I never had the anxiety that I have to see people, or they have to see me. At this moment I am resting, reading, thinking. Writing a book with anecdotes and experiences from my life, and also the lyrics and songs for my next album. I live in New York with Luba, my wife, but we have a spacious place and she is doing her own thing too. We have a routine: at the end of the day, we cook together, sit down to eat, watch a movie or do a crossword puzzle and go to sleep.
Valerie Bertinelli, 60, star of One Day at a Time
Quarantine Place: At home with her husband Tom Vitale, six cats, and PERR or
“I hope people are taking care of their mental health as much as their physical health. Really, dealing with this tests a person’s faith. How it keeps us all apart. How it hurts people who really want to work but can’t. . Wearing a mask and gloves all the time, just to look for the mail or talk to a neighbor in the distance. How is this affecting us? My own son could not enter the house when he came because we are very strict in this fight to defeat COVID-19.
“I must say that stopping negative thoughts is difficult. I get angry or feel sad. Sometimes I cry. Sometimes I am very scared because there is a lot of terror. This is the first time I have not worked since I was 12 years old and it is difficult to create a structure for day-to-day. At first, I thought “I am going to fix all the drawers and cabinets” and so far I have not touched a single one.
“The thing that does me best is physical activity. Biking or taking a brisk walk is good. We’ve been listening to more music, too, which is always a relief. How can you not feel like dancing around the house when you listen to Elton John? The other night my husband put up a screen outside to pretend we were in a real movie theater. You have to take fun where you can find it. ”
Savannah Guthrie, 48, co-host of the Today show on NBC.
Quarantine Location: At home with her husband Michael and their children Vale, 5, and Charles, 3
“At the beginning of March, NBC said to me,” In case you need to do the show from home, can we install a camera in your basement? “Sure, “I replied. It seemed like such a long shot, but then I caught a cold and My throat started to hurt, and we did it as a precaution, I have two small children, so I had to put duct tape to keep the door closed.
“At the beginning of the pandemic, we lost a much-loved member of the team to the virus, audio technician Larry Edgeworth. That hit us all hard. When he died, I saw everything differently. My mother is 78 years old and lives. Alone in Arizona. She’s asthmatic, exactly the kind of person who shouldn’t get coronavirus. She’s extremely active, with her book club and mahjong, friends who come to visit her, and social distancing have made it difficult for her. She stayed home. Now, she and I participate in church services every Sunday for Zoom. She accepted my challenge to try yoga at home with Yoga With Adriene on YouTube (in English). In some ways, we are closer to each other in the wake of this dire situation. Now I just need her to be patient and take care of herself until she returns to normal life. I remind her, ‘Don’t go to Sally’s and sit on the porch. The pharmacy can deliver what you need. Mom, don’t risk it. We need you'”.
Aaron Neville, 79, soul and R&B singer and musician
Quarantine Location: At home with his wife Sarah Ann Friedman
“They said that at almost 80 years old I would be a prime candidate for catching the virus. Besides, I have asthma. I don’t want to get sick. So I canceled my tours and have been isolated on our farm in New York. The farm is run by Sarah. I am. I water the plants in the greenhouse and do whatever else I can. We have around 100 chickens, plus strawberries, tomatoes, and bees. Thanks to the two cows we had, there is now enough food in the freezer. Their names were T-Bone and Ribeye Since I’m from New Orleans, I make kidney beans frequently.
“Our living room is now a recording studio. I have the piano connected to the computer and I play free concerts on Sundays on Facebook (in English). As in dreamy images from the past, I go back to playing things I listened to as a child. I play music spiritual. I play doo-wop. It’s what I’m connecting with most of the time, and it’s bringing me a lot of comforts right now.
“The rest of the time I do what everyone else is doing. I stay home. Sometimes I play solitaire. Other times I play dominoes. I walk around the garden with my dog, Apache. He’s a Pomeranian Shih Tzu. He weighs around 15 pounds, but he thinks he weighs 100. In the afternoon, I look at my novels, The Young and the Restless and The Bold and the Beautiful.
“We have so many trees here. I call them my cathedral. I sit there and pray. Lately, I pray all the time. I pray for my family. I pray for New Orleans. It is sad what is happening in my city. So many sick people. I am sorry. much what happens to them. I feel what happens all over the world, wherever there are people suffering. I pray and sing. That is what is helping me to cope with this. They say that whoever sings prays twice. What else can make one really?
Suzanne Somers, 73, actress, writer, health advocate, businesswoman
Quarantine Place: At home with her husband Alan Hamel and their cat Gloria
“I fractured my hip several months ago, so I was already a prisoner at home when everyone had to start quarantine. I am married to a fantastic man. Alan and I have been together for 50 years. He is full of energy and puts the better face of this situation. We can’t see our family, but it’s still an event when we meet on Skype. We dress smartly. I feel better when I do. I wear a down jacket and diamond earrings. He wears a tuxedo jacket and a Roger Moore 007 shirt with the tie hanging down, and we really had a good time.
“I had never had a strong alcoholic beverage until about five years ago, but as this situation continues, we have started to have virtual meetings with snacks on Facebook Live (in English) with an open invitation to everyone. house bar, which we call Big Al’s Bar, and we drink tequila and eat caviar that we buy at Costco. Last week there were people from New Zealand, Australia, the Middle East, from all over Europe, and also from the United States. everyone likes to end the day with a cocktail.
You may also be interested in The Celebrity Lifestyle Obsession
