Thursday, April 10, 2008
Some of you got a text last night saying that I had just met the real Rain Man, Kim Peek and that I got to hold a real Oscar award. (you know, the golden statue) Here are two pics of last night. (no jokes about the guy on the left, ok?) It really was a pleasure to meet such an amazing person. Hence my huge smile. And yes I challenged him to see if he knew what day of the week my birthday fell in 2021, when I turn 65. He was correct. If you google Kim Peek, you will get a bunch of info. Below is a portion of that:
In 1984, script writer Barry Morrow met Peek in Arlington, Texas; the result of the meeting was the 1988 movie Rain Man. The character of Raymond Babbit, although inspired by Peek, was portrayed as having autism. Dustin Hoffman, who played Babbit, met Peek and other savants to get an understanding of their nature and to play the role with accuracy (see Method acting). The movie caused a number of requests for appearances, which has increased Peek's self-confidence. Barry Morrow has given Kim his Oscar to carry with him and show at these appearances. They call it the "Most Loved Oscar Statue" since it's been held by more people than any other Oscar Statue. Kim also enjoys approaching strangers and showing them his talent for calendar calculations by telling them on which day of the week they were born and what news items were on the front page of major newspapers. Peek has also appeared on television. He travels with his father, who takes care of him and performs many motor tasks that Peek finds difficult.[