Before They Were Names

Well, the Box Office report is mere hours away, but before we get to that it's time for another installment of Before They Were Names! That's right, where we take a closer look at celebrities who had to be molded ever so slightly to fit into the Celebrity mold. Take Michael J. Douglas, for example. Before he became Michael Keaton he was reading about Diane Keaton and decided, much to his agent's dismay, that Michael Keaton sounds pretty good! After all, there can't be TWO Michael Douglases in the union, right? And how about Piper Perabo? Well, that's a trick one, actually. She was pre-named after Piper Laurie, but thankfully the Right to Life movement haven't gloated too much about that one. And to think, she could've played the lead in Uptown Girls... or was it Little Black Book? I can't remember...
And last, but certainly not least, it's good ol' Vin Diesel, Charlie Brown. To pick a name this outlandish, you've got to go with pure inspiration, and inspiration he did. Named firstly after Vin di Bona, the prolific producer of America's Funniest Home Videos and Entertainment Tonight, and clearly some of that magic has rubbed off. And diesel, well, what can you say? It's the world's perfect fuel, and only the most powerful engines in the world are powered by diesel fuel. I mean, you can't just drop a match in it and set it ablaze! Both Vins know this, and it's what drives them both to this very day.
Well, that's it for this installment of Before They Were Names. Be sure and stay tuned for the next one!