Exclusive: On the Red Carpet with Harrison Ford, Takei, & Shriver!

Harrison Ford and Maria Shriver, among other great individuals who left a significant mark in California, were in attendance at the CA Hall of Fame ceremony on November 30th for their induction into the 2016 class. It is a huge honor to be inducted given that past legends previously inducted include Arnold’s close friend James Cameron, Bruce Lee, John Madden, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Carlos Santana, George Lucas, Buzz Aldrin, Quincy Jones, Robert Downey Jr., Clint Eastwood and other greats.

Being a lifelong fan of Star Wars, I was thrilled to learn a couple years ago that one of my action hero idols would star alongside Arnold Schwarzenegger in The Expendables 3. At last, Harrison Ford himself stood in front of me. Although I was unable to get to my Arnold-related question, I was fortunate enough to speak with a Star Wars legend face to face.

TheArnoldFans: What are your favorite places or most beautiful locations for you to fly over when you’re piloting your own plane?

 "Las Vegas,” begins the Expendables 3 star. "Because it’s on my way home or to my other home in Jackson, Wyoming. I don’t really have a favorite place."

 TheArnoldFans: Do you ever bring any animal co-pilots with you? Or do you fly “Solo”? (Harrison gives me a huge smile knowing i’m tying my question into the Star Wars realm and insinuation an animal co-pilot might be the equivalent of a Wookie).

 “No,” Harrison says after giving the biggest smile I saw him show all night on the carpet. "I fly, well, some planes that I fly are required to have two pilots. With some planes it’s fun to have someone with me, but I’ve never had a co-pilot that was a dog,” Harrison Ford says winking. "That would be a little scary to me." 

George Takei, Sulu and pilot of the Enterprise in the original "Star Trek" series and Howard Stern Show announcer, was accompanied by his companion Brad.  Brad stopped by for a picture and a hello and Takei tells us what he loves most about California.

 "I love the bigness of it. The deliciousness of it and the excitement of it," Takei tells TheArnoldFans.

We just learned George Takei, at 79 years old, does 100 push-ups and 50 sit-ups every morning! Click HERE to see our earlier conversation with George Takei.

Last to walk the red carpet and no stranger to TheArnoldFans, first lady Maria Shriver, who signed my Turbo Man doll the last time she walked this very carpet, stood before TheArnoldFans again and expressed her feelings on being inducted in the 2016 class.

 “It’s wonderful," begins Maria. "It’s very exciting and moving for me and fun. It’s nice to see so many of my friends and to be at the museum.”

 Maria was accompanied by her children. Katherine Schwarzenegger tells TheArnoldFans that she loves “everything” about her mom and Patrick Schwarzenegger tells TheArnoldFans that his dad will be “amazing” as boss on The New Celebrity Apprentice!

It is unbelievable after everything that Arnold has done for California from two terms in office as Governor of California, tirelessly raising awareness and donations for such charities as After School All-Stars and the California Fire Foundation, his crusade to make American citizens more fit through exercise and decades worth of entertainment that a decade after helping to open the California Hall of Fame Ceremony in 2006 that he has still not been inducted into any of the annual classes.

You can visit the official California Hall of Fame website at http://www.californiamuseum.org/ and read our article about why Arnold needs to be inducted into the California Hall of Fame HERE!

The 10th class of California Hall of Fame inductees comprises acclaimed author Isabel Allende, film icon Harrison Ford, baseball legend Tony Gwynn, distinguished artist and social justice advocate Corita Kent, former U.S. Secretary of Defense and nuclear deterrence expert William J. Perry, groundbreaking journalist and former First Lady of California Maria Shriver, music business pioneer Russ Solomon and celebrated actor and activist George Takei.