How 6 Celebs Got Their Names

There's no "J" anywhere in Michael J. Fox's real name
By Evann Gastaldo,  Newser Staff
Posted Jun 27, 2010 12:20 PM CDT
How 6 Celebs Got Their Names
In this Aug. 3, 2006 file photo, actor Nicolas Cage arrives at the world premiere of the film "World Trade Center," in New York.   (AP Photo/Stephen Chernin, file)

Ever wondered how celebrities choose their fake names? Well, Maxwell Yezpitelok has the answer—for six of them, at least—in Cracked:

  • Nicolas Cage: Nick Coppola was a fan of comic book character “Powerman”…but “since ‘Nick Powerman’ was clearly more awesome than he could handle,” he had to settle for “Cage”—the character’s real last name. Let us not forget this “ginormous nerd” went on to name his son Kal-El, after Superman.
  • Michael J. Fox: His real middle name doesn’t even have a “J” in it—it’s Andrew. He randomly chose the initial when registering with SAG, since another “Michael Fox” was already registered.

  • Katy Perry: Under her real name, Katy Hudson, the "I Kissed a Girl" singer released an album…”about praising the lord Jesus Christ.” She changed her last name not to avoid association with Christian music, but to avoid confusion with Kate Hudson.
  • Michael Keaton: He was born Michael Douglas, and back when he first started acting, “you can imagine why people might have felt slightly disappointed after hiring the Academy Award-winning son of a Hollywood icon only to watch some unknown dumbass show up for work.” He found his replacement after seeing a photo of Diane Keaton and deciding he liked the sound of her last name.
For the complete list—and the full, even weirder stories—click here. (More Nicolas Cage stories.)

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