Here’s what first comes to mind when I think about Robin Williams. No, not any of his crazy antics. Not the riff he did with that pink pashmina scarf on Inside the Actor’s Studio. Not his unbelievably hysterical take on the invention of golf on one of his HBO specials. Not his television alien Mork. […]
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Is Elmore Leonard our Charles Dickens? (Autograph)
About fifteen years ago I flew to Michigan to do a story on Elmore Leonard, the crime writer Time magazine had called the “Dickens of Detroit” and Newsweek labeled “the best American writer of crime fiction alive, possibly the best we’ve ever had.” Leonard lived in an exclusive suburb called Bloomfield Village and some of […]
Robert Evans Pulls His Own Strings (Autograph)
Robert Evans is wearing a white bathrobe over his clothes as he walks me into his dining room. The table is filled with oversized photos by Helmut Newton. Some are of naked women, others are of Evans with Jack Nicholson, Evans with his son Joshua, and one is of a particularly attractive woman sitting in […]
The Price of Crowns & the Freelance Life
Six months ago my dentist took some x-rays of my mouth and told me that I had some decay behind one of my crowns. “You should make an appointment to take care of that,” he said. I said I would, but I didn’t. I figured “some” decay wasn’t “a lot of” decay, so I stalled. […]
Remembering Charlton Heston (Autograph)
Charlton Heston died on April 5, 2008. I drove by his house the next morning on my way to an appointment and saw the large American flag draped over the gate. It made me think back seven years, when I drove through that gate to spend a few hours with him. I remember the call […]
Jesse “The Mouth” Ventura
“Hey Larry, Jesse Ventura here, how are you? I’m in town doing this book tour thing. Larry King, Wolf Blitzer….I’m free for dinner on Friday if you are.” “Sure,” I said, “I’d love to see you governor.” Former presidents still get called president, so I guess former governors should get the same respect. He was […]
Pavarotti & Me (Autograph)
When Luciano Pavarotti lost his battle with pancreatic cancer on September 6, 2007 at the age of 71 the world lost one of the most remarkable voices since voices began being recorded. I had the privilege—and I do mean privilege—to have interviewed the great tenor in depth at the height of his career. It was […]
Competing with Midgets: A Tall Order
After a book I wrote was accepted for publication, I received an eight-page questionnaire from the company’s publicist. She wanted more information about me than my doctor asks for. Who was the book’s primary audience? Who did I know in the media who might be interested in reviewing the book? Have I ever appeared on […]
Teach Me to Dance (Reader’s Digest)
One of my very favorite scenes in the movies is when Alan Bates says to Anthony Quinn at the end of Zorba the Greek, “Teach me to dance.” “Dance?” Zorba replies, his eyes shining. “C’mon, my boy.” They are on a beach in Greece and as the zither plucks that familiar tune, Quinn snaps his […]
Madonna Paints a Mustache (Autograph)
When my children were much younger than they are now, way back in 1989, they knew Al Pacino as a friend of the family, but not as a movie star or celebrity. They were too young (six and nine years old) to have seen any of his movies (other than Author! Author! and even that […]
