Ed Asner 2005
Sunday, March 23rd, 2008
Even though Ed Asner is instantly recognizable and needs no introduction, the first thing I thought when I saw him while coming out of the restroom during the intermisson of the October 2, 2005 presentation of the reading of Casablanca was “wow, that guy waiting in line to get in the bathroom kind of looks like Ed Asner.” Then I thought to myself – “hey, are you remembering that you are standing in the heart of Hollywood?” Asner wasn’t in the production, but was merely there to enjoy it – and he had to wait in line to use the restroom like everybody else, including TV writer and frequent Hollywood Square Bruce Vilanch. Read the rest of this entry »
I was completely taken aback when I saw how attractive Anne Heche was in person. I was used to seeing that short-haired girlfriend-of-Ellen-Anne Heche on TV and in the movies and frankly, never thought she looked that good. But with her hair down, she was quite the dazzler. A charming personality made her even more appealing. She is in my opinion, what one might refer to as a big star – not some performer whose glory days came many years ago (the type I normally meet). So it was a breath of fresh air that she didn’t need to be goaded into signing an autograph or posing for a picture. 
Betty White is one of the most recognizable friendly faces in all of televisiondom. As a star of The Mary Tyler Moore Show and The Golden Girls, she has won the hearts of millions. Those were great roles for her and great shows, but probably the most important role to me was her turn as Bob Newhart’s boss on the short-lived TV show Bob. I have never actually written to Betty White, but I did purchase the cheap signed photo of her seen at right from a dealer in 1998. 
Dorothy Granger was one celebrity who I wish I had paid more mind to over the years. Although she didn’t pass away until 1995, the only opportunity that I ever had to meet her was during the 1980 Sons of the Desert convention in Hollywood. Dorothy only had a few small roles in the Laurel and Hardy shorts, most notably in Hog Wild where she actually plays two roles within the 20-minute film so I wasn’t too thrilled when I got the chance to meet her and have her sign my little blue autograph book on August 2.
As one of the world’s biggest fans of Seinfeld, I was naturally interested in trying to meet Ian Abercrombie – the elderly gentleman who portrayed Elaine’s rich and spoiled boss Mr. Justin Pitt. He had performed in the reading of