If This Blog Could Talk...

...oh wait - it can! And it shall.

Friends, we all experience moments when we're confronted with our own mortality. We're forced to wonder: If I die today, what will die with me? What unspoken knowledge have I neglected to share with humankind, which shall share the destiny of the tree that falls in the forest with no-one to hear?

Of all the experiences I've amassed in my stay here in this mortal sphere, none have more mass appeal than my Celebrity Encounters. It seems only fitting that I inaugurate this "Blog" on Oscar night, that most orgiastic of celeb-worship.

So, as Mary Hart might be teleprompted to say:
Get Out Your Spoons - It's Time to DISH!

I'll start on a high note. People often ask me, "Carrie, who is the NICEST celebrity you've ever encountered?" Without hesitation, I answer:
Mr. Dennis Franz.

I had the honor of encountering celebrity Dennis Franz at a publicity junket-related party thrown by the ABC network in 2002. ABC had hired out a gaggle of us Paramount Pages to usher the event, which took place at some stately, vaguely gothic Cal-Tech campus hall in Pasadena, CA.

My job was to greet the ABC celebrities as they arrived and escort them from their limos/livery cars to the "receiving line" of cameras and interviewers, before they entered the party. My script:
"Welcome! We're so glad you could make it! The theme of our party is "Dinotopia," based on the ABC miniseries premiering soon. After you speak with the press, you'll go inside and see some amazing dinosaur replicas. They're huge! We're also serving some great food and cocktails. Enjoy the party!"

We were allowed to "freestyle" a bit (within reason) on that script. The idea was to let the celebs know what to expect once inside, perhaps so they wouldn't be freaked-out by the ginormous dinosaurs glowering down at them from every corner.

Anyways, I had the spectacular good fortune of greeting the vehicle of Mr. Dennis Franz and his wife. I managed to recite "Welcome! We're so glad you -" before Mr. Franz interrupted.
"Hi, what's your name?"
"Uh, Carrie... uh, sir."
"Carrie, I'm Dennis. This is my wife."
God forgive me, I forgot her name.
Me: "Uh, nice to meet you. Er, the theme of our party is Dinotopia -"
"Where you from, Carrie?"
"Milwaukee."
"Milwaukee's a great town. I love Milwaukee."
By this time we'd reached the press receiving line, and we bade each other farewell. Mr. and Mrs. Franz would enter the party with limited background information on the Dinotopia theme, and I would continue my life with solid knowledge of the world's nicest celebrity:
Mr. Dennis Franz.