Since this has quickly become my favorite picture of all time, I felt compelled to skip past the campy celebrated people and bring it to the top of the page. At one of two Writer's Guild parties for her 2018 film, BIRD BOX, the exquisite and enchanting Oscar winner, Sandra Bullock, actually took my phone out of my hand and shot this selfie.  If you're reading this, Sandra, why haven't you called?

 Diverting back to the campy personality theme, wiith my old friend, Grampa Al Lewis. Until the very end, Al still smoked cigars, still fought for political causes, could still keep me laughing out loud, and still came over to say hello, every time I ran into him.  You're missed, Al.  You too held your own among the colorful characters in New York, and you left a void that can never quite be filled.

This man is not a "camp" celebrity either, of course, but since genuine industry royalty also belongs on top of the page, I can justify by saying that I first discovered the humble and gracious living legend, Dustin Hoffman when LITTLE BIG MAN and THE GRADUATE were shown in my summer camp, in the early seventies.  With my good friend, Magical Musical Marion Covit, at a 2017 screening of his rather intriguing film, THE MEYERWITZ STORIES.  I asked Dustin why he seemed to have a scene where he runs, in every film, including this one.  He told me that he had just turned eighty. 

Getting campy again with my other old friend, Ron Horshack Pallilo, who might not have stayed in the center of the light for very long, but who was still writing, directing and acting until he died of a sudden heart attack, at age sixty three.  I'm truly sorry that we never got to work together, Ron, it was something I was really looking forward to.

Does the eminent, humble and beyond charismatic Adam Sandler fall into the category of High Camp Celebrity, Hilarious Comic, Top of the Line Improviser and Impressionist, Brilliant Actor or All of the Above?  At the party after a screening of the rather compelling and extraordinary film, UNCUT GEMS, I repeatedly told Adam that his powerhouse performance would win him the Best Actor Oscar.  Howard Stern and his crew seemed to agree.  Unfortunately, the academy seems to have a hard time taking SNL bred actors seriously.  Anyone who hasn't seen UNCUT GEMS needs to watch it, right now, and tell me if I'm wrong.  Both Adam and the film should have at least been nominated.

Veering from camp for a moment, are children meant to forever outshine their parents?  The exquisite, super sweet and talented Laura Dern was minutes from winning her first Oscar, when we met at a party for her award winning film MARRIAGE STORY. Laura's father, of course, is the eternally gruff twice Oscar nominated Bruce Dern and her mother is the eminent thrice Oscar nominated Diane Ladd.  Oh yeah, and that's the regal actress, Isabella Rosselini, the daughter of Oscar Nominated Writer-Director, Roberto Rosselini and someone named Ingrid Bergman, who had given one or two award winning film performances, in her time.

Including my beautiful, charming, enchanting and multi-talented friend, Barbara Feldon, with the Fringe Celebrities doesn't quite feel right, but since she did play Agent 99 on one of the great high camp television programs of all time, I guess she kind of fits in.  This picture was taken at a Families of Freedom Foundation benefit at City Center in New York, that I helped produce and coordinate talent for and that I invited Barbara to, in November, 2002.

I was truly saddened by the recent death of Jim Gomer Pyle Nabors, another actor who seemed as humble and gracious as his signature character.  Though Jim spent his last years as a gentlemen flower farmer in Hawaii, he still found his way to New York, on occasion, like for the 1998 opening night party of Broadway's RAGTIME.  I was happy to hear that, thanks to the long overdue changes in the laws, Jim finally married his partner of many years, not long before he died.  Jim seemed dressed to go, the night we met, but I suppose I'm forever a bride's maid. 

At a party after a 2022 screening of the vital and essential film CODA, my good friend, actress extraordinaire Wilemina Olivia-Garcia and I bonded with the brilliant and exquisite Oscar Winning deaf performers, Marlee Matlin and Troy Kotsur. They are probably among the happiest, most positive and most inspirational people I've ever had the pleasure of spending time with.

Jake's equally multi-talented sister,  Maggie Gyllenhaal, hosted one of the first post pandemic screenings and parties for her Bergman styled directorial debut film, LOST DAUGHTER.

I'm so glad that I got to spend part of an afternoon with two of my true childhood heroes, the hilarious, unique, always creative distinguished gentleman Adam Batman West and the enchanting, beautiful and charming Yvonne Batgirl Craig.  You were both a part of my consciousness for as long as I can remember and you will never be replaced.

If that was Batgirl, then this is That Girl.  Now you're going to ask me "who's that girl" and I'm going to say "it's that girl!"  And if you ask me again, we'll have the makings of a contemporary Abbott and Costello routine.  And no, Abbott and Costello are not on this page, but the forever beautiful and enchanting Marlo Thomas, who I had the privilege of meeting at a 2012 theater event, is.  So yes, it is That Girl.   And yes, heads still turn when she walks by, and people still say "wow, who's that girl?"  Yes, I know the joke was played, three sentences ago.  And in case you're too young to get what I'm talking about,  Marlo, of course, spent five years portraying the first single, liberated woman on television, on the sixties smash hit, THAT GIRL.  And every single episode opened with a short vignette that ended with someone pointing and saying "that girl."

I wouldn't risk insulting anyone above by calling them camp celebrities who are past their prime, though Christian is a latter day screen incarnation of  BATMAN and Amy is the Lois Lane of the twenty first century. Hallee is not only playing the Avenger named Hawkeye in a new Disney Plus series, her father, Peter Steinfeld, went to Camp Lakota with me, for many years.  Jeff, of course, will forever be The Dude. What the exquisite people in these pictures have in common is that they were all nominated for Academy Awards in 2011 (except your arguably less than exquisite humble narrator).   In the top row is the afore mentioned brilliantly talented and enchanting young actress, Hallee Steinfeld, and the equally charming, if a touch older and more crotchety actor, Jeff Bridges, at the 2010 premiere party for the far superior Coen Brothers version of TRUE GRIT.  And of course, that's now six time Oscar nominated Amy Adams and Oscar winner Chistian Bale, at an industry screening of THE FIGHTER, on the bottom.

Since the photographer didn't wait for me to smile or pose, I'll just pretend I was going for the mad supervillain look when I met yet another of my childhood heroes, Spiderman, at a WGA screening of the rather gripping and powerful film, BROTHERS.   The humble, nice guy that Tobey Maguire always plays on screen, seems to be very real and sincere.

If that was the spider, then I guess this is THE FLY (or maybe he's just a guy who goes around chasing dinosaurs).  With genuine gentleman Jeff Goldblum at a 2014 Writer's Guild screening of the rather interesting film, GRAND BUDAPEST MOTEL.

Marisa Tomei's mother was my English teacher in Junior High School, which is why I talk as good as Marisa's most noted Brooklyn bred characters.  With the always lovely and enchanting Addie Tomei and her multi-talented Oscar winning daughter Marisa at the 2014 opening night party for Marisa's new play, THE REALISTIC JONESES.  Marisa, of course, found her way into the Spiderman universe as the contemporary interpretation of Peter Parker's once doting Granny-like Aunt May.

 And then there's the Green Goblin, one of the most diverse and often outrageous actors of our time, Willem Dafoe. I wasn't sure if he was quite following me when I compared Norman Osborn's metamorphosis from a greedy, ruthless sociopathic business leader to a rambling green monster determined to conquer the world, to the deranged orange creature who was leading the free world, at the time of our 2019 meeting. 

 The second Green Goblin, or the son of the Green Goblin, the brilliant, humble and gracious James Franco laughed out loud at my Trump-Norman Osborn comparisons, as he seemed like something of comic book enthusiast.  I'm not quite sure what happened to James after this little cocktail party for his December, 2017 screening of DISASTER ARTIST.  At the time, I thought he should have been nominated for Oscars for his extraordinary acting and directing.  My good friend, Magical Musical Marion Covit seems to be popping up everywhere on this page. 

 And then comes Zod, the intergalactic villain from the last two SUPERMAN films.   The intense and powerful Michael Shannon has become one of the most active and hardest working performers in film and TV, since his breakout role on BOARDWALK EMPIRE.  Is that menacing look genuine?  Approach him at your own peril.

I'm not sure I'd call any of these people camp either, at least not to their faces.  However, who's to say that future generations won't view THE SOPRANOS the way that long dated people like me perceive The Brady Bunch.  Starting at the top left and going across, we have Edie Falco, Tony Sirrica, Aida Tuttoro, Johnny Ventimiglia, Vinny Pastore, Drea De Matteo, Little Stevie Van Zandt, Jamie Lynn Sigler, Robert Iler, Steve Schirripa, Jamie Lynn Sigler again, Dominic Cianesse, Lorraine Bracco and the late, great James Gandolfini.  James and I once shared more than a few drinks at a small, intimate party and he was the nicest, most humble gentleman you could meet.  It's starting to depress me to think about all the amazing people on this page who are no longer with us.

If THE SOPRANOS can be considered the third millennium's answer to FATHER KNOWS BEST, then the crypt keeping Fishers were definitely this generation's ADDAMS FAMILY.  The rather brilliant and charming Michael C. Hall certainly worked hard to impress me during the twelve year gap between our first meeting, backstage at Madison Square Garden after a 2002 WHO concert, and our next encounter at the 2014 opening night party for his Broadway play, THE REALISTIC JONESES.  Michael was just finishing his second season on the HBO hit, SIX FEET UNDER, the first time.  He also told me that he was getting ready to take over the leading role in the Broadway musical, CHICAGO.  By the time we met again, I was able to share my thoughts on the recently aired series finale of DEXTER.  Michael, of course, spent eight years playing the title character in that Showtime smash that gets my vote for all time best writing in a television drama.  See how much more distinguished, successful and confident he looks in the second picture.  At least one of us got there. I just look old and disheveled. 

And speaking of THE ADDAMS FAMILY, if these two guys remind you of Uncle Fester and Lurch, it's because they played Uncle Fester and Lurch (respectively), in the recent short lived Broadway musical.  That's Kevin Chamberlin and Zachary James, at the 2010 opening night party.

The theatrical extravanganzea to end all happened when more than seventy award winning, talented A-List actresses filled the stage of Madison Square Garden for a once in a lifetime event that I had the privilege of attending:  The anti-violence benefit performance of Eve Ensler's comically gripping and deeply profound play, THE VAGINA MONOLOGUES.   Photographed with me at the Afterparty were the mesmerizing young actress who also left her mark on DEXTER, Julia Styles, the brilliant and bewitching feminist icon, Gloria Steinam, the dazzling leading lady of television's DALLAS, Linda Gray, the enchanting Ms. Ensler herself, and of course, the woman who immediately developed a fatal attraction to me, and offered to put me up in her house, on Sunset Boulevard (ah, the dreams of an idle mind).   If you didn't know, Glenn Close, played the legendary, far more frightening than her Fatal Attraction character, Norma Desmond in the musical version of the classic film, SUNSET BOULEVARD, that played on Broadway in the mid nineties and was recently reprised (again, with Glenn in the role). I also had the privilege of seeing Glenn on stage as Blanche Dubious in A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE, when I was in London, in 2002.

What can you say about the exquisite, enchanting, mega-talented, generous, humble and gracious lady's lady, Joanne Woodward, or the prolific, benevolent, charismatic and brilliant music icon, James Taylor, except that they're the people that humble commoners like actress and children's party clown, Magical Musical Marion Covit, photographer extraordinaire and entertainment producer, Sophia Ziburtovicz, and I should aspire to be.  I had the privilege of having long conversations with Joanne and her husband, the humble and magnanimous Paul Newman, at a Lincoln Center benefit for their Hole in the Wall camp, in the early nineties.  These pictures were from the 2009 camp benefit at Lincoln Center, that I once again had the privilege of attending.   That other woman, whose name is something like Roberts and who normally only appears in my dreams and in my favorite films, was there too, but as is the tale of my existence, I apparently wasn't the one she wanted to embrace.

It was truly a pleasure and an honor to spend time talking to the brilliantly talented Oscar and Tony winning actor, Kevin Spacey, at the 2007 opening night party for his Broadway production of MOON FOR THE MISBEGOTTEN.   If you agree that Kevin, who is rather adept at playing a wide variety of comedic characters, would be ideal for the multiple roles of Kenneth Starr, LBJ, JFK and Harry Truman in Starr's on Broadway, please call him up and tell him.  Damn!  I don't want to amend what I said, just because of the recent scandals that have all but ruined Kevin's career.  I judge people by the way they act, in my presence, and Kevin was genuinely gracious, humble and charming.  And he absolutely did not say or do anything remotely suggestive, if only because I was already in my late forties.  I would still welcome Kevin to my play.

Veering back to the themes of gods, monsters and political impressionists, I bring you the man who played the actual rambling, arguably deranged orange would be dictator for five years on SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE.  I've always had a warm spot for fellow Tisch graduate, Alec Baldwin.  Ridiculous, avoidable bits of trouble seem to find their way to him, as they've often found me.  Of course, I never had anything like his most recent public incident, but I don't think he can be blamed for that one. Alec's strong anti-Trump voice prevails over all else, with me.

Sticking with politics, while maintaining the campy theme, I was with the great Robert Smigel and his per diem partner, Triumph the Wonder Dog, on the day our world seemed to end.  Though they only used twenty seconds of the footage in the final cut, Robert and Triumph interviewed me for over an hour at what was supposed to be Hillary Clinton's 2016 victory party at the Javits Center.  Besides his series of Election Night specials, Robert wrote the screenplays for some of Adam Sandler's more interesting films and he created the now classic SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE cartoons that included THE AMBIGUOUSLY GAY DUO and THE EX-PRESIDENTS.

At a happier victory party for President Obama, in 2012,  at the Sheraton Hotel, in midtown, Manhattan, with my old friend, the eminent chief political correspondent for CBS News, Marcia Kramer.  Gone are the days, as has been said.  If you want to know why I'm on the podium, you'll have to write to me and ask.

With the two most talented,  charming and enchanting Samanthas in New York.  Samantha Echo recently contributed her exquisite voice to three songs for my upcoming musical, TOPPER.  And Samantha Bee hosted this  party for her politically passionate, poignant and hilarious TV show, FULL FRONTAL.  To tell people the truth, you have to make them laugh.  We wouldn't have survived four years of Trump, and we won't be able to stop it from happening again, without the Samantha Bees of the world. 

And there's Samantha Echo again, after she sang two on my 9-11 songs, at the EMPTY SKYLINE MEMORIAL in Jersey City, New Jersey on September 12, 2015.  The enchanting Jensen Keets performed one of her own songs from my CD, along with my title track, EMPTY SKYLINE.  I wouldn't say it was a coincidence that the memorial and my song and CD had the same name.  You can look across the water, in the pictures, and see the empty sky.  Sophia Ziburtovicz, who co-produced the CD, and my good friend Magical Musical Marion Covit, both randomly pop up around this page.  The gentleman in the pink shirt was affectionately called Parky Pig, by me, because he was some kind of New Jersey parks bureaucrat who acted like a ravenous hog and totally disrupted our presentation.  Parky aside, I was honored to be asked to be a part of this great event and equally honored to share the podium with the eminent, if scandal ridden former New Jersey governor, Jim Mcgreevey. 

 I almost wished the exquisite, passionate and eternally hyperactive Elizabeth Warren had won, just so I could say that I once embraced a president.  Actually, I absolutely would have supported her if I thought she had a chance of winning in the general election.  Getting Trump out of power was the only priority in 2020 and sadly, keeping him and those in his circle from oozing back to the top, continues to be essential.  And yes, I was very tempted to call her Pocahontas, with warmth, humor and affection, of course.

What scares me as much as almost anything is that New York hasn't had a great Democratic mayor of governor, at least not in my memory.  More and more people are voting for their own immediate personal interests and bullshit propaganda in media has more influence, with every election.  The day the Republicans take over our great city and state is the day there will be few places of refuge left. That said, while I didn't think David Dinkins was a spectacular mayor, much like Joe Biden, he was honest, straightforward. diligent, driven, forthright and nobly intentioned.  Why are these qualities considered negative, in today's world of politics? 

It was a genuine privilege to chat with Daniel Stiepleman, the nephew and screen biographer of the great Supreme Court justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, at a 2018 screening of Daniel's first feature film, ON THE BASIS OF SEX.  Believe it or not, one of us is twenty years older than the other.  You can work on that one.

Sharing a gin and tonic with the great Writer, Producer and Director Bong Joon Ho, a few days before he was on television, accepting not less than four Academy Awards for Best Picture, Best Screenplay, Best Director and Best International Film for the rather compelling masterpiece, PARASITE.

While we're on great directors, this is the lovely, enchanting beautiful and brilliant Sofia Coppola at a reception after a December, 2017 screening of her rather dark, intense, passionate and compelling new film, THE BEGUILED.  Sofia's cousin, the elusive Marc Coppola was in my play, HOUSING, once upon a distant dream.

My ten minute video interview with the great writer/director, Larry Charles, at my 2010 John Dewey High School reunion, could be sold as a quick cram class in the potential legal and health dangers of making a non-mainstream documentary.  Larry followed the brilliant Sacha Baron Cohen, and later Bill Maher, into many legally questionable and arguably dangerous situations when he was directing them in the rather brilliant and hilarious films, BORAT, BRUNO and RELIGILOUS. 

Yes, these guys all appear to be Lurch-like giants, as you'll see if you compare John here and Warren Beatty to my picture with Lurch, above.  I'm honestly not that short.  The late, great John Singleton made himself a major player in the business when he was twenty three years old, fresh out of school, and nominated for writing and directing Oscars for his landmark contemporary classic, BOYZ N THE HOOD.  This picture was taken at a 2016 WGA 25th Anniversary screening.  My impression of John was, he personified a man who knew he was great, but was still a humble, gracious and generous gentleman.  RIP Distinguished and Accomplished Gentleman.

I didn't imagine that the director of dark, disturbing films like BLACK SWAN and REQUIEM FOR A DREAM would be such a nice, humble and seemingly mainstream guy. Darren Aronofsky is a true recent success story from my general neighborhood in Brooklyn, though I half expected him to live in a dungeon and drink human blood.  

 Another great director who went to my high school was the eminent Spike Lee.  After a couple of brief encounters, I would have to conclude that Spike's films are representative of his personality:  Dark, intense, aloof but ultimately representative of something real and important.  We met in passing a few times, over the past few years but this was taken at a huge bash to open a new movie theater on the Upper East Side, in late 2018.

If Peter Farrelly wasn't a genuinely great guy and if he hadn't forever redeemed himself by directing the rather brilliant, profound and important film, GREENBOOK, I would say that we were in the genre of pure camp.  Peter initially put himself into the game by directing DUMB AND DUMBER and, in my opinion, setting the same new standard for comedy that Sarah Palin set for politics (stupid, ludicrous, absurd, barely credible but a reality, just the same).  I guess he did what he had to do to bring himself to a place where he can do what he wants.  I wish I knew how he made that work.

 And then there's the great Rob Marshall, who brought musical theater back to the big screen when he directed the Oscar winning feature, CHICAGO.  Rob followed it up with INTO THE WOODS, MY GEISHA, one of the PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN films and most recently, MARY POPPINS RETURNS. Listing Rob's Broadway credits will go to the end of this page and I can't imagine that a lot of people have read this much.  Rob was actually impressed by some of my work and he wants to see my upcoming musical, now in development, TOPPER.  Tune in tomorrow---?

And then there's the actual Mary Poppins, who I'd always wanted to meet since long before the beautiful, enchanting and multi-talented Ashley Brown was born.  Twenty four year old Ashley originated the title role in the rather spectacular 2006 Broadway version of MARY POPPINS.  This picture is from the opening night party. 

Another spectacular Broadway show that closed long before its time was the 2009 Tony winning revival of James Rado's legendary and still revolutionary musical masterpiece, HAIR.  My old friend Jim not only wrote HAIR, he starred in the original production in 1967.  For whatever reason, after proving he was truly one of the great talents of musical theater, Jim claims that he never did much in the fifty plus years that followed.  If you check his bio pages, you'll see about a hundred credits, but they're all for songs from HAIR that were used in different films and TV shows.

No, he's not sitting on my knee, and I'm not auditioning as Bob's replacement on his.  However, this truly brilliant ventriloquist was arguably the most gifted performer in the most talented ensemble cast ever assembled for the single best and most extraordinary situation comedy to hit the airwaves when I was a teenager, or any time before and after.  In case anyone is still wondering, that's Jay Johnson, the man who was never more than an inch or two behind the sardonic dummy (sorry; I think the politically correct term is Wooden American) on the classic television sitcom, SOAP.   If you haven't seen SOAP, or if it's been a while, you'll send me a grateful E-Mail, and understand all my high praise, when you get the DVD box set. Jay's rather brilliant, Tony Award winning one man, but multiple character Broadway show, THE TWO AND ONLY, produced practically single handedly by my friend and the General Manager for the 1999 production of Starr's on Broadway, Roger Gindi, was recently released on DVD.  Again, you'll thank me if you get it.

Every few years, I see this wayward looking woman wandering around a Broadway event. When I'm in the mood to be gracious, I allow her to take a picture with me.  Of course, I'm joking.  The exquisite, enchanting and extraordinarily talented Audra McDonald is true self made Broadway royalty.  Her six well deserved Tony Awards for acting and singing in various plays and musicals makes Audra the single most decorated person in Broadway history.   We met for the first time at the RAGTIME opening, in the dark days when few laymen knew Audra's name and no one was carrying cell phones or digital cameras.  There two were taken in 2008 and again in 2016.  One of us got older and doesn't look quite as much like a raving scientist.

The enchanting, exquisite and eternally talented Mary Badham dazzled the world when she was ten years old with her Oscar nominated performance as Scout in the classic 1962 film, To Kill a Mockingbird.  After not doing much professional acting since she was a teenager, Mary proved that she still has her chops, and then some.  In a 2022 touring production of Mockingbird, that was recently adapted for the stage by Aaron Sorkin and that I had the privilege of seeing in Cincinnati, Mary was rather compelling as the nasty, racist, arguably crazy older woman, Mrs. Dubose.

At a little party for the rather compelling and essential 2019 film HARRIET, I bonded with the lead actress, Cynthia Erivo, the writer-director, Kasi Lemmons, and Kasi's husband and son, Vondi Curtis-Hall and Henry Hunter Hall, who both acted in the film.  They were all truly amazing, uplifting and inspiring people and they made it into a spectacular event.

Trying to come up with separate and distinct adjectives to describe these two lovely, talented, sweet, enchanting and vibrant ladies, I concluded that the words I just used adequately defined both Penelope Ann Miller and Aja Naomi King.  This was at a 2016 WGA screening of the rather gripping film they both starred in, BIRTH OF A NATION. Yes, this film was made exactly one hundred years after the silent masterpiece of the same name, and yes, they're both emotionally gripping powerhouse films.  However, that's where the similarities cease.  The new film was in no way a remake of the original.  The enchanting Penelope, of course, was the female lead in contemporary classics like THE FRESHMAN and CARLITO'S WAY.  And Aja is a young woman who you will be hearing quite a bit more about.

Getting back to the camp celebrity theme, the familiar looking gentleman at the next table at Sardi's turned out to be yet another of my favorite television personalities from when I was growing up, Larry Corporal Agarn Storch. Not all actors always work in the center of the limelight, and like Ron Pallilo, Larry has built a rather extensive and diverse resume.  At last check, he still played his saxophone in Central Park, though I never had the pleasure of seeing him there.

Whoever said that Jan was the less attractive sister on THE BRADY BUNCH obviously never met the charming and talented Eve Plumb, now an accomplished painter who had her first art show in New York in February, 2010.  I guess you could tell how recent some of these pictures are by the amount of sun that reflects on my head.  

Religion, for me, when I was five, meant never missing the Soupy Sales show on Saturday mornings.  Hearing about the death of this television and radio legend prompted me to dig out this picture and post it here.   I got to live a true childhood fantasy when I spent some time with Soupy, at a little independent film awards shindig in the East Village, sometime around 2002.

I'm still not quite sure why they've never re-done THE HONEYMOONERS, at least in a sketch, with this multi-talented gentleman playing the role he was born to play, EDWARD NORTON.

With the still quite exquisite and enchanting definitive television mom of the seventies, HAPPY DAYS star Marion Cunningham Ross, at a 2008 event honoring the grand TV producer, Gary David Goldberg, at the broadcaster's museum in New York.  Gary was from my neighborhood, he was truly a genius who set his own drumbeat and he too left us far too early.

And then there's one of the great actors and humble gentlemen of our time, Brad Pitt, at a WGA screening of his award winning film, THE BIG SHORT.   And again, Brad's not short so I'm not that short.  Beatty, Singleton and Lurch are genuine giants.

With Daniel Reichard, Peter Gregus and Michael Longoria, three of the principals from the original cast of the Tony winning Broadway musical sensation, JERSEY BOYS.

With my old friend, and grand patriarch of yet another royal entertainment industry family, Jerry Stiller, at the after party for Comedy Central's 2008 NIGHT OF TOO MANY STARS benefit for autistic children.   For many years, I watched in awe as Jerry, who was well into his seventies and later his eighties, marathon swam at my health club with a vigorous and enthusiastic energy that I couldn't have even imagined when I was twenty.  RIP Jerry.  Your legacy prevails.

Meeting Sir Bob Geldorf at a 2005 art opening was truly an honor.  This star of the film THE WALL, lead singer for the Boomtown Rats and founder of the LIVE AID movement set out to use his art to make a difference in the world, and succeeded, beyond any imaginable expectation.  That's my good  friend, Sharon Harel Lauro, smiling through from the rear center.

The one thing I doubtlessly have in common with everyone on this page, and with virtually every other entertainer and artist on every level of the business in New York dating back to Dean Martin, Bing Cosby, Judy Garland and people busking on the subway during their time, is that we've all been interviewed by my friend, the legendary talk show host who wasn't without his own radio or television program in sixty years, Joe Franklin.  Joe was the genuine definition of New York personality, fixture and authentic icon and I'm glad I got to go up to his office, which was legendary in itself, and spend some quality time with him, a few weeks before he died.  And yes, that's my other good friend, Tiny Tim, in the picture within the picture.

My high school friend, Colin Quinn's first one man Broadway show, AN IRISH WAKE, should have played for longer than it's planned limited run, but then, should have is probably the most used and abused term in the entertainment industry.  And there's Sophia Ziburtovicz, yet again.

Yankee Stadium is the Starr in this picture, along with my always lovely mother, Janet Feuer.  I'm not going to explain this picture.  If you've gotten this far on this page, and you want to know what we're doing there, you can write to me and ask me.