Why Harry Connick Jr. Couldn’t Sit Idle During ‘Idol’
I was home sick with a virus one night watching “American Idol.” I was motivated to write this blog after guest-mentor Harry Connick Jr. took issue with the show’s judges. It posted the next morning and went viral, bringing me 112,000 Likes on Facebook. I was viral when I went viral. HCJ even called me to thank me.
My Dance With Mr. Bojangles
When I was a reporter at the S.F. Examiner in the late 1970s, I was assigned to write a feature about people who live and work at Lake Tahoe. Sammy Davis Jr., aka “the world’s greatest entertainer,” kept a residence there.
Miss Kitt To You
I couldn’t imagine why Eartha Kitt—’the most exciting woman in the world’—would want to hang out with someone as ‘unsophisticated’ as me.
Apple’s Tim Cook Came Out and We Can Relate
It’s not about being gay, it’s about knowing and showing who you are.
Frank Sinatra and I Stopped the Show
I had no sooner gotten to the office on the morning of April 27, 1978, when my phone began to ring.
Throughout the day, excited callers wanted to know: “Did you hear what he said about you last night!”
“He” being Frank Sinatra.
The original post appeared in Purple Clover
A pdf of the original post
20 Questions for the Silent Star of ‘Downton Abbey’
I couldn’t get Maggie Smith, or any other stars of the show. So I did a phone interview with the castle.
Remembering Julia Child: “Come Sit Next to Me”
I once spent some time with the famous chef. Here’s how one little act defined who she was at heart.
Why ‘Girls’ Is a Must-See Show for Anyone Over 50
I love pop culture. ‘Girls’ is one of my favorite TV shows. Each episode convinces me that I never want to be young again.
Annette Funicello: Forever Young
I remember exactly where I was the moment I heard that Annette Funicello had died — some 56 years ago. It was the most shocking news I had ever heard, prior to the Kennedy assassination.
The year was 1956. I was 8 years old. I was on a cement playground at the Evergreen Elementary School in Whittier, Calif., which was Richard Nixon’s hometown. I had stayed after school to play with some classmates. My friend Raleigh came over to me with a stunned look on his face. “I just heard that Annette died,” he told me. “She was killed in a car crash.”