My Hollywood Dinner

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I took a trip north between shows Wednesday night. It was exactly 100 miles round trip. Destination: Hollywood.

Somehow everyone else chose the same time to go! After an hour I was only 14 miles from home on the 5.

There were two stops to make. First, Stef’s place for a drop off. While she visited my father, sister and family in Milwaukee, we doggie sat Roxie.

Second stop was Musso and Frank’s on Hollywood Blvd. It’s a real old school ‘chop house’ with waiters and busboys in red coats on-the-move. I met two old friends for dinner.

I’ve known Howard Lapides since college. He got me my first radio job. He was my best man.

Howard is a producer/manager. He makes deals. He schmoozes professionally. He is responsible for discovering some of the biggest names on TV. It’s an impressive list.

Burt is a TV producer. I met him in New Haven where he was EP of the Sally Jessy Raphael Show. Burt’s produced for everyone from Mike Douglas to Jerry Springer to Dr. Drew.

Dinner was mainly stories.

Dearest spouses and children, we did not discuss you. We love you. Not at this dinner.

Burt told stories about the people I’d grown up watching and often adoring. So much of what I do on-the-air was influenced by these folks.

Howard told a few stories I’d heard before, but gladly heard again.

You can’t buy nights like this. They just sort of happen. When they do, it’s magical.

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