I hate saying "goodbye" to people. I'm moving back to Wisconsin soon - gotta be there by 9/12 to MC a golf tournament. So I don't say "goodbye" - I say, "see ya later". And I will.
So, I had lunch Wednesday at Silver Spoons in West Hollywood with my friend, actor Michael Gregory. We met years ago while I was working at PorchLight Entertainment and we were in the movie, Combustion, together. Helluva guy, that Michael. He worked as Dean Martin's bodyguard for 10 years. (Deano is my favorite all-around entertainer. His son, Ricci Martin, who I also know, used to refer to Gregory as, "Mike DaGard"or Mike DeGard - a moniker Michael uses from time to time.) Michael has starred in film, TV and theater, including: Terminator, RoboCop, Total Recall, Beverly Hills Cop, the original Dr. Rick Webber in General Hospital, Return of the Outlaws and Blue Eyes.
Michael's been involved with charity work for years. Veterans are the biggest heart tugger for him, including Iraq War vets. Two of his charities include Desert Thunder, a children's charity dedicated to raising donations that are distributed to children's service organizations in Southern California and Southern Nevada, and Stars and Stripes Foundation.
Above: Michael on his bike outside Silver Spoons, a Hollywood and celebrity gathering spot for decades. The waiter asked for Michael's autograph. Didn't ask for mine. Oh - forgot. The kindly gentleman pictured below was very helpful to me in finding the front door to the place (he was on the patio, as were we). Come to find out that the kindly gentleman was a friend of Michael's actor Robert Forster. He's at Silver Spoons every day.
Forster's film career was revived when Quentin Tarantino cast him in Jackie Brown. He's starred in Mulholland Drive, Charlies Angels: Full Throttle, Delta Force, Psycho (remake), TV series, "Heroes", among others. Forster saw Michael and he came over to our table and chatted with us. Nice guy. One of the things I'll miss about CA - you can run into anyone at anytime - anyplace.
As Mike DaGard says, "Make every day some kinda holiday!".
Read more!
Saying goodbye to ex's can be...dicey? Not with Val. The Formosa Cafe in West Hollywood has been another Hollywood hangout for decades. My first visit since I moved to CA in 1998. The Lana Turner scene from LA Confidential was filmed here. Val and I had a few drinks and caught up. She's quite the talented lady - script supervisor, screenwriter, belly dancer, resume retoucher and medieval reenactor.
Hollywood haunts. I'm a history buff (and actor) so access to places like Formosa Cafe was nice. Next stop: Westwood Memorial, to say goodbye to Deano, Marilyn, John Cassavetes, Walter Matthau, Jack Lemmon, Bob Crane, Carroll O'Connor, and Carl Wilson - among others.
Posts
