Going back in time

      One of the things I've been thinking about since finding my biological family is what parts of my past life are they interested in knowing about. No, not my past life as a Vaudeville juggler but rather life experiences they may have missed out on over the years. They probably want to hear about the biggies like graduation, my wedding(s), my son being born, great jobs, major life disappointments, and other experiences like that. Those are all fine and I look forward to sharing but there's other less monumental experiences I want to share. Hopefully essays like this one will give them a peek into my past experiences. 

Spock performing Vulcan 
mind meld on humpback whale
(Now illegal in California)

     Growing up, I was never a Star Trek fan. I thought the original series was painfully campy and Spock creeped me out. Star Wars, on the other hand, was a different story. Like many children of the 1970's I had Star Warsaction figures, pajamas, bed sheets, and a light saber made with a plastic tube attached to a flashlight. I was even C-3PO and Darth Vader on consecutive Halloweens. My dislike for the franchise deepened when the motion pictures based on the series were released in the 1980's. My least favorite film was Star Trek IV, The Voyage Home. Call me a skeptic, but to this day I cannot buy into the notion of an alien space probe sending signals to Earth via humpback whales. Though, according to Wikipedia, the film was the highest grossing in North America of all the Star Trek movies based on the original cast and garnered more award nominations than any of the other films. Shows you how valuable my opinion is on the subject.
     My palate changed in the 1990's. My ex-wife was a Star Trek fan and she introduced me to The Next Generation, in reruns. The series first aired in the the late 1980's and given my derision for the original I never bothered to watch it. When I married in 1993, the show was on nightly at 11PM on the local FOX affiliate and I became a big fan. For me it wasn't campy, seemed believable, had better production value, and the acting was far superior than the original. So when, while working at WXEG-FM in the fall of 1996, I was invited by Paramount Pictures on a press junket to Los Angeles to interview the cast of the film Star Trek: First Contact, I jumped at the chance.
     In brief, Star Trek: First Contact tells the story of how we earthlings first made contact with alien life. Of course other things happen in the movie like the cybernetic Borgs attacking Earth, the Enterprise crew traveling back in time to 2063, and Zefram Cochran, who discovers warp drive power and meets the Vulcans, appears for the first time in the franchise, played by James Cromwell. This film wasn't the first of the series but it my opinion was the best of the four featuring the The Next Generation cast. 

Nakatomi Plaza in Die Hard

   I, along with my morning show partner at the time, Sandy Collins, arrived in L.A. on Friday, November 1, and was transported to the Hyatt Regency Century Plaza near Beverly Hills. The hotel is located on a street called Avenue of the Stars and it lived up to it's name right away. Upon checking in, I had my first celebrity sighting when I spotted Dom Deluise cursing through the lobby. Sadly though, with the exception of the Star Trekcast, he was the only celebrity I would see that weekend. Sandy and I managed to arrange for our own rooms, given we were both invited and, to my recollection, were the only male/female morning team on the junket. I forget which floor my room was located but I did enjoy a partial view of Fox Plaza, headquarters of 20th Century Fox. You might remember the building as the fictional Nakatomi Plaza in the movie Die Hard. We also received a $150 per diem for use at the hotel during our stay. As it was my first press junket I was somewhat hesitant to take advantage and stick Paramount with unnecessary hotel charges, so I think at the most I spent about $30 on breakfast one morning (yes, $30 for breakfast in that part of town is not unusual). Had I known it would be my one and only press junket, I would've thrown caution to the wind and offered Dom Deluise a free steak dinner in exchange for Smokey and the Bandit II stories. You live and learn, I guess. 
     On our first night there was a reception for all the radio geeks at the Four Seasons Hotel in Beverly Hills. The food was amazing and there was an open bar. I wasn't much of a drinker at the time and at most I think I had a few beers. None of the stars from the movie mingled with us but I did bump into Jonathan Frakes, aka Commander Riker, who also directed First Contact, as he was leaving the hotel. We didn't speak. 
     At the reception, most people socialized and exchanged contact information. Radio is a funny business; when you meet someone else in the biz would immediately begin sharing war stories. I suppose professionals in other fields are the same way but few probably have as many horror stories than those in radio. Or, maybe that's just me. But radio isn't always that bad. After all, on this particular night I was being wined and dined by Paramount Pictures at one of the most exclusive hotels in L.A., if not the world. When it's good, it's real good. When it's bad, well...it leaves a scar.
     The next morning was not one of my shining moments. Either because of jet lag or my 

Two radio dudes chatting
Beavis and Butthead

inability to set the hotel room alarm clock correctly I overslept and missed the bus sent to take our group to see the film Beavis and Butthead do America and interview creator Mike Judge. The universe must have been conspiring against us that morning because Sandy also overslept and missed the bus. I swear, it wasn't planned. I truly felt bad about missing the junket that morning, given the trip was being paid for by those counting on us to deliver rave reviews and Hollywood insight to our listeners. But to be honest, I never much liked “Beavis and Butthead.” While no doubt my absence that morning was disappointing to the press handlers at Paramount, I didn't feel as though I had missed out on much. Plus, if I hadn't missed it, I wouldn't be able to tell the story about the time I ate the most expensive breakfast ever. 
     Unfortunately, we didn't know for sure where the Beavis/Butthead interview and screening were taking place so getting a cab wouldn't have likely helped. Looking back, I guess we could've just gone to Paramount and tried to find out where the junket was that day. Though, I'm sure it would've ended up being more like a scene from a comedy where two Midwest bumpkins with dreams of grandeur and wearing backpacks attempt to sneak onto a movie lot. So instead of being arrested we went to the local mall. 

famous water tower

     Since we missed the bus in the morning we made sure we were ready for the bus that evening which took us to the Paramount Pictures lot for a screening of the Star Trek: First Contact. As we entered the lot we were told repeatedly that photography is not permitted on the Paramount grounds. I vaguely remember signing a waiver form on the bus promising to not photograph or reveal publicly anything I might observe non Star Trek related while on the lot. I swear, I saw nothing. Mostly because it was November and in case you didn't know, even in California it gets dark early. The two things I do remember quite vividly is entering through the famous Paramount Studios front gate and spotting the Paramount water tower in twilight.
     Upon entering the theater we were shown to our seats, which by the way were amazingly comfortable. Remember this was 1996 and many area movie theaters hadn't installed the comfy reclining type seating we are accustomed to today. We weren't, however, treated to any snacks or popcorn. Though, we also didn't have to sit through endless trailers or reminders about “no talking.” The lights went out and the movie immediately began without much fanfare. As you would imagine, while Paramount Pictures may have skimped on the popcorn and Jujubes they didn't skimp on the theater's sound system. The movie (and accompanying sound quality) was amazing. There is a pivotal scene in the film where Zefram Cochran, Commander Riker, and Lt. Geordi La Forge, blast off in a homemade rocket ship to the Steppenwolf tune “Magic Carpet Ride.” The theaters and the seats we were sitting in rattled as the roar of the launch and booming rock music pummeled us. The song lyrics was fitting: “I like to dream yes, yes, right between my sound machine. On a cloud of sound I drift in the night. Any place it goes is right. Goes far, flies near, to the stars away from here.” It was perfect.  

                  

     After the film ended, we loaded back onto the bus (reminded not to take photographs—which some did anyway) and were dropped back at the hotel. Sandy and I decided earlier in the day were going to hit a few bars after the movie and we hailed a cab and headed to the Sunset Strip of West Hollywood. I recall going into a few bars that really weren't my style but it was fun and colorful to say the very least. It was amazing how many people were out partying up and down the Strip, block after block. The only other time I ever experienced so many people partying on the sidewalk for blocks and blocks was the night I walked from Wrigleyville to Lincoln Park along Clark Ave., north of downtown Chicago. It was a Saturday night and Cubs' fans were out in force following a rare night game and an even more rare win.
     The next day the group was once again bused to the Four Seasons Hotel to interview the cast of Star Trek: First Contact. After being warned again against taking photos, asking for autographs, or making any sudden moves, one by one the stars took turns, coming into our elegant conference room, taking a seat at the head of a small clothed covered table, and answered a question from each “reporter.” It was rather embarrassing to be quite honest. While I would never assert I rub elbows with fame on any level, I'm comfortable enough to not lose my sense of decorum when in the vicinity of a celebrity. Unfortunately, the same can't be said for everyone. Beyond the great insights I gleaned from actors like Alfre Woodard, James Cromwell, and Levar Burton, the two things which stand out from that day are 1) the unabashed gushing displayed by some of my radio colleagues upon meeting celebrities and 2) jerky dee-jays hounding Patrick Stewart, who played Captain 

Really? 

Jean Luc Picard, to utter his trademark phrases of “Engage” and “Make it so” into a hand help tape recorder so they could turn it into a “sound drop.” Or, the guy who flat out asked him to do a personalized celebrity I.D. for his show. It briefly became uncomfortable when Mr. Stewart responded to the request with a resounding “NO,” as only a scowling Picard could give, I might add.
     All of the Star Trek actors were very down to earth and the only ego I sensed was that of Brent Spiner, who portrays Lt. Commander Data, a synthetic and artificial intelligent life form. He's the resident know-it-all on their ship The Enterprise and it carried over a bit into the interview. But, he was nice and I thought he was more engaging than most of the other actors. The only thing I have to say about Marina Sirtis, who plays the ships counselor, Deanna Troi, is she is smokin' hot on every level. The one character missing from the day's interviews was Doctor Beverly Crusher, played by Gates McFadden. According to our handlers, she missed the junket because she required an emergency appendectomy the week before in Hawaii. 

    As a newly minted Star Trek, Next Generation fan, I was of course totally blown away by meeting all of these actors who played the iconic characters I watched every night at home before bed. But I must say, probably the highlight of the whole day was meeting Alfre Woodard. Not only is she a stunning woman but more importantly she's an amazing actress and the only Oscar nominated artist I've ever met. To be honest, I had heard of her before our meeting but I wasn't too familiar with the bulk of her work. I certainly knew her from one of my favorite holiday movies Scrooged, where she plays Bill Murray's secretary, but that was about it. If you haven't seen American Violet or 12 Years a Slave, I would offer those are two of her best performances, along with her Oscar nominated performance in Cross Creek (full disclosure, I haven't this film but I assume she's good having been nominated by the Academy).

Deanna Troi relaxing after a long day counseling

     After the interviews were over we were given a small send-off at the Four Seasons and bussed back to the Hyatt Regency. The next morning we caught a flight home and as promised, talked up Star Trek and Beavis and Butthead do America the following week on the morning show ahead of their national release. Now when I watch old Next Generation reruns, I always think of that trip and how close in proximity I was to the people on the screen. Before the interviews began that day I managed to grab the seat nearest to where the movie stars were seated. I was within in arms reach of Picard, Worf, Data, but most importantly  Counselor Troi. There's a joke here to be made about "beaming her aboard" but I'll reserve such allusions for the holodeck.