The Grand Dame of Dish

It's not every day you get to meet the woman whose writing informed your childhood; the woman who planted the seeds of a lifelong fascination with fame in all its fabulous, sordid glory.  With scandalous blind items and tales of celebrity encounters at glamorous parties, legendary gossip columnist Liz Smith singlehandedly transported a goofy, starstruck gay boy from a lonely bedroom in a house on a dead end street in a dead end town to a glittering world of bold faced names, exotic places and lavish Robert Isabell-designed soirees, teaching me the importance of chasing my champagne dreams and caviar wishes at an early age.  I lived by her example, was voted Biggest Gossip and Most Mischievous my senior year of high school, couldn't wait to get to college in a fast paced city with some action, lived life to the fullest and brushed elbows with celebrity ever since, and with the exception of a few wistful thoughts throughout this blog I've never looked back.  As I thanked her for being such an inspiration to me, Liz hugged me close to her and whispered "I feel like I know you."  Oh honey, I feel like I know you too!