William Shatner, Pam Grier, and the alternate IT!

With Scott Fulks at Forbidden Island Tiki LoungePresented for your approval: artist Michael Fleming's amazing ALTERNATE front cover for my erotic tiki sci-fi epic (with Scott Fulks) IT CAME FROM HANGAR 18, which will be used for as many promotional purposes as I can think of, including posters, so stay tuned. By the way, my next scheduled Hangar 18 signing/reading event will take place Wednesday, May 30, 7PM, at Books Inc. in Alameda, the only bookstore where this novel is currently in stock (otherwise for sale online from Amazon) - and we will probably have posters of both covers for sale (or possibly as a bonus with book purchase) by then. Hosting Forbidden Thrills, March 19, 2012 (photo by Brian Miller)  A "Shining" star at the bar (photo by Mark Bowen)
At the new Original Joe's, San Francisco
As close as I will probably ever get to William Shatner -
and I got yelled at by the usher just for taking this picture

Within the past couple of weeks I had a couple of notable celebrity encounters - sort of. On Sunday, March 11, Monica Tiki Goddess and I caught William Shatner's one-man show,   Shatner's World (We Just Live in It) , at the Orpheum Theater in San Francisco. Since I couldn't afford the high price VIP ticket which would've allowed us backstage access and a chance to meet the man himself, I left without scoring an autograph. But as the creator of SHATFEST, I figured I had to make an appearance. The show itself did not disappoint - Shatner (who turns 81 this March 22) is still a cosmic ball of energy, regaling the packed house with sundry stories both personal and professional, spanning the scope of his life and career, where truly no man has gone before, or ever will again. Even though I felt let down I didn't have the opportunity to shake his hand and tell him about Shatfest in person, we did achieve another goal: dinner beforehand at the newly refurbished Original Joe's Restaurant, now relocated to North Beach since the original location in the Tenderloin burned down a few years ago. It's still a legendary landmark and a highly recommended destination. In fact, I recommend all the "Original" Joe's around the Bay, from San Jose to Marin, which, despite their declarations to the contrary, all boast the same basic menu, decor and old school Italian ambiance. The martinis and pasta are good at all of 'em.



Pam Grier's new autobiography At the Castro Theater for a hot date Dwarfed by entertainment giant Peaches Christ


And last Saturday, March 17 - St. Patrick's Day, incidentally - Monica and I again made the trek across the Bay Bridge, this time to actually meet the great Pam Grier in the flesh, the subject of a spectacular stage tribute at the Castro Theater, produced and hosted by the only woman man enough to handle her, local (and international) drag icon Peaches Christ. Pam is still as sassy, sexy, and smart as ever, ingratiating herself to the huge crowd with her passion, wit, and social savvy. When I finally got to shake her hand up in the mezzanine after the show, I told her what a great lady she was, and what an honor it was to meet her, and she was extremely gracious, warm, humble and appreciative. Once again, however, due to a strict managerial policy against taking personal photographs with the luscious lady herself, apparently due to the length of the line, I wasn't able to realize my dream of preserving myself into a picture with her, but Pam did suggest and allow Monica, wearing her mother's foxy 1970s coat, to poke her head into a quick shot as she signed her autobiography and a sizzling 8x10 still from that night's movie (Jack Hill's 1973 blaxploitation masterpiece  Coffy ), over the obviously displeased manager's objections. The resulting photo tells it all. All in all, a star-studded week to remember. Cheers.