A View From a 90s Talk Show (Funny Celebrity Stories)

 I worked on Saturday Night Live during the 1994-95 season. I was one step above intern as an NBC Page - still verrrry low on the ladder. A lot of cast member treated me as such. I was pretty invisible to many of them. But not Chris Farley! He always screamed, "My favorite Page!!!!!" I had a sneaking suspicion that he said that to everyone, but it still made me smile and feel special.  Everyone at SNL smoked. I mean EVERYONE. Even the mice in the walls at 30 Rock smoked. That wasn't really their choice, but still. It was a social thing. There was a specific staircase where everyone gathered to smoke and cat. Everyone except me. I hate cigarette smoke. It makes me sick. Plus, I'm a singer and I hate what it does to my throat. It honestly cost me, not being able (or willing) to hang out with the smokers and shoot the shit. I had never smoked. Not once. Not ever. That drove Farley INSANE!!! He just couldn't wrap his mind around someone who had NEVER took even one lit...

I worked on a very popular talk show back in the 90s. I was lucky enough to work with Cary Elwes when he was a guest. I barely managed to keep my farm boy fan girl antics under wraps, but I was ever the professional. Now, anyone who goes on a show like that, whether they do a whole interview, or speak a few words, gets paid. It's a union thing. And it's not much. Like $700 (which for me would have been huge, but for a movie star... no biggie.) Anyway, I probably completed 200 tax forms for guests, and everyone just signed and got paid. I never gave it much thought. Until... Our Dearest Westley had come and gone. I'd remained professional, as mentioned, even though, ohhh my heart!! Two days later, he called. "Kristin? It's Cary." Um, Yeah. Hello old friend!! Swoooooooon. "Remember that SAG fee? Would it be possible to get that donated directly to a local AIDS charity?" And for maybe the first and last time in my life, I said the perfect th...