What a fun morning I had in Hollywood.
The star-studded occasion was the Screen Actors Guild becoming the first labor union to receive a star on Hollywood's Walk of Fame. SAG is the nation's largest labor union representing working actors and is celebrating its 75th year.
I'll be adding quotes from the stars later today and also,. in a seperate post, will share how each of them earned their SAG card. The stories are great and include stories from Diahann Carroll, Blythe Danner, Lanie Kazan, Jack Coleman and Ed Asner, among others.
I ran into actress Diane Ladd on my way to Hollywood & Highland's Annex where there was a breakfast going on. Diane is not only the mother of Laura Dern, but a three-time Oscar nominee. One of those nominations came for hewr wonderful performance in "Rambling Rose" and there was a speech that she gave to Robert Duvall that was so riveting. Diane told me that she wrote the speech herself!
Inside, I bumped into Marg Helgenberger who had come even though she had already been on a 5 a.m. call for her series "CSI." But when your husband is president of the Screen Actors Guild, ya show up. Marg and Alan Rosenberg have been together forever.
Then I saw one of my favorite actors from my childhood, Kent McCord, best known for his role as officer Jim Reed on "Adam 12." Kent is one of the nicest guys around and one of the smartest when it comes to guild issues and history. He has not really aged in all these years so life must be very good for Mr. McCord.
Also at the breakfast, gabbed with Ben Foster ("3:30 to Yuma") for the second time this week. It was so cool to see this 26-year-old star showing up to lend support. He stayed throughout the entire morning as did "Grey's Anatomy" star Chandra Wilson who's about as down-to-Earth a TV star as I've ever met. She is da bomb!
Schmoosed the room for all it was worth, had a croissant then walked over the Roosevelt Hotel where the SAG folks gave me a great spot up front to watch. I stood with Chandra for much of it until they realized that it would be better to have her in a more visible spot for pics!
I really liked what a tuxedo clad Alan Rosenberg said:
"This star reflects millions of hours of training, tireless auditions, countless rehearsals and remarkable performances—the collective body of work of some legends and many more middle-class actors—75 years strong,” said Rosenberg at the ceremony. “For us, it’s all about acting. It always has been and always will be.”
“We know Screen Actors Guild members and their heirs will be filled with pride whenever they walk this stretch of sidewalk for many decades to come," he added. "Thank you to the Hollywood Historic Trust for this remarkable tribute.”