“Can we tawk?” She actually says that! Those were the first words out of her mouth when we were introduced at the Arcada Theatre this spring. She came in the back door, walked on stage and did a complete visual survey of the theater. “This is gorgeous,” she said. “Lincoln must have loved it here!”

We were shooting her latest Showtime television special, “Don’t Start With Me” back in March. After several weeks of preparation, the day finally came. We were all awaiting her arrival (at 7:30 in the morning). The director was pacing; the camera crew was already racking up the hours, and the donuts and green M&Ms were lined up in the dressing room. With all this stress looming and a hundred pairs of eyes on us, she took my arm and spent the first half-hour asking questions about the history of the theater and how we renovated it. It drove the production team crazy – we were already an hour behind schedule.

When I first saw her, I couldn’t help but notice her signature facial artistry. It was not as “plastic” as I had expected. As a matter of fact, she looked good!