Dr. Richman said:

Prior to his becoming nationally known on CNN, Larry King was a noted radio &
TV interviewer in the Miami area. At a time when I was the psychology
director
for a private cardiac rehabilitation center, I was interviewed for 2 hours by
Mr. King on a local radio program. The subject was "Stress and Heart
Disease",
and of course, it dealt with psychological procedures for reducing such
cardiac
risk factors as smoking, obesity, Type A personality behaviors, and stress
reactions.

I also have had several famous people as patients, but because of
confidentiality requirements, can not reveal their identities. Suffice it to
say that one was an astronaut whose space explorations became well known.
Another was a prominent local and national TV news anchor. A third was a
member of one of America's wealthiest families, well knoiwn for its
philanthropic and business interests .

Both my wife and my best friend work in the film industry, and I've done
occasional jobs with them. I've met many, many famous people over the last
dozen years, almost too many to remember. In fact, I once managed a
Blockbuster Video just down the street from the NBC studios in Burbank, and
talking to famous people was a daily thing. That was a weird time in my life;
if more than a week went by without meeting anyone famous, I'd think something
was wrong.

If I tell someone outside of LA this, generally they think I'm full of ****.
But when I'm hanging with people where I live, and I mention it, they pull out
their lists of famous people they know. Of course my contact with celebrities
varies greatly from a simple hello and a handshake, to one person that's
actually considered a close friend of my wife's family.

I still get an ENORMOUS kick out of meeting famous people, though. The trick
to having actual conversations with them is to treat them like ordinary people,
and to never say anything like "I'm a fan." The lesser-known actors ("Aren't
you somebody?") do get a kick, however, if you do know their names and the work
they've done. But mostly they just want to have normal conversations, unless
they're really snobby, which is common, too.

Boon