Read Time:2 Minute, 13 Second
“Jodie Foster is playing blackjack
in pit three. That’s your section, Pam.”
I was a Las Vegas casino
cocktail server for over ten years. Yes, it was
the best of times and the worst of
times, if you know what I mean.
Months and months of boredom followed by a few
exciting days of, well,
excitement.
One of the exciting parts was when
a celebrity sat in your section. In my
time, I served several – from Ed McMahon to
Julia Roberts. There are a few
stories to tell, but one involves an actress that I
personally knew, Jodie
Foster. Why did I feel as if I knew her? Well, because we
were close to
the same age, and we grew up together. I mean, she was on TV, and I
watched
TV. What more could two people have in common?
I really felt
as if I knew Jodie. From The Bad News Bears to Nell, I knew her. So when
I got to the service bar that night, and someone said, “Pam, Jodie Foster is in pit
three,” I was totally calm. After all, we were old friends, Jodie and
me.
So why did I start to have strange thoughts as I approached the
actress?
Was it the bodyguards who sat around her? Did they make me start
thinking
like an obsessed fan? Why did I have this almost uncontrollable urge
to
say, “John Hinkley sent me?” Just think. My easy little cocktail bunny life could
end that very night if I grabbed Jodi’s arm and said something about John Hinkley.
Sure, those bodyguards were large and mean looking, but I could be front-page news in the
Inquirer if I just said, “John Hinkley
would like to buy you a drink.” Or something
like that.
And people I worked with for years would be interviewed, “I
never knew she
was obsessed with Jodie Foster,” they’d say. And others would ask,
“Who
is John Hinkley anyway?” A few others would add, “I always knew Pam had
a
screw loose.” And the next thing you know, I’d be out of a job, and
someone
else would be working my pit!
My mind tends to work quickly
under pressure. Like a well-oiled machine, I
knew what I had to do. I approached Ms.
Foster, all five feet of her, and
trying to get her attention, I said the sharpest
thing I could think of. I
said “Good evening. Would you care for a drink?” And not
even looking up,
she leaned over to a bodyguard and whispered something to him. He
looked at me and said, “No.”
So much for our lifelong friendship.
Kristin Dreyer Kramer has been writing in some form or another (usually when she was supposed to be doing something else) since the ripe old age of ten—when she, her cousin, and their two Cabbage Patch Dolls formed the Poo Authors’ Club. After a short career in advertising, Kristin got sick of always saying nice things about stuff that didn’t deserve it—so now she spends her days criticizing things, and she’s much happier for it.
Since creating NightsAndWeekends.com in February of 2002, Kristin has spent her life surrounded by piles and piles of books and movies—so many that her office has become a kind of entertainment obstacle course.
As if her writing and editing responsibilities for N&W.com weren’t enough to keep her out of trouble, Kristin also hosts a number of weekly radio shows: Reel Discovery, Shelf Discovery, and On the Marquee. She’s also a proud member of the Broadcast Film Critics Association (CriticsChoice.com), the Central Ohio Film Critics Association (COFCA.org), the Online Film Critics Society (OFCS.org), and the Women Film Critics Circle (WFCC.Wordpress.com).
Kristin lives in Columbus, Ohio, with her husband, Paul, and their daughter, Anna. She welcomes questions, comments, and fan mail at kdk@nightsandweekends.com.
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Kristin Dreyer Kramer has been writing in some form or another (usually when she was supposed to be doing something else) since the ripe old age of ten—when she, her cousin, and their two Cabbage Patch Dolls formed the Poo Authors’ Club. After a short career in advertising, Kristin got sick of always saying nice things about stuff that didn’t deserve it—so now she spends her days criticizing things, and she’s much happier for it.
Since creating NightsAndWeekends.com in February of 2002, Kristin has spent her life surrounded by piles and piles of books and movies—so many that her office has become a kind of entertainment obstacle course.
As if her writing and editing responsibilities for N&W.com weren’t enough to keep her out of trouble, Kristin also hosts a number of weekly radio shows: Reel Discovery, Shelf Discovery, and On the Marquee. She’s also a proud member of the Broadcast Film Critics Association (CriticsChoice.com), the Central Ohio Film Critics Association (COFCA.org), the Online Film Critics Society (OFCS.org), and the Women Film Critics Circle (WFCC.Wordpress.com).
Kristin lives in Columbus, Ohio, with her husband, Paul, and their daughter, Anna. She welcomes questions, comments, and fan mail at kdk@nightsandweekends.com.
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