Celebs on call

Your own private SF convention: Apparently not a hoax, the Washington Post reports today on a way to have a Real Celebrity call you up and chat: Hollywood's Version Of Caller Waiting

...all that's required is your credit card number or electronic check in the amount of $19.95, and within seven days you can expect to hear from one bona fide, if slightly faded, celebrity wishing you Happy Halloween, get well soon, or congratulations on your retirement. The 15-second phone call works out to over a dollar a second, which is, if you think about it, a small price to pay for the privilege of knowing that, for example, hunky Lorenzo Lamas is incredibly excited that you're turning 40.

Or you can write lines for them and they'll deliver them for $30. I wonder how much the service would charge for a two-minute 'interview' (which just seems like the next logical extension).

There are disproportionately more science-fiction celebrities on the list than I expected; among them are: John De Lancie ('Q'), Peter Jurasik ('Londo Mollari'), Tim Russ ('Tuvok'), and Tony Todd and Andrea Thompson (from Babylon 5 and many other shows).

Not something I'll spend money on, but: wild.

www.hollywoodiscalling.com