I got stood up last night...by a GIRL!
My friend Mariel and I had plans to attend the season 6 premiere screening of the FX cop show "The Shield" at the Arlight in Hollywood then attend the season 5 DVD party immediately after being held across the street at the Cabana Club.
I'm driving into the ArcLight parking garage and notice I have a voicemail on the cellphone. It's Mariel. "The wind blew the fence down in my front yard and I want to put it back up before it gets dark." Well, at least she didn't say, "Ya know, you make me sick!"
I never mind at all attending events by myself, it's easier to meet guys that way. But I didn't quite have my mojo last night and kinda felt like Loser, party of one, as I sat there eating my popcorn waiting for things to get started. But got over that pretty fast once the program started.
The first episode of season 6 was shown and it was a doozy. Forest Whitaker guest stars and is expected to be in a few more episodes this season but not the regular he was last season. I hadn't seen Whitaker in anything since "The Last King of Scotland" and the contrast underscores what a superb performance he gave in "Scotland" because it is so different from what he does on "The Shield."
Michael Chiklas is phenomenal as the lead character, so intense. He blew me away as did the rest of the cast which is terrific with a special shout-out to the terrific CCH Pounder who always elevates anything she's in. The audience was filled with scores of people who work in front of and behind the camera.
There was an emotional moment when the audience suddenly stood and went into a heartfelt standing ovation when the name of producer-director Scott Brazil was mentioned. Brazil directed 11 episides of "The Shield" and was with the show from the very beginning. He died last April during production of the season 6 premiere at the age of 50.
Thought about heading home right after the screening to catch the second half of "American Idol" but hey, who am I to pass up a party?
I wasn't very hungry so I pass on the buffet of food that includes such hearty fare as fried chicken and mac and cheese. But I'm a sucker for Coconut Shrimp and when a guy walks by with some on a tray, I snag one. Then when he comes by again a bit later, I snag another. Then another guy comes over with a tray that has those little mini-cheeseburgers on it. They are made with Kobe beef he says. It is basically so delicious that I scarf it down and am ready for another. Too bad I can't find burger boy now. And I can't very well tap on people's shoulders and say, "Hi. Have you seen that guy carrying around the little cheeseburgers? I need another one. NOW!" So, I move on.
Hung out with a couple of guys who work for E! online, took a photo of Michael Chiklis and one with CCH Pounder but really I wanted to go home. So I ask this short blond guy with a clipboard and headset what time the gift bags would be handed out. I'd been at the party an hour and not seen one yet. He looks at me, kinda snotty, and says, "The party only started 25 minutes ago."

Clipboard/headset guy, unfortunately, is Mary Cheney lookalike (and his hair had that flip at the end like Mary Tyler Moore's did on "The Dick Van Dyke Show") but at least gave me some useful information: 'They'll be handed out at 10," he says dismissively before turning on his heel and walking away.
I have a half-hour to kill now. If I've stayed at the party this long, I'm sure as heck not leaving without the gift bag which i know has a DVD of season 5 in it. So I walk around the room and so many people look vaguely familiar but I can't place them, ANY of them. Except for Frances Fisher. Her, I recognize. She played Lucille Ball in a television movie (and did so very well), was on "Titanic" and "Unforgiven" and I loved her as Julianne Moore's outrageous mother in "Laws of Attraction."
At last! It's a little past 10 and I see people carrying gift bags. I head over to the nice girl handing them out (Thankfully, the snippy Mary Cheney guy is nowhere to be seen), grab mine, and head out into the night.