Yeah Headache, how 'bout them Bears...they weren't supposed to be able to win with Kyle Orton...They've got a good coach too...

Thanks, Lazyboy.

I guess now it can be told, that the Scrapbook article "Our Day at The View" was written anonymously by Frank D'Angeli, author of the gereat, purchased-but- (so far) unproduced script, "Columbo" Murder By Suicide". (Frank also tells a back-story about that in another Scrapbook article, "An Open Letter...") Frank and his lovely wife were among the special guests in the audience that day.

The producers of "The View" contacted me and Stephen through the web site, about a week before the show, looking for help in preparing for Peter's appearance. Coincidentally, webmaster Steve barely missed the chance to participate -- he lives in Scotland, but he and his bride had been honeymooning in New York only a couple of weeks earlier. It's too bad he couldn't be there, because he would have gone crazy.

Anyway, I sent the producer a list of suggested questions, and it turned out that Barbara Walters' interview, to my surprise, came completely from those suggestions.

The producer also asked me, somewhat hesitantly, if I would mind, um, wearing a raincoat or something like that on TV. I immediately understood what she was going for, although she didn't say it -- some "Columbo" equivalent of the trekkies who show up at conventions wearing Spock ears or disguised as Romulans.

I didn't mind acting a bit silly for the sake of the show, so I quickly agreed, and showed up at ABC dressed as Columbo, right down to the shoes. Everybody, including Peter, got a big kick out of it. He later wrote me a very gracious, funny letter, thanking me for what I had done and for helping to make the appearance such a success. He sent me one of his drawings of Columbo, too, with a personal message of thanks autographed on it.

I emailed out invitations to any of the site visitors that I knew to be in the New York-NJ area (too bad you weren't around here yet, Cassa!) -- and one fan came in from Philadelphia -- so we sort of had our ownn Ultimate Columbo Section in the audience, and some of us went to lunch afterward at the Carnegie Deli.

Anyway, thanks for mentioning it. It was a really memorable day.

And you looked like such a cutie in that raincoat!! I hope you aren't blushing too much, Ted.
That would have been fun to go there with the rest of you guys...it was probably a kick!!
I had always thought that it was your idea to wear the raincoat....all the stuff you said was very interesting.....thanks for sharing the background with us.