Over the weekend I sat in on another show at the ATC (not to be confused with the Second City ETC). Nora Dunn was there again. In fact, she enjoyed the show so much last time that she wanted to play along. She opened the show by telling a very funny story about being part of a disastrous comedy benefit for mothers whose children had been tortured (for the Lifetime channel) and we improvised scenes inspired by her story.

The night got me thinking about all the famous and semi-famous people I've met or (more often) been in close proximity to over the years.

When I was in grad school, Comedy Corner opened for Kevin Nealon (I guess I'm slowly collecting encounters with that era's SNL cast). We performed a sketch I wrote where I pretended to be a magician getting volunteers from the audience that were all clearly just members of our comedy group. Each person would accuse the person before them of being a plant. And each time I would tell them to check their pocket and they'd pull out the three of hearts. "Oh my God! It's magic!" And then the next person would leap up from the audience yelling, "They're a plant!" And on and on until someone from the audience shot me but the bullet is stopped by... the three of hearts! And we all bow theatrically. The end.

After the show Kevin Nealon said to me, "I liked that magic sketch. But you should end it like this. You get shot and they find out something's blocked the bullet and it's a card and you ask, 'Was it the three of hearts' and they say, 'No. It's the nine of spades. You're not a very good magician, are you?'"

And he was right. That's a much better ending (any sketch that ends with an over-the-top theatrical bow is really just an admission that no one could come up with a proper punchline).

Through Comedy Corner I also got to meet and talk briefly to David Cross and Demitri Martin.

Over the years I've started talking less and less to the famous people I see. I rarely know what to say, so I've started saying nothing at all. Mike Meyers. George Wendt. The Upright Citizens Brigade. Neil Flynn. Horatio Sanz. Tim Meadows. It's always neat to see them, but I leave it at that.

This time, though, I did make a point to actually talk to Nora Dunn, even if just for a second. I was by the door as she was leaving and I said, "Sorry to interrupt but I just wanted to say it was a real pleasure to play with you." She thanked me and said, "You were funny."

I couldn't bring myself to ask if I could take her picture, so you'll just have to settle for one of the theater's sign.