When Artie Lange finally came to Las Vegas a couple weeks ago I never expected to hear from him, and I didn't. I interview celebrities all of the time and they invite me to come hang out or to meet them or whatever. They never mean it.

The first time I got caught out on that reality was by Ray Charles. We had a phone interview shortly after I moved to Las Vegas for some concerts he was doing at The Orleans. At the end of our phone conversation, Charles told me to come backstage to meet him after the show. I dutifully went to the side door when the concert was finished, having bragged to my date that we were about to meet Ray Charles. I proudly told the security guard that Ray Charles had invited me back. Can you believe he didn't take me at my word?

Anyway, since that day, I learned that those invitations are only sincere if a backstage pass is included inside the envelope that contains my concert ticket. Outside of bands that are actually friends of mine, only once has the "Come back and say 'Hi' to us" offer been sincere, and that was from the late Joe Strummer. And that just covers the rock stars. Movie stars are even more disingenuous, inviting me to call them on their cell numbers, which they never offer me.

So even though Artie Lange said he would give me a ring when he made it to Vegas, I never actually expected he would call. His trip here was short, I already wrote my article and, hey, let's face facts, I'm not a cute girl. But last week my phone rang from a blocked number and, with my usual courage, I did not answer it. When I checked the message it was a long and friendly greeting from Artie Lange apologizing for not having the time to hang out or call me during his rush trip here. He said he'd get with me next time. The guy even left his home number and told me to call him if I ever make it to New York. No celebrity I have ever interviewed in my career has ever been that friendly and social. I am beginning to see why his fans are so attached to him. Who has seen his movie yet? How is it?