Vampires, running buddies, and talk show participants: how are they alike? (updated)

Consider three groups: vampires (of both the supernatural and of the emotional ilks), running buddies, and talk show participants (hosts, co-hosts, correspondents, guests, crew and sponsors).

QUESTION: How are they alike?

I'll betcha Barbara Walters could crack this riddle as readily as she'd like to crack Star Jones-Reynolds'. Rosie O'Donnell's* and Donald Trump's knuckles. Or noggins. The latest crack-worthy development was the publication of Miss O'Donnell's book, Celebrity Detox (The Fame Game). [Read the publisher's and reader's reviews.]

ANSWER: They must be invited in. Once inside, they either reveal they'll be welcomed back (as with fictional "good" vampires and most real-life running buddies and talk show participants), or - rarer, worst case scenario - they unsheathe an unwelcome propensity to bite, suck everyone else dry, or otherwise cause all hell to break loose.

I've encountered both types, and therefore, empathize with Ms. Walters, albeit on a smaller, less public scale. And like Ms. Walters, neither public bloodletting (like that enjoyed by "The Donald" and Ms. O'Donnell in their various, well-publicized feuds with each other and with other people), nor dishing delectable-yet-damaging dirt (as shock jock Wendy Williams* does), is my cup of tea [although I realize mass media audiences savor that stuff just as Dracula digs warm blood].

* Would someone at WBLS or VH1 puh-leese encourage the self-professed "Queen of Radio" to refrain from referring to Rosie O'Donnell as "Rosie O'Donald"?!

For me, a higher - and more lucrative - road for venting about toxic invitees might be to release a tell-all novel and associated film that exposes, in thinly disguised fashion, those few emotional vampires, talk radio show participants and running buddies whom I regret having invited in. (I'm not saying I'll do that, but then never say never, either.)

LINKS: The Amazon.com ads below results from the book search: "tell all, celebrity."

Living dangerously during the spinach scare

Friday's moon hit the eye like a big pizza pie, inspiring our spinach-and-garlic-topped feast.

I was satisfied with dipping tortilla chips in garlic hummus, but it was dinnertime and he wanted something more substantial. Earlier, we'd discussed getting pizza.

"How about spinach and garlic?" he asked. "Or maybe not. Do you think it's safe to eat spinach pizza?"

His selection should not have surprised me. He'd just downloaded Popeye's picture from my recent spinach postings, and the TV news report we watched together about the third tainted spinach victim noted those most vulnerable were young children and the elderly. We are neither, and what's more, we're robustly healthy. Fools we aren't, but neither are we paralyzed by fears of living dangerously.

Although I thought FDA's lifting of its consumer warning for spinach last week was premature, I trusted spinach pizza would be safe. It's baked at 400 to 500 degrees Fahrenheit, hotter than the temperature recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention:

E. coli O157:H7 in spinach can be killed by cooking at 160° Fahrenheit for 15 seconds. (Water boils at 212° Fahrenheit.) If spinach is cooked in a frying pan, and all parts do not reach 160° Fahrenheit, all bacteria may not be killed.

SOURCE: CDC E. coli Outbreak From Spinach - Update: Oct. 6, 2006 CDC Foodborne and Diarrheal Diseases Branch (10/06/2006)

Our spinach pie was fragrant, tasty, and loaded with garlic. (Perfect for repelling vampires.) Best of all, we lived to tell the tale. ###