By some amazing coincidence, a huge cover story had broken in the Enquirer tabloid revealing the up till now secret marriage of Danny Aykroyd and Donna Dixon. Not one person started the conversation with "Is she all right?" but rather, "Is it true?" What a joke, there I sat bandaged like an Egyptian mummy, two huge tumors removed, I'd probably gotten by within an inch of my life, and Danny and Donna, without even trying, had upstaged my surgery. Thank goodness I am such an accepting and understanding friend to my friends, I thought as I gorged myself on cheese and pepperoni pizza.
I've always wanted a star trailer, but I guess you have to become a star first to get one. I remember Danny Aykroyd during the Doctor Detroit shoot generously offering myself and the other girls in the movie his trailer while shooting on the Universal lot, since he also had a big office as well, and what a treat it was. As I opened the door to my trailer with my key, it became clear to me that this wasn't exactly like the star trailer Danny had loaned us years before, or that Billy Crystal was using just around the corner, but, then again, I'm not Dan Aykroyd or Billy Crystal.
"This has been the worst day of my life." That profound statement would haunt him for a long time to come, as he blamed himself for bringing on the event that would truly define the worst day in our lives...At the end of the day we made a brief stop at Danny and Donna's to see some furnishings that had been delivered to their newly purchased home in the Hollywood Hills. They asked us to stay for dinner, but we declined the offer, since it was Judi we had committed to see. If only we had stayed. If only we had canceled on Judi. The saddest words I've heard or seen are "Oh, but if it could have been..." We had just finished dinner, I'd made a meatloaf, and by around eight o'clock we were still sitting around the kitchen table when Chester, who was only two at the time, began barking at the front door...The front door was broken down, and two men with guns were running toward us. I let out a scream that was more like a primal roar, when every nuance of your being is focused on one thing...Now it was just that week that I happened to be watching a morning talk show and felt the impact of what a police detective was saying about most victims not making good witnesses. I found it interesting that the greatest difficulty in finding a perpetrator is mostly due to the fact that the victim becomes crippled by such fear during an attack that they are rarely able to give a clear description...Because of that TV program I did just that, and managed to work out a police sketch that was such a dead ringer of the guy that you'd think the creep sat and posed for his own portrait!...Every corner had a plainclothesman with a police radio, just watching and waiting, each with a copy of my police sketch. When a white car with Compton plates pulled out a a driveway, the vehicle began to be tagged as it headed toward the freeway. Just before it reached the freeway ramp, it was pulled over, and it was all over. Out of the car climbed my rapist, a convicted felon on parole, with jewelry hanging out of his pocket and his fly still unzipped...We will never again be the same, but thanks to the generosity of our friends Danny and Donna, who opened their hearts and their home to us for almost three months, Peter and I began to feel safe and protected, slowly creeping out of the nest a little more with each passing day. I remembe sitting in the Aykroyd den with what little was left of my wordly possessions safely tucked in my handbag, which I kept by my side at all times. To this day I must admit to having a phobic attachment to my purse and continue to carry it from room to room even in my own home.
The most fun thing about being a star is the perks you receive. While Peter and I were still struggling, we used to watch Danny Aykroyd get lavished with gifts and complimentary things all the time. We'd look at each other and say, "Nu? The rich get richer." F. Scott Fitzgerald was right. Simple things continue to excite and thrill us no end...In the old days there were certain "in" places we wouldn't dare go unless we were in the company of Danny and Donna, but now, when our executive assistant Howie drops my name while making a reservation, they roll out the red carpet. It's a fun ride. I think of myself as the "flavor of the month," but for as long as it lasts, I enjoy being a star.
Robin [Williams] is the most caring man to work with and for. He and Dan Aykroyd are my mentors on how a star should behave in regard to cast and crew...
When I sat next to Bruce [Springsteen] at one of the opening-night parties at the L.A. House of Blues that Danny Aykroyd hosted, Bruce had mentioned that he once took an elevator with me, to which I had responded, "Stop it, you knew who I was and didn't say anything? Ya hadda know I was plotzing to say something, but didn't want to intrude on your space?"