Twitter's @HelloRoss received the sweetest how-do-you-do bundle of joy Monday while at the Mall of America signing his book, "Man Up! Tales of My Delusional Self-Confidence."
Ross Mathews, whose celebrity and pop culture talk show is scheduled to debut in September on E!, was visited by Jill and Reginald Miller, a University of La Verne classmate who now lives in Minnesota. @RegsEdge brought along their 1-month-old son, Dane Von Miller, who has a Twitter account and who, unlike yours truly, already has been to an outdoor Twins game.
Reg turned over Dane to Ross for one of the most tender moments ever seen at a book signing.
Reg also brought along a cassette of a recording he and Ross did when they were lab partners in an audio class, an introduction to radio course.
"We would do sound effects, tell stories," said Reg. "He's always been the [way Ross is now on TV]. He used to dress up in a tuxedo for the Oscars [when] he was younger. He continued that into college, in the dorms and such. For one of our [college] projects we had to create an audio with the sound and stuff. He chose the Oscar awards. I chose sports, because we're kind of polar opposites. Ross is Ross. I'm an alpha male athlete."
Reg said he once worked for CNN. "I'm retired from television broadcasting in California," said Reg, who looks too young to have retired. "Saved all my money. My wife's got a great job [as a pharmacist]. I'm a dad."
Reg said they moved here because they wanted to raise Dane around Jill's parents.
Reg's lab partner, Jay Leno's "Ross the Intern," has definitely graduated in the broadcasting world. A regular panelist on E!'s "Chelsea Lately" and occasional guest host of that show, Ross told me that his host fill-in work has drawn consistent enough ratings to encourage the cable channel to give him his own show. It's supposed to be highly viewer interactive.
After signing autographs and cuddling with Dane, Ross found other entertainment in the Twin Cities, as he tweeted, "Just found a gay karaoke bar in Minneapolis! Watch out, [Lauryn] Hill's 'Killing Me Softly' …"
I have not heard back from Ross regarding the exact location of the gay karaoke experience.
Who DOES he look like?
As Reginald Miller stood in line, I thought he was somebody else very famous waiting for Ross Mathews' autograph. Who is it that Miller looks like, I asked him later?
"I've gotten Javier Bardem," he said.
Nah, Miller is better looking than that.
"Nicolas Cage?" said Miller.
Better looking than Cage, too. Next?
"Let's go to dinner," said Miller by way of thanking me for the compliment as wife Jill cracked up. " 'Everybody Loves Raymond's' …"
Brad Garrett, that's the guy!
Australian Bieber?
Australian heartthrob Cody Simpson was at the MOA on Monday supporting his sister Alli at a Pastry Shoes event.
Cody's Paradise Tour made a stop here. I didn't go upstairs to see Cody myself, but I'm sure girls swooned, as Cody's considered a Justin Bieber successor by some. Cody: Please hurry up and succeed Biebs before he starts strutting around naked to show off his little muscles.
Among the adult women in the room with Cody was Melinda Jacobs from theadventuresofmelindajacobs.com. She says she looks askance at adults inappropriately draping themselves over pop stars who are "young enough to be their children."
"My point is that when people pose for pictures and they are a 40-year-old [who thinks] that cougar thing is cute," this is what they should know: It's not!
In the photo Jacobs took with Simpson, her hands were placed ladylike in her lap. Although she is seated next to Simpson, it does not look like they were touching as he leaned into the camera.
C.J. can be reached at cj@startribune.com and seen on Fox 9's "Buzz." E-mailers, please state a subject; "Hello" does not count. Attachments are not opened.
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