One 'King' to rule them all in Hollywood

August 1, 2010 at 8:44PM

LOS ANGELES -- CBS/Showtime threw the first major bash of this summer's TV critics press tour -- in a Beverly Hills parking lot, no less -- giving me the chance to chat with Emmy winner Laura Linney, former "Roseanne" runt Sara Gilbert, "Precious" star Gabourey Sidibe, a slimmed-down Drew Carey, action-film star Maggie Q, "King of Queens" royal Leah Remini, Jim Belushi, "Big Brother" momma Julie Chen, "Big Banger" Kunal Nayyar, "NCIS" regular Rocky Carroll and former KARE-11 anchor Paul Magers, who's now a staple on the local L.A. airwaves.

But the hugest star I've come face to face with so far is King Kong, the hairy hero of a brand-new attraction at Universal Studios. To make contact, visitors climbed on a tram, which crept into a covered bridge. Once inside, dinosaurs attacked, the tram shook and lizard saliva flew in our faces.

Actually, the monsters are part of a 3-D film created, in part, by "Lord of the Rings" lord Peter Jackson. Kong eventually came to the rescue, but not before scaring young "Parenthood" star Savannah Paige Rae, who sat in front of me and spent most of the ride with her eyes covered.

I can't blame her. If I'd had the choice, I would have been having another cocktail with Maggie Q.

njustin@startribune.com • 612-673-7431

about the writer

about the writer

Neal Justin

Critic / Reporter

Neal Justin is the pop-culture critic, covering how Minnesotans spend their entertainment time. He also reviews stand-up comedy. Justin previously served as TV and music critic for the paper. He is the co-founder of JCamp, a non-profit program for high-school journalists, and works on many fronts to further diversity in newsrooms.

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