Debbie Reynolds Couldn't Save Our Friendship

You may know her better as Princess Leia's mom

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I was convinced I'd hate Las Vegas, which is hilarious if you know anything about me.

Ugh, the gambling, the trashy entertainment, the sleazy atmosphere—I loved all of it and continue to be a big fan. These days, Andy and I go to Las Vegas twice a year and already have a trip planned for August.

So, although I thought I’d hate Sin City, my friends, Archer, and Michael convinced me to go with them and our friend Lily for the weekend. I thought, "Why not?

We flew there from Los Angeles, stayed at the cheesy Excalibur, learned how to play blackjack, ate at buffets, and had a fabulous time.

While there, I received the phone call that I had been accepted as a company member at ACME Comedy Theater, and I was thrilled.

The trip was wonderful, and a year later, we decided to go back. This time my friends, Cary and Skye, joined us. We had an itinerary filled with fun stuff, including a trip to the Liberace Museum (which sadly no longer exists), a show, and a stay at the Stratosphere, aka The Strat.

The second time turned out not to be a charm, and it was clear that this trip wasn't as special as the first one—but still, we persevered in our quest for a good time.

I didn't know that I'd end up the big loser.

Archer was in a pissy mood, and I was being controlling. I didn't want him to go out that Saturday night to a sleazy bar without us. And I didn't want to go with him. He and Michael had a good relationship, but I don't remember Michael wanting him to go either.

I had no right to stop him from having a good time, but it wasn't a big deal.

We'd both get over our issues.

There's no people like show people.

Things were tense when the five of us saw Debbie Reynolds’ show. If the name Debbie Reynolds means nothing to you, she was Carrie Fisher's mother and Billie Lourd's grandmother.

Debbie talking directly to the audience.

Debbie Reynolds was every inch a star, from the top of her head to the tip of her toes. Everyone knew who she was in the 1950s due to movies like "Singin' in the Rain," "The Unsinkable Molly Brown," and "Tammy and the Bachelor."

She worked steadily and in her later years had some star turns, including as Albert Brooks's mother in "Mother" and Grace Adler's mother in "Will and Grace."

She couldn't stand it when the big studios started selling props, costumes, and set pieces, so she bought them, amassing a huge memorabilia collection.

Hollywood souvenirs weren't the only things Debbie collected - she also had three terrible husbands.

Debbie was the wife Eddie Fisher cheated on with Elizabeth Taylor. She's also the wife of Harry Karl, owner of Karl's Shoes, who gambled away $100 million of their combined wealth and left Debbie about $3 million in debt.

Debbie's third husband didn't help much with her financial turmoil—he worsened it. When they divorced in 1996, Debbie worked nonstop to pay off debts and rebuild her bank.

One way she did this was to perform live in her hotel, Debbie Reynolds' Hollywood Hotel.

Her show would be the highlight of our trip - possibly our lives, or so we thought.

Who needs a big costume change? Just put on a feather jacket. We sat in a very Vegasy red leather booth fairly close to the stage.

Debbie put on a fantastic show—she sang, danced, and told stories about the glory days of old Hollywood.

Afterward, people lined up to have a moment with Debbie, and she tried to connect with every fan.

By the time we got to Debbie, we expected her to fade, as she was in her early sixties, had performed a two-plus-hour show, and had talked to many fans, but she was alert and energetic.

"Are you in show business?" Debbie asked us.

Yeah, kind of? Archer was a TV writer, Skye an actress, and I did sketch comedy, but we were still unknowns.

As we tried to explain, Debbie continued.

"Because you've got personality."

Wow, we stood out to Debbie Reynolds! It felt like a message from the Universe that all our dreams would come true - someone famous had thought we were special just by looking at us.

You'd think everything would have been golden between us from there on, but it wasn't.

I made a face at Archer the next day on the airport shuttle.

"What?" He asked defensively.

"Nothing," I answered back.

"Seems like something," he said.

"It's nothing," and that was it—the thing that ended our friendship. After that, we stopped speaking and never saw each other again.

Please don't ask me what happened because I honestly don't know.

Lily stayed friends with Archer, as they were friends before I knew him. She liked to call him by his birth name, which no one else did, to demonstrate their closeness.

She'd begrudgingly answer questions about him when I asked, but she rarely shared things about his life unless it was about a major success he was having. Kind of like—see what happens when you’re out of their life—AMAZING things happen.

Was my friendship a curse?

Someone, not Lily, convinced me to call Archer, and when I did, he didn't pick up. I left an apology message and later heard from Lily that he thought I sounded snotty and insincere.

I probably wasn't sincere because I still didn't know what I'd done—sorry, definitely not sorry.

Years pass.

A friend, Wicky, emailed me that he met Archer while on a rafting expedition in Costa Rica and said Archer would be up to reconnecting with me. This time, I contacted via email, and again, there was no response.

Although we shared an important Debbie Reynolds moment, Archer had no desire to forgive me for whatever terrible thing I did. Like Debbie Reynolds' hotel, which went bankrupt and was closed forever, our friendship crapped out.

Still, Debbie Reynolds, Hollywood Icon, thought we were special.

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I don’t watch dating reality shows for the most part. However, I make an exception for “Jewish Matchmaking,” “The Indian Matchmaker,” and “Love On the Spectrum.”

Season Three of “Love On the Spectrum” dropped on Friday, and the entire season, but especially the final episode, was the perfect antidote to “The White Lotus.” “The White Lotus” kept my attention (though it took about three episodes to hook me). Still, as fascinating as murder, horrible people doing horrible things, and evil triumphing, it’s nice to watch a show that ultimately celebrates being who you are and love.

As for cooking, I finally made some Miso-Roasted Eggplant, using a recipe I got off Instagram. Oh my gosh, was it delicious—so healthy too. Here’s a recipe that looks like the one I used. Miso Glazed Eggplant

While I like eggplant in dishes like baba ghanoush (eggplant dip), baingan bharta (eggplant curry), and fried on pizza, I don’t love it if it’s spongy and bitter. But Japanese eggplant is my new favorite.

In addition to this newsletter, I’ve started my Reluctantly Writing Substack, where I share my expertise as a working writer. Check it out, Reluctantly Writing.