Oh, I have to laugh at this, not that it isn't necessarily an interesting idea, but I have a connection to Will Rogers - well, Will Rogers, Jr., actually (so, through him, a connection to his dad, I guess.)

Anyway, back in Junior High and High School days in Medford, Oregon, my buddy, John Eads and I had a folk duo called "The Kinsmen." We were, in a way, local celebrities - always being invited to play for the Lions Club or Rotary and all the school parties.

Well, we got word (radio? newspaper?) that Will Rogers, Jr. was coming to town to host a talent search. The winner of the local competition would be entitled to a real Hollywood audition with a real Hollywood agent.

When you're 17 you have big dreams, and we did for sure. We were gonna win this talent show and go to HOLLYWOOD!

So, Will, Jr. and his crew rolled into town and set up their show in our Junior High School auditorium/gymnasium. John and I had played this stage many times, having spent three years at that school. So we were on home turf, had an audience heavily weighted in our favor and we killed 'em that night. Won the contest and the chance to audition with a real Hollywood agent.

"Oh - but you have to get there on your own."

Dang - knew there had to be a catch! Well, as fate would have it, the next fall I was off to UCLA as a freshman. UCLA is just about 15 miles from Hollywood, and one day I got a friend of mine to drive me down to the address we'd been given for the audition. When we arrived at the address we drove around the block a couple times looking for the building - any building. It was a danged vacant lot!

Welcome to Hollywood, boy...