My favorite celebrities are:

• Bette Midler (the raunchy part; not the conservative, family-variety she appears to have become in recent years)
• Bruce Vilanch (he's interesting, funny, and knows the scoop on all the super stars)
• Hugh Jackman
• Martin Short (and his alter ego Jimminy Glick)

Dead Celebs

My favorite celebrities from the past are:

• Fred Astaire (he set the standard in dance and movie musicals—he's a 10 and no one in the future will ever be able to rank higher than a 9)
• Lucille Ball
• Mary Astor (there's something interesting and sinister about her)
• Sophie Tucker (if she's good enough for Bette Midler, she's good enough for me)
• Josephine Baker

Celebs I Would Like To Meet

If I could spend an evening listening to or talking with any celebrity of my choice, I think I'd want Barbara Walters (even if she isn't interesting, she could tell me plenty of interesting things about other people), Dick Cavett (the same situation as with Barbara Walters), and Harvey Firestein (he was outrageous and talented in his time, probably knows plenty of scoops on other people, and—regretfully—may have burned out prematurely)