Ihad, of course, hoped to run into some of my favorite TV celebrities when I visited Las Vegas this past week. Sin City has become the trendy stomping ground for some of TV's brightest stars—""The Simple Life's"" Paris Hilton, Hef's girlfriends from ""The Girls Next Door"" and even Jeremy Piven from ""Entourage.""
In the VIP room of a popular club called Body English, I met a TV star. However, my TV celebrity encounter turned out to be slightly less glamorous and about ten times stranger than I expected.
My friends and I spent the night hanging with one of TV's weirdest characters—Criss Angel: Mindfreak.
Given my questionable experience, I felt it necessary to prepare a survival guide for all you TV celebrity seekers out there. You may want Jennifer Aniston, but if you end up with Jack Osbourne—you need to be prepared.
Background Knowledge
If you don't know what you're getting yourself into, it could be trouble. Apparently everyone in the VIP room aside from me was familiar with the show Criss Angel Mindfreak. Looking at him, I assumed he was a backup guitarist for Good Charlotte or the like. After my friend explained Angel's vast array of magic—ranging from levitation to cutting people into pieces in plain view—I wished I hadn't stood within schmoozing distance. I hardly wanted my heart ripped out of my chest ""Temple of Doom"" style.
Getting Your Mack On
Bad idea. No matter whom the celebrity, they know they can feel up anyone in the room. As such, if you have a crush on the celebrity, prepare to have your heart broken. If you're afraid of the celebrity—as in my case—prepare to be traumatized. There are no words to describe what it's like to turn around and face the person who has been dancing with you, grabbing your ass, and realize he is an eyeliner-clad magician. No one was about to tell Criss Angel who he could or could not hit on. Forcing yourself to act attracted to a sketchy celebrity will be rough, so make sure you have Jack Daniels by your side.
Buying Drinks
This is a toss up. If the celebrity is attractive, a peace offering could get you a seat at the table and a more in-depth conversation. In my friend Hunter's case, what started as a friendly joke—""I'm totally going to buy him a drink, this will be great,""—produced shocking results. ""Dude, he just tried to kiss me."" It's good to keep in mind that even the most becoming celebrities are slightly neurotic, especially when offered alcohol. Always be on your guard for rogue displays of affection, spilled drinks or projectile vomiting.
Despite sketchy consequences, it was highly entertaining to party with Criss Angel, even though he may not have been my top choice. However, when I watch his show, I have a newfound appreciation that I am the person observing him from my couch and not the poor bastard he's levitating.
