Our Brushes With Fame

A charming, talented baby who happens to be related to your Slice host made a brief appearance on NBC’s “3rd Rock From the Sun” the other night.

Can’t say much for that show. But the kid was great. He exuded poise and presence.

And just think, 20 years from now — maybe during a “Star Trek” revival — that lad will be able to tell college classmates that he once worked with William Shatner.

“Yeah, we had a couple scenes together. We talked about doing lunch and maybe pursuing a film project but it just never happened.”

Of course, the infant in question wouldn’t have had that TV experience if he did not live in California. Which raises a question.

What sorts of brushes with fame could an Inland Northwest youngster have that would make good stories years from now?

A few possibilities come to mind.

“I burped up on Trova Hutchins.”

“Once, when I was about 3, I was wandering around at an Eastern basketball game and novelist Jess Walter told me to sit down.”

“Steve Eugster once stopped in front of my lemonade stand and asked me a bunch of questions about my lease.”

“When I was 6, I played a salesman in the Civic’s production of `Glengarry Glen Ross.’ “

“In fourth grade, I did a report on settlement of the West and Sherman Alexie wrote me an angry letter, saying I had no right to characterize the Native American experience.”

“When I was quite young, The Spokesman-Review printed a letter to the editor I wrote about guns, abortion and growth management.”

“Jimmy Marks once said I was a cute baby.”

“Chad Little praised my stroller at Pig Out in the Park.”

“Matt Santangelo high-fived me at ArtFest when I was a toddler.”

* Beyond Minneapolis: One of the brochures describing the recently renovated Cooper George retirement community is full of historical tidbits. A couple caught our eye.

“Upon her completion (in 1951), residents of Cooper George enjoyed the prestige of inhabiting the largest apartment complex west of St. Louis.”

An open house reportedly attracted 16,000 visitors to the high-rise on Fifth Avenue. (Must have been the excitement over the city’s first automatic elevators.)

* Today’s Spokane lifestyle statistic: Kendall Guettinger has 28 pairs of shoes. She is almost 9 months old.

* Today’s Slice question: If you were placed in charge of all local tourism promotion and business recruitment, what would you do to generate excitement about Spokane?