Angela Lansbury, 96, died this week. She was the best of the best. In my decades as an entertainment reporter, I have done a gazillion interviews. The subjects fall into three categories: neutral, horrific and wonderful. Neutral: nothing memorable. Ask a question; get a rote answer. They have heard every question. Even though you think it is original, it never is. Horrific: Ellen DeGeneres, Frank Oz (Kermit's alter ego), Rosie O'Donnell.

Everyone knew Tommy Lee Jones loved being a jerk. I told you guys for years DeGeneres is a piece of work. O'Donnell had the "queen of nice" persona but was really the queen of mean. When it was my turn to interview her, she looked at me and said, "Why would I let you interview me? Her PR person said, "Because you are airing in her city." O'Donnell became my new BFF. She was also a terror on her set. One time, a crew member did not move fast enough. She allegedly threw a barrage of Snickers at the poor guy. Jones just loved to mess with people. He would do an interview in Spanish. A reporter from Telemundo decided to ask the question in Spanish. Jones sneered and asked, "Why do you think I know what you are saying? Ask in English. Or are you not smart enough to speak English?"

Clint Eastwood's daughter, in her one and only movie, literally spit up on me. Not a sorry; I was a peon, so what was the problem? I asked Oz what is was like working with the world's biggest diva, Miss Piggy. He bellowed, "She is a puppet." Thanks, Frank.

The best: Keanu Reeves. Often, an actor will tell you their deepest secrets. When you see them in the hall a minute later, they look through you. Not Reeves. He took me aside to tell me I asked a great question. Quentin Tarantino was jazzed to be there. Kevin Kline looked you in the eye and smiled. Ditto for Tom Selleck. Val Kilmer and Jamie Lee Curtis saved me. I am a slob. My lipstick had the Bozo the Clown look. Kilmer noticed and fixed it. Curtis saw my top was a bit unkempt. She said it was the mother in her, and her mother was the nicest person. Curtis leaned over and took care of it. She said her mom, Janet Leigh, taught her to be nice. My eye was patched when I interviewed Dustin Hoffman. I had just had a cornea transplant. He asked me about the reason. Christian Slater, who was headed to jail the next day, was kind and focused. He said he owed it to the production company to do the interviews.

Lansbury was so good in so many ways. First off, her talent. Playing a cheeky char lady in "Gaslight," she stole scenes from Charles Boyer and Oscar winner Ingrid Bergman. A delight on the Broadway stage, she was amazing in "Sweeney Todd." She recalled that Stephen Sondheim hated her. She quipped that it was nothing personal; he hated all sopranos. He told her they were too much work. "Murder She Wrote" — truly a show with the slimmest plots. A character says hello, and you and Jessica Fletcher, who she played, solved the crime in a nanosecond. Lansbury was so winning she made it fun. Her talent did not make her the best of the best for me. Her son had battled drug addiction. She and I were once about to do a live interview. I asked if she was willing to talk about her son's issues. At first, she said no. Then she stopped and said, "Yes. You could have done it without asking. Besides, it might help someone who has a friend or relative with issues. My son stopped using drugs in his 20s and never relapsed. That was my greatest gift from my son to me."

To find out more about Lynda Hirsch and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.