I was extremely fortunate to attend the Patterns for Paws fundraiser event on Thursday, July 15, 2010 which True Blood star Kristin Bauer van Straten also attended. Patterns for Paws is an event that supports the Amanda Foundation, which held the fundraiser in order to help the Amanda Foundation to continue to go into low income areas to spay and neuter pets, which helps keep less animals in shelters. The event required a donation to attend and I was more then happy to donate to the cause. (By the way, I later went back to the donation page, and I discovered that tickets for the Patterns for Paws event actually sold out! Very pleased to see that it was a huge success!) 
There were many celebrities in attendance at the event! Kristin Bauer van Straten was joined by Pauley Perrette (Abby on CBS' hit show NCIS), Jenna Ushkowitz (of GLEE), HBO's own Bill Maher, and Nigel Lithgow of So You Think You Can Dance. Luckily, the atmosphere of the event was very open, and the celebrities were very approachable once they arrived. 
I spent a good amount of time playing with some of the dogs at the event (yes, it really was animal friendly), and after that, I walked over to where the celebrities were being photographed with some of the dogs up for adoption. As I watched, Kristin arrived with her gorgeous husband Abri van Straten in tow. She took tons of pictures on the celebrity "grass" carpet (adorable puppy up for adoption in her arms), and after a while, Abri left her side to get into the air conditioned building. (It has been incredibly hot in the Los Angeles area.) I saw Abri come in, so I walked over to him and said hi. Abri was very sweet, so he and I chatted for a while about many things, including his music, computers, and his Facebook page. Later that evening, we also talked about Africa, how being a celebrity causes different reactions in different places, and how the paparazzi has been treating him and Kristin. Abri said that in South Africa, where he's from, celebrities are not shown the same insanity there as in Los Angeles. I was thrilled to just talk to a man whose music I absolutely love, and Abri's so down to earth that the conversation is just delightful. Plus, he has an amazing accent! 
I also said hi to Pauley Perrette (pictured) because I'm a huge NCIS fan and Pauley plays my favorite character on the show. She too was an absolute sweetheart (even though she's never seen True Blood), and she and I discussed NCIS before I talked to her about True Blood and tried to convince her to watch the show. Pauley was a great sport about that and mentioned that her date to the event is a huge True Blood fan. (Later on, he and I plotted about how to get Pauley to sit down and watch our favorite show). During the time I was chatting with Pauley, Kristin had come inside. I walked around for a bit until I found Kristin to say hi to her. She was very sweet and she, Abri and I chatted for quite a while with a few breaks as other fans came up to her for photos. 
One of the things I talked about with Kristin was the upcoming Comic-Con. Because I'll be going this year for my third year in a row, I warned Kristin about the insanity that takes place there. She told me her agent had said she can't go to the dealer's room because she'll be mobbed. I seconded what her agent said and told her to prep her ears for some really loud fans, especially at the True Blood panel. (I still remember how loud the cheering was when the actors were introduced at last year's panel and how badly my ears rang for the next 15 minutes). Kristin took heed at my warning, and hopefully it'll help her next week at Comic-Con. After some more chatting, Kristin had to get ready for the doggy runway with an adorable dog dressed up in the Laker's Purple and Gold. She was approximately the 5th person on the runway with her adorable pooch, and it was really funny when Nigel Lithgow realized that she was Pam on True Blood and announced it to the throng of people watching the show when Kristin was at the front end of the runway. She was cheered on even louder at that point than she was when she was first introduced! 
Not long after that, the event started its auction, and most of the celebrities left. I did too, but on my way out, I ran into Kristin one more time. I thanked her once again for talking with me, and she and Abri told me that they'd see me at Comic-Con next week! It's nice to know that actors we like are really truly nice people! One last thing: I'm a huge supporter of saving shelter animals, as is Kristin. If you're going to get a pet, please rescue a shelter animal! To enlarge the photos just click on the images. (Image Credit: Isis Nocturne) http://truebloodnet.com http://truebloodnet.com/community http://truebloodnet.com/forums
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