Gossip guru Richard Reid reveals the best and worst stars he's met

Tommy Lee Jones, Courtney Love and Eddie Murphy were among the troublesome stars.

I'd been warned. But somehow I thought I could win him over.

I didn't.

It couldn't have been more than ten seconds, but the glacial silence before he spoke seemed like an eternity.

His dead, black eyes narrowed into vicious slits, the contempt oozing from his entire face. "Seriously?" he hissed. "That's your first question?" The world stood still.

Needless to say this Oscar-winning superstar didn't dislike me personally however his legendary disregard for the press and, no doubt, the very public who had put him on top had to stem from deep inside his cold, hideous heart.

But I'm jumping ahead of myself.

Throughout my decades (oh my!) long career of chasing down celebs, be it red carpet events or face-to-face sit downs, you'd be surprised how unpredictable the stars can be when they don't have a script or character to hide behind.

THE GOOD

It was love at first sight for me and Angelina Jolie. Well, at least it was for me. She was in the midst of falling in love with Billy Bob Thornton.

She and the oddball actor had just played hot and heavy lovers in the movie, Pushing Tin. So, of course my first question to her: "How good a kisser is Billy Bob?" You'd have thought I was her long lost brother (that's another story!) the way her face exploded into laughter and her face turned scarlet red.

"Oh my God! He sets me on fire!" she said.

She proceeded to giggle like a schoolgirl and gush rhapsodically about the thickness of his tongue, his silky lips and the pash rash breakout he caused on her milky white face.

We spoke of nothing else. For 10 minutes. The interview may have been over, but her journey toward infamy (and wearing a vile of blood around her neck) had just begun.

Equally game and enthralling is Sandra Bullock. Or at least she was. As generous, kind and loveable as you'd imagine America's Sweetheart to be, she is 10 times that and more.

Gracious, always quick with a laugh and never a bad word about anyone; then came the scandal. After that love-rat, good-for-nothing husband of hers, Jesse James, cheated on her with that tattooed stripper, Michelle 'Bombshell' McGee, the unfiltered trustingness with which she treated everyone seemed to diminish a tad, a whisper of sadness always behind her eyes.

THE BAD

What really constitutes bad? Is it a celebrity who sits there like a lump and grunts out, "Yes, no or I don't know" answers (Tobey Maguire, Johnny Depp, Eddie Murphy)?

Or perhaps the divas who won't shake your hand or sigh at every question they're asked (Ashley Judd, Salma Hayek)?

While those are frustrating to be sure, in this case the bad behaviour belongs to grunge goddess Courtney Love who showed up several hours late for her interviews, then brazenly proceeded to change her blouse repeatedly, braless, in front of a succession of dumbstruck journalists.

THE UGLY

This brings me to Clint Eastwood. Already a double threat as an actor and director, they don't make them bigger than Dirty Harry. When it comes to his brand of superstardom, words like "icon" don't even come close to his status.

In 2000, Clint knew he had a hit on his hands with Space Cowboys and his studio flew journalists to the Space Centre in Houston, Texas for the rare opportunity to meet him and the rest of the cast.

Trembling ever so slightly as I entered his room, Eastwood stood up and extended his hand. "I'm Clint."

After my world fell back onto its axis, he regaled me with stories from the set and his career. As I stood to leave Clint asked, "Have you spoken to Tommy Lee Jones yet?"
"Not yet," I said, "I'm kinda nervous".

"Don't worry. He's a son of a bitch, but a great actor," Eastwood said.

Tommy Lee Jones. The tales of stuttering journos, weeping waitresses and flabbergasted fans could fill a library of encyclopedias under the letter 'J' for world class JERK.

Does something stink? By the perpetual look on Tommy's face, it's clear he must smell the decaying body of a rabid skunk in the 40 degree heat. Ugly.

With my head held high and a winning attitude in place, I enter the room of Jones.

Dead calm.

Instead of the jovial chatter from the camera and lighting crew, dread and despair loomed large. Slumped in his chair, his arms folded across his chest and staring down at the floor, Jones didn't even look up when I introduced myself and put out my hand.

"You have 6 minutes," his publicist said. Right.

Here we go: "Really enjoyed the movie. What was it like working with Clint Eastwood?"

As if I had slapped him hard across the face, Tommy snapped his head upright and glared imaginary bullets into the depths of my soul.

"Seriously?" he snarled. "That's your first question?"

"Well yeah."

"Jesus. Did you ask Clint what is was like to work with me?"

"As a matter of fact I did."

"And what did he say?"

I didn't even have to blink. "He said you were a son of a bitch but a great actor."

His eyes narrowed into slits, still glaring with glass cutting directness. Silence ... Silence ...
"Well then," he drawled, "Let's get on with it".

Mercifully, time didn't stand still. Two more inane questions later and my time was up.
So the next time you see Tommy Lee Jones at an awards show or premiere, I dare you not to look at his face and wonder, "What was it like working with Clint Eastwood".