Swelter

Conveniently enough, producer Andrea Ambandos of Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous on hand, working the celeb beat: "The city is hot right now, so we're down here doing some interviews: that Latin star Cristina, Rony Seikaly from the Heat, Tony Goldman, and the house of Henri Spiegel and Michael Wolk - she's a lawyer and he's the furniture designer who has some of his stuff in the new Batman movie."

A career spent wallowing in horn-of-plenty lifestyles, the sort of ideally situated professional for the inevitable celebrity question - who's the most disgusting rich and famous person you've ever met? The Sultan of Brunei? The Hong Kong industrialist who drives across his house in a golden Rolls Royce? Sally Kirkland? Without a moment's hesitation, vibrator to the stars hisses like an irate puff adder and delivers the authoritative verdict: "No question about it - Dr. Ruth. I've been in these filthy rich homes where they show you to their pay phone when you need to make a call. But that bitch, that whore, is absolutely the most disgusting - and the meanest - woman on earth.