Did you ever hear the expression 'Beware of Greeks bearing gifts?'; It is, of course, a reference to the Trojan horse presented to the Romans which left them vulnerable to attack. In my case, drop the 'r' in Greeks, because one of my best interview tools when I'm chatting with celebs is to make a little swag-a-licious offering to stimulate interesting chat and put them in a good mood. Nothing like a thoughtful freebie to appeal to celebrity sensibilities! (I'll never forget seeing Julian MacMahon hustling out of the Golden Globes party with his arms full of swag-bags. Isn't one enough, mate!?) So before you look a gift horse in the mouth, I thought you might find it interesting to learn what some of my prezzies to the stars have been over the years, a behind-the-scenes glimpse of what wasn't in the televised interviews.

Take it from me as an author (Let's Dish Up A Dinner Party! 2004, Kensington Books, plug! plug!), nothing is more flattering than being presented with a copy of your book to be signed. I did that with Denzel Washington, Sydney Sheldon and Jackie Collins. Of course, since I wrote my own on entertaining, it's also nice to offer signed copies as gifts.

In 2004, right after publication, my book was a hot item in the Hollywood Christmas Parade goody-bags. Robert DeNiro is a history buff, so I gave him a copy of the World War II thriller, 'Sacred Blood'. I wonder if he ever read it.

Michael Douglas, as a resident of the British island colony of Bermuda, was thrilled with a signed copy of my dad's book, 'A History of Bermuda and Its Paper Money'. Dry reading unless you're a Bermuda-phile or currency enthusiast. Luckily, Oscar-winner Douglas is both!

His wife, Catherine Zeta Jones, was delighted with a Wonder Woman action figure which I was convinced looked just like her. In fact, I've had conversations with both her and her husband about how ludicrous it is that she isn't the hands-down pick for the role in the upcoming movie version about the Amazing Amazon! CZJ joked in reference to the red, white and gold superheroine's costume, I think I have that same outfit. I happened to have overheard that she, herself, was wearing Diane Von Furstenberg that afternoon, so I quipped that the same designer made all of Wonder Woman's wardrobe. Score!

Like Nic Cage, who went so far as to name his own son with Superman's Kryptonian moniker Kal-El, Ryan Reynolds is also a big comic-book nerd and he and I share the same favourite hero: The Scarlet Speedster, THE FLASH! I presented him with a commemorative Flash button (thank you, ebay!), but unfortunately this was prior to me getting my recent 'Flash' logo tattoo or I've shown that off to Ryan! He, by the way, is in consideration for a big-budget movie version of this comic book hero. Hey I can't help it if I can't be cast, at least I can feel good about another enthusiast getting the role!

Aaron Eckhart had given an interview discussing 'Thank You For Smoking' in which he mentioned using clothespins on his genitals to simulate the actual pain his character was suffering, so when I met him for 'No Reservations' he was a very good sport as I presented him with an entire package of wooden clothespins just in case they come in handy for future acting preparations.

My talented designer friend Samantha Robinson has her own organic clothing line, Earth and Sky Clothing(www.earthandskyclothing.com), so it was a no-brainer to make gifts of her beautiful tank tops to green-conscious actresses like Cameron Diaz, Angelina Jolie and Kate Winslet. You can’t go wrong with environmentally-friendly fashion especially with the ladies!

I'm a marathon runner in my off-camera time and my sponsor is 'Snickers Marathon Bars'. So it's a great conversation starter to gift active, sports minded celebrities a box of the nutrition bars for their own training use! Will Ferrell, Robin Williams and Kristin Davis all loved.

The personal touch counts for a lot, I believe. And the more thought and care you put into it, the nicer it is. I was only too pleased to make copies of some photographs from a dinner party I'd attended with Leonardo DiCaprio's mom to share with him. His adorable French bulldog, Django, was in some of the shots, too. Bonding over a mutual love of pets is always a smart idea, too. Yes, I have attended a 'Kitty Kat-themed Tea Party' with feline enthusiasts Charlene Tilton, Marilyn McCoo, Rhonda Shear, Renee Taylor, Kate Linder and Deanna Lund at the palatial Beverly Hills home of Oscar-nominated songstress and new buddy to Victoria Beckham, Abyssinian-loving Carol Connors. Meow!

As a gift to LOST star Yunjin Kim, I gave her a beautiful handcrafted boomerang to remind her to pay a visit to her fans Down Under where the show is such a big hit. Every time I run into her, she reminds me that she has the boomerang hanging in her house and thinks of Australia whenever she looks at it. (She still owes them a visit, though she's not off the hook!)

Even when I don't have giveaways tucked into my briefcase, I've been around the biz long enough to have some kind of degree of separation; ready to share with my interview subjects. I wore one of Matthew Broderick's suits from 'The Stepford Wives' (which I'd picked up at a studio wardrobe sale) when I interviewed him for 'Deck the Halls'. He was stunned when I opened the jacket and showed him his name chalked into the lapel! The suit was a bigger hit than the movie. Jill Clayburgh got a kick out of some soap opera memorabilia I brought along from our days on the daytime serial 'Search for Tomorrow'. No one is sweeter than Hugh Jackman and we had a right laugh looking at some happy snaps of our mutual gal pal, Aussie recording legend Heather Horwood. Aviation enthusiast John Travolta appreciated my retro 'Pan-Am' attire so much, he jumped up after our interview to give me a big bear hug and said, 'Thank you, Mr. Pan Am!'. Say what you want about Scientologists, that guy is teeming with charisma.

Of course, it doesn't work 100% of the time. Kevin Spacey and Kate Bosworth were completely nonplussed that I'd gone so far as to shave my head in Lex Luthor fashion for 'Superman Returns' (although Brandon Routh and Parker Posey were highly amused and the latter even helped me out with an on-camera touch up with my electric razor!). Annette Bening and Alfre Woodard didn't seem to want to be reminded that they were former aerobic students of mine. I showed off some of my vintage 'Poseidon Adventure' collectibles to Wolfgang Petersen, who directed the recent remake. He could've cared less. I really mis-stepped when I offered Emilie de Ravin a Sydney Swans AFL footy cap. She's from Melbourne! Oh well you win some, you lose some.

So is it better to give, than to receive? In Hollywood, I think they both go hand in hand!