One of my many 'survival' jobs when I was a young, aspiring actor was drawing caricatures at private parties. I hated it. If I flattered someone they'd invariably say, 'Oh, that doesn't look like me!' and if I exaggerated a feature, I'd hear 'Why'd you make my nose so big?' or 'Eww! Is that what you think I look like?'. No matter how great a person thinks his or her sense of humour is, people have a tough time laughing at themselves.

Especially celebrities. And heaven knows, they need to be able to laugh at themselves! George Clooney is good at it. Tom Cruise is not. Everyone thought Owen Wilson was, until this still-developing story of his hospitalization. Obviously the happy-go-lucky heartthrob was more lucky than happy.

Stars tend to take themselves very seriously because of all the work and sacrifice along the way to Fame. Delicate egos can be bruised by comedic implications that they're somehow less deserving of their success. The more confident a person is, the easier it is for them to shrug off criticism. That's why Johnny Depp, Matt Damon, Tom Hanks, Drew Barrymore, Julia Roberts and Clooney can be so cool and poke fun at themselves, but others like Russell Crowe, Colin Farrell and Gwyneth Paltrow can't seem to take a joke. Then you have the Alec Baldwins and Woody Harrelsons who want you to think they're lighthearted funsters, but are actually acutely uptight and over-sensitive.

When a famous person's celebrity status begins to wane, there are three paths to follow: Disappear, Deny or Parody! Silver screen goddesses Bette Davis and Joan Crawford created whole new careers for themselves as 'old broads” when they went with Option #3 in the classic thriller 'Whatever Happened to Baby Jane'. Similarly, faded folks ranging from Tallulah Bankhead to Ann Miller rejuvenated their careers thanks to television (Batman, The Love Boat, Fantasy Island, etc.). Serious actors like Lloyd Bridges, Leslie Nielsen, George Kennedy and Peter Graves found a whole new generation of fans in spoofs like 'Airplane!' and 'The Naked Gun'. These days, it's not enough to be a great thespian, you haven't really arrived in the biz until you've turned up in a 'Saturday Night Live' sketch, or done a guest-star voice on 'The Simpsons'.

If 'Imitation is the most sincere form of flattery', why do some celebrities get so wild when they're skewered on the comedy circuit?

A long out-of-work soap opera actress from 'The Young and The Restless' got so bent out of shape over a recent popular YouTube posting that legal action was threatened against the talented comedienne, Deven Green, who created the popular parodies of the actresses campy 1980's Lifestyles video. Rather than stepping back to try and see the honorific humour, she got angry and actually blew a golden opportunity to resuscitate her long-dormant career by taking advantage of her newfound notoriety. (Treat yourself to a YouTube search of Deven Green's work. You may even come across a guest-star you'll recognize.

A great example is the cast of the disaster-classic 'The Poseidon Adventure'. Rather than get on a high-horse over their 1972 thrill ride about a capsized ocean liner, they've chosen to embrace the fact that it's achieved cult status in a 'Rocky Horror' kind of way. Carol Lynley, Stella Stevens, Pamela Sue Martin and the late great Shelley Winters and Red Buttons enthusiastically participated in reunion panels, costume-themed screenings and competitions. If only Faye Dunaway could do the same for the outrageously camp 'Mommie Dearest!'.

Even Dame Julie Andrews appreciates the fun of a Sing-Along version of 'The Sound of Music!'. She started poking fun at her own squeaky clean image years ago and her fans love her all the more for it!

I got to do an Australian TV comedy called 'Fat Pizza' playing myself. The story revolved around 2 guys visiting Hollywood and hiring me to help them locate celebrities. Everywhere I take them, we are foiled. By the end of an exhausting tour through Tinseltown, they become so disenchanted that they abandon me in an alley somewhere off the Sunset Strip. It was great comedy, but I had to be willing to figuratively 'take a pie in the face'.

Who are some of your favourite celebs who don't mind 'being caricatured'?