The Lyons Den

Last summer I got to visit my first movie set. It was just south of Los Angeles, on top of a dusty hill in the middle of Culver City. Not exactly the glamour and glitz I expected, but who am I to complain? This was Transformers, very likely to be one of the biggest movies of 2007.

So, after I parked and handled my business in one of the grossest Port-o-Potties in the history of humanity, I was "golf-carted" to the set. Actually, it was one of two sets. See, director Michael Bay is "Michael Bay" because he does everything big. Real big. And this day was no different.

The dude would have two scenes going at the same time, and race back and forth, back and forth, setting up one while shooting the other. I asked Bay where his li'l Sundance passion project with the $2 million budget was. He looked at me, paused, and then laughed his ass off. He told me that if he were to have a budget "in the eight figures," he'd feel like a kid at NYU film school.

Paramount Pictures

I got to hang out and watch Megan Fox and Shia LaBeouf shoot a chase scene together. While nothing blew up, and there were no Decepticons or giant robots anywhere, it was a big thrill being on the set of a big summer blockbuster in the making. This is where I met Shia for the first time, and I hooked him up with some mix tapes. I gave him The Grey Album (Danger Mouse's Jay-Z-Beatles mashup), and he flipped. We've been friends ever since.

E! Networks

We actually did two interviews. He had such a good time on the first, he wanted to do it again. Story of my life. How come Shia wanted seconds, and the Megan Foxes of the world are one and done?

Now, Megan is absolutely stunning in person, as you can see, and I foresee her being a big star. But she may have been a little freaked out by my very vast, very deep Beverly Hills 90210 knowledge. In real life, she's engaged to Brian Austin Green, aka David Silver. A few months later, I ran into her at the 90210 DVD release party, and she could not have been cooler. Great catch, Silver—a real step up from Donna Martin.

Also in Transformers, but not on set that day, is Bernie Mac. He told me later that he loved doing the film because he could call Michael Bay "Michael Mann" and get away with it. Made him feel like a star.