Julie Newmar at the Las Vegas Stan Lee "Comic Con"

If you've ever been to a COMIC CON, you know it's quite a wonder. You wonder why it's such big business now.

Perhaps it's because reality isn't as much fun, and religion involves being a member of a group that some other religious group wants to destroy.

A COMIC CON is as breathtaking as a cathedral. It's Coney Island without the sunburn. Look at all the costumes. Look at all the displays of MEMORABILIA, like an actual prop from a favorite movie. You might see some guy walking around in a full-sized Wookie suit, and it seems like a dream come true. You're part of this movie.

You can follow some yellow brick roads that are lined with tables featuring familiar faces from your past or present. Why, it's a Madame Tussaud's come to life, although SOME faces are a bit waxier than you remember them.

Unlike the statues in a church, these have come to life. What was once just a dream on a TV screen or in a magazine, sits only a few feet away from you, smiling at you. You can reach out and shake hands.

There was a time when movies, music and TV hardly got more than a page or two in the daily newspaper. Now that stuff gets the cover. The number of TV channels most older people remember was 4 or 5. 7 tops. Now there are hundreds. The COMIC CON shows have replaced the circus.

"Entertainment Tonight"-type shows report on these events like they're the most important news items. And they are, to shows that are only about pop culture news. Years ago where were no such shows, and Walter Cronkite had no time for such frivolity; the nightly news was about politics and war. Yes, politics and war are still with us, but coping with it involves COMIC CON. The network evening news shows don't have the ratings they used to. Who wants to watch reality?

Even if you don't feel like forking over $20 or $50 or even $150 to get a signed photo, you can gawk for a while.

Hey Hey! You can stand near the Batmobile or get in it, if you're lucky. The fellow sitting in there is Julie Newmar's son John Smith. No relation to Ron Smith.

As author of "Sweethearts of 60's TV," and as a friend to a few celebs who do these shows, I've been to quite a few of these events. Some celebs have a tough time balancing dealing with the same-boring-question bunch, some overly chummy and irritating fans, some "dealers," and other pests. They do it to let people know they're still alive. And they like the money. It can be two thousand, five thousand, even ten thousand, in CASH. For one or two days work.

But many do find the shows rewarding, because they reaffirm that some work has endured after all these years, and that people have not forgotten. To the contrary, they are ecstatic to see a star in person, since they know that stars in the sky, once thought to be home to angels or loved ones or a fleet of Gods, are just hunks or rock.

I've sat at the table next to a star, and seen it from their perspective: they see a fan approach. The fan gets closer, eyes growing wider, the mouth blooming into a smile. That's quite a power, to alter somebody's heart beat and blood pressure, and facial expression.

It recalls a line in that infamous Don McLean song..."and maybe they'd be happy for a while."

Here's my friend Julie Newmar at the Las Vegas Comic Con last week.

Isn't that wonderful? She doesn't do it for the money. She does it for the joy. Very, very few people have the ability to make somebody happy just by seeing them. She'd tell you that this "positive energy" radiates back, too, with affirmation. She's a star, all right. And all is right with the world, which is not a part of this coliseum of memorabilia and magic.

Take a look at how happy these people are to have met JULIE NEWMAR:

Think about how few people in your life make you smile, just to recognize them on the street or have them meet you someplace to hang out. How often is "pleased to meet you" just an expression? The expression on the faces of fans meeting Julie and the other stars at these events is sometimes beyond "happy."

It's almost religious. This is the 21st Century. People have trouble believing in anything. The closest thing to a God, some people think, is a STAR.

A STAR is glamorous. A STAR has moved people by the roles they play or the songs they sing. A STAR has made dreams come to life and has been an inspiration. A STAR entertains.

Entertainment is vital in the 21st Century. Maybe 100 years ago, it was ok to spend all day tilling the soil or looking after the farm animals, or having a job and raising a family. By the light of a candle, a few hours in the evening might be spent reading, or playing a musical instrument. 100 years ago, some had "phonograph records." Now? We have more spare time and a greater need to escape reality. Headphones. Cell phones. The Internet on the lap top. TV. Going to movies or a sports event or a concert.

Huey Lewis and The News had a song, "I Want a New Drug." If he sits at a memorabilia show and signs autographs, he'll know what a drug STARDOM can be, not just for him but for his fans. He'll see how faces light up, and it's better than lighting up a joint.

Take a look.

What DRUG are these people on? It's whatever chemical reaction has happened when their eyes met Julie Newmar and they got a chance to pose with her.

Religion is about "belief" and in the 21st Century someone to pray to and never hear from, isn't as good as somebody who can sign an autograph or pose for a selfie. "Look at this, it's ME with JULIE NEWMAR!"

People at Comic Con shows often wander around in costume. A new word in our vocabulary is "cosplay."

Remember when Halloween used to be only for kids? Not anymore. The real world is so scary, Halloween is just as much for adults as for kids. While half the candy on this lucrative holiday is for the kids, perhaps half the costumes bought are worn by adults.

Comic Con-type shows used to be annual events. They used to be held only in New York or Los Angeles. Now? Supermega shows and various "CONS" turn up on the average of once or twice a month. Halloween is no longer just October 31st.

There was a time when people were ashamed of being nerds and Trekkies and "fans." Now these formerly shunned minorities are part of a majority; an ever increasing group that have legitimized comic books for adults ("graphic novels") and made cultural icons out of Mickey Mouse or Popeye or Scooby Doo.

One is not consider a "loser" for collecting dozens of "action" figurines, posters and autographed pictures of "Games of Thrones" characters and cast members, or any of a dozen franchises that rival "Star Trek" for the attention of the lonely, and those who want to believe in life on another planet or in another time that made more sense.

A cynic would say "Curb Your Enthusiasm." Even Sinatra sang, "Why not use your mentality, wake up to reality." But Robin Williams said, "Reality...what a concept," and people flocked to see him as Popeye or Mrs. Doubtfire instead. To face the day, many people seem to require more and more leisure time. They want music, movies, books (there's now a "Book Con" each year) TV and "cosplay."

"Whatever makes you happy..."

The pictures above aren't retouched. People were VERY happy to see the real Julie Newmar in person. It was a magic moment that made their entire metabolism alter, with their glowing eyes and big smiles just part of it. When they are feeling low, or when reality is interfering, they can go and look at the photo: "That's me and Julie Newmar!"

And they'll be happy for a while.