I was in Los Angeles Wednesday to do interviews for an assortment of stories to publish over the next few weeks. For one of the stories, I found myself at the studio where Chelsea Handler tapes her "Chelsea Lately" talk/comedy show for E!.

If you don't watch the show or know Handler's name, find someone who is hip and cool. They can tell you all about her.

The schedule had me talking with her after the afternoon taping. I was directed to a seat in the front row of the studio audience. This seemed like a big mistake to me.

Most of Handler's audience looks like they had to skip a community college class to see the taping. If they crowd had been any younger, everyone would have had to caught a ride with a parent or older sibling. In other words, a guy who has been working as a journalist for 30 years stuck out like a "Stargate" fan at a "Star Trek" convention.

During the panel discussion part of the show, Handler started talking about the impending doom for daytime soap operas. She mentioned that even veteran soap star Diedre Hall had lost her job.

Panelist Jo Koy came to Hall's defense. He said it was not fair to pick on the woman who played Electra Woman in the Saturday morning series "Electra Woman and Dyna Girl." That series aired in 1976. So I was the only person, other than Koy, old enough to remember the series. My laugh at the mention caught Handler's attention.

"Sir," Handler said in a dry tone. "I have to say you are the oldest person I have ever seen in my audience."

Zing. Well played Ms. Handler.

During the first break from filming, the publicist apologetically said it might have been a good idea to introduce me to Handler before the show started taping. I told him it was no big deal. Besides being the truth, it is really a badge of honor to feel the sting of a Handler barb.

Later, during another break, the publicist said Handler had been informed the guy she was picking on was there to write a story about her.

Her reaction was simply "Of \[expletive deleted\]."