MARTIN SHORT - SHORT HORRIFIED BY DINNER TABLE SPITTING SHAME

Funnyman MARTIN SHORT was left red-faced when he spat potato at his hero, late chat show king JOHNNY CARSON, at a poker party. Short was down almost $2,000 (GBP1,110) at the celebrity card game, which featured Carson, STEVE MARTIN and other celebrities when dinner was called. Nervous and sweating, Short was trying to enjoy the meal when Carson cracked a joke. He recalls, "There was a dinner break... and I was so nervous and Johnny said something funny and I went, 'Ha ha ha,' and I spit mashed potato out and I knew it had landed somewhere and I looked down and it was on Johnny's hand. "No one saw it apart from Steve Martin. Steve kinda looked over and went, 'Are you gonna leave it there?' "When I looked back it was gone, so I just assumed Johnny had eaten it."