Liz Smith
Taylor—the ultimate star
“You see, she didn’t care about being a star. She cared about living a certain way. It was what she was used to. And she lived that grand life with Burton and thought they’d have it forever. That’s what was most important to her: to have a great companion in her great life ... it was all about being with him. That’s all that really mattered.” (Updated: 11/07/09 8:38 AM )
Cracking an intense Meyers
“Life seems to me now to be reduced to anecdotes,” says the genius Elaine May. (I may have used this quote before. It tickles me every time I think of it.) (Updated: 11/06/09 6:58 AM )
Jerry Hall’s loving the 50s
“Alot happens at 50, the best thing being that you just don’t care anymore. At 40, you still care. At 30, you care way too much and your 20s are quite frankly a nightmare. Bring on 60, I say: just imagine the joy of having grandchildren!” (Updated: 11/04/09 7:16 AM )
Managing the comeback
“There’s nothing as exciting as a comeback—seeing someone with dreams, watching them fail, and then getting a second chance,” says actress Rachel Griffiths. (Updated: 10/31/09 7:50 AM )
Tomlin’s characters live
Edith Ann and Ernestine are two characters that Americans feel belong totally to them. So Lily Tomlin is bringing them back to play casinos and venues all over the country. “This is new ground for me,” says Lily. (Updated: 10/28/09 7:13 AM )
Knightley attracts a crowd
Last weekend, I just happened to watch the Jerry Bruckheimerproduced version of “King Arthur.” What emerged from this blood-and- guts version was Keira Knightley as a sword-wielding Guinevere. She was, and is, spectacular. (Updated: 10/24/09 8:24 AM )
A brand new Bisset
Jackie Bisset wound up her duties presiding over the Chicago Film Festival last weekend. The star was as beautiful and glamorous as usual, and the Windy City was blown away by her. (Updated: 10/23/09 7:15 AM )
Buble tops the charts
“Money talks—the only conversation worth hearing when times are bad,” said Fred Allen during the Great Depression. (Updated: 10/21/09 6:55 AM )
The Phantom lives again
Passion is a positive obsession. Obsession is a negative passion,” wrote Paul Carvel. (Updated: 10/16/09 6:36 AM )
Streisand epitomizes grace
As you probably already know, Barbra Streisand has topped the Billboard chart yet again. Her “Love Is the Answer” CD is No. 1. She beat out Mariah Carey and someone or something called Paramore. (Updated: 10/14/09 6:52 AM )
Typecasting for Thompson
"Ye shall know the truth and the truth shall make you mad,” wrote Aldous Huxley. (Updated: 10/09/09 6:55 AM )
Celebrating with the Douglases
So, who sez big stars never have any normal, upscale, stylish fun and nobody in “show biz” ever gives a party anymore unless it’s “promotional.” Turns out not to be true. (Updated: 10/03/09 6:52 AM )
Barbra’s back with the ‘Answer’
“It’s hard to have stage fright when, like, there’s no stage!” That was Barbra Streisand last Saturday night at NYC’s tiny club, Village Vanguard. The Village Vanguard is the kind of artistically reputable, physically dinky spot the great star played back in the early ’60s, when she sang for practically pennies and—if she was lucky—her suppers. (Barbra never actually performed at the Vanguard— she auditioned to open for Miles Davis but didn’t get the gig!) (Updated: 10/02/09 6:43 AM )
Harris proves he’s the man
Ithought I’d wait a beat with thoughts on the Emmy telecast. First off, I have to join in tipping my hat to the remarkable Neil Patrick Harris. He was even better here than he was hosting the Tony Awards. While still not totally into the groove—sometimes he tries too hard—he is genuinely charming, funny and knows how to keep it moving. (Updated: 09/25/09 6:49 AM )
Whitney’s on her way up
Whitney Houston’s comeback album, “I Look to You,” hit No. 1 when it was released. Fears that the tempestuous star had lost touch with her core audience seem to have been unfounded. (And, the music business being the mess it is these days, it is almost a miracle for anyone to sell a CD at all!) (Updated: 09/23/09 6:52 AM )
