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Friday, November 15, 2013 by Liz Smith “WHEN I first met Morgan Freeman, he was a hoofer and a singer. Then he became God, and the President!” That was the great S. Epatha Merkerson, perhaps best known for her long tenure as Lieutenant Anita Van Buren on “Law & Order.” She told me this with a big laugh at Whoopi Goldberg’s birthday party in Sylvia’s the other night. (I don’t know what particular birthday it was, and why ask? Whoopi clearly just wanted to have a good time on her natal day.)
We talked about her long stint on “L&O.” She recalled: “My agent said, ‘Oh, go ahead, take it. It’s money. It’ll be gone in a season!’ Who knew, 14 years! And they were always terrific to me, allowed me to do outside projects.” I asked if she ever considered that her own character should have a spin-off show? “Well, now that you mention it ... why not?” Why not indeed? Are you listening Dick Wolf? Next up for S. Epatha Merkerson is a documentary she directed, “The Contradictions of Fair Hope” (narrated by Whoopi Goldberg), about a benevolent organization, begun in 1888, that gradually lost its way and descended into something quite different and not at all benevolent. There are also two features in post-production, “Sexual Healing” and “The Challenger.” |
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(They could not keep their hands off each other. But it wasn’t Too Much. When I mentioned to Donnie how handsome and in-shape he looked, the actor said, with a significant glance at Jenny, “She’s keeping me moving.” I bet! Donnie, who has really come into his own, can be seen on the TV series “Blue Bloods.”) I also sat with one of Whoopi’s charming granddaughters, Amarah and her sizzling hot fiancé Chris. He wants to go into medicine, but with his looks I suggested a couple of years of modeling to pay those bills. |
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| SLYVIA’S LEGENDARY food was as lip-smacking as ever. Guests chowed down on everything from Whoopi’s Favorite Fried Pork Chops to Grilled Salmon with Mango Sauce. There were collard greens and Four Cheese Baked Macaroni and Lobster Mashed Potatoes. And then the desserts! I gave in to the red velvet cake. The place was filled with ravishing flower arrangements provided by NYC’s famous Marlo. Whoopi’s speech was brief, she thanked her friends for joining her and didn’t go on much more. She wanted everybody to have fun. |
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| A SPECIAL shout out to Whoopi’s longtime manager, advisor, assistant, and excellent friend, Tom Leonardis. He really knows his business and how to make everybody feel special and keep everything flowing. Tom was there with his attractive partner Keith Harris. (Although Keith actually prefers “boyfriend” even after 15 years.) Keith is just recovering from a freak accident---he slipped on a polished floor in his socks and ended up with a mess of problems, including some metal rods here and there. “It’ll be such fun at airports,” he said. But he’s in fine fettle now. |
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OH, one more thing. I got to talking with Ms. Merkerson — whom I finally just called “SE" to avoid mangling her name. She didn’t seem to mind — about the late Jerry Orbach. We laughed about his early career as a handsome leading man in the hit, “The Fantastics,” because people forgot it after “Law & Order.” But he was very good.
Finally, somebody did approach Robert DeNiro and complimented him on those funny new bank commercials he is in (DeNiro sits down next to a movie patron and totally spoils the films, and critiques it negatively.) The star was gracious. Then the fan said, “And I loved “Last Vegas” — I don’t care what anybody says.” DeNiro did a mock growl, “Oh. No matter what anybody says?” The fan began to stammer and blush but DeNiro laughed and said, “I know what you mean, look, we all had a great time making it.” A real star, and a real gent, Mr. DeNiro. |
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Contact Liz Smith here. | Click here for NYSD contents. |