|
 |
|
Wednesday, August 7, 2013 by Liz Smith
His answer had more people talking than I’ve heard in lit circles in ages. His answer was: “’The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich" by William Shirer. All 1100 pages, and I wish there were more. Just finished it. I should’ve read it years ago.” Mr. Shirer wrote his book back in 1959. It’s a real historical masterpiece. |
|
|
|
And the other thing they’re talking up is Lee Daniels coming “The Butler” with Forest Whitaker, Liev Schreiber, Oprah Winfrey, James Marsden, Alan Rickman, John Cusack, Robin Williams, Minka Kelly, Jane Fonda, Mariah Carey and others too important to remember. Director Lee Daniels is a creative winner! This talented guy more or less “discovered” Halle Berry and helped coax her to an Oscar in “Monster’s Ball.” He also directed “Precious.” A few inside souls will be getting a preview in the Hamptons any minute. Does this mean the reign of the apocalyptic vampire car crash machines-fighting-machines movies will bite the dust? You can read all the philosophy of new movie-making in the new September issue of Vanity Fair. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
MY readers write me. Here is Jean-Claude Bailet:“Locarno is on Italy’s border with Switzerland. France has nothing to do with it.” Next? Geography lessons for Liz ...
Tish Willis says she just watched Rebecca in the TV remake of “The Shining” and was struck by how much she resembled Hilary Clinton. “She’d be great in a biopic” ... Raleigh’s Aimee Self reminds that the Ava Gardner Museum “is about 30 minutes south of us, in Smithfield.’ And, yes, I know and have contributed to this museum ... Mike Green says he has enjoyed our coverage of the new Ava book and thinks Jane Fonda is “classy” and her work in ”The Newsroom” has been “excellent.” Mike Green also writes: “My wife and I were both English majors at the U of Georgia. Loved your essay on good and evil in the world” ... John Jayne reminds us of Susan Hayward’s “I Want To Live” and recommends the new mini series “Orphan Black.” It’s Canadian and stars Tatiana Maslany. Amazon & Netflix carry it ... Joanne Cincotta vows if Elaine Stritch doesn’t win the Emmy, she’ll never watch “30 Rock” again. (Well, it is finished anyway, I suppose.) Lots of readers loved the piece on backup singers. Dolores Ozdimer, John Hays and somebody known only as jjnygirl, raved about our appreciation of these great women. They named Melissa Manchester as a Harlette ... Stevie Nicks’ wonderful backups ... Merry Clayton on the Stones’ “Gimme Shelter” ... Arlene Smith & the Chantels ... Shirley Owens & the Shirelles ... Mary Wells, Martha Reeves & The Vandellas. And I see everybody thinks it’s classy the way Bette Midler treated her backups as stars ... some of our mail is too political for me to get into that fray again and embarrass the poor little old media outlets which have never complained. |
|
|
|
| MY anecdote here about Gloria Swanson thinking she was poisoned by a lemon led to this story from Anita Anderson: “Laughed out loud at your story where Gloria says she’s been poisoned but went ahead eating the lemon drenched fish, Liz. She was my husband’s maternal grandmother. When we were newly wed in 1978, I gave a dinner party for her visiting L.A. My husband said we couldn’t serve anything with sugar! She didn’t eat sugar. But the buffet included several desserts, one called ‘Alligator’, from Vienna, had caramel, pecans and lots of sugar. Ms. Swanson was gracious and charming and pulled me aside, as she left, asking for the recipe for the “Alligator.” |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| THIS reminded me, Liz, of a story printed in “Natural Blonde” (for the benefit of those of you asking me to write a book) – I told how Ms. Swanson had beguiled one of the heirs to the Schirmer music fortune. But when Joe Kennedy came to call on her, she would push poor Mr. Schirmer into her closet and make him stay on pain of death, among her gowns and feathers and evening dresses. He couldn’t be liberated until her movie producer departed. If you want to read “Natural Blonde,” my 2000 memoir, which I am told Amazon no longer has, you could send me an e mail and I’ll tell you how to get a copy for a mere song and mailing cost. I have 30 boxes of these lovely best-sellers and I am eager to get rid of them. This book made a lot of money in its day, I am delighted to note. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
And the fabulous collection of fantastic Princess Diana photos along with a good story on this amazing creature and her real true love — definitely not Dodi Fayed! You can also take a look at their Best-Dressed people you mostly never heard of and get a glimpse of Ronan Farrow, the genius child of Mia, forever lost to Woody and is this kid handsome or not? And, just who does he resemble? |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Contact Liz Smith here. | Click here for NYSD contents. |