Elizabeth Taylor

DID THE JACKSONS EVER HAVE A SENSE OF HUMOR?

It had to happen eventually. Michael Jackson’s life was a windfall of fascinating stories and one of them was the legendary rumor that Michael, Elizabeth Taylor and Marlon Brando drove cross country together after 9/11. How delicious is THAT fantasy? A British TV comedy show appropriately called Urban Myths is reenacting their version of that event and Joseph Fiennes (who once played Shakespeare) is playing Michael Jackson. (Stockard Channing plays Elizabeth Taylor and Brian Cox is Marlon Brando.) We’re laughing already! Michael’s fans and relatives think it’s insulting to cast a white man as Michael, but a black actor would have to appear in white face, anyway! And this IS comedy, after all! We suggest the Jacksons withhold their outrage until they see the show.

Photo: Urban Myths

MICHAEL JACKSON HAD TWO “MOTHERS”

We’ve always laughed at the story that the Jackson family considered themselves to be the “black Kennedys,” but it’s true, although an employee says they were more like the Corleones. Stacy Brown, a journalist friend of the family who wrote books with Rebbie and Jermaine, revealed some fascinating family secrets to the NY Post. One of the juiciest was the fact that Katherine deeply resented Michael Jackson’s bond with Elizabeth Taylor. Michael loved to imagine that Liz was his mother and spent a fortune showering her with expensive jewelry and gifts. Katherine thought Liz had stolen her son away and when visiting Neverland, Katherine refused to even sit in the same chair that Elizabeth had sat in!

HELENA BONHAM CARTER WILL PLAY A BOOZY ELIZABETH TAYLOR TWENTY YEARS LATER

The delightfully eccentric Helena Bonham Carter (featured above with her mother at a flower show) is probably the LAST person you’d imagine playing movie queen Elizabeth Taylor in a film. But Helena is an accomplished actress – and happens to be blessed with a beautiful face, so she was cast to play Liz in the BBC production of “Burton and Taylor.” The script details the movie couple (Richard Burton and Elizabeth) in 1983 when they were costarring in the play “Private Lives” and probably drinking up a storm. English actor Dominic West plays Richard Burton, and it will be fun to compare this portrayal of Liz to Lindsay Lohan’s “Liz & Dick” Lifetime movie because it takes place 20 years later.

HAIRDRESSER TO THE STARS JOSE EBER STILL RULES IN BEVERLY HILLS

Here’s a Hollywood guy who never changes. Celebrity hairstylist Jose Eber looks remarkably like he did back in the late 70’s when he invented Farrah Fawcett’s feathered haircut. Through the years we often booked appointments with Jose (expense account) so we could pick up some gossip in his shop! Until she died in 2009, he was Elizabeth Taylor’s hairdresser and more important, best friend and confidant. This guy could write SOME gossip book! He’s pictured here in front of his posh salon on Camden Drive that Liz helped him procure by pulling a few strings. He painted the place lavender to make her happy and when she died she left him her $500,000 Maybach. THAT’s how much she loved him.

Photo Credit: Pacific Coast News

DON’T OVERANALYZE: “LIZ AND DICK” ISN’T SHAKESPEARE – BUT IT’S A FUN RIDE

#lizanddick #janetcharlton

Far too much effort is being put into criticizing Lindsay Lohan’s performance in Lifetime’s “Liz & Dick.” For heaven’s sake, this is LIFETIME, not a Harvey Weinstein production. It was intended to entertain, and it did. The 1960’s locations and costumes and story were fun and colorful and reasonably appropriate. Although Lindsay’s “accent” sounded more “valley girl” than English born Liz’s, we had low expectations. Liz’s legendary weight struggles were totally ignored for some reason. Grant Bowler sounded enough like Richard Burton to get by. After all, it was simply the story of two famous self-absorbed alcoholics, not the greatest love story ever told. Certainly, it did little to enhance Lindsay’s acting reputation, but did no harm either. In spite of flaws, we enjoyed watching the movie and were quite entertained. Pass the popcorn. Admit it, weren’t you entertained too?

NOTE TO LINDSAY LOHAN: ELIZABETH TAYLOR DIDN’T WEAR HAIR EXTENSIONS!

#lindsaylohan #elizabethtaylor #janetcharlton

Much fuss has been made about the rumor that Lindsay Lohan is such a devoted actress that she has supposedly cut and dyed her hair to look like Elizabeth Taylor in “Liz and Dick.” Far from it. Yes, she was photographed in a chin length bob done up as Liz (top photo.) But after that photo was released she was out on the town clubbing with her usual long hair – darker, but still long. In yesterday’s swimsuit pic in character as Liz, her hair is longer than Liz’s ever was in her life! Has Lindsay convinced producers to let her retain her own long hair instead of wearing it short like Liz really did? Lohan probably didn’t think Liz’s super short hair was sexy or flattering. We wouldn’t be surprised if producers let her have her way- the heck with accuracy. (It looks like Lindsay is wearing a vintage Catalina swimsuit.)

LINDSAY LOHAN WANTS AN A-LIST LEADING MAN FOR “LIZ AND DICK”

What’s a girl to do? Lindsay Lohan is convinced that playing Elizabeth Taylor in Lifetime’s movie “Liz and Dick” is extremely important to boost her career so she’s heavily involved in the production. According to RadarOnline, she’s not happy with any of the actors who read for the role of Richard Burton because they’re not big names. She even had the nerve to suggest to producers that they send HER to London to scout for an A-list costar. Ironically it’s Lindsay’s big salary that ate up the budget and they can only afford to pay around $200,000 max for her leading man. That means Colin Farrell is OUT. Producers aren’t sending her to London, but they want to keep her happy. The pressure is mounting because they start filming in a few weeks and need her costar to rehearse.(Above, Lindsay and young Elizabeth, below Elizabeth and Richard Burton)

SUDDENLY LINDSAY LOHAN IS STARTING TO LOOK LIKE LIZ TAYLOR

All of a sudden we’re starting to think that maybe Lindsay Lohan CAN be a convincing Elizabeth Taylor in the Lifetime movie “Liz and Dick.” This doctored up photo makes it all seem plausible. Lindsay will certainly be convincing in the later years of the romance with Richard Burton when Liz was a big drinker, but can she pull off the Cleopatra glamour years? Time will tell…
Photo via: The WOW Report

ROSIE O’DONNELL IS RIGHT – LINDSAY LOHAN HAS YET TO PROVE SHE’S BETTER AT ACTING THAN SHOPLIFTING

We never thought we’d say this, but we are in total agreement with Rosie O’Donnell in her opinion of Lindsay Lohan. Rosie isn’t the only one sick and tired of hearing people mindlessly parrot the statement the Lindsay has problems “but she IS a good actress.” Rosie ranted on the Today show that Lindsay hasn’t really done any decent acting since she was sixteen in “Mean Girls.” (Except in courtrooms.) And child stars DON’T necessarily grow up to be brilliant actors. She has YET to prove herself. Lindsay was hired for the Liz Taylor role in Lifetime’s “Liz and Dick” because she brings so much attention and publicity to the production – NOT because she’s a great actress, or remotely resembles Liz. The nervous producer says she’s “the most insured actress EVER” and admits they’re moving the location from Canada to Los Angeles to increase the odds that Lindsay will show up for work.