Joan Rivers

NO ONE IS MOURNING THE LOSS OF PHIL SPECTOR

There’s no denying that in his early years Phil Spector wrote and produced some delightful music. We LOVED the Ronettes, Ike and Tina, and The Righteous Brothers. His “wall of sound” enhanced everything he created. There is reason to celebrate his music, but certainly NOT his life. Most of his wives and girlfriends described him as an abusive monster who thought nothing of pulling out a gun if they spurned his advances. In fact, guns and alcohol were the center of his universe long before he murdered Lana Clarkson. We had a Phil Spector experience back in the 90’s at a Christmas party at Joan Rivers home in Manhattan. When the party started (we were always the first to arrive and last to leave) Spector was quiet and standoffish. But the more he drank, the louder and bossier he became. Finally Joan had to take action to calm him down. Fortunately he didn’t pull out a gun, but it was obvious he had a very problematic personality. No surprise that he was convicted of murder, but he only got 19 years and was eligible for parole in 2024. His MUSIC will be fondly remembered.

Photo Credit: BACKGRID-USA

KATHY GRIFFIN ON FASHION POLICE: IT HAD TO BE YOU!

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There was really no one BUT Kathy Griffin who was suitable to replace Joan Rivers on Fashion Police. Not only is she funny, but she has no qualms about making fun of celebrities. Kathy has been polishing up her own look for the past few years and she’s more qualified to evaluate designer fashion. We’re guessing she’ll hire some clever drag queens to write fashion jokes for her. This will be a fun new season for the show.

Photo Credit: Pacific Coast News

JOAN RIVERS LIVED LIKE MARIE ANTOINETTE – MAYBE BETTER

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Photo: Prudential Douglas Elliman Real Estate
At one time Joan Rivers admitted that she lived like Marie Antoinette “if she had money!” Her penthouse condo in NY was almost beyond belief. One Christmas in the early 90’s while we were appearing on her daytime talk show, we received an invitation to her Christmas party. We were thrilled and staggered when we walked into her building. Her condo was the most opulent place imaginable. Gold everywhere. Joan wanted to be a part of high society. It was like being in a museum. Not our streamlined taste, but nevertheless fascinating. We remember Phil Spector was playing the piano (yes THAT Phil Spector) He was dating Joan’s assistant/friend at that time and he got very drunk and obstreperous. We pulled Joan aside and pointed out that he was not good boyfriend material for her friend. When we aimed at camera at Joan’s ceiling (painted to look like a sky) she scolded us and said “No photos!” We wondered why. The extravagant condo has been on the market for 29.5 million for several years without selling- maybe that’s why Joan worked so hard all the time. Click HERE to see more amazing photos.

JOAN RIVERS LOVED TO JOKE ABOUT BOTOX, BUT IT’S NO JOKE NOW

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We’re still in shock over the loss of Joan Rivers and a source revealed to us exactly what procedure she had done in the clinic before she died. Joan had Botox injected into her vocal chords so her voice would be less hoarse and raspy. (Joan always had trouble with her voice – she never went anywhere without throat lozenges.) It’s apparently a common and minor procedure and generally requires only local anesthesia. This information only makes her death more mysterious. Ironically, Joan made thousands of jokes about Botox during her career.

Photo Credit: AKM-GSI

JOAN RIVERS: THANKS FOR THE MEMORIES

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Photo: QVC
We’ve been dreading the moment when we actually have to say goodbye to Joan Rivers – for many reasons. First of all, Joan defied all odds and at 81 was one of the hardest working people we knew. She flew back and forth across the country for various jobs every week and never turned down an opportunity to do more. Around a month ago, Joan was at The Grove for a book signing and 300 people were in line when she arrived. She stayed until EVERY person got a photo with her and a moment to speak to her. Joan had a daytime talk show in the early 90’s and we were lucky to become a weekly regular on the show, along with other gossip journalists. Generous Joan flew us business class and put us up at The Plaza. She was always gracious and kind despite her occasionally rough humor. She was healthy and busy up to the last minute of her life, but it ended too soon. That clinic has a lot of questions to answer…

IS JOAN RIVERS GOING OFF HER ROCKER?

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Joan’s recent behavior really makes you wonder… First she insulted the first lady and the president, then she walked off a CNN interview—all in the course of promoting her new book “Diary of a Mad Diva.” It would be nice if this were all an act to drum up PR for the book, but her questionable, often angry behavior began last year. The overworked writers who provide jokes for Joan on the E! channel’s Fashion Police were sadly underpaid and they asked Joan to support them in unionizing. Joan was outraged and refused. Keep in mind, Chelsea Handler and Joel McHale HAD gone to bat for their employees at the notoriously cheap E! and got them union wages. Writers on strike lost their jobs and Joan didn’t care. We were shocked to hear this because back in the 90’s when we appeared on Joan’s talk show she was incredibly generous and kind. Joan seems to have some kind of anger problem now and we hope she gets a grip. It’s not pretty.

Photo Credit: Pacific Coast News

JOAN RIVERS DOESN’T OWE ANYONE AN APOLOGY!

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Photo: Joan & Melissa: Joan Knows Best?

Unbelievable. Those two women imprisoned in a Cleveland basement for ten years by Ariel Castro are ASKING JOAN RIVERS FOR AN APOLOGY! If you recall, Joan made an offhand comment about the tiny room she occupies at her daughter’s house and wisecracked “Those women in the basement in Cleveland had more space.” That’s all she said. Granted, the kidnap situation was far from amusing, but Joan likes to be shocking and can be interpreted as mean-spirited. (Off camera she is a very nice woman) Still, it wasn’t a direct insult to the victims – just a reference. What IS shocking is the fact that the two victims would take Joan’s remark personally and DEMAND AN APOLOGY. An apology for WHAT? Joan is right to ignore them.

BRISTOL PALIN AND JOAN RIVERS LIVING TOGETHER?

With no “Mr Selfridge” to look forward to on Sunday nights, we have to find other amusements. “Celebrity Wife Swap” can be surprisingly revealing and this week Bristol Palin and Melissa Rivers are trading places as single mothers. Bristol lives in small town Wasilla, Alaska with her sister Willow and her 4 year old son Tripp. Melissa lives in a Los Angeles mansion with her mother Joan Rivers and her son Cooper, 12. (Willow and Joan will stand in for the missing “husbands.”) How BRAVE is Bristol to move in with Joan, who has probably made hundreds of Sarah Palin jokes? (We recall Joan labeling Palin “a Nazi, stupid and crazy.”) It just shows how much these girls love doing reality shows. Definitely worth a look tonight on ABC.
Photo via: Fox News