Liberace

MICHAEL DOUGLAS AND MATT DAMON: TWO GLAMOROUS PEAS IN A POD

#Mmichaeldouglas #liberace #janetcharlton

The more photos of Michael Douglas and Matt Damon we see from the HBO movie “Behind the Candelabra” the more we salivate to see the movie. This is a still from Liberace’s Las Vegas home (note the initial on the bottom of the pool) and he and his boyfriend (played by Matt) are wearing matching short and long caftans. Everybody knew the flamboyant Liberace was gay, but nobody said it – until the chauffeur/boyfriend came along. Both guys look very authentic. Can’t WAIT to see this!

Photo via: Vanity Fair

WHAT JOHN TRAVOLTA AND LIBERACE HAVE IN COMMON

#johntravolta #liberace #janetcharlton

Lookswise, John Travolta and the late entertainer Liberace are quite opposite – with Liberace being over-the-top flamboyant, while John is generally rather unremarkable and conservative. But they both enjoyed very successful careers occasionally marred by gay accusations. Despite his absurd appearance, Liberace was outraged at the slightest hint that he was gay and sued any newspapers and magazines that implied he was. He settled a huge suit with Confidential magazine that featured a story “Why Liberace’s Theme Song Should Be “Mad About The Boy” – it detailed Liberace’s passionate passes at a young male publicist. None of the gay accusations affected Liberace’s career in a negative way. His fans didn’t want to hear it. John Travolta has the same “teflon” reaction to gay scandal. Multiple men have charged him with sexual harassment and he’s taking legal action, but his fans don’t care. John’s career and popularity continue to flourish and he’s even playing John Gotti in an upcoming film. Liberace lived his life as a “bachelor waiting for the right woman” and John is a “happily married man.”

FRANCESCA HILTON HAD A LIBERACE FLASHBACK IN HER OWN HOME

Zsa Zsa Gabor’s daughter Francesca Hilton had a startling déjà vu moment when she paid her bedridden mother a visit the other day. Her mother’s house was surrounded by Warner Brothers movie trucks and equipment so it wasn’t easy navigating the property. The housekeeper opened the door and Francesca was greeted by the sight of a bejeweled Liberace in an extravagant silk robe and slippers standing in the foyer. Wow – it was like seeing a ghost. Francesca remembered Liberace as a frequent visitor in her home when she was a young girl. It was, of course, Michael Douglas in character for his HBO movie “Behind the Candelabra.” At that moment Matt Damon, wearing only a blonde wig and underpants, scurried by, and Francesca HAD to laugh. The visit was a success. Zsa Zsa’s husband rented out the house to the film production company for the three week shoot for $70,000.

MICHAEL DOUGLAS AND MATT DAMON DONE UP AS LIBERACE AND HIS GAY BOYFRIEND

This is the first peek we’ve had of Michael Douglas dolled up in 1970’s polyester finery and bewigged as Liberace along with Matt Damon as his gay lover Scott Thorson for their HBO movie “Behind The Candelabra.” After Liberace dumped him, Scott sued the flamboyant singer for palimony in 1982 and wrote the book that revealed Liberace’s not so secret sexuality. During their relationship, Liberace paid for Scott to have plastic surgery to look more like him – he enjoyed pretending Scott was his son. Matt makes a rather fetching pretty boy – in the scene above the two are shopping for a new car. The photo below is the real Liberace and Cher in character as Laverne.

IS THE NATIONAL ENQUIRER DOING TO JOHN TRAVOLTA WHAT CONFIDENTIAL DID TO LIBERACE YEARS AGO?

#liberace #danaykroyd #janetcharlton #confidential

It’s interesting to note that our favorite vintage tabloid Confidential Magazine wrote in 1957 about Liberace making unwanted passes at an unnamed young male publicist. At the time this was shocking beyond words. Liberace sued and his career was undamaged, but years later the real story of his double life was revealed. His live-in drug addled boyfriend Scott Thorson (the one who had plastic surgery to look like Liberace) wrote the book that’s being made into the HBO movie “Behind the Candelabra.” Michael Douglas is playing Liberace and Matt Damon plays Scott Thorson. Dan Aykroyd has just been added to the cast to play Seymour Heller, Liberace’s longtime manager who disapproved of the boyfriend.

“BEHIND THE CANDELABRA” DOCUMENTS THE STORY OF SCOTT THORSON PULLING LIBERACE OUT OF THE CLOSET

It makes sense that the Liberace biography “Behind the Candelabra” would land at HBO where they did such a good job with the Jack Kevorkian story. Michael Douglas is still set to play Liberace and Matt Damon is cast as his boyfriend Scott Thorson. (The script is based on Thorson’s book “My Life with Liberace.”) Liberace fell for 17 year old Scott in 1976, and they lived together for five years until drugs and cheating broke them up. Scott Thorson shocked the world in 1982 when he sued Liberace for palimony and revealed all the details of their gay relationship, including the fact that Liberace paid to have Scott get plastic surgery to look more like him! Liberace was devastated. He was adored as a performer but he was forced to lead two lives because he was always in the closet- it’s a fascinating story. (Photos above show Scott and Liberace at the height of their romance)

ADAM LAMBERT IS TAKING THE GAY LOOK TOO FAR

We’ve seen Adam Lambert looking sexy and cute, so why he’s hell-bent on turning himself into the gayest looking man alive is a mystery to us. This tweezed-to-death new look just screams SUPERQUEEN! And he looks 30 years older! We don’t know whether Adam is trying to steal Matt Damon’s role as Liberace’s lover, or he’s warming up for an appearance on RuPaul’s Drag Race, but we’re hoping he comes to his senses.

IT’S HARD TO IMAGINE LIFE WITHOUT THE LIBERACE MUSEUM


Judging by the number of emails we’ve received on the subject, a LOT of people are mourning the closing of the Liberace Museum in Las Vegas this week. He WAS an iconic Las Vegas entertainer – as our mothers and aunts will attest to. When the museum opened in 1979, loaded with Liberace’s extravagant costumes and sets and pianos, 450,000 people a year toured the place. Last year attendance was down to 50,000 and the people handling Liberace’s estate decided to lock the doors. The last sequin has been swept up. The Liberace collection MIGHT go on tour and hopefully will return to Las Vegas and reopen at a location closer to the strip. (The old strip mall was five miles away.) With Michael Douglas’s health in jeopardy, we don’t know if his Liberace movie with Matt Damon will ever happen. Don’t you love the photo of Liberace with Elvis?

INTRODUCING THE BULGARIAN AZIS, WHO MIGHT BE THE NEXT LIBERACE

We never thought much about Bulgarian videos until Simon Doonan suggested that this singer Azis is worth investigating. Simon thinks Azis is a prime candidate for the title of “The New Liberace.” Frankly, we’ve never seen so much titillating material packed into one video. Those Bulgarians are wilder than we realized. Take a deep breath and take a look.