January 25, 2006 |
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"EDITORS, JOURNALISTS and anchormen, cameramen and the like not only pre-empt our attention, embellish and sensationalize our scanty knowledge, but inevitably get to be unduly fascinated with each other," said the critic Alfred Kazin.
I GUESS this is true because my good friend John D. Marshall of the Seattle Post-Intelligencer has printed a fascinating little story about the Times' Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist Maureen Dowd. So we'll repeat it.
Maureen was spotted at Seattle locales recently with the Starbucks honcho Howard Schultz. She was in town for a noon gig at Starbucks headquarters pitching her best seller "Are Men Necessary?" Warmly introduced by Howard himself, Maureen went on to charm the caffeine-loaded crowd with her banter.
She told them she'd had a T-shirt custom-made for Mr. Coffee. It bore the question on the front "Is Howard Necessary?" and on the back it read, "Oh, yes!"
The coffeeist and columnist met at a dinner soiree in the Seattle home of Michael Kinsley, ex Slate editor, and Patty Stonesifer, CEO of the Gates Foundation. That Maureen travels around in high cotton while pretending to be just another ink-stained wretch.
BEFORE Tom Cruise has the last laugh at the box office with "Mission Impossible 3" (as he almost always does - "War of the Worlds" was huge!), he has to suffer slings and arrows.
Hollywood Life magazine presents its annual "Alternative Oscar" ballot, which includes categories such as "Most Slumming Oscar Winner," "Best Abs," "Least Credible Casting," and so on. Also on the ballot is "Best Performance By Tom Cruise." Choices are: Tom jumping on a couch on "Oprah," Tom arguing with Matt Lauer on "Today," Tom criticizing Brooke Shields on "Access Hollywood," Tom scolding a prankster at the London premiere of "War of the Worlds" and Tom romancing Katie Holmes.
It's funny. Tom's had a long career at this point; in his 40s, he should be properly nearing the "revered" actor plateau. And, although always open to some criticism and speculation, only recently he entered what one might call the "pin-cushion" stage of stardom. I don't think it matters much to Tom, and apparently it matters not at all to his audience. So have fun, everybody. Tom's got the looks. Tom's got the billions. Tom's got Katie Holmes and a baby on the way.
Oh, my choice for best Tom performance? The Matt Lauer exchange. Great TV, and Matt should be up for best supporting actor.
BIJOU PHILLIPS, singer/actress daughter of '60s pop icons John Phillips and Genevieve Waite, has a guest spot tomorrow night on CBS's smash, "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation." She plays a hard-partying pop singer named Lil' Cherry (given her parentage and history, this wasn't like playing a nun, but it was still an acting stretch!) While filming, Sean Lennon, Bijou's ex, stopped in. Dressed beautifully in a suit and tie, he seemed shy and quietly watched his former flame act out flamboyantly for the camera. Bijou certainly knows what she wants to do as an actress. Having such a good time with this character, she turned to the producer and said, "Can I come back and play a singer who gets married in Vegas, but it's a deadly mistake, because when she wakes up in the morning the guy's dead?!" You know, sometimes actors just have to take their careers into their own hands. And sometimes, it works!
The other hot "CSI" guest star is the fabled Oscar winner Faye Dunaway, playing a former Vegas showgirl with a shady past. Series scribe David Rambo created the role especially for Faye. He appreciates her glamour and flair. Contrary to her legend, Dunaway was cool, calm and collected. No drama, no diva - just a fab performance. And the star even dances! A lively jitterbug with Grover Dale, the renowned stage director and choreographer.
But wait, there's more. The eternally adorable Anita Gillette is also on hand for this episode, making her second appearance as "CSI" star Marg Helgenberger's mother. Get out the TiVo for this one!
BROADWAY ACTRESS Paula Laurence - who also wrote, and performed in cabaret - was admitting to 90 when she died Oct. 29. Her credits included "Dr. Faustus," "One Touch of Venus" and "Something for the Boys." She knew everybody who was anybody in theater - she was even engaged to Moss Hart at one point. (She and her husband, producer Charles Bowden, became the guardians for Tennessee Williams' institutionalized sister, after Tennessee's death. Like I said, Paula knew people.)
Today, some of those people - Lily Tomlin, Jane Wagner, Geoffrey Holder, Kitty Carlisle Hart, Steve Ross, Marian Seldes, Zoe Caldwell, Marge Champion, Simon Callow, Charles Busch and Celeste Holm - will gather at Chez Josephine restaurant to remember Paula and celebrate what she said would have been her 90th birthday. There'll be songs and stories.
By the by, Paula had booked Chez Josephine quite a while ago for her 90th birthday. But in truth, 90 had come and gone! (Paula's astrologer discovered her true birth year - 1913.) Well, it is a woman's prerogative after all.
(E-mail Liz Smith at MES3838@aol.com, or write to her c/o Tribune Media Services, 2225 Kenmore Ave., Suite 114, Buffalo, NY 14207.)
©2006 TRIBUNE MEDIA SERVICES, INC.
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