Mr. Wow Blog
Another Classic (Sad) GG Moment
12:36 am | January 13, 2014

Author: Mr. Wow | Category: Point of View | Comments: 58
Miss Taylor was in the midst of forming AmFAR, unaware that her old friend was dying.

Rock Clutches Liz as Liz Clutches Her GG, 1985

Comments:
  • Mr. Wow

    I meant to include this at the bottom of our GG get-together tonight.  But I never do it correctly.

    Backstory: Taylor, freshly rehabbed and slimmer than she’d been in years, received the Cecil B. DeMille Award. Liza introduced her. Rock, who was appearing on “Dynasty” at the time, greeted her backstage.   Although Taylor was preparing her first fund-raiser for AIDS, and working with Dr. Mathilde Krim to found AmFar, she did not know her old friend Rock was dying of the disease.  When she found out, she was shocked and horrified. But Taylor was already deep into AIDS work. 

    She visited him at the hospital  and his home (where he died) till the end.

    12:45 am | January 13, 2014
  • Deirdre Cerasa

    Love…

    8:18 am | January 13, 2014
  • Mimi

    Wonderful memory. Thank you again. 

    8:33 am | January 13, 2014
  • Daniel Sugar

    True friendship. (And what a great woman.)

    1:31 pm | January 13, 2014
  • She was pretty brave.  She was deeply involved when there was still a lot of fear –  no one knew how contagious AIDS might really be –  and at a time when AIDS  patients were still very much stigmatized and blamed for their illness.

    Princess Diana was another one who publicly embraced and was photographed with AIDS patients, doing a lot to help dispel the fear and stigma.

    1:45 pm | January 13, 2014
  • Delusional

    Lila, the tireless work of many grunts and ground soldiers, and time, oh time, are what has done wonders. But don’t yet relax: prejudices don’t vanish, only change their forms. Stigma still exists, just as racism still thrives.

    10:43 am | January 14, 2014
    • Mr. Wow

      Dear Delusional…

      Don’t worry–every day and in every way on every issue, we are reminded that “you’ve got to be carefully taught.”    The recent “Duck Dynasty’ shambles proved that.  We who live on the coast cities might relax and think times and attitudes have really changed.  NOT.  The fight goes on. 

      5:19 pm | January 14, 2014
  • Rho

    Thank you Mr. Wow. I miss both of them.

    3:38 pm | January 14, 2014
    • Mr. Wow

      Dear Rho…if you can, try to catch “The Mirror Crack’d” with Liz, Rock, Kim Novak, Angela Lansbury and Tony Curtis.  (Curtis was an awful person, but he is hilarious in this movie!)


      Kim gives the comic performance of her life in this.  And ET goes through every ET emotion and variation and even ends up mocking her own penchant for cinematic hysteria.    It’s great.

      5:29 pm | January 14, 2014
      • Rho

        Will do, thanks.

        10:26 am | January 15, 2014
  • rick gould

    Mr. W–This was the beginning of Elizabeth Taylor’s personal and professional renewal…her AIDS activist work and then as a superbusiness woman with her perfume empire just around the corner. I love that ET found a sense of purpose in her life after age 50. It is most inspiring to this babyboomer!
    Sadly, I remember the hostility from people around me when it was announced that Rock Hudson had AIDS. I had just come out myself and it was a very disconcerting feeling hearing the negative comments from people I knew and worked with…sad times.
    On a lighter note, Mr. WoW, I have been especially enjoying your work lately in Liz Smith’s column. The round up of the Golden Globes and the wealth of great TV shows (where grownup moviegoers have now gravitated to) and the story about Lana Turner’s generosity toward co-star Juanita Moore in “Imitation of Life” have been an enjoyable way to start the day!
    Cheers, I appreciate your work here and THERE so much,Rick

    11:32 am | January 15, 2014
    • Mr. Wow

      Dear Rick…I remember passing a newsstand in 1985 and there was The Village Voice with ET on the cover.  Of course it was about the AIDS crisis, but that Taylor would be so recognized, that her voice would extend to the Voice–I was stunned. 

      And then I thought–this is the most pervasive, mysterious, terrifying disease since Bubonic Plague.  Who else but Elizabeth Taylor to carry the flag?  The greatest disease, the greatest star.

      I’d been fascinated by Taylor for many years, this was the moment I thought, “She has finally found a use for what we love, what drives us crazy.”  Surprise!

      Years later, in the wake of my own diagnosis, and the “cocktail” that saved my life–after thanking God (or whatever) for B. and my doctor, I had to think of ET.  Would those drugs have been available had she not forced herself upon the issue?    I don’t know, but I  think only she could have presented the struggle in a palatable manner.  That is–she used her glamor and fame to draw the unwilling in.  I will appear.  You can judge my looks, you can come close and comment on the color of my eyes.  But you MUST give $. 

      I am alive today because my lover didn’t reject me when it became clear I had been reckless and unfaithful. 

      But would the drugs that keep me alive been as readily on-hand had it not been for a crazy lady with big hair, big jewels and a big heart?  

      6:31 pm | January 15, 2014
      • BabySnooks

        A lot of people credit so many others including ACT UP but in reality no one “acted up” more than she did and no one caught everyone’s attention in Washington more than she did.

        And she was willing to shame people for not getting involved. Few were willing to do that. But she was. How she got the Reagans to that dinner in Washington.

        10:46 am | January 21, 2014
        • Mr. Wow

          FUCK ALL!!!  Baby, you’re back!!!  Forget this or any recent post.  How are you?  Others were concerned as well. 

          Love, Mr. W   

          7:40 pm | January 21, 2014
          • BabySnooks

            I had “bad weather” over the holidays. But I’m still here.  I truly thought I was dying at one point but, well, even if I were the “life passing before my eyes” will take at least two years. Maybe three. 

            9:41 am | January 22, 2014
  • Daniel Sugar

    Dominick Dunne used to say, “Elizabeth is different.” 
    She was.

    8:47 pm | January 15, 2014
    • Mr. Wow

      “She seems…disturbed.”


      “I am disturbed Aunt Vi.”


      “Forcing Mama and George…”

      “I have never forced anybody..” 

      9:05 pm | January 15, 2014
      • rick gould

        “I’ll show you who’s crazy, I’ll show you!”
        Different movie, Same crazy gal ; )

        10:07 pm | January 15, 2014
  • Mr. Wow

    “I ate it.”

    “What did you just say to me?”

    “I. Ate. It.”

    10:44 pm | January 15, 2014
  • Daniel Sugar

    Well-deserved Oscar nomination for Cate Blanchett.

    4:45 pm | January 16, 2014
  • Mr. Wow

    Indeed.  But don’t discount Judi Dench for “Philomena.”  They want to give her the “big” Oscar (She already has a Best Supporting for her eight minutes in “Shakespeare in Love” )  Her presence in so many of the Bond films and her encroaching blindness tips sentiment.  And her perf is not to be dismissed.


    If S. Bullock wins I might begin drinking at home again.  But then I live in a world where Sally Field has two Oscars.  (I’m sure people of my age, said the same thing about Elizabeth T. at the time.) 
    1:58 pm | January 17, 2014
  • Daniel Sugar

    Based on nothing but a gut feeling, I think it’s Cate Blanchett’s year.  
    P.S. Don’t let Sandy (or Gidget) drive you to drink, Moondoggy.

    7:00 pm | January 17, 2014
  • Daniel Sugar

    Sorry, spelling (Moondoggie).

    8:05 pm | January 17, 2014
  • Daniel Sugar

    Miss Blanchett won the Critics’ Choice Award – let’s see what happens at the SAG awards…

    7:42 pm | January 18, 2014
  • Daniel Sugar

    P.S. With all the surgical lifts in Hollywood, they have a real nerve calling it the sag awards.

    7:44 pm | January 18, 2014
  • Daniel Sugar

    Congratulations to Cate Blanchett on her SAG award.

    10:55 pm | January 18, 2014
  • Haunted Lady

    I hope everyone is someplace warm as we have another polar something hitting us. It’s “watch a good movie with the cats” type weather and I wish for everyone’s well-being while we try to keep out of the cold.

    12:49 pm | January 21, 2014
  • Daniel Sugar

    Stay warm and safe, Haunted Lady!

    1:19 pm | January 21, 2014
    • Mr. Wow

      To all–

      I am warm and safe in my cozy, cushiony room of books and movies.  Getting to work today was a trial. Going in tomorrow will be worse. But–I have my cozy room to return to. And the fabulous B.  I have it so much better than so many. And don’t I know it, and I am so grateful.

      To those in the path of this weather, stay warm and cozy. 

      I love you.  Mr. W.

      7:27 pm | January 21, 2014
  • rick gould

    Mr. W!Just read “Liz Smith” column about the need for someone to write an Elizabeth Taylor bio, particularly ET’s mid to later years… Brian Kellows is a great suggestion…I have another. YOU!You actually observed ET at times in action during the ’70s on, and so did your boss. So why don’t you write it, Mr? ; )I have my own idea for a Liz book, fyi!Rick

    5:31 pm | January 21, 2014
  • Mr. Wow

    Rick..hmmmm…I do think–in fact I know!–that I am not talented or disciplined enough to devote myself to writing a book of any sort.  No less something as massive as an ET biography.  However, I would be invaluable to any serious biographer.  Not just what I know, but what I could get from people.  I’m very good at one-on-one interviews.

    Time rushes by.  I hope somebody gets on board.

    What’s your idea?  Or don’t you want to put it out here?  I’ll understand.


     

    7:36 pm | January 21, 2014
    • rick gould

      Hey Mr. W–You would indeed be an invaluable contributor to an ET bio…and I thought the idea floated in the column about covering the latter part of her life was brilliant…we’ve all heard the Taylor heyday with marriages and the jewels a million times. I thought the years where Taylor finally attempted to grow up and have a great second act…like a lot of divorced middle aged women of her generation, was just as fascinating as the glory years…because it showed her humanity under the stardom.
      My address is: gouldr@gmail.comJot me an email if you like, I’d like to run my idea by you. And you can tell me if I am an idiot or if I have a brilliant idea for an ET novel…
      Rick

      2:31 am | January 22, 2014
      • Do, it, do it Rick and Wow!!  Collaborate! 

        4:08 am | January 22, 2014
      • Mr. Wow

        Dear Rick…I hate to do this publicly, but I tried to get on your e-mail and…I was bounced back.  Rejected!  Don’t I feel bad enough?!!!


        You know what, here’s mine:             Denis@denbru.com  

        And clearly, now it’s out there, period.  But I love and trust all of you.  You all know my story.  It’s much too sad to be told, as the lyrics go.  But–I keep telling it.

        8:39 pm | January 22, 2014
        • rick gould

          Hey Mr. W–  I accidentally included the word jot in my address…my bad!  Will send you a note in the next day or so about my idea…
          I think if somebody even started their bio of Elizabeth when her second marriage to Burton ended, would be a great place to start…
          Love reading your stories, Mr. W. And when my essays finish going through the revisions, I will share mine…
          Rick

          9:24 pm | January 22, 2014
          • Mr. Wow

            Dear Rick–that’s the place to begin a great new book on ET–1975, New York, The Lombardy Hotel, the rehearsals for “Equus,” the night at Sardi’s when Burton Kissed Suzy Hunt, Elizabeth s flight from NY (Both the separations–’73, ’75– happened in NYC, Lucky me!)  To think, it was just the beginning of three major comebacks!

            9:43 pm | January 22, 2014
    • BabySnooks

      I’m surprised Kitty Kelly hasn’t started on a “sequel” given the fact that her book “dead-ended” with the move to Los Angeles which was an epoch in itself. And was the most scandalous. But who knows. She may be. Who I think should write it is Liz Smith. There aren’t too many still around who really “remember it all.” And she witnessed quite a bit of it.

      You can pretty much define her life in three epochs. Pre-Chen Sam, Chen Sam, and Post-Chen Sam. I can only imagine the book Chen Sam could have written. But of course she never would have. If she had written one she could have titled it “Two Broads in a Bar.” They really were the best of friends. 

      9:57 am | January 22, 2014
      • Mr. Wow

        Oh, baby..it was such a crazy symbiotic  relationship.  They adored each other and fought like cats.

        I will say that Chen would have guided Elizabeth last ten years much more skillfully.

        9:35 pm | January 22, 2014
        • rick gould

          Mr. W-
          I’d like to know what you think of the last two books written about Taylor, Furious Love and How to Be a Movie Star?

          I skimmed them both. Mixed feelings about both, though I enjoyed the latter book by William Mann more…
          Rick

          11:55 pm | January 22, 2014
          • Mr. Wow

            I preferred the Mann book.  Terrific insight to pr management and Taylor’s own clever use of the press and her morphing image. Fascinating.


            “Furious Love” is depressing, because that relationship was so out of whack and unhealthy for both of them.  I don’t see a “great love” there. 13 months with Mike Todd. That was a  great love. Would it have survived the inevitable ravages of the 20-year age difference or Todd’s compulsion to trot Taylor out as his prize show horse?   We’ll never know.  Burton–eternally brooding and guilty about choosing Taylor above his family and a reputable career– was no Mike Todd, in any case.

            8:26 pm | January 23, 2014
        • BabySnooks

          “Post-Chen Sam” at times appeared to be a replay of some of her better movies like “The Driver’s Seat” and “Secret Ceremony.”  And a revival of “Sunset Boulevard.” 

          She had some other close friends including Norma Heyman and another woman who was a childhood friend in London but I can’t remember her name. But I doubt they would write a word. The one thing you didn’t do was talk about her. Several got a “chill” after Kitty Kelly’s book came out because she knew who had told what.  None of whom knew that Kitty Kelly was going to “name names” and thank them all for her assistance. 

          Liz Smith wrote in her column she won’t do it. I hope she changes her mind. 

          9:32 pm | January 23, 2014
  • Haunted Lady

    Mr W, you and Rick should really do this. It would be a fantastic book and I’ll guarantee you at least one sale.

    1:21 pm | January 22, 2014
  • rick gould

    Hey everyone,  I think the suggestion of Brian Kellows is a great one, the author’s biography resume is quite impressive! I could totally see the talented Mr. W being an invaluable and paid! resource ; )

    My idea for a personal ET story involves my upbringing versus Liz’s life during the same period. I just want to bounce the whole premise off the wise Mr. W ; ) 

    As for others suggestions for Mr. W and I teaming up for this endeavor, I’m not sure how much work we’d get done, we would probably do too much gabbing and not enough writing! I have to say just from writing autobiographical essays about family members, the amount of research and interviewing is great, can’t imagine what diagramming even a portion of Taylor’s times would be like…it would drive both Mr. W and me back to booze…but ET would understand ; )

    2:00 pm | January 22, 2014
  • Rho

    I also agree, do it!

    4:27 pm | January 22, 2014
  • Haunted Lady

    There are different ways to collaborate on something like this. I would guess what you need is the writer, someone who can take your and W’s memories and such and put them into book form. Ask Brian Kellowes if he would be interested in working with you. It might be a good idea to record your memories and such and send the recordings to him, or whatever writer you work with, to be put together in a book. And you and W should get together and gab once in a while. Maybe have a drink or two. You’d probably have great fun and a great book would emerge.

    11:55 am | January 23, 2014
  • Daniel Sugar

    Funniest headline of the day:BOMBED BIEBER BUSTED

    1:28 pm | January 23, 2014
    • Mr. Wow

      Poor baby.  He’ll get off.  Lindsay, anyone?

      2:56 pm | January 23, 2014
      • BabySnooks

        He may get off but he also may end up being deported. And I bet his neighbors in Calabasas are already on the phone to INS!

        9:35 pm | January 23, 2014
  • rick gould

    WoW, I’m worried about the Bieber!

    3:41 pm | January 23, 2014
  • Daniel Sugar

    I was worried about that kid – thought he’d do a James Dean or an Elvis. Glad the fast cars and drugs are suddenly off-limits.

    4:13 pm | January 23, 2014
    • Mr. Wow

      For a very short time.  He is willful and stupid and both parents are enablers.

      And he’s never even had a real hit song.  Lots of entitlement for a marginally talented person.

      8:13 pm | January 23, 2014
      • rick gould

        I don’t think Bieber has what it takes to jump into adult stardom like the other Justin…

        …and his shelf life is already showing. His much-hyped documentary bombed…he’s becoming a joke, a la Lohan…

        I see him on Celebrity Rehab in a couple years…if he lasts that long.

        8:42 pm | January 23, 2014
  • Haunted Lady

    It’s Britney redux. I hope the kid gets his act together before something really bad happens. Maybe an intervention or whatever Britney Spears father did.

    7:19 pm | January 23, 2014
  • Daniel Sugar

    They might have to keep Robert Downey, Jr-ing him until he gets the message.

    8:32 pm | January 23, 2014
  • Mr. Wow

    I hope not, because as low as Downey got, he still had his brains.  This is a just a dumb kid with no sense of direction.  Multiple incidents will only make Bieber wilder and less inclined to bend to any authority.  I’m kind of hoping once is enough and he just goes and takes a year off–live quietly in Canada.  If he has any real chops as a musician or even an actor, he’ll be able to pick his career at age 20 or 21. 

    I’m not a fan but….he is cute.  I hate to see cute guys go to waste.  (too many tats, though. Enough!)


    8:48 pm | January 23, 2014
  • Daniel Sugar

    Let’s start a rehab/resort for all these formerly incarcerated stars; a  celeb version of The Island Of The Lost Toys.

    9:14 pm | January 23, 2014
  • Mr. Wow

    And the Grande Dame of the facility will be the lovely Lindsay.  Like a “Fantasy Island” thing.  I’m being nice.  I’m giving her the Ricardo Montalban role. 

    9:53 pm | January 23, 2014
  • Daniel Sugar

    Da plane, boss! Da plane!

    10:07 pm | January 23, 2014
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