Profiles of the insanely rich and richly insane — It is with tears in our eyes and hole in our hearts that Daily Arts has to announce that power couple / traveling freak show Liza Minnelli and David Gest are breaking up, or so reports CNN.com. The two were married last year in high-profile, star-studded wedding. Was it the excessive plastic surgery from both sides? The failed VH-1 reality TV show? Or the fact that they were both outlandishly and certifiably bonkers?
- J. Brady McCollough
And can anyone believe that a wedding where Michael Jackson was best man and Elizabeth Taylor was the maid of honor wasn’t doomed from the start? That’s like having Keith Richards talk to your kids about drugs … actually that might work pretty well. His leathery, saddle bag of a face might scare them straight.
In other celebrity divorce news, the hardest working man in show business, James Brown, took out a full page ad in Variety to announce he was breaking up with his wife / back-up singer Tomi Rea Brown. The Godfather of Soul cited “a heavy, demanding tour schedule” for the split. The couple has a two-year-old son, James Joseph II, who was pictured in the ad with his mom, dad and Goofy at Disney World.
Umm, Jimmy, if she is your backup singer, isn’t she on tour with you, so you’d still get to see her all the time? Maybe that’s where the demanding part comes in.
“Hey, how you doing?” Crappy — Matt LeBlanc apparently will put off making that sequel to “Ed” that we’ve been praying for, because the TV star will return to NBC right after “Friends” wraps up for “Joey,” his own spin-off series that will follow his dumb, hapless actor character to wacky and zany new adventures. Will it be the new “Frasier” or a “Joanie Loves Chachi” size pile of poo?
Network producers are also claiming that LeBlanc was the only Friend approached about a spin-off (i.e. he came cheaper than the talented ones). Flog that dead horse, Matthew, flog it for all its worth!
Crazy female rapper, old man lead VMA pack — MTV announced the nominees for the 2003 Video Music Awards last week, with Missy Elliott leading the way with eight nods. However, the biggest surprise was 71-year-old Johnny Cash, who received 6 nominations including Best Video for his cover of Nine Inch Nails’ “Hurt.” In one of the more interesting turns of events, Eminem and 50 Cent are going head-to-head in three categories (Video of the Year, Male Video and Rap Video).
John Schlesinger, 1926-2003 — IMDb.com reported that film director John Schlesinger passed away in Palm Springs, Ca. at the age of 77. Schlesinger’s health had been declining since he suffered a major heart attack in 2000.
After a brief career as an actor, Schlesinger began directing in the late ’50s. Best known for his films “Billy Liar,” “Midnight Cowboy,” and “Marathon Man,” the director found success both in his native England and the United States. His last directorial credit was 2000’s “The Next Best Thing.”
Schlesinger is survived by his companion of 30 years, photographer Michael Childers.