Katherine Hepburn~Kate: The Woman Who Was Hepburn

The out Hollywood biographer Bill Mann published a new biography of Katharine Hepburn late last year titled, Kate: The Woman Who Was Hepburn. In it Mann talks about, among other things, the boy who was Jimmy Hepburn. Who the hell is Jimmy Hepburn? Jimmy was the "true identity" of Katharine Hepburn.
According to Mann, as a child Hepburn created an identity she called Jimmy. This was who Hepburn truly believed herself to be - a boy named Jimmy Hepburn. Mann explains that Hepburn actually had 3 personalities: Jimmy, Kath, and Kate. Jimmy was her true self, Kath was the female she presented to her family, and Kate was the actress and Hollywood legend we all knew. It's some very interesting insight.

Marilyn Monroe~slideshow (I Wanna Be Loved By You)

Make an on-line slide show at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Babs on Obama

By Liza Porteus Viana
Jul 29th 2008 9:35AM
Filed Under:eHillary Clinton, Democrats, Barack Obama, 2008 President

Barbra Streisand has granted Politico.com a pretty rare Q&A e-mail session, in which she talks about shifting her support from Hillary Clinton to Barack Obama for president, race in American in this year's elections, and why Hollywood celebs take so much heat for weighing in on politics.

Whether it's because she thinks she can sway some voters Obama's way or just because she wanted to put in her 2 cents, who knows, but here are a couple of the questions and answers, not all in their entirety. Check out Politico.com for the entire Q&A (Also posted on Babs' own Web site).

Oh, and yes, she has personally met and spoken with Obama the candidate (and no, she won't give the public details), and she would love to perform for him and the Democratic Party if asked. And she's closely following the U.S. Senate races this year, too.



Q. You strongly supported Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton for the Democratic nomination. Was switching to Sen. Barack Obama difficult?

We had a very deep bench of Democratic Presidential candidates in the primary, and we were very lucky to finally have two capable, dynamic and intelligent candidates vying to be the nominee. Supporting Sen. Obama for President was an immediate decision for me after Sen. Clinton ended her bid for the Democratic nomination.


Q. What do you say to Hillary's fans that might be moving to vote for [John] McCain - a figure that's been estimated to be as high as 15 % of her supporters?
I would urge those voters to take a step back and realize that our country is at an extremely serious crossroad . . . There is too much at stake right now to elect another George W. Bush to the White House. And John McCain is just that. ...There is just no reason for Sen. Clinton's supporters not to back Sen. Obama.

Q. Which Clinton policies do you think Obama should embrace, and what role would you like to see her have in his administration should he be elected?

I would like to see him embrace her universal healthcare policy. But it is ultimately up to the two of them to decide whether she will be more effective as a leader in the Senate or if she should work in the Administration. She has years of experience in public service and her work serving the needs of children and poor and working class Americans is incredibly admirable.

Q. A lot of folks object to "Hollywood celebrities" participating in political discourse. Aside from pure disagreement over certain issues, why do you think there's such a backlash when you or other well-known performers speak your mind?

On a very basic level, many people think celebrities have too much already so we shouldn't be entitled to our political opinions. Also, the other side objects to the fact that we might be listened to.

Q. Do you have any friends or family members who are conservative and/or Republican?

(Yes, but) ... I am often baffled by why they are Republicans, but I enjoy the dialogue and can move beyond politics to find common ground in my personal relationships.

LIZ SMITH "The Marilyn/Kennedy SEX TAPE"

April 16, 2008


"SHE WAS our angel, the sweet angel of sex and the sugar of sex came up from her like the resonance of sound in the clearest grain of a violin. . Marilyn was deliverance, a very Stradivarius of sex, so gorgeous, forgiving, humorous, compliant and tender."So wrote Norman Mailer in his much derided, controversial and underrated 1973 biography of Marilyn Monroe.THE HOPE that there exists film of Marilyn Monroe having sex just won't die. In fact, it has recently regenerated in a big way. This hope is, in a way, a tribute to Monroe's arguable status as the supreme erotic symbol. Norman Mailer certainly thought she was!As such, she has to be seen . Doing it. Or doing something, at least, that couldn't be seen by millions, in Cinemascope and Technicolor. Before she became famous, Monroe posed nude for calendar art. If she did that, conventional wisdom wondered, surely she must have done "more."Credence to the fantasy of Marilyn en flagrante was provided by Arlene Hunter, a B-movie actress and stripper. Hunter starred in a solo short called "The Apple Knockers and the Coke," circa the late 1940s, which eventually came to be advertised - as much as such things could be back in the day - as "Marilyn Monroe's porno loop." It circulated during Monroe's lifetime and even more after the star's death in 1962. Miss Hunter bore only a passing resemblance to Marilyn, but it was enough. Many accepted the grainy black-and-white movie as the real thing. People - men especially - just wanted to believe it. And they still do want to believe it, no matter how sketchy the "evidence."So, now comes another tale - this time in front-page headlines - of another grainy black-and-white "Monroe sex film." The star - identified by "her famous mole" - is actively engaged with a man. This 15-minute piece of celluloid is something the FBI was actually interested in, and kept in its vaults for 55 years! Why? Because the agency's headman J. Edgar Hoover thought the fellow in the movie was JFK or RFK, both of whom were rumored to have had affairs with Monroe.Well, I don't doubt Hoover came across a porno with a woman who looked like Marilyn, with a partner who (he hoped!) was the philandering President Kennedy. Or, better yet, to Hoover's point of view, brother Bobby Kennedy, the arrogant, high-minded, crime-fighting attorney general. Hoover loathed both men. He must have, to have pursued this avenue.Yes, JFK was reckless - his amused approval of Marilyn's public "Happy Birthday, Mr. President" serenade was downright Clintonian. (Jackie declined the opportunity to watch Monroe perform in her semi-transparent gown, saying only, "How typical," when told of the plans.) But Kennedy wasn't crazy, nor was Monroe. Nobody was going to have sex on camera!As for Bobby, those who believe he fell into a brief, sympathetic affair with Marilyn, say it was uncharacteristic. (My own sources told me years ago, that with JFK it was more of a thrill thing for Marilyn, casual and fun - she wasn't the married person! But that the encounters with Bobby were serious; at least on her part.)AND IF this amateur porn film indeed "looks like it was made in the early '50s," then it couldn't be either Kennedy. Monroe, by every legitimate account, did not meet the brothers until 1961.Joe DiMaggio also figures in this new story. During his brief marriage to the actress, he attempted to "buy up" copies of the film. Please - that is the work of studio heads, not husbands. All Marilyn ever had to do was fess up to the 20th Century Fox PR department, and any such indiscretion would have been tracked down and destroyed. (Fox wanted her to deny she was the calendar nude, but Monroe accurately gauged the changing times and her own little-girl-lost appeal, told all, and became an international sensation.)The owner of this movie says he will continue to resist big bucks offers to release it. He says he "respects" the late Miss Monroe too much to ever do such a thing. Uh-huh. Next stop - YouTube.This story was welcome news to all the cable stations - a relief from the "bitter" Obama analyzing, which is currently consuming the cycles. The Monroe gossip played all night. Accompanying the sordid details, were newsreel clips of Marilyn. These candid glimpses of her, through the years - at press conferences, premieres, airports - were breathtaking. Her silent image, alternately joyful or wistful, transcended what was being said about her. You couldn't snicker at such luminosity. And that is the truth of Monroe's enduring appeal - she was and is a flower that blooms in the mud.(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.)©2008 TRIBUNE MEDIA SERVICES, INC.

Stranger's" is Bette at her finest...by Bradly Briggs

"Stranger's" is Bette at her finest and what a classic pairing with Gena who was at her finest...two great acting Diva's in one movie is always a treat and I was so happy when Bette won the Emmy Award for this moving performance...another latter day Davis tour-de-force is "A Piano For Mrs. Camino" and the range that Bette displays in this classic is stunning and I love her in "White Mama" which was around the same time...Bette was peak in all of these and a Grand Dame supporting role in "Little Gloria, Happy At Last" which was filmed not long before her stroke which she amazingly overcame and even continued making films after that devastating blow. Nobody compares to this incredible legend and it was fun seeing her this morning in "Gloria" with Glynis Johns, Angela Lansbury and Maureen Stapleton...all of these films should be on DVD as treasures such as these are never going to happen again...we marveled four hours this morning how great they use to make films and "Gloria"was just for TV and I think it was a mini-series. Best wishes to everyone and it is exciting that Liza continues to give these stunning live performances!!! Bradly

Ann~Margret...Best Actress Oscar nominated in "TOMMY" (1975)

Beautiful BRANDO!

Golden Girl "SOPHIA" Estelle Getty Dead at 84

Los Angeles (E! Online) - Television is mourning one of its Golden Girls.

Estelle Getty, the cantankerous octogenarian Sophia on the classic NBC sitcom, has died at the age of 84.
Getty, who suffered from dementia, passed away early this morning at her Los Angeles home surrounded by her family, acording to her son Carl Gettleman.
Donning a granny wig and oversize glasses to play a character 20 years older than herself, Getty won an Emmy and Golden Globe as the wisecracking oldest member of The Golden Girls, costarring with Bea Arthur, Betty White and Rue McClanahan.
The sitcom, which ran from 1985 to 1992, gave Getty her breakthrough role at age 61, after she struggled for years as a character actress.

LIZ SMITH at 80 with Charlie Rose (2005) for SHANNON

At 62-years-fabulous Helen Mirren really is the Queen -- of rockin' a red bikini. What a Dame!

Lainie Kazan - Have I Stayed too Long at the Fair?

Well she tells the story in her act.
She was Babs understudy for Funny Girl and she was never able to go on. Until one day Babs was sick. Yeah !!!! Lanie called everyone on her list that she had in her pocket. She was getting ready in Babs dressing room her friends , family and so on was in the house and just when it was time for curtain who walks in but Barbra. Well she didn't get to go on . Well the producer did let her finally go on one time at a Wednesday Matinee. She was able to call her list again . But she only went on once.

That was the short version of the story. If she is ever in your town go and see her. She comes to SF once a year.
~ Patrick O Sanchez from the web:

Kazan made her Broadway debut in The Happiest Girl in the World in 1961, followed by Bravo Giovanni (1962). She served as understudy to Barbra Streisand in Funny Girl, finally getting to go on eighteen months into the run when the star was felled by a serious throat problem. Coincidentally, both had attended the same high school, Erasmus Hall High School in Brooklyn, New York. Kazan's mother alerted the press and, encouraged by rave reviews for her performance, she quit the show and set out to establish herself in a singing career.
As her popularity increased, Kazan posed for a spread in the October 1970 issue of Playboy. Her photographs inspired the look of Jack Kirby's DC Comics superheroine Big Barda.

Have I Stayed too Long at the Fair?

Nadine & Gary with Harvey Fierstein

Patrick O Sanchez on Parade!

Here are a few pictures of me kids. I just wanted to share them with you.
~ Patrick O Sanchez
" Nothing like a show to sober you up!"

Parole Denied for Dying Manson Follower

above: Sharon Tate on the day of her murder...

The California Board of Parole on Tuesday refused to grant a compassionate release to a former Manson follower who is dying of brain cancer. Susan Atkins, above, stabbed pregnant actress Sharon Tate to death during a 1969 killing spree. This is the 12th time Atkins has been denied parole. GOD BLESS SHARON TATE & FRIENDS...

Gary meets HARVEY FIERSTEIN !

The story is that I went to see a performance of A Catered Afair and met Harvey Fierstein in his ultra small dressing room. He was charming and down to earth. We discussed the fact that Ethel Merman should have won for Gypsy as well back in 1960 and not the nun in Sound of Music, can"t fool with a nun Harvey said so she won instead for the Sound of Music. I told him I have been following his career since Torch Song Trilogy when Estelle Getty played his mother way before The Golden Girls. Nadines husband knows Harvey since they were 4 so he was kind enough to talk . love, Gary Smiler.

Sarah Jessica Parker in "VOGUE"

Classic STREISAND "It Had To Be You"

Madonna as Baby Jane Hudson!

JANIS IAN~ new Autobiography & cd (2008)

Christopher Ciccone’s tell-all, Life With My Sister Madonna.

Dunaway Slams Hollywood Ageism

17 May 2008 7:03 AM, PDT From wenn.com See recent WENN news
Veteran actress Faye Dunaway has scolded Hollywood film producers for denying older female stars the chance to play major movie lead roles.
Dunaway, 67, insists movie bosses' casting decisions are hypocritical - because they allow ageing male stars, including her former Chinatown co-star Jack Nicholson, to romance much younger actresses on the big screen.
She says, "I am furious that they think I'm too old to play the love interest of guys like Jack Nicholson and Clint Eastwood. Why should I play sisters and mothers while guys like Jack and Clint (Eastwood), who are older than me, have on-screen lovers half their age?"

Taylor Quits Jewellery Company

29 June 2008 5:50 PM, PDT From wenn.com See recent WENN news
Dame Elizabeth Taylor has been forced to walk away from her jewelry company after her designs failed to entice shoppers.
The veteran actress and her House of Taylor Jewelry partner Kathy Ireland quit their California-based firm last week (begs23Jun08) after executives' efforts to revive the brand proved futile.
The pair owned a combined 49.5 per cent share in the company. But despite their stock options, generous licensing fees and personal involvement in the project, Taylor and Ireland have opted to turn their backs due to lacklustre profits.
The Nasdaq stock exchange delisted the company just last month as a result of its declining sales.
The firm now owes lender Connecticut-based New Stream Secured Capital a reported $11 million (GBP5.4 million), according to the New York Post.

NEW Cyndi~Into The Nightlife (VIDEO)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY PATRICK~JULY THE 7TH!

JOHN McLAUGHLIN~ Beating My Heart

LORNA LUFT~Songs My Mother Taught Me~review by BRADLY BRIGGS

MOVING & MAGNIFICENT...BRAVO LORNA!!!, February 22, 2008 A complete labor of love, "Songs My Mother Taught Me" is a wondrous & totally awesome collection of brilliant performances from Judy Garland's youngest daughter who happens to possess a voice that is one of the finest from her generation and should have been a blockbuster success as is clearly displayed throughout this magical tribute that Judy Garland would have been very proud of...amazing Lorna didn't achieve widespread acclaim before now as her tremendous talent is totally awesome as shown in this stunning collection of amazing and yes, enchanting & wonderfully magical soul-stirring performances!!! Starting with Judy's sublime & deeply moving performance of "Lorna" from her classic CBS television extravaganza, this was one of the many great moments from the legendary series and what an opener for this mesmerizing tribute celebration which translates beautifully to this brilliantly recorded collection...Lorna embraces her mothers incredible talent and as a result shows her own and shines...Lorna is gifted and a credit to her legendary genes...the lady can sing!!! Don't miss the chance to see this extremely moving & stunning tour-de-force tribute live as it is filled with many deserved standing ovations and not a dry eye in the house...Bravo Lorna and your time has finally come...overdue but it is here & now and with this great recording available for all who appreciate great talent to savor and enjoy over and over!!!

Lorna "Hello Bluebird"