Rubbing Elbows: My Brushes with Celebrities chapter 12

It was at the Metropolitan Room in Manhattan where I met Julie Budd, She has a residency there and aways brings in a full house regardless of the weather.

Though she has fawning gay fans in her crowds, I was rather taken aback by her homophobic stance when I blogged about her show and mentioned that my friend, promoter Nick Lion and I went to a gay bar, The Monster in the West Village, after her performance that night. Julie felt it was sleazy and

Julie had a promising career as another Barbra Streisand. They expected her to be a superstar singing sensation and she should have been. But maybe show biz has room for only one Barbra.

Still, Julie is basically a lovely individual and sweet soul. Richard Skipper does a wonderful job promoting her.

NYC cabaret is where established stars meet the upcoming ones and the wannabes. It makes for an interesting mix and mingle.

Incidentally, I'd like to bid a fond farewell to Dana Lorge who passed away from lung cancer just around the time I was putting this chapter together. We had met in passing several times at shows at the Metropolitan Room She was a lovely woman and did a magnificent job hosting her variety show at the club.

Dana had a rather eclectic group of her guests in her show. She was diagnosed with cancer briefly before her final presentation at Metropolitan Room. A trouper to the end, I pray she rests in peace.

Rubbing Elbows::My Brushes with Celebrities chapter 7

After college, I moved back to New Jersey, first with my family in Paterson, then out on my own to nearby Haledon.

B, I was a substitute teacher and by night at Stern's department store at Willowbrook Mall in Haledon, NJ. It was there that I t was there where I experienced my first homosexual experience.

I worked at the men's tie counter there and a co-worker, Craig, would come over to romance me on a regular basis. One night, in the mall parking lot, we had sex in the backseat of his car. Suddenly, it all made sense, it felt right.

The problem turned out, after he moved into my Haledon apartment with me, that he was still hopelessly in love with his ex.

I had a few little affairs after that, then moved to Manhattan. My affordable little 1-bedroom on Prince Street Street in SoHo  Very narrow bedroom with a single bed. It had a bathtub in the kitchen that doubled as a table when you pulled the wooden slats down.

I had wandered into Unicorn City on Greenwich Avenue in the West Village. The owner, Martin Proctor, took an immediate liking to me. He asked me to move in with him. Marty was my mother's age. I moved into his apartment on West 10th Street in Greenwich Village, which I did.

I met a lot of famous folk there. Columnist Liz Smith would come in with her lover and buy Marty's numbered Erte prints. I enjoyed working with him, his mom and dad. We were family.

One day, I recall, Carol Lynley came in, bought a lot of things, and when Mrtry rang up her bill, she balked and said, "You're not actually going to charge me for this. Are you? Don't you know who I am?" Well, we had just seen her in The Poseidon Advenre. But Marty looked her straight in the eyes and said flatly, "I don't care. You're a customer. You have to pay." Kaye Lenz tried to pull the same thing. Both stalked out of the store angrily.

Our home space soon felt cramped, Which is why we moved. We decided, there, to have an open relationship. This was not a good idea as, very swiftly, jealousies, criticisms and arguments between us set in. At that point, alcohol and cocaine entered our lives together. And so, we broke up. On his part, I found him inconsiderate and untrustworthy in the end. I caught him cheating a few times. Once with my close friend at the time.

I then moved to Hoboken, NJ and began a new life at that point. Home of Sinatra and Pia Zadora.

Buddy Beaverhausen's Random Thoughts on the Passing of Tom Jones' Wife

It was confirmed today that Tom Jones' wife left this mortal coil today.

She died of cancer. The couple had been married since 1957! It was an intense, mostly happy marriage, though it's been largely mentioned in the press that his spouse, Linda, sometimes beat him because of his philandering and his affair with long-time Mary Wilson of The Supremes. Elvira (CassandraPeterson) says Mr Jones is the man who popped her cherry! Lucky Lady!

Still, it's a sad end to a long-time companion. Another celebrity gone too soon this year.

Tom has, of course, cancelled his concert tour for now. That irrepressible hunk o' burnin' love is in mourning, and we wish him well.

A Tom Jones musical just opened in the UK. I wonder how this development will affect that production.

The couple had one soon together.

RIP,  Melinda Rose/ Lady Woodward.

Underwear anyone?

Buddy Beaverhausen's Random Thoughts: The Republican Male Candidates' Great Dick Debate

Talk loudly and carry a big stick! American politics hit a new, embarrassing low recently when Republican male candidates decided to discuss wanker size as a qualification for the Presidency!

I don't even like these guys' faces. Why would I even want to imagine their puds?! Absolutely too much information. fellas!

Though Mark Rubio began by saying he wanted this debate to be about policy issues, The Donald immediately waylaid that idea by bringing up his pocket rocket.

"Look at these hands," Trump insisted, extending and spreading out his fingers. "Are these small hands?" Well, maybe not as small as his brain or his soul, but frankly I've seen bigger and thicker. Just sayin'. Maybe The Donald should talk about ass size. There's no bigger rump than that on Trump!

Ivana, Donald's ex-wife (What's he got? A harem?). is now writing his speeches. I can just hear her advising him, "Talk about how you're hung, dahlink! Like everyt'ing else, we'll just make it up!" Have another cocktail and facelift, babooshka!

At first, I thought I'd show some class and rise above blogging about this depraved moment, but then I threw in the towel. Who was I fooling? This is perfect fodder for Buddy Beaverhausen; grist for my gossip mill!

This debate was self-satire that would be hilarious if it weren't so sad and even scary. It is an embarrassment to our nation. Let's hide the baloney in politics, shall we, boys!

Buddy Beaverhausen's Random Thoughts: Policeman Files Sexual Assault Suit Against Elton John

Say what?! When I first read the news articles, I thought: That's odd, a suspect patting down an officer.  It takes a lot of Philadelphia Freedom to say the least.

Turns out the officer in question, Jeffrey Wenninger, is a former bodyguard of Sir Elton's who claims he was sexually assaulted and  touched in an "unwelcome manner." I never realized Elton was such a big, strong guy that he could force himself on a bodyguard this way.

Elton's lawyer is, of course, calling the charges "baseless" and a waste of the court's time. Basically, it boils down to a shakedown operation.

The suit focuses on three specific incidents between March and April 2014, all on their way to or from the airport there. I'm trying to imagine how it's possible, as the passenger, to sexually assault your driver. Though it has been of fantasy of mine with a few hunky drivers I've had out to LaGuardia. Maybe Elton can give me some tips. Then again, maybe not.

I think it odd that Wenninger waited three years to place this lawsuit and I must say he appears pretty chipper with Elton in the photo at left, prominently sporting a big basket as John makes an unfortunate appearance in an Adidas sports outfit. Think I might file a lawsuit with the fashion police.

Beaverhausen Book Nook: The Mommie Dearest Diary ~ Carol Ann Tells All

Now it can be told ~ from Rutanaya Alda's (Carol Ann from the movie Mommie Dearest) point of view! It's not a pretty picture, gossip fans rest assured. As Faye Dunaway has her own memoir coming out about the making of Mommie Dearest, this could turn into a she said/ she said gossip feud.

Rutanya describes a very chaotic set and shoot. She quotes sources and strongly implies Dunaway had a substance abuse problem at this time. She cites people in the film industry, like Bette Davis and Roman Polanski, discussing their own difficulties working with the tempestuous star. Dunaway has accused Mommie Dearest of ruining her career but, clearly, it was her own reputation to blame.

Ms Alda recalls emigrating from Latvia to the USA as a child and of her own physical and emotional childhood abuse by her mother. She also recalls meeting the real Joan Crawford on the set of Rosemary's Baby where she was Mia Farrow's stand-in.

Rutanya's book has many fascinating stories about the bevy of Hollywood stars and directors she's worked with, and her personal life, though the focus is on the chaotic set of 1981's now camp classic Mommie Dearest, based on Christina Crawford's best-selling autobiography at the time. Faye Dunaway is described as an unstable ego-monster, as over-the-top on the set as she is on-screen, assured she was going to be nominated for an Oscar for her portrayal of Crawford.

The book has a lot of off-topic padding as well as unnecessary diary entries, like "Friday, January 23 (No entry)," for instance. However, when it gets to the meat of the matter, Carol Ann indeed tells all in juicy, delicious detail: Faye's on- and off-the-set discord with Diana Scarwid (the teen & adult Christina); director Frank Perry's weaknesses as a director kowtowing to his star's whims; veteran technical people quitting the making of the movie; how Faye stole her role from under Anne Bancroft's nose; Faye carelessly cutting into child actress Mara Hobel's flesh during the haircut scene; Faye Dunaway insisting on eight takes of slapping Caol Ann (rehearsing for Mildred Pierce), once so hard as to leave an imprint on her co-star's face; and much more.

Everything considered, I can only recommend this book to die-hard fans of the film and avid readers of behind-the-scenes Hollywood memoirs.





Available at Barnes & Noble and Amazon.com.

My Final Word on Bruce/ Caitlyn Jenner

Ok, I'm sure you're as sick as I am about the media coverage in this country about Bruce Jenner's surgical transformation. I'm not sure why but something about the athlete's new physical self brings to mind Attack of the 50 Foot Woman.

Jon Stewart criticized the media for obsessing on Jenner's looks. But that's what Ms Jenner is selling.

I am a gay man and a supporter of the transgender community. However, let me just say that, in my view, Jenner is no friend but an exploiter.

Jenner is a "religious" right-wing, Republican crusader and only supports what is absolutely self-promoting. Like many of her ilk, special rules and exceptions apply for her. But do not expect her to support the community at large.

Buddy Beaverhausen is on vacation but Caitlyn Jenner is not. She followed me on radio, tv and magazine stand. So, let her have her15 minutes of fame. I'm already over this and refuse to give Ms Jenner any further attention.

 Ok, I'm off to the pool!

On the Town with Buddy B: Lee Roy Reams and Richard Skipper

Lee Roy Reams is not only a great performer, he is, as his live interview with Richard Skipper displayed yesterday evening, a grand raconteur.

Richard interviewed the no-holds-barred, very candid Broadway star at the Spiral Theatre Studio in an evening that was simply delicious and even down and dirty at times. The full house loved hearing the anecdotes and backstage stories that told it like it was about the theater world and its legendary productions and superstars. We were entertained and gratefully informed. Tantalized, in fact, by the dirt Mr Reams frequently had to dish.

Mr Skipper's events never disappoint and this was surely no exception. The night kicked off with a reception that included finger food, soft drinks and wine. We were then ushered into the studio space for the 8:00 pm show that went on for a lively two hours.


I recently interviewed Mr Reams by phone but we were introduced before last night's event by Richard Skipper and had our second face-to-face encounter. (The first was in 2012 at BB King's, when Sherry Eaker (of Backstage and Bistro Awards fame) and I sat across from the Broadway icon at a Melissa Manchester concert.)

When Richard had to step outside the studio space just ahead of showtime, and I was engaged in conversation with Mr Reams, I decided to warm Richard's seat.  Lee Roy and I gossiped about a few things: our love of Melissa Manchester (whom he knows personally) and how we both plan on seeing her in March at 54 Below. We spoke of retirement (as I leave my office job, also in March) and our mutual friendships with Bob Esty. Lee Roy knew nothing of Esty's great Carol Channing guide vocal for the disco version of "Is That All There Is?" (that went unrecorded). Bob, Lee Roy would love it if you'd share this recording with him.

We shared our distaste for Channing's last two albums (the last a Born Again fiasco.) And, somehow, Mr Reams brought up Scotty Bowers' outrageous memoir, Full Service. God, I love this man!

I told Lee Roy I adored the book and have a very popular blog review about it. http://djbuddybeaverhausen.blogspot.com/2012/02/fill-it-up.html
I asked if he believed the stories of Bowers' "servicing" the classic Hollywood stars. "Absolutely," I was told. I was then regaled by Lee Roy's own brushes with celebs like Katherine Hepburn and Spencer Tracy among others. He'd met Scotty Bowers twice, when Scotty was tending bar at Hollywood parties, and spoke of how Bowers put the cock in cocktails by stirring them with his penis on at least one occasion.

Richard returned, I sat with my friends Kathy Towson and Nick Lion in the audience, the show began. And it began with a video presentation of clips and photographs canvasing Mr Reams' career. Best of all was our star's '70s Krazy Glue commercial with him singing and dancing.

Then Richard's Q&A began, as the host asked questions that prompted such fantastic stories of Reams' life in the theater and television. Backstage stories of legends like David Merrick, Gower Champion, Jerry Herman flowed freely. I think we could all have listened to this Q&A all night!

There's no business like show business, Mr Reams said implicitly as he entertained us with great tales from the golden age. He spoke of his wonderful but sometimes contentious, long-time relationship with Carol Channing. He spoke lovingly about befriending the late Lauren Bacall. He co-starred in Applause (Broadway and on tour) with her. When the show opened on The Great White Way, he saw Ms Bacall trembling in the wings, ready to go on. He gently took her hand to offer support. Bacall asked if he could do that before each performance and he did, graciously. They bonded and became very close.

He spoke of  Ethel Merman and taking her to see Bacall in Woman of the Year on the day of the Puerto Rican Day parade. "Why are all those spicks making so much noise?" Merman insisted as the parade passed by. At the show, Merman heckled Bacall throughout.

From Betty Bacall to Bette Davis, Dodie Goodman to Ruby Keeler (another very heart-rending tale) to Madeline Kahn to Jo Ann Worley, Leslie Uggams, Lee Roy Reams told the most riveting of tales.

Mr Reams is working on his memoir, Song and Dance Man and will play Dolly Levi in Boca Raton after his very successful run there in La Cage. Got to catch that!

The Misexecration of Lauryn Hill

Chalk it up to her miseducation, but multi-Grammy Award-winning recording artist Lauryn Hill has been talking shit recently. It isn't winning her any LGBT fans. In fact, I dare say it's cost her a legion of them.

Ms Hill has recently been charged with tax evasion, given an opportunity by the judge to pay up but evaded that opportunity as well. She is facing jail time and eviction from her rented home in East Orange, NJ.

Since her mega-hit album, The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill in 1998, Lauryn has released only an MTV unplugged concert album in 2002. What's up with that? Despite announcing a slew of planned music and film projects, not one has ever come to fruition. Something ain't right.

Finally, Miss Education has been putting together a new album. But then the ugly "Neurotic Society" track emerged and the reportage on Queerty, online, went viral in a nanosecond.

Wrote Queerty:

"Hill took to this week to defend some offensive anti-gay lyrics in her newest track, “Neurotic Society“. In it, the singer lists reasons why she believes society is crumbling around her, comparing “social transvestism,” “drag queens,” and “girl men” to “pimps”, “pushers,” and “serial criminals.”

“Neurotic Society is a song about people not being, or not being able to be, who and what they truly are, due to the current social construct,” Hill writes. Sounds good so far, right?

She continues:

“The world we live in now is, in many ways, an abhorrent distortion, an accumulation of generations and generations of response to negative stimuli. Many don’t even have a concept of what normal is, by virtue of having lived afraid, ashamed, as victims of abuse, or inadequately handled for so long. I believe in coming up from under that fear and allowing the psyche/soul to truly heal. I understand that healing is a process, but I also believe that it is our responsibility to seriously care for ourselves, so that we can extend that level of concern for others and positively affect our environment.”

It’s strange that, without the rampant homophobia, this song could have actually been empowering and used to promote a different message entirely.

“Everyone has a right to their own beliefs,” she continues. “Although I do not necessarily agree with what everyone says or does, I do believe in everyone’s right to protest.”

Right. You have fun protesting from a jail cell, honey!

Interesting that pop-music has-beens like Hill and Michelle Shocked think they can revitalize their careers through negativity and hate. Buddy Beaverhausen thinks it's time for Lauryn's Reeducation. Perhaps from behind bars.

The Globe's Celebrity Death Clock

I tried to resist my morbid curiosity in The Globe's cover this week. Under the banner headline: "Paris death crash medics finally tell all: 'We Saw Diana's Unborn Baby," the tabloid licked its lips to ask: "After Robin and Joan... WHO'LL DIE NEXT?"

Plastered on the front of this issue are plenty of celeb pics and blurbs about what's wrong health-wise with each. Jane Fonda, looking like Annie Lennox impersonating a leper -- wears a cap, badly designed sunglasses and a leper skin-print scarf (oops, I meant leopard skin-print)  -- is in a "Breast Cancer Battle." Cher has a "New Mystery Illness" we're informed (or perhaps misinformed) while Liza Minnelli, who appears to be suffering sinusitis and make-up deprivation as pictured, is dying of a broken back.

Glen Campbell? Alzheimer's Horror! Leonard Nimoy? Lung Disease! Mary Tyler Moore, we're told, is suffering her Sad Last Days as Regis Philbin is dying of Heart Problems!

"Who'll Die Next?" is not merely posed as a rhetorical question. The Globe is happy to inform you who it will be. Inside, you can discover that, while Motley Crue's Tommy Lee is "Wasting Away," Chevy Chase is eating himself to an early grave as is Paula Dean. David Cassidy is drinking himself to death. The rag is happy to remind you of Linda Ronstadt's Parkinson's Disease and inform you of Paul McCartney's bad heart as well as Loretta Lynn's struggle with cancer. Plus there's more as the Death Wish List prattles on.

The problem is "Who'll Die Next?" has become a tacky perennial for the paper that has predicted imminent death for Liza and Mary Tyler Moore previously and yet they're both still ticking. Bill Clinton, Queen Elizabeth, Kenny Rogers, Nick Nolte, Tina Louise, Heather Locklear and Demi Moore have been declared half-dead already. Look, we're none of us getting out of here alive, but what's the point of this exercise?

Another supermarket tabloid says Enquiring minds want to know. But "Who'll Die Next?" is just an exercise in  pure (or perhaps impure), unadulterated sleaze. And that's why I love it.

The Continuing Chronicles of Casey Kasem's Carcass

When will Casey Kasem finally rest in peace? Jean Kasem, Casey's widow, made arrangements to bury the famed dj and radio/tv personality in Oslo, Norway. Despite Casey's wishes -- expressed in his will -- to be buried in California, Jean announced, "My heritage on my mother's side is Norwegian and I plan to move to Norway by the end of this year, therefore, I would also like to be near my husband's resting place so my daughter and I could visit him often." Kasem died June 15th, by the way, and so far funeral and burial dates have yet to be arranged.

"As far as I know, he is not in Norway yet," the Oslo funeral director told NBC News. Meanwhile, "The family wishes that Jean would honor their father’s wishes and bury him in Forest Lawn where he’s always wanted to be," a spokesperson for Kerri Kasem, Casey's eldest daughter, said to the press. Kerri later added that Jean "is not by any means of Norwegian descent."

Twenty of Casey Kasem's relatives and friends recently appealed to the Norwegian government, by letter, to deny Jean's request to bury her husband's remains in Oslo.  "Do not be fooled into believing his wife, Jean Kasem, who abandoned and isolated him during the last year of his life in favor of her boyfriend, John Paul Gressy,"the letter adds. They're just sayin'.

Two days ago, TMZ reported that Jean "is NOT off the hook just because she's thwarting the efforts of cops to get a full autopsy ... to determine if she committed elder abuse ... because we've learned cops are confident they have the goods to nail her....

"Law enforcement sources now tell TMZ ... although they'd like to have a full autopsy, detectives believe they have enough evidence to present the case to prosecutors. They've interviewed doctors and others who examined Casey during the car ride ... and cops say it's incriminating stuff."

And so the ghoulish saga goes on... and on. Stay tuned for Buddy Beaverhausen's next episode of As The Corpse Spins.




                          

So Wrong, Solange!

Oh, it must be difficult to be washed up at 27, lying on the rocks and the debris of a career. What do you do? How do you get press attention? How about kicking the shit out of your famous, successful brother-in-law on an elevator with a security camera!

Well, of course, the incident went viral on the Internet once TMZ released the video footage, showing the would-be diva being restrained by a bodyguard. This is so Brian DePalma Dressed to Kill, dahlings! Violence on an elevator where there's nowhere to run for the victim.

Solange's songs all failed to chart on the Billboard's pop chart, though she had a few minor club hits. Remixes can camouflage so many flaws, as we know.  I rather liked "Sandcastle Disco," actually!  I've written about Beyonce's younger sister before. She's trippy. http://djbuddybeaverhausen.blogspot.com/2010/01/bitch-bitch-bitch.html
Ah, yes! "Fuck the Industry"! What an epic fail that was. Solange was telling it like it is. Like everyone was just dying to hear her thoughts about the music industry on the radio and in the clubs. You couldn't dance that hot mess around, sweeties, if your life depended on it. The music industry obviously took note and said "fuck you" right back.

Solange claims to be influenced by the Motown girl groups, and especially by Diana Ross. To my knowledge, Miss Ross has yet to comment.

I thought it rather odd that Beyonce remained so aloof on that elevator during the goings-on. Where does she get her meds? She was very Mona Lisa-like during all this. And very image-conscious, I must say, to be so reaction free. What restraint! So very, very Stepford Diva!

The New York Daily News today reported that the elevator incident that occurred at The Standard, Highline, in Manhattan on Monday, May 12 happened because Solange "didn't like the way her brother-in-law Hova was hovering over designer Rachel Roy at the Met Gala after-party May 5, sources told the Daily News.... Before Knowles erupted in a fury of fists and feet in an elevator, smacking Jay Z several times, the soul singer had yelled at Roy to keep her distance, sources said....
'Rachel is a little too close to Jay Z,'  a source told the Daily News.... 'Solange doesn't like it, and Beyoncé doesn't like it.'"

Well, I say, we don't have to like it, we don't have to take it but is brawling really the best and brightest solution?  Apparently so, as "Tuesday afternoon, Jay Z and sister-in-law Solange Knowles appeared to make nice by going jewelry shopping together at Mr. Flawless, a high-end New York jewelry store," said The Washington Post today. What an excellent reward for bratty behavior and emotional immaturity. Brava!

However, the Daily News also reported: Tensions were already running high when Jay Z — while walking to the now-infamous Standard Hotel elevator — said he was going to the Rihanna bash rather than heading home with Beyoncé.
“Why can’t you go home?” a drunken Solange Knowles said to her brother-in-law as they left the swanky May 5 Met Gala after-party, a source told The News.
Then the 27-year-old singer turned to her 32-year-old big sis Beyoncé.
“Why does your husband need to go to the club right now?” Solange asked, according to the source.
An incensed Jay Z took offense to Solange getting involved in his business.

Hence, she beat the crap out of him. (And, believe you me, that's a lot of crap!)

I hope the next time that I become drunk and abusive, my prey responds by taking me jewelry shopping the next day, as if apologizing to me. As for Solange, she's reportedly considering going on Saturday Night Live to satirize the elevator incident. Seems like she got the attention she wanted. And maybe even a bauble or two.

Diva Dish: Special Mother's Day Edition

Someday, we're sure Lourdes Leon, Madonna's daughter, will be hard pressed for cash and will publish a tell-all about her Material Mom. I know she blogged about how happy she was to be brought on tour with her mom so she could fold her undies but I think there was something a bit passive-aggressive about that remark.

Of course, the original tell-all in this genre is Christina Crawford's Mommie Dearest. It was a best-seller in its time (1978) and that insisted a film be made of it. In case you're from Mars, "Tina" claims her adoptive mother was an abusive, schizophrenic alcoholic. It was, of course, published after Joan Crawford's death and Christina (and brother Christopher) were left out of Joan's will. Two other adopted daughters (not represented in the film for legal reasons) deny the portrayal of Joan in Christina's book.

It immediately became a camp classic (as is the movie with braying Faye Dunaway). At the time, my lover and I threw a very well attended party with the book as its theme. I went to The Erotic Bakery (then in Greenwich Village) to buy a customized cake. I asked for a wire hanger across a butt. "GET OUT!" the clerk howled at me. "We do NOT cater to child abusers, pervert!" (In other words: No wire hangers! EVER!") They had cakes showing two penises and a naked ass, but a wire hanger was too much for their delicate sensibilities. Finally, I just had a conventional Village bakery create it.

Crawford inspired a whole new genre of memoirs from silver-screen divas' daughters. Bette Davis' daughter, B.D. Hyman (married name) wrote My Mother's Keeper in 1985. Basically, it's another character assassination by an ungrateful Hollywood brat. This book is about an egomaniacal and self-centered mother who smokes, curses and drinks too much. As if we ever imagined Bette Davis to be any different in the first place.

A friend's late husband was a neighbor of Bette Davis and her family at their Connecticut home. He told me he often played with B.D. when he was 5 - 7 years old, and that Bette Davis would sometimes appear in her backyard to offer the kiddies milk and home-baked cookies.

The memoir, My Mother's Keeper, was rushed into publication shortly after Bette suffered a debilitating stroke. The indomitable Ms Davis recovered, however.

"Dear Hyman," Bette wrote in a public response. "I am now utterly confused as to who you are or what your way of life is. Your book is a glaring lack of loyalty and thanks for the very privileged life I feel you have been given. If my memory serves me right, I've been your keeper all these many years. I am continuing to do so, as my name has made your book about me a success." Ms Davis subsequently disinherited B.D.

Lana Turner's daughter,  Cheryl Crane, wrote Detour, a memoir of her famous mom. In the 1988 book, Cheryl, an out-and-proud lesbian, is very supportive of her mom. It focuses largely on the Johnny Stompanato murder scandal. Cheryl defends Lana and takes responsibility for the stabbing.

As late as 2013, Sachi Parker, daughter of Shirley MacLaine, dissed her mother for a publishing deal in the scandal-ridden Lucky Me. Ms MacLaine responded to the press:

“I'm shocked and heartbroken that my daughter would make statements about me that are virtually all fiction. I've praised her lovingly and truthfully in my own autobiographies.

“I'm sorry to see such a dishonest, opportunistic effort from my daughter for whom I've only ever wanted the best." 

And, turnabout being fair play, Nancy Spungen's mother, Deborah, published And I Don't Want to Live This Life after her daughter was stabbed to death by Sex Pistol Sid Vicious at the Chelsea Hotel in New York City. Remember: dead celebrity children can be exploited for cash too!

So Happy Mother's Day, everyone, from Buddy Beaverhausen! More diva dish next weekend!

Diva Dish for the Merry Month of May

According to Us magazine, Hunger Games' Jennifer Lawrence puked on the carpet at Madonna's Oscar night after-party. The American Hustle Best Supporting Actress nominee was so drunk by the time of that event, she retched right in public, the Oscar-winning song of the night, "Let It Go," perhaps influencing her. Miley Cyrus was passing by and snarked, "Pull it together, girl!" Hell, when Miley Cyrus tells you to pull it together, you know you're a hot mess.

No mention of who cleaned up the upchuck but it most probably was not Jennifer, Madge or Miley.

Disco diva France Joli, meanwhile, is now on Off-Broadway in the show, My Big Gay Italian Funeral. Last year, the singer debuted in My Big Gay Italian Wedding. She performs her timeless hit "Come To Me" in the show. I had the pleasure of interviewing France Joli last November:
http://blabittobeaverhausen.blogspot.com/2013/11/dj-buddy-beaverhausen-comes-to-france.html

'60s diva Lesley Gore just celebrated her 68th birthday... and she still hasn't gotten over that damned party when Judy fooled around with Johnny. The girl-group era songbird still performs and enthralls with songs old and new. I saw her a few years back at Joe's Pub, where none other than iconic radio jockey Cousin Brucie (Bruce Morrow) was in the audience. Happy Birthday, Lesley Sue Goldstein!
http://djbuddybeaverhausen.blogspot.com/2013/05/lesley-gore-its-her-birthday-and-shell.html

And rumor has it that silver screen divas Susan Sarandon and Jessica Lange were attached to make a cable tv-movie about the making of What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? with Sarandon as Bette Davis (because she has Bette Davis eyes) and Lange as co-star/rival Joan Crawford. The idea was pitched to HBO but was rejected. Hard to believe since both actresses were notably in previous HBO films, with Lange winning an Emmy for Grey Gardens.

Gray LeBlanc now has a Facebook petition page you can go to. 

Welcome to my petition page for Jessica Lange & Susan Sarandon to star in Ryan Murphy's ''The Making of...What Ever Happened to Baby Jane.'' This was brought to HBO by Murphy and turned down. I have written a lengthy email to the head of HBO programming, Michael Lombardo (Michael.lombardo@hbo.com) on the matter. Lange has contributed GREATLY to HBO with ''Grey Gardens.'' Sarandon has also contributed w/both ''Bernard and Doris'' and "You Don't Know Jack.'' It's a travesty for HBO to pass on this script, with these ladies, at this point in perspective their careers. They have both paved the way for fantastic HBO movies past and future, and that's why this makes me sick!, writes LeBlanc on his Page.

You can visit it and be part of the grass-roots protest. I'm certain there'd be much interest in this project. I say, shop it around! After all, HBO isn't the only fish in the sea.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/269238183246016/

I'll be back next week with more divas' dirty linen. Meanwhile, I wish all you diva worshippers a month of May as fabulous as the goddess of your choice!

Dj Buddy B's Latest Diva Dish

We were on Spring Break! Did you miss us? Well, the divas are back, some with steaming hot scandals, so get ready!

Madonna's showing her age lately. I look better than she and I'm older than huh! (See pic at left. That's Madonna; not me.) Well, the dance-music diva turned off most of her gay fan base when she used the term "gay" in, like, a totally pejorative context.

According to WonderWall: Remember the '80s and '90s? Those heady times of unrestricted political incorrectness when high school kids used the word "gay" as a slanderous term (i.e.: "those mom jeans are gay, this 9th grade homework assignment is gay, my immature lack of respect for my fellow humans is soooo gay")? Not so surprisingly, Madonna seems to be stuck in that time period -- at least when it comes to language.

During a Buzzfeed segment that aired this week, she was asked to write down the first word that came into her head after hearing a variety of topics. The words kale and Vladimir Putin inspired her to write down "gay." An online firestorm ensued, with social media users pointing out that (duh) she was being pretty offensive. 

Putin = Gay? Big whoops, Madge! Were you trying to be ironic? Major fail.

"Saying kale is ‘gay' is meant to convey that she doesn't like it, so it is an insult. I am SO TIRED of people using ‘gay' in a negative context," wrote one user who was later quoted by ABCNews.com.

Helter-Skelter's li'l diva Squeaky (Lynette) Fromm is back in the news! The Charles Manson sidekick and would-be President Gerald Ford assassin's pre-trial audiotape from her psychiatric exam on the latter account is now being released, 40 years after the incident.

The Sacramento Bee "requested the tapes be made public, reports that Fromme spoke confidently about her ability to represent herself at trial and be acquitted," according to the Guardian UK. 

"'What would you estimate to be your percentage chance at this point of being found not guilty?' the psychiatrist James R. Richmond asked Fromme on the tape. 'Oh, I feel, I feel definitely I have probably a 70 per cent chance on the percentage scale,' Fromme said in response."Ah, Squeaky! Ever the optimist!

I love the 1997 bio from St Martin's Press by Jess Bravin. Still part of my home library. 

Cher doesn't have to walk alone! New dj-promo-only mix from Matt Consola and LFB via Sobel Promotions is, like, so gay! As in epic, make you want to dance! The premier club mix is far superior to the highly touted and overrated Tracy Young Ferosh Reconstruction mix in my humble opinion. The third single remixed off her latest album. Cher is currently touring and she arrives in Brooklyn May 9th (right around both of our birthdays)! http://djbuddybeaverhausen.blogspot.com/2013/11/audio-beaverhausen-chers-closer-to-truth.html

By the way, I interviewed both Matt http://djbuddybeaverhausen.blogspot.com/2014/03/exclusive-q-with-dance-music-producer.html and LFB (Leo Frappier) http://blabittobeaverhausen.blogspot.com/2013/11/exclusive-q-with-leo-frappier.html recently.

Also loving Tony Moran's GMC Mixshow Anthem & the Moran/Deep Influence remixes of Martha Wash's "I'm Not Coming Down." Martha will be appearing outdoor at Lincoln Center on July 3rd along with divas Linda Clifford and the girls from Chic! http://blabittobeaverhausen.blogspot.com/2013/12/queens-our-city-radio-exclusive-q-with.html

/http://www.marthawash.com/beaverhausen-im-into-something-good-martha-wash/

So, yes, Spring Break is over! The Divas are back -- on the dancefloors, in the news, in your face ~ and beyond!

Buddy B's Monday Night News Report: Everything That Fits.

Welcome, infotainment mavens. Here are the latest tidbits you can chew on, hot off the press:

According to Metro, they took a poll of the Best Single by a Female Artist Ever (for International Women's Day) in the UK and Cher's "Believe" was  #1. Here was their entire top ten:

1. Cher – Believe
2. Whitney Houston – I Will Always Love You
3. Britney Spears – Hit Me Baby One More Time
4. Celine Dion – My Heart Will Go On
5. Adele – Someone Like You
6. Jennifer Rush – The Power of Love
7. Spice Girls – Wannabe
8. Celine Dion – Think Twice
9. Rihanna ft. Calvin Harris – We Found Love
10. All Saints – Never Ever

There is nothing like a Dame, possums! Dame Edna Everage (Barry Humphries) just received an Olivier Award nomination for 2014, it was announced. He is currently performing on the West End, direct from the successful Australian farewell show for Dame Edna (Eat, Pray, & Laugh) that, hopefully, will be coming to Broadway in the not-too distant future.

The show, now at the London Palladium, is nominated for a Best Entertainment and Family Award. The Olivier ceremony will take place April 13th at London's Royal Opera House.

Meanwhile, a blast from the arctic vortex returns as Disney's kiddie film, Frozen, stands accused by one of the Tea Party's wingnuts of Satanism. Kevin Swanson (ironically as in the frozen dinners), a religious-right talk show host, got into a Satanic panic that the movie was "going to indoctrinate my 5-year-old to be a lesbian or treat homosexuality or bestiality in a light sort of way." Anything involving Adele Dazeem ~ whose name spelled backwards is Meezad Eleda (!) ~ is direct from Beelzebub, without any reasonable doubt. Burn, witch, burn!

Finally, give a listen to this 7-year-old girl from Norway channeling Billy Holiday. Uncanny! (Or perhaps demonic possession? Kevin Swanson, we await your enlightened verdict.) "Gloomy Sunday." Well, we just got over that. Here's to Titillating Tuesday!

Religious Right talk show host Kevin Swanson railed against the Disney film Frozen on Wednesday, accusing Disney of using the movie to turn children gay.
Swanson told cohost Steve Vaughn that Satan is using the movie “to indoctrinate my 5-year-old to be a lesbian.”
- See more at: http://www.rightwingwatch.org/content/swanson-disneys-frozen-satanic-push-turn-kids-gay#sthash.OB4jNe3m.dpuf

http://dailypicksandflicks.com/2014/03/07/norways-got-talent-7-year-old-girl-sings-gloomy-sunday-by-billie-holiday-video/

Thursday's Diva Dish

Bette Midler, who was nominated for Best Actress Oscars for The Rose and For the Boys, will for the first time ever perform at the Academy Awards ceremony on Sunday, March 2. Wondering what she's going to sing? So's The Divine Miss M! She tweeted: "Now that the news is out, what shall I sing at this year's Oscars?" No worries as the multi-GRAMMY and three-time Emmy winner has sold over 30 million albums worldwide with quite an impressive repertoire to choose from.

Craig Zadon and Neil Meron, producers of the 86th Oscars event, expressed confidence, telling the press, “We are thrilled to have Bette perform on the Oscars for the very first time...! We believe she will make our Oscar telecast an especially moving evening."

It's a lackluster week on the latest Billboard dance songs/club chart, meanwhile, that finds Mel B's "For Once in My Life" stalled at #2. She looked poised for #1 but was leapfrogged over by Sweden's Avicii with his single, "True." Meh. Cher and Gaga take a tumble down the chart with Beyonce ascendant with "Blow." As I said of that song last week, "...not impressed by mixes of Beyonce's 'Blow.' Blowing that one off."

However, it's Mardi Gras Down Under and rumors are rife that Cher will be performing in Sydney. Festivities began February 7 and continue through March 2. Though there's been no announcement, officially, that the diva will lend her talents to the tres gay event, Australia's Same Same is fanning the gay community's flames on this one.

Reports Same Same:

We’d love to see Cher join us for the Sydney Mardi Gras Party, and there’s a few good reasons to think she will.

Mardi Gras haven’t announced anything and won’t comment on special guest rumours… but they are making a lot of Cher-themed fuss this week.
 
On Sunday, dozens of drag divas dressed as Cher along with no shortage of sailors performed a Turn Back Time tribute to the star on board the HMAS Vampire in Darling Harbour [for a special video yet to be unveiled].

Welcoming the video tribute, Cher herself tweeted some encouragement to her two million followers:





Meanwhile, Cher’s son Chaz Bono is flying down for the Mardi Gras festival – could he be joining his mum on stage during the Party or on a float at the Parade?

As Mardi Gras points out, Cher’s always been a sterling supporter of the LGBTI communities, and made a special surprise appearance at New York Pride last year http://djbuddybeaverhausen.blogspot.com/2013/07/on-pier-with-cher-and-hot-cox.html.... Is Cher free for Mardi Gras? Yes, it appears so. Her ‘Dressed To Kill’ tour dates don’t [start] until March 22 in Phoenix.

After all this hype, Cher had better appear or there will be an awful lot of pissed off queens who will, indeed, be dressed to kill. And then, Shame Shame, Same Same. You'll want to Turn Back Time.

Dj Buddy Beaverhausen's Mondo Entertainment

Several days ago, there were shock waves over the Internet when word was out that seemingly timeless diva and newlywed Tina Turner had suffered a stroke at her home in Zurich. But the rumors were dismissed by none other than TT's bosom buddy, Ms Oprah Winfrey. "Tina had a bad flu weeks ago. She's recovered. And LIVING life! Sent me a single long-stem red rose for my birthday," Oprah Tweeted three days ago. Living life? Well, nobody said the diva had died! And, hmmm, yet no word from Tina herself. Most odd! Who's hoaxing who here?

It is true that Devo band member Bob Casale left this mortal coil on Presidents Day. After all, People magazine said so. His band mate and brother, Gerald, said Bob died due to "conditions that lead to heart failure." Well, many "conditions" can lead to heart failure! The world awaits further details.

Devo's lead singer//co-founder, Mark Mothersbaugh said: “We are shocked and saddened by Bob Casale's passing.... He was a great friend. I will miss him greatly.”

I loved, and continue to love, Devo's debut album, Are We Not Men? We Are Devo! Bob Casale wrote the politically incorrect and yet so correct, "Mongoloid," one of my fave Devo songs. They are, however, best known for their New Wave hit, "Whip It!"

Birthdays today, too! Closet celeb John Travolta turns 60 today. Other celeb birthdays for February 18 include Cary Grant (handsomest movie star ever and possibly closeted), Oliver Hardy, Danny Kaye (closeted), Kevin Costner (59), Jason Segal, Jane Horrocks (AbFab's Bubble, aged 50), and Patricia Routledge of Keeping Up Appearances' Hyacinth Bucket just had her birthday yesterday, still keeping up her appearances at age 85.

Cheers, till next time with more dirty linen, dahlings! Keep calm and gossip on!