It’s hard to get past the face.
Stretched so tight, there’s not a single laugh line…..
…. still, her lines have always made me laugh.
And the movie delivers on its title—Joan Rivers : A Piece of Work.
Such irony. For a comedian, her story has plenty of tragedy. The outrageous character she plays onstage is just that—a character she plays onstage. Don’t even get me started on her relationship with her daughter.
At home she lives like the Queen of England; but acts as if she’s one gig away from a homeless shelter. What other show business legend would travel to play a small club in a small town in the middle of Wisconsin in the middle of January?
The woman is a whirling dervish. You feel like a slacker watching a 76- year- old work so hard. Maybe she has all that plastic surgery —just to have a reason to sit down and take a break.
At the opposite end of the spectrum this week–-the woman who wrote, and seems to define A Natural–Born Woman.
Rocking onstage, wearing jeans and stilettos, wild curly hair with little makeup, Carole King looks like the antithesis of a diva; the best friend you always wanted and possibly the coolest 68- year- old woman on the planet.
Though they seem like opposites, these two women have a lot in common—– both New York girls from the same generation; with huge talent, ambition, and success—both willing to work ridiculously hard; both very comfortable in front of a microphone.
And both are Jewish grandmothers.
You’ve come a long way, Bubby.
I wonder if they make matzoh ball soup.
Darryle..I say they are both awesome women who have proven that staying power is about evolving your persona and staying true to it too. They both are amazing, inspirational and talented. Not sure Joan cooked but I bet Carole did! Diva’s come in all sizes, shapes and styles. I saw the concert on NPR with Carole and James and thought the exact same thing: They sound better now! Maybe it’s all that “life seasoning”. Thanks for the post
I saw the Joan Rivers movie a couple weeks ago. I have a new and deep admiration for a woman with the courage to put her entire life out there for the whole world to evaluate. I don’t care if she did it for the money — it took abundant chutzpah that I would never have. More power to her.
You’re right; they’ve both stayed true to their authentic selves but still it’s pretty amazing they’ve sustained that all these years–And you’re right; those are well-developed images and divas come in all shapes and sizes. For all we know, even living in her diva digs , it could be JOan who cooks an awesome matza ball soup.
You can’t NOT admire Joan Rivers for her chutzpah. She was always bold and outrageous in her act—amazing how the world has changed and she’s managed to remain relevant.
Whatever else you want to say about her, she’s smart—she laughs at herself first—and by making fun of herself, as you said, she opens up her life to criticism.
How she managed to survive and make people laugh after Edgar’s suicide is a miracle–but she did that too. Still it was poignant to watch and think about how insecure she must be.