"DOESN'T MATTER to me who wins. I'm gonna have both candidates on my show election week. You see, for me, it's a win-win!"
That was CNN's big guy Larry King, chatting with fans on his way out of his fave Hollywood deli, Nate N' Al's. (Larry is a realist -- the show-biz world will go on, no matter who occupies the White House.) Larry was with his wife, Shawn Southwick King. They were squeezed together in a booth, very affectionate, sharing a chopped salad.
Also cuddling at this famous eatery were James Woods and his -- need we emphasize? -- young, young girlfriend. (An amused onlooker said, "They were going at it like Archie and Veronica on a first date!") Woods is one of those guys who refuses to find the beauty in mature women. But he is upfront about it, at least. And still a sexy devil, I must say.
I AM falling over myself laughing that John McCain's staff has turned on Sarah Palin, because she's "become a diva." I'm shocked, shocked! I mean, really, what did anybody expect? Maybe John McCain didn't realize it, but from the moment Sarah took the stage in Denver, she made him irrelevant to his own campaign. It was she, not he, who is really running for president, and it is she, not he, who galvanized the Republicans. She was a diva from the word go.
If McCain loses, the masses who love her will blame him -- a man they never much cared for anyway. She will be elevated and "schooled" for 2012. Those liberal pundits who trash her every day and predict she'll "slink back to Alaska" -- oh, they are so wrong!
"DOES ANYBODY still wear ... a hat?" That is the famous opening line to the great Sondheim song, "The Ladies Who Lunch" (performed so memorably by Elaine Stritch.)
Well, I can tell you one lady who still wears (or at least still loves) hats -- Miss Elizabeth Taylor. During her recent trip to England, where she caught up with childhood friends, Elizabeth also shopped -- for gowns, for shoes, for jewels and for ... hats.
The star of stars summoned Britain's Philip Treacy -- designer of edgy, over-the-top headgear for daring ladies of fashion -- to her Dorchester Hotel suite. Treacy was a trifle busy when the call came in -- in fact he was in the midst of a photo shoot. But now as ever, Elizabeth Taylor does not like to be kept waiting.
Treacy stopped his photo shoot, gathered up his top model and dozens of chapeaus, and rushed over to meet with England's other queen. There was a lot of campy carrying on as La Liz ooohed and aaahed and made her selections.
Elizabeth's entire stay in England was like that -- high-spirited and full of good times. This was in no sense her "last voyage" or a morbid farewell to her birthplace, as has been suggested. Elizabeth is confined to a wheelchair, but she accepts that. Her public life is no longer very active. Her private life remains full of friends and family. I spoke with several members of the star's inner circle. One said, "Isn't it clear she's not on her deathbed ... she was strong enough to make the trip, which is, admittedly, an effort for her these days. Listen, these days travel is hard when you're 20 and in good health."
Still another remarked, "Elizabeth doesn't look back. She is not nostalgic. She doesn't live in her past and she rarely makes firm plans for the future -- because she knows how suddenly life can change. She lives almost entirely in the moment. Today's moment is good. She'll think about tomorrow when she gets to it."
Oh, she has planned a huge Thanksgiving gathering at her Bel Air house. Elizabeth has not changed at all in that regard. When I knew her back in the day, traveling all over the world to see her on various movie sets, she'd barely be through with breakfast before she was thinking about dinner. A lifelong joyful hedonist when it came to food; it always gave her pleasure to think ahead in that regard.
IT WOULD behoove fans of fabulous singing/dancing divas to be in Manhattan in December.
On Dec. 3, the indestructible Liza (what -- you need a last name?) returns to the Palace Theater on old Broadway, for her latest concert incarnation -- a tribute to her fabulous godmother, entertainer deluxe Kay Thompson.
On the very same night, Patti LaBelle, she of the soaring octaves and the famously fluttering hands, will rock the venerable Apollo Theater in Harlem. Patti alone on stage is a spectacle. But Sarah Dash and Nona Hendryx, who were Patti's old partners when the three women were the group LaBelle, will join her! They just recorded a new CD together.
Oh, to hear "Voulez-vous coucher avec moi ce soir?" again. Not to mention "Gitchi Gitchi Ya Ya, Da Da."
AND MORE: from Dec 1 to 4, the one, the only -- the woman who dances in high heels better than anyone! -- Tina Turner, will be in the N.Y. area. She'll pack 'em in at Madison Square Garden on the 1st, and then lay 'em in the aisles at the Nassau Coliseum on the 3rd and 4th.
More on Tina: Her 20-city North American tour (which opened in Kansas City Oct. 1) is a two-part extravaganza that is essentially a retrospective of Tina's incredible career. She wears six Bob Mackie costumes, and Mark Fisher, who does such innovative work for U2, the Rolling Stones and Pink Floyd, designed the eye-popping, multi-dimensional set.
Tina, now 69, "retired" some years back. Like her friend, Cher, she had a "Farewell" tour. (Though it did not last as long as Cher's!) And, like Cher, Tina has obviously changed her mind. But it took relentless prodding by Oprah Winfrey to convince Tina to give it "one more go."
As if the world wasn't grateful enough to Oprah already! Thank you, Oprah, for bringing Tina back to us!
SPEAKING OF famous singers, remember ravishing Jody Watley? She became instantly iconic in the '80s with hits like "I'm Looking for a New Love" and "Some Kind of Lover," helped by dazzling music videos. (Music vids used to be little cinematic gems. Madonna's were so good we were all convinced she'd be a great movie star. Oh, well.)
Anyway, Jody Watley is still around, looking great and recording. She's got a new single, "A Beautiful Life," that is no. 9 on the Billboard dance charts, and her album, "Chameleon" is being readied for release next year.
Jody jokes about her low profile: "I'm very boring. No scandal, no arrests, no drugs, no sex tape, no famous boyfriend, no adoptions in the works. It's really hard to break through with just good music!"
(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.)
