Joan Rivers Has Died

[Cygnet]

I just learned the sad news that Joan Rivers has passed away. May she rest in peace.

My deepest sympathy to her daughter Melissa and the entire family at this difficult time.

[miliosr]

Joan Rivers was a pioneer in a lot of ways, not least because of how she transformed the whole business of red carpet awards show arrivals in the mid-90s. With her daughter Melissa in tow, she took what had been a dusty and perfunctory ritual -- arrivals on the red carpet at awards shows -- and turned it into a new form of entertainment -- the awards show fashion critique. It was only after Joan Rivers played the precedent setter that the magazine/tabloid culture went all-in with its red carpet coverage. As a corollary, we have seen a general move toward higher standards at award shows over the last 20 years as celebrities feared being named 'Worst Dressed' by Joan & co. (Perhaps that move was too much so as now the red carpets are awash with pretty frocks but most of the free thinkers in terms of dressing have disappeared. Only people like Cher or Sharon Stone dare to go their own way.)

[canbelto]

I loved Joan Rivers. Of course I loved funny snarky fashion police Joan but I also loved when she was being more serious, as she was in this interview. I think she gave more insight into the dog-eat-dog world of show business than a million self-serving celebrity autobiographies in this brief snippet about Johnny Carson's ice cold reaction to her getting her own show:

[dirac]

(Perhaps that move was too much so as now the red carpets are awash with pretty frocks but most of the free thinkers in terms of dressing have disappeared.)

True - and a perennial complaint of mine. On the other hand, it makes life easier for the actresses if they rely in the main on simple sheaths -- it provides them with the kind of protective and generally flattering uniformity that men's evening dress has traditionally provided for the opposite sex (who aren't subject to the same kind of savage scrutiny). Rivers was indeed an influence, and a bad one IMO - but then I think the whole red carpet business has gotten completely out of hand......

We had a discussion here about Rivers when the documentary "Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work" (highly recommended, BTW) came out some years ago. As noted in the old thread - by Drew, if I remember without checking first-- Rivers was an insult comic, but unlike male insult comics her nastiest cracks were often at her own expense. This was true of Phyllis Diller as well - perhaps these pioneers of female standup comedy had to channel the aggression that is to some degree inherent in the form against themselves to be acceptable.

NYT obit.

Thank you for posting, Cygnet. I share your feelings. Rivers was indeed a piece of work. A sad way to go, but she was preparing to go out on the road to work -- where she seems to have been happiest.

[Helene]

I'll try to find the Fresh Air interview later, but I remember Joan Rivers telling Terry Gross that she never made fun of her husband: the jokes were always at her expense, while Phyllis Diller made fun of (whichever man was) Fang. She said they were bundled together, but that was a difference between them.

[dirac]

They were "bundled together" for many reasons, although I can certainly understand Rivers' wishing to underline differences.

It was nice of Joan to let Edgar off the hook, but others didn't get off so easily, as the NYT article describes.

[Helene]

Here are two interviews that River did with Gross for "Fresh Air":

Joan Rivers Is A Real 'Piece of Work' (2010)

Joan Rivers Hates You, Herself And Everyone Else (2012)

Zichrona livracha.

[cubanmiamiboy]

A very funny lady, may she rest in peace. I really enjoyed her raw humor-(which made many uncomfortable).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3NmVoqmfH0M

[abatt]

No reason for me to watch Fashion Police anymore following the big red carpet events. Rivers was the only reason to watch. The rest of that panel on that show is a snooze.

As an aside, the clinic where she underwent the procedure on her vocal cords is now under investigation. Ironic that a person who had undergone so much plastic surgery during her life was done in by a botched minor procedure on her vocal cord.

[macnellie]

I worked in luxury retail for a while. I can really dish on the famous as well as the one percent. Joan Rivers was by far the nicest, most generous and funniest (of course!!) person I worked with. ...and she was very tiny which always surprised me. I miss her.

[canbelto]

That's great to hear. I feel very sad for Melissa. One thing that struck me when watching the two of them on TV together was how much of a tiger mom Joan was. She was 81, but still very much The Mom in that relationship. It was sort of cute.

[miliosr]

I agree abatt -- no one can fill Joan's seat on the Fashion Police panel.

[Helene]

Katha Pollitt on Joan Rivers and women comics in "The Nation":

http://www.thenation.com/article/181568/joan-rivers-gets-last-laugh

[miliosr]

The new Fashion Police debuts tomorrow with Kathy Griffin "filling" Joan's seat on the panel. I like watching Kathy Griffin co-host CNN's New Year's Eve coverage with Anderson Cooper but once a year is about all I can take.

[sandik]

We're heading into red carpet season (listening to the Golden Globes as I type) -- they need a strong character for these shows, and Griffin is certainly that.