The world lost a screen goddess today: actress Elizabeth Taylor has died at the age of 79. She lived an amazingly long life considering her myriad health problems, which included a bout of pneumonia and an emergency tracheotomy in 1961. Shortly after that crisis, Taylor won her first Academy Award for Best Actress for her…
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“Style, Interrupted”: A Tribute to Charles Nolan
Yesterday, our dear friend — the smart, handsome, charming and very talented clothing designer Charles Nolan — died of cancer at age 53. He is survived by his partner of 16 years, the wonderful Andy Tobias, a financial guru and the treasurer of the Democratic National Committee. He is also survived by his father, his…
Norris Church Mailer and the Importance of Newspapers
I was online all morning yesterday and didn’t get to open the paper version of the New York Times till early afternoon. I was flipping past the obituary pages because I’d already seen the story about the death of Playboy-Bunny-turned-cop-turned-murderer-turned-fugitive Laurie “Bambi” Bembenek all over the web, but then I glimpsed another story made me…
Molly Will Be Missed
In this week’s post about my 2001 wedding, I didn’t mention my two canine guests, though I’d previously done so. I’m sad to tell you that the second of the two dog participants has gone to the great doggy bed in the sky. My Pekingese, Mr. Chubbs, died in 2006. This Wednesday, my parents’ Pekingese,…
Things That Annoyed Me Today
In my profile on the right, I say that in addition to other topics, I write about things that annoy me. Here are the things that annoyed me today: People who are shocked — shocked! — by Farrah Fawcett’s death. What? She was diagnosed with cancer in 2006 and was clearly terminal in recent months….
Designer Pissiness
To me, the most interesting thing about tonight’s Costume Institute gala at the Metropolitan Museum of Art is designer Azzedine Alaia’s pisstacular reaction to being left out of the “Model as Muse” exhibit: after fitting seven models for dresses, he asked the ladies not to wear them. As a result, Alaia fans Naomi Campbell and…
Better to Have Loved and Lost
Why didn’t you bitches tell me that my 60-year-old, African-American identical twin was on Jimmy Kimmel Live? I would have skipped a Law & Order rerun or ten to check out security guard Veatrice Rice, whom I discovered only after she died of cancer. Someday, I hope to be remembered as Jimmy remembers Veatrice while…
Yma Sumac Dies
The fabulous Peruvian singer Yma Sumac has died at 86. Check out some of her old looks. Glamorous, no? If you don’t know who she is, read her New York Times obituary, which has some highlarious details, including: “She soon played Carnegie Hall, flanked onstage by two miniature erupting volcanoes.” Now my ambition is to…
RIP Hair Hat Lady
Not long ago, photos of “hair hats” went viral, showing up on numerous blogs and websites. Hair hat But I didn’t know till I read it on Fashion Hayley that the artist responsible for the hair hats, Nagi Noda, died on September 7 at age 35. The cause of death is said to be “surgical…
A Tribute to a Founding Gang Member
Alas! Original Golden Girl Estelle Getty (Sophia) has died at 84. Estelle Getty Check out “Sophia’s” comments on the ages in obituaries at 1:21 of this clip. Speaking of ages, you know who is 86? Bea Arthur! She was two years OLDER than the woman who played her mother on TV! Very Anne Bancroft as…