Can We Talk?

Yesterday, Joan Rivers' close friends said goodbye to her. On August 28, Joan had gone in for a standard endoscopy. During the procedure she stopped breathing and was rushed to the hospital. The outlook didn't look good and no matter how positive everyone tried to be, I knew this wasn't going to end well. Joan Rivers died on September 4, 2014 at the age of 81.

My first recollection of seeing Joan Rivers was sometime when I was a either a young teenager or younger. I remember that the show was in black and white(?) and it was some type of syndicated show that was on during the afternoon during the summer. It wasn't Merv Griffin. I just remember she made me laugh.

Joan became the first permanent substitute host for Johnny Carson on The Tonight Show Andy Cohen said it best when he told Matt Lauer it was like a Christmas present when she was the host. I totally agree. I would make it a point to stay up and at a minimum watch her monologue.

As a comedian, Joan felt like everyone was fair game. She said things that everyone wished they could say but before she would say them she said things about herself. Which goes to the old adage about laughing first at yourself.

In some ways I do understand why Johnny Carson was upset with her when she was offered her own show on Fox. However, I don't understand why he never spoke to her again and held a grudge. From what I understand, the news was leaked before Joan could talk to him. When she did call him, he hung up on her. What is also upsetting is that subsequent hosts of the show continued the ban. It wasn't until Jimmy Fallon became the host that she made her return to the show. Honestly, Jimmy gained a higher level of respect from me.

I did see Joan perform twice. Both times were in Houston. The first time was either in 1992 or 1993 at The Arena Theatre. My good friend Lyndon came in from Dallas and went with me. The second time was in August of 2009. Both times she classic Joan.

Joan was criticized for being crass, not holding back and taking no prisoners. It could be offensive to some, myself included. There were a few times that I thought she should have apologized but that wasn't her policy. This video will explain it:


So...back to the late night show...
I'm not being disrespectful to Totie Fields, Phyllis Diller or Lucille Ball when I say that Joan was a pioneer and had stamina. As I previously mentioned, she was the first female to host a late night show. Huffington Post comprised a collection of tributes from the current hosts. It brought tears to my eyes. And if you ever questioned her stamina and work ethic, please watch Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work

I gained a new respect for her when she was on Celebrity Apprentice (and won). The charity she played for was God's Love We Deliver. From their website:

God's Love We Deliver is the tri-state area's leading provider of nutritious, individually-tailored meals to people who are too sick to shop or cook for themselves.

Founded in 1985 when one woman began delivering food on her bicycle to a man dying from AIDS, God's Love now cooks 4,600 meals each weekday, delivering them to clients living with life-altering illnesses in all five boroughs of New York City, Newark and Hudson County, New Jersey. All of our services are provided free of charge to our clients, their children and to the senior caregivers of our senior clients, without regard to income, and we have never maintained a waiting list. Because we believe the combination of hunger and serious illness is a crisis, we deliver food within 24 – 48 hours of first being contacted.

God's Love We Deliver is a non-sectarian organization, providing meals with the strong belief of "food as medicine." To that end, we employ a team of registered dietitians who individually tailor meals to each client's specific medical requirements. God's Love provides all services by employing a small but dedicated professional staff and with the critical assistance of nearly 8,000 volunteers annually.

Not only did Joan raise money for the organization she helped deliver meals. Joan was also one of the first celebrities to lend her name to HIV/AIDS causes when it wasn't popular.

So...for all of the criticism she received for her no holds bar schtick, she did have a heart and was compassionate. It's the persona that many people didn't see.

News coverage yesterday and today about the funeral service have been great. It would have been nice to be in NYC and see Melissa Rivers and Cooper. I heard that last night, Melissa spoke to the well-wishers outside of her mom's apartment and even sent them cupcakes. MailOnline has some great photos of the celebrities who paid tribute to Joan. It sounds like almost everything Joan wanted (minus Meryl Streep crying in different accents and the Beyonce wind machine.)

So...to the lady who added the phrases to my vernacular..."Who are you wearing?" "Oh grow up!" and "Can we talk?", thank you for the laughs. Thank you for being a humanitarian.

Can We Talk (revisited)

Last Friday night I went to see Joan Rivers and she was hoot! There were no sacred cows in the crowd except for the gay men. (She knows which side her bread is buttered on.)

The lady was full of energy and it was amazing at 76 years old that she was so full of energy on the stage. She did say something at the end of the show that sums it though, "I'm a performer." When she's on, she's on!

One of the jokes that made me cackle and almost lay an egg was when she talked about her daughter Melissa was offered $400,000 to pose topless in Playboy. She said Melissa called her and said, "Mother! You would be so proud of me! I turned down $400,000 to pose topless in Playboy." To which Joan replied, "For another $100,000 you could have shown your p_ssy! Your mother needs the money. She plays to gay men and drunks!"

Eric got to meet Joan after the show and present her with a Safe Sex basket from Legacy. Here is a photo that Dan D. snapped.

Can We Talk?

On August 7, 2009 Joan Rivers will be making an appearance in Houston, TX. It is a benefit for Brilliant Lectures. The folks at Brilliant Lectures have been kind enough to extend a discount to friends of Legacy. If you go to the website to purchase a ticket, use the promo code Legacy and you will get a 20% discount!


I am thrilled to go see Joan Rivers. As a pre-teen, I accidentally stumbled across her show that was on the telly one afternoon. From best I can remember, it was a syndicated show of her nightclub routine. Keep in mind, this was probably in the real early 70s and we were both much younger!

Her brash humor has always entertained me. I LOVED it when she was the guest host for Johnny Carson on the Tonight Show. It KILLED me when things got caddywampus between her and Johnny. To be quite honest, when she had her own show, it just wasn't the same as when she was on the Tonight Show; something was missing.

I remember how grief-stricken she was when her husband Edgar died. I also remember how she picked herself up and kept at it.

One of the things I have always admired about Joan Rivers is her ability to laugh at herself. That is something that many people can do because they are not comfortable with themselves. I've always thought that if you can't laugh at yourself, then you shouldn't be laughing at other people.

I have always loved seeing Joan Rivers on The View. I think it makes Barbara Walters a bit uncomfortable but not as uncomfortable as Kathy Griffin! I really wasn't sure if I was going to enjoy seeing her on Celebrity Apprentice. I think she might have been a bit over-the-top but if that was part of her strategy, well hey, it worked.

For those of you who will be attending the show, please remember, it is Adult Humor. I can't wait! Hope to see you there.

I had a dream

So now either you are humming Everything's Coming Up Roses or I Have A Dream by ABBA. Anywho.

I had the weirdest dream last night and decided to share it with you. Lucky you! This dream was right after the dream about moving furniture for a cousin who dropped out of Notre Dame University and transferred to University of Texas. It involved having to having to get my ex-landlord to hitch a trailer to The Cal Mobile, etc., etc., etc. So here is the weird dream.

I was booked to be the comedian who did a stand-up act after Sammy Davis, Jr. performed his song and dance number. I've never done stand-up before (Isn't my life funny enough? Who needs to rehearse?) so I was unprepared. My booking agent was Melissa Rivers. She wasn't too prepared either and I kept telling her I thought it was odd that I was performing after Sammy Davis, Jr. (nevermind that Sammy Davis, Jr. is DEAD!) but she kept telling me not to worry about it. She comes running up to me and tells me that she thinks a Duke Ellington song would be good introduction music for me. She tells me to give her my Duke Ellington cd...like I carry one with me at all times? I tell her I don't have one with me and she says she will ask her dad (who is also dead!).

So we go to her mom's house (which was attached to an amusement park) so that I can cleanup. Joan Rivers' house was HUGE with a bunch of hallways, closets and bathrooms. She had guests there who were also trying to get ready for Sammy Davis, Jr.'s performance (OK people, he's DEAD!) so the house was buzzing with activity.

In the midst of all of this activity I have to go to the bathroom and we're not talking about having to pee. (Read between the lines.) So I go to find the bathroom only to realize the one I find in this huge house is like a communal bathroom and everyone can see me sitting there!

So I'm dealing with that and I'm trying to come up with my comedy routine and I decide I should talk about things people can relate to: having to go to the bathroom; hitting the send button on an email when you really didn't mean to; texting; cell phones. So I get that all sorted out and flush the toilet and it doesn't work! OMG! I'm in Joan Rivers house and I can't get the toilet to work. I'm looking everywhere for a plunger and can't find one. I keep flushing and flushing and flushing and FINALLY it works.

So now it's time for me to get dressed but I can't find my clothes. So I go walking through the house and turn on a light only to realize it was the switch for security system's panic button and when I turned it on it turned on the emergency generator. OY!

So I find my clothes and walk through the door thinking I'm walking into a changing room of some sort but it takes me to the amusement park and I can't get back into Joan Rivers' house. So now I'm walking around the amusement park trying to find a place to change clothes and I'm trying to rehearse my routine and I finally realize I'm going to bomb and be a big dud.

So that's the end of the dream and I woke up tired. Maybe it had something to do with the two Margaritas, beer, Absolut Mango shot and Mexican food that I had last night?

Ramblings Of A Caffeinated Mind 12.2

The Virtual Biggest Loser
OK bois & gurls. If you want to win some cool prizes and lose some weight (or should that be the other way around?), check out I'm Not Fit To Run. I'm not sure if I'm going to enter because I really am trying to add some muscle and we all know that muscle weighs more than fat. Plus, I read something the other day that I guess I knew but had forgotten about. You see...

Muscle burns calories (that I knew). However, the bigger muscles are what burn more calories (chest, back quads and glutes). So if I can tone up my fat ass, I should be burning calories 24/7!

The Independence Weight Loss Challenge is about weight loss and not Body Mass Index (BMI) so that is why I prolly won't enter the challenge although I'm all about winning prizes. So, if you're looking for some weight loss camaraderie, join the Challenge.

And if you need to have your ass kicked, check out Pieces Of Me.

Rut Ro
Sharon Stone opened her mouth and the world was listening. In case you missed it, Sharon said that the earthquake in China had to do with karma. She said it happened because of the way the Chinese are treating the Tibetans.

I listened to the clip and she actually sounds like she is babbling. I think Joy Behar on The View said it best. She said, "Huh?" And then she said that Sharon sounded like she had been drinking cocktails and haven't we all said incoherent things after a few cocktails?




So now Sharon has apologized and said that she will help in the earthquake relief effort.

Speaking of...
The View. Mario Cantone cracks me up. He told the ladies on The View that they won't win a Daytime Emmy because the award only goes to lesbians (Rosie, Ellen and Suze Orman). So Joy starts making out with Whoopi and Sherri Shepherd starts making out with Elisabeth Hasselback except they didn't stop. They rolled off of the couch and onto the floor. I couldn't stop laughing. P.S. Mario does a great David Archuleta imitation.

Speaking of...
lesbians. Joan Rivers was on The View the other day and she said that she is doing a show for Gay Pride or something like that and that she is all about gay pride and lesbian pride. And that if standing up and peeing in a urinal like a lesbian will help bring equality then she'll stand up and pee! LOL



Speaking of...

making out. Check this out on Aussielicious.

Rut Ro #2
Let Them Eat Bread! (for free)
I haven't eaten at Le Madeline in awhile but I guess they recently decided to start charging for the free bread...so I guess it wasn't free. You see...

They have some great bread that is always waiting for you at the end of the line. And you can get some butter to spread on it on OY! Anywho...

They did some test marketing and no one complained. You got free bread if you ordered certain things (i.e. entree) but no free bread if you ordered a salad. So last week they started charging for bread at their establishments and who knew that Dallasites were carb friendly or cheapskates. Those folks in Big D sent over 200 complaints and the company has reversed the decision and once again the bread is free at Le Madeline.