Joan Rivers: "I'm at a Good Moment"... and She's Back in Las Vegas

Having been surrounded by protofeminists when I was growing up -- professional women who were way ahead of their times -- I've always been drawn to women who are talented, who are out there blazing a trail and who are out there speaking out.

One of those women is Joan Rivers and, in anticipation of her appearance at The Venetian in Las Vegas later this month, I was really pleased to have the opportunity to speak to her. Once again, I broke the cardinal rule of interviewing and told her I am a fan. (Didn't mention that she's the only person I can think of who could have caused me to watch Celebrity Apprentice.) She responded very positively and put me at ease: "Good, I'm glad you are because I'm eating a bagel while we talk so we can both relax."

As is clear from the above, we spoke by phone. She was in Pennsylvania preparing to go on QVC to sell her jewelry line. Asked how that started, she recalled, "During one of the down periods of my career and someone came to me and asked if I'd be interested in selling jewelry on QVC. My first reaction was, 'ick,' because at that time it meant your career was over. But I decided to do it. In the beginning I designed everything myself. But, now we're a 20 year-old company and we have two designers."

That QVC experience is probably one of the reasons Celebrity Apprentice intrigued her. "That was wonderful because I am very entrepreneurial and I love being given a challenge and figuring it out. That's what the show it."

But, of course, Joan Rivers is above all a comic, a no-holds-barred, tell-it-like-I-see it performer. "Nothing is off-limits. I'm perfectly willing to talk about most everything. I was talking about 9/11 on 9/12."

And, asked who makes her laugh, she names others with a similar approach to comedy: "Sacha Baron Cohen, Sarah Silverman, Kathy Griffin, Jeffrey Ross. You know," she adds, "comics are smart. No one seems to figure that one out."

To those who would censor her -- or others -- for their material, she simply says, "If it's funny it ain't dirty. Just laugh and calm down."

Rivers believes, "Comedy is all DNA. My father was funny and my grandmother had a sense of humor. My sister is a lawyer and is funny," she says, adding with obvious pride, "She was the youngest woman to graduate from Columbia Law School."

But, even with all that wit in her DNA, Rivers recalls that when she unveiled her plan to go into show business, her family "didn't talk to me for a year. Looking back, I understand it. My father was a doctor. Every time a prostitute walked into his office she'd say, 'I'm an actress.'"

Her career, however, doesn't stop at comedy. She's an actress, screenwriter, author, director an d has won a multitude of awards. The one area in which she has run into a wall is late night talk TV. When she had the temerity to sign on as host of a late night show on Fox, she was fired as Carson's permanent substitute host and, she reported, he never again spoke to her.

"The networks are still very much an old boys club. They think women at night just want to watch men. I'd love to have my own late-night talk show and I think I could take them all. But, if it is, it is."

A frequent guest on talk shows, Rivers was last weekend the subject of a Comedy Central Roast and she enjoyed the experience immensely. When it was mentioned that one viewer especially enjoyed Mario Cantone's take on her Hebrew name ("NipTuch," pronounced with just the right gutteral Hebrew "h") she laughed. "Isn't he great? The whole thing was great."

Rivers has a new series on TV Land called How'd You Get So Rich? during which she visits self-made millionaires to ask how they did it. The first one was a man who invented what he calls "Billy Bob Teeth," described as ideal for those who ae "Tired of sexual harassement? Need a change in yer social life?" They are filled with decay, malformation and all those other items that will serve to slow a wearer's social life. They've also come out with a line of pacifiers.

The idea, Rivers says, "... is brilliant. They've sold $74 million. How smart was that?"

An inveterate shopper, Rivers was pleased to hear about the shops at The Palazzo, adjacent to The Venetian -- especially about Bauman Rare Books. "When you write this," she joked,"say I had to leave to visit Bauman. It sounds great."

Her engagement at The Venetian marks her return to Las Vegas for the first time in several years and she is eagerly anticipating the gig. Her audience, she's quick to point out, covers just about all demographics.

"It's been so long that I'm coming into Las Vegas as a novice. I get a young crowd -- people that never heard the name 'Carson.' And that's great. And I get people from Pennsylvania, New Mexico, Oregon -- from everywhere. You get a cross-sections. Because of this, I always knew who would win an election before election day. I love it.

"I also love it that I'm so politically incorrect."

Rivers is as open about her personal life as she is about her opinions. Asked about her daughter, she quickly responds, "My daughter's amazing and surprisingly a great mother."

How was she as a mother? "I think I was a terrific mother. I was there, I was a class mother, I did it all. I'd block out those dates and from 6:30 on no phone calls. I was there for Melissa and I don't regret a second of it."

Melissa's father, Edgar Rosenberg, committed suicide and Rivers speaks often and openly of her feelings about that. "I work so hard with suicide survivors. I turn everything into humor. Suicide is a permanent solution to a temporary problem. I'm still angry with him. Look what he missed."

Joan Rivers today is very content. "I'm 76 years old. I'm at a good moment and I know it's a good moment. That's the thing about age -- when it's good you know it."

We discussed aging for a few minutes and I quoted something (from an unlikely source) that I find helpful when I think of the negative aspects of growing older. That is, "If you stop the clock, you have no future." Rivers paused and contemplated that for a moment. "Very wise. Who said it?" Told it was the response to an interviewer who asked singer Tom Jones how he feels about aging, she just said, "Hmm. He's right."

Meanwhile, Joan Rivers may be 76, but she clearly has not intention of slowing down. She continues to live by a philosophy that has served her well: "Do what you want. It's so important. I'm sitting here are 76. I have a wonderful life."

In closing, Rivers recalls something her grandmother said and adopts it as her own: "I pray for my grandchildren they should always want. Go forward in life."

As she does.

Joan Rivers will be at The Venetian Thursday through Saturday, August 27-29. Tickets are $38.25 to $138.25. You can purchase them online at The Venetian.

Comments

[aznurse]

looks like no one cares.

[jazzman04]

When I first moved to Los Angeles I visited a comedy club on Sunset Blvd and saw Joan for the first time. She recently was snubbed by Carson for something she had said about him. She had the delivery speed of a Dangerfield and the wit and charm of Benny. She was also very angry and a bit scared that she had offended the god of late night. But true to Joan's form she went full steam ahead and basically said kiss off Carson and the network. It was not a career suicide mission but a feet planted statement to say: I am here, I am a woman and yes I am playing by the men's rules so get over it.

Joan is a role model for a lot of people but especially for young woman. What she demonstrated on the Celebrity Apprentice was total Joan -confident, smart, funny, compassion and yes in your face if you take me on because she is a survivor and plays the game by the men's rules. Joan has blazed the trail for all woman to be a member of the good old boys club. I think a one liner she fired out at that performance the night I saw her act for the first time says it all about woman and how tought they really are. "If men want to know what it is like to deliver a baby...try passing a bowling ball through your nose"!

Continue to live large Joan.

[jimsrule]

The only person Joan rivers is a role model for is those ignorant, loud mouths with the hateful signs at the health care town halls. Rives is a rude, vulgar, nasty, sorry excuse for a human being. She didn't slight Carson, she lied to him and stabbed him in the back, it is well documented so get the facts right. Then recently upon Ed McMahon's death the classless cad that she is, she used that sad event to attack Carson who of course is dead and unable to respond. If she is a classless has been, not a role model.

[jazzman04]

I think your rant is mixing her comedy routine which at times is rude, vulgar and nasty with her real life persona. The point that I was making in the reference to the Rivers vs Carson feud was she played by the good old boys rules and he could not stomach it and he like an impish child refused to ever talk with her again.

If any other male had done what Joan did and meet with a network to secure a talk show contract that would compete with Johnny it would have been game on. That is why they coined the term LATE NIGHT WARS...?

Because Joan was a woman Johnny portrayed her act as a betrayal of biblical proportions and he labeled her a back stabber. If a man had his agent meet with another network to consider an offer to host a talk show it would have been may the best man win. Joan's comments about Johnny were facts that need no defense. Hatred is no excuse for reason

[Fred Smithson]

Joan's conduct during the "Celebrity Apprentice 2" was absolutely reprehensible. She revealed herself to be a vicious and hateful person, hurtling horrible insults at undeserving people - not that anyone ever would deserve such attacks. The sad part is of course, like Omarosa before her, she has revitalized her moribund career through the attention such antics garnered. You'll note after "winning" -- clearly a deal had been struck with Trump that she must win else she'd have left the show mid-season in defense of her spoiled rotten daughter -- she immediately hit the town bad-mouthing everyone she could think of centering out the late, great Johnny Carson with her nastiest attacks. Clearly this new incarnation of her personality is a hit and the money is rolling in again - so good for Joan I suppose. Bad behavior wins every time when it comes to showbiz.

[jhNY]

Evidently, self-hate is liberating.