She’s known as a Hollywood trailblazer, expanding what audiences and the women inspired by her legacy thought was possible from a successful female comic. And like most artistic innovators, the late Joan Rivers’ ascent was due to a combination of incredible talent and a touch of luck surrounding her big break.
She performed in comedy clubs across New York throughout the early ’60s. She appeared on the Jack Paar edition of The Tonight Show at the beginning of the decade. But her stand-up spots on The Ed Sullivan Show played a big role in her mainstream breakthrough. For all the work Rivers was doing as a comedian, she received her place on the platform because of an error by Sullivan.
Ed Sullivan’s slip of the tongue gave Joan Rivers her big break on his talk show Actress and Comedian Joan Rivers takes part in a photocall for her...
She performed in comedy clubs across New York throughout the early ’60s. She appeared on the Jack Paar edition of The Tonight Show at the beginning of the decade. But her stand-up spots on The Ed Sullivan Show played a big role in her mainstream breakthrough. For all the work Rivers was doing as a comedian, she received her place on the platform because of an error by Sullivan.
Ed Sullivan’s slip of the tongue gave Joan Rivers her big break on his talk show Actress and Comedian Joan Rivers takes part in a photocall for her...
- 3/23/2023
- by Sam Hines
- Showbiz Cheat Sheet
Because of issues around the life rights of Joan Rivers, a limited series in which Kathryn Hahn would have played the legendary comedian isn’t moving forward.
The project, called “The Comeback Girl,” was announced last month in Variety. It had been in development at Showtime, and was to be produced by Warner Bros. Television, Atlas Entertainment and Berlanti Productions. Hahn was attached as its star and executive producer, and Greg Berlanti was going to direct and executive produce the series, which was based on a spec script by Cosmo Carlson.
Yet Rivers’ life rights, which are held by her daughter, Melissa Rivers, hadn’t been secured by producers. The project could have proceeded as an unauthorized venture, but “The Comeback Girl” wouldn’t have been able to use any of Rivers’ jokes or catchphrases, and, of course, risked running afoul of Melissa Rivers and the estate.
The limited series...
The project, called “The Comeback Girl,” was announced last month in Variety. It had been in development at Showtime, and was to be produced by Warner Bros. Television, Atlas Entertainment and Berlanti Productions. Hahn was attached as its star and executive producer, and Greg Berlanti was going to direct and executive produce the series, which was based on a spec script by Cosmo Carlson.
Yet Rivers’ life rights, which are held by her daughter, Melissa Rivers, hadn’t been secured by producers. The project could have proceeded as an unauthorized venture, but “The Comeback Girl” wouldn’t have been able to use any of Rivers’ jokes or catchphrases, and, of course, risked running afoul of Melissa Rivers and the estate.
The limited series...
- 10/26/2021
- by Kate Aurthur
- Variety Film + TV
Kathryn Hahn is set to step into some big comedy shoes as the WandaVision star will portray iconic comedian Joan Rivers in an upcoming Showtime limited series. According to Variety, Hahn will lead and executive produce The Comeback Girl, which focuses on Rivers around the time of the cancellation of her talk show The Late Show and her husband (and Late Show producer) Edgar Rosenberg’s suicide. The series is produced by Warner Bros. Television, Atlas Entertainment and Berlanti Productions, with Greg Berlanti serving as director and Cosmo Carlson as writer. “Trailblazer. Adored. Cruel. Diva. Joan Rivers had a life like no other. At age 54, she was a superstar comedienne…and then it all fell apart,” reads the official logline for the series. “The Comeback Girl is the awe-inspiring untold story of how Joan Rivers persevered through near suicide and professional abyss to rebuild herself and her career to become a global icon.
- 9/22/2021
- TV Insider
Can we talk about Kathryn Hahn? The “WandaVision” alum will play iconic female comedian Joan Rivers in an upcoming limited series that is in development at Showtime.
“The Comeback Girl” will be executive produced by Hahn and Greg Berlanti, who will also direct. Cosmo Carlson will write and executive produce. The project was shepherded by Atlas Entertainment President Richard Suckle, Vice President Robert Amidon and Carlson.
The series will chart Rivers’ rise following the cancelation of her short-lived late-night talk show on Fox, “The Late Show.” The show’s cancelation coincided with Rivers’ husband Edgar Rosenberg’s death by suicide. Rosenberg was a producer on “The Late Show.”
Here is the logline from Showtime:
“Trailblazer. Adored. Cruel. Diva. Joan Rivers had a life like no other. At age 54, she was a superstar comedienne…and then it all fell apart. ‘The Comeback Girl’ is the awe-inspiring untold story of how Joan...
“The Comeback Girl” will be executive produced by Hahn and Greg Berlanti, who will also direct. Cosmo Carlson will write and executive produce. The project was shepherded by Atlas Entertainment President Richard Suckle, Vice President Robert Amidon and Carlson.
The series will chart Rivers’ rise following the cancelation of her short-lived late-night talk show on Fox, “The Late Show.” The show’s cancelation coincided with Rivers’ husband Edgar Rosenberg’s death by suicide. Rosenberg was a producer on “The Late Show.”
Here is the logline from Showtime:
“Trailblazer. Adored. Cruel. Diva. Joan Rivers had a life like no other. At age 54, she was a superstar comedienne…and then it all fell apart. ‘The Comeback Girl’ is the awe-inspiring untold story of how Joan...
- 9/21/2021
- by Tim Baysinger
- The Wrap
Can we talk? Because Variety has learned Kathryn Hahn is attached to play Joan Rivers in “The Comeback Girl,” a limited series in development at Showtime, produced by Warner Bros. Television, Atlas Entertainment and Berlanti Productions. In addition to starring as Rivers, Hahn will executive produce “The Comeback Girl,” Greg Berlanti will direct and executive produce and Cosmo Carlson will write and executive produce.
Carlson, a two-time Black List screenwriter wrote “The Comeback Girl” as a spec script. With Atlas Entertainment’s Richard Suckle and Robert Amidon behind the project, Suckle and Carlson brought it to Berlanti and Sarah Schechter of Berlanti Productions, who signed on.
Rivers died at age 81 on Sept. 4, 2014, several days after she’d stopped breathing during a routine endoscopy on her throat. She’d been a revolutionary figure in the world of stand-up comedy, especially as a woman — and particularly during the 1960s, when her star...
Carlson, a two-time Black List screenwriter wrote “The Comeback Girl” as a spec script. With Atlas Entertainment’s Richard Suckle and Robert Amidon behind the project, Suckle and Carlson brought it to Berlanti and Sarah Schechter of Berlanti Productions, who signed on.
Rivers died at age 81 on Sept. 4, 2014, several days after she’d stopped breathing during a routine endoscopy on her throat. She’d been a revolutionary figure in the world of stand-up comedy, especially as a woman — and particularly during the 1960s, when her star...
- 9/21/2021
- by Kate Aurthur
- Variety Film + TV
Kathryn Hahn has lined up her next TV role.
The WandaVision Emmy nominee will play comedy legend Joan Rivers in The Comeback Girl, a limited series project in development at Showtime. Hahn will also be an executive producer along with writer Cosmo Carlson and Greg Berlanti, who will also direct.
The potential series would begin in the 1980s, after Rivers was fired from The Late Show, the first program on the fledgling Fox network and the show that made her the first woman to be the full-time host of a late night show. Her husband and producer on The Late Show, Edgar Rosenberg, committed suicide three months after ...
The WandaVision Emmy nominee will play comedy legend Joan Rivers in The Comeback Girl, a limited series project in development at Showtime. Hahn will also be an executive producer along with writer Cosmo Carlson and Greg Berlanti, who will also direct.
The potential series would begin in the 1980s, after Rivers was fired from The Late Show, the first program on the fledgling Fox network and the show that made her the first woman to be the full-time host of a late night show. Her husband and producer on The Late Show, Edgar Rosenberg, committed suicide three months after ...
- 9/21/2021
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Kathryn Hahn has lined up her next TV role.
The WandaVision Emmy nominee will play comedy legend Joan Rivers in The Comeback Girl, a limited series project in development at Showtime. Hahn will also be an executive producer along with writer Cosmo Carlson and Greg Berlanti, who will also direct.
The potential series would begin in the 1980s, after Rivers was fired from The Late Show, the first program on the fledgling Fox network and the show that made her the first woman to be the full-time host of a late night show. Her husband and producer on The Late Show, Edgar Rosenberg, committed suicide three months after ...
The WandaVision Emmy nominee will play comedy legend Joan Rivers in The Comeback Girl, a limited series project in development at Showtime. Hahn will also be an executive producer along with writer Cosmo Carlson and Greg Berlanti, who will also direct.
The potential series would begin in the 1980s, after Rivers was fired from The Late Show, the first program on the fledgling Fox network and the show that made her the first woman to be the full-time host of a late night show. Her husband and producer on The Late Show, Edgar Rosenberg, committed suicide three months after ...
- 9/21/2021
- The Hollywood Reporter - Film + TV
Culminating September’s Suicide Prevention and Awareness Month, Didi Hirsch Mental Health Services will hold its 21st Annual Alive & Running 5K for Suicide Prevention on Sunday, September 29, 2019 beginning at 7:00 a.m. at West 88th Street & La Tijera Boulevard just north of Lax. (Schedule of Events is listed below).
Actress Catherine Hicks (7th Heaven) will emcee the event, musical artist Alex Boyé will perform and suicide prevention advocate Talinda Bennington will speak.
Alive & Running is a life-affirming event that raises funds and awareness for the Didi Hirsch Suicide Prevention Center—the first and only one of its kind in the nation. Founded in 1958, the Center recently relocated to Century City to expand its national reach by nearly doubling the counselors answering its 24/7 multilingual Crisis Line, and growing services for people affected by suicide. Didi Hirsch now offers teen suicide bereavement support groups as part of the new Everychild Suicide Prevention Project.
Actress Catherine Hicks (7th Heaven) will emcee the event, musical artist Alex Boyé will perform and suicide prevention advocate Talinda Bennington will speak.
Alive & Running is a life-affirming event that raises funds and awareness for the Didi Hirsch Suicide Prevention Center—the first and only one of its kind in the nation. Founded in 1958, the Center recently relocated to Century City to expand its national reach by nearly doubling the counselors answering its 24/7 multilingual Crisis Line, and growing services for people affected by suicide. Didi Hirsch now offers teen suicide bereavement support groups as part of the new Everychild Suicide Prevention Project.
- 9/5/2019
- Look to the Stars
Joan Rivers has a few more things to say.
Shortly before the legendary comedian died in 2014, she joined co-creator of Will and Grace Max Mutchnick and writer/actor/producer Dan Bucatinsky for an interview intended for a new podcast venture of theirs. However, it’s never been heard by the public — before now.
Rivers’ last major interview airing now on Entertainment Weekly Radio, and the Fashion Police star covers everything from her feud with Johnny Carson to her thoughts on plastic surgery.
In the mid-1950s, at age 23, Rivers ran away from home to become an actress. By 1958, she had decided to pursue comedy.
Shortly before the legendary comedian died in 2014, she joined co-creator of Will and Grace Max Mutchnick and writer/actor/producer Dan Bucatinsky for an interview intended for a new podcast venture of theirs. However, it’s never been heard by the public — before now.
Rivers’ last major interview airing now on Entertainment Weekly Radio, and the Fashion Police star covers everything from her feud with Johnny Carson to her thoughts on plastic surgery.
In the mid-1950s, at age 23, Rivers ran away from home to become an actress. By 1958, she had decided to pursue comedy.
- 2/20/2018
- by Stephanie Petit
- PEOPLE.com
"She felt she had a great life and did a lot of amazing things and had no regrets," says Melissa Rivers of her mother Joan, "but that doesn't make the people left behind feel – I mean, intellectually you feel a little bit better, emotionally it doesn't help at all."
In an interview with People Now, Melissa opens up about how she's coping with Joan's unexpected death last September.
"I've gained weight, which pisses me off!" she jokes, showing once more how much she's like her famous mom.
On a more serious note, Melissa says she's finding "a new normal. It's adjusting to the new normal,...
In an interview with People Now, Melissa opens up about how she's coping with Joan's unexpected death last September.
"I've gained weight, which pisses me off!" she jokes, showing once more how much she's like her famous mom.
On a more serious note, Melissa says she's finding "a new normal. It's adjusting to the new normal,...
- 5/6/2015
- by Andrea Park, @scandreapark
- People.com - TV Watch
Melissa Rivers appeared on Sunday's Daytime Emmy Awards as part of a tribute to her mother, Joan Rivers, who died Sept. 4. The segment started with a clip of Joan accepting her Daytime Emmy for best talk show host, for The Joan Rivers Show, 25 years ago — "the only Emmy she would ever win," according to Melissa. Read More Daytime Emmy Awards: The Complete Winners List Melissa also noted that the accolade came during a time in Joan's life that was challenging both personally (following the suicide of her husband, Edgar Rosenberg) and professionally. It "invigorated her career,
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- 4/27/2015
- by THR Staff
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Nearly two months after the unexpected death of comedy icon Joan Rivers, her daughter, Melissa, made her first public appearance for a very appropriate cause: grief support. Rivers, 46, co-emceed the 21st Anniversary House of Hope Gala in Los Angeles on Saturday to help raise funds for Our House Grief Support Center, an organization she became involved with years ago due to the suicide of her father, Edgar Rosenberg. "About seven weeks ago, I lost my mother," Rivers told the audience. "And I feel like I'm in the Hair Club for Men ad. Not only am I the ambassador, but I'm a client,...
- 11/3/2014
- by Matthew Cole Weiss, @MattColeWeiss
- PEOPLE.com
Nearly two months after the unexpected death of comedy icon Joan Rivers, her daughter, Melissa, made her first public appearance for a very appropriate cause: grief support. Rivers, 46, co-emceed the 21st Anniversary House of Hope Gala in Los Angeles on Saturday to help raise funds for Our House Grief Support Center, an organization she became involved with years ago due to the suicide of her father, Edgar Rosenberg. "About seven weeks ago, I lost my mother," Rivers told the audience. "And I feel like I'm in the Hair Club for Men ad. Not only am I the ambassador, but I'm a client,...
- 11/3/2014
- by Matthew Cole Weiss, @MattColeWeiss
- PEOPLE.com
Few mother-daughter relationships are as well-known and documented as Joan and Melissa Rivers’. The pair had been business partners, starred on reality shows together, survived husband and father Edgar Rosenberg’s suicide in 1987, and even lived together in the final years of the comedienne’s life. So when it came time for Melissa to deliver the eulogy at her mother’s star-studded NYC funeral on Sunday, Sept. 7, the grieving daughter managed to find just the right words. In fact, she’d found them prior to her mother’s death in [...]...
- 9/10/2014
- Us Weekly
She was wild, outspoken, feminist, and upset a lot of people. Comedy legend Joan Rivers passed away last week. The news hits especially hard in the wake of Robin Williams and Elaine Stritch’s passing. We’re remembering the foul-mouthed fashionista by looking back at her directorial debut, Rabbit Test. In his first starring role, Billy Crystal played the world’s first pregnant man. Yep. Rivers makes a cameo appearance as a nurse. Michael Keaton also made his film debut in Rabbit Test, and Rivers’ daughter Melissa pops up, too. Hubby Edgar Rosenberg produced the movie. As The Playlist points out, the film was shot on video (and transferred to film stock), so there’s a real scrappy feel to the whole production. And it’s not too hard to imagine...
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- 9/8/2014
- by Alison Nastasi
- Movies.com
Last week when Joan Rivers stopped breathing during a surgical procedure, it was daughter, Melissa, who immediately hopped a plane from L.A. to New York and rushed to her mother's bedside. And that's where she remained until the end. "It is with great sadness that I announce the death of my mother, Joan Rivers," Melissa wrote in a statement on Thursday, just over an hour after saying goodbye to the 81-year-old comedy legend. "My mother's greatest joy in life was to make people laugh ... I know her final wish would be that we return to laughing soon." Between their...
- 9/6/2014
- by Janine Rayford Rubenstein, @JanineRayford
- PEOPLE.com
Joan Rivers, who died yesterday at the age of 81, was an unstoppable performer who made an indelible mark on the entertainment industry. In addition to her stand-up performances, hosting gigs, and other appearances, she also popped up on a number of TV shows, both as herself and as assorted characters. Here are just a few of her best.
1. "Suddenly Susan" (1999)
Kathy Griffin played the (naturally) acerbic best friend of Brooke Shields in this long-running sitcom, and Rivers had a recurring guest role as her onscreen mom. Check out the clip below, and then read Griffin's tribute to her friend and idol.
2. "Curb Your Enthusiasm" (2002)
This appearance was a meta moment, showing Rivers doing her red carpet thing to comedian Richard Lewis, a regular fixture on Larry David's anxiety-fest of a show. The two were old pals in real life from the stand-up circuit. Rivers gets some real zings in during this short clip,...
1. "Suddenly Susan" (1999)
Kathy Griffin played the (naturally) acerbic best friend of Brooke Shields in this long-running sitcom, and Rivers had a recurring guest role as her onscreen mom. Check out the clip below, and then read Griffin's tribute to her friend and idol.
2. "Curb Your Enthusiasm" (2002)
This appearance was a meta moment, showing Rivers doing her red carpet thing to comedian Richard Lewis, a regular fixture on Larry David's anxiety-fest of a show. The two were old pals in real life from the stand-up circuit. Rivers gets some real zings in during this short clip,...
- 9/5/2014
- by Jenni Miller
- Moviefone
Joan Rivers passed away Aug. 4 at the age of 81. Rivers was a unique voice, at once modern and classic—she was timely in her commentary yet refused to make apologies. Historically, she was one of the first female standup comedians, and 60 years later she was still the best.
Joan Rivers Funniest Moments
To this day Rivers was the first and last woman to ever host a late night talk show on network television. Incisive, shrill, xenomorphic, vicious, honest and brilliant, Rivers was a comedian’s comedian, and this is a list of some of her best moments. Naturally, none of this is safe for work.
#1 Joan Rivers’ Ron Bennington Interviews
Radio personality and brilliant interviewer Ron Bennington had three detailed interviews with Joan Rivers—in May of 2010, and in March and July of 2014. The interviews are masterfully orchestrated by Bennington who essentially lets his subject steer the interview, and carefully inquiring for more detail.
Joan Rivers Funniest Moments
To this day Rivers was the first and last woman to ever host a late night talk show on network television. Incisive, shrill, xenomorphic, vicious, honest and brilliant, Rivers was a comedian’s comedian, and this is a list of some of her best moments. Naturally, none of this is safe for work.
#1 Joan Rivers’ Ron Bennington Interviews
Radio personality and brilliant interviewer Ron Bennington had three detailed interviews with Joan Rivers—in May of 2010, and in March and July of 2014. The interviews are masterfully orchestrated by Bennington who essentially lets his subject steer the interview, and carefully inquiring for more detail.
- 9/5/2014
- Uinterview
Joan Rivers -- who made the world laugh for over 50 years with her jokes, put-downs and one-liners -- has died in NYC ... a week after her heart suddenly stopped beating during vocal cord surgery. She was 81.Joan's daughter Melissa Rivers took her mom off life support so she could pass comfortably in a private room. The death has been reported to the NYC Medical Examiner's Office -- and officials tell TMZ the office will open...
- 9/5/2014
- by TMZ Staff
- TMZ
Joan Rivers, the raucous, acid-tongued comedian who crashed the male-dominated realm of late-night talk shows and turned Hollywood red carpets into danger zones for badly dressed celebrities, died Thursday. She was 81.
Rivers died at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York, surrounded by family and close friends, daughter Melissa Rivers said. She was hospitalized Aug. 28 after going into cardiac arrest in a doctor's office following a routine procedure. The New York state health department is investigating the circumstances.
"My mother's greatest joy in life was to make people laugh," Melissa Rivers said. "Although that is difficult to do right now, I know her final wish would be that we return to laughing soon."
Under the immobile, plastic surgery-crafted veneer that became Joan Rivers' unapologetic trademark as she aged, her wit remained as vibrantly raw and unruly as when she first broke her way into a comedy world belonging largely to men.
Rivers died at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York, surrounded by family and close friends, daughter Melissa Rivers said. She was hospitalized Aug. 28 after going into cardiac arrest in a doctor's office following a routine procedure. The New York state health department is investigating the circumstances.
"My mother's greatest joy in life was to make people laugh," Melissa Rivers said. "Although that is difficult to do right now, I know her final wish would be that we return to laughing soon."
Under the immobile, plastic surgery-crafted veneer that became Joan Rivers' unapologetic trademark as she aged, her wit remained as vibrantly raw and unruly as when she first broke her way into a comedy world belonging largely to men.
- 9/4/2014
- by Cineplex.com and contributors
- Cineplex
New York City – There are legends, and then there is Joan Rivers. The comedian and show business survivor had a life journey as an influential star from the 1960s all the way to the end of her life. Joan Rivers died on September 4th, 2014, in New York City after suffering respiratory failure last weekend.
Joan Rivers, Forever Young
Photo credit: E! Entertainment Network
Joan Alexandra Molinsky was born in Brooklyn, New York, and was a Phi Beta Kappa graduate from Barnard College. As she developed her comic act, her agent at the time – Tony Rivers – suggested a name change, so Joan took his last name as hers. She was fired by Rivers as a result. Her training in comedy included a seven-month stint at The Second City in Chicago, but she got her feet wet in the comedy clubs in New York City in the 1960s, which included fellow comedy performers like George Carlin,...
Joan Rivers, Forever Young
Photo credit: E! Entertainment Network
Joan Alexandra Molinsky was born in Brooklyn, New York, and was a Phi Beta Kappa graduate from Barnard College. As she developed her comic act, her agent at the time – Tony Rivers – suggested a name change, so Joan took his last name as hers. She was fired by Rivers as a result. Her training in comedy included a seven-month stint at The Second City in Chicago, but she got her feet wet in the comedy clubs in New York City in the 1960s, which included fellow comedy performers like George Carlin,...
- 9/4/2014
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
Joan Rivers was a comedian through and through, starting her journey in comedy clubs and working her way up through various talk shows. So why is it that certain generations will more quickly associate her with fashion? Well, because she conquered that world, too.
The transition from stand-up comedian to the host of E!’s Fashion Police isn’t a typical career trajectory in the land of Hollywood. But for Rivers, the move from comedian to fashion maven was perfectly natural, and that probably had something to do with the fact that it wasn’t much of a “move.” Rivers never stopped being a comedian.
The transition from stand-up comedian to the host of E!’s Fashion Police isn’t a typical career trajectory in the land of Hollywood. But for Rivers, the move from comedian to fashion maven was perfectly natural, and that probably had something to do with the fact that it wasn’t much of a “move.” Rivers never stopped being a comedian.
- 9/4/2014
- by Samantha Highfill
- EW.com - PopWatch
Can we talk?
Whenever Joan Rivers asked that question, she wasn’t asking permission. Right up until the moment she died at age 81 on Sept. 4 in Manhattan, it was clear that she was going to talk, loudly and often, and you were going to listen.
One of the first truly transgressive female comedians, both on the stand-up circuit and as Johnny Carson’s permanent guest host on The Tonight Show in the 1980s, she was famous for bringing her whip-smart, acid-tongued wit to any subject, no matter how off-limits. Rivers could tackle abortion, 9/11, or Hollywood’s most taboo topic—aging...
Whenever Joan Rivers asked that question, she wasn’t asking permission. Right up until the moment she died at age 81 on Sept. 4 in Manhattan, it was clear that she was going to talk, loudly and often, and you were going to listen.
One of the first truly transgressive female comedians, both on the stand-up circuit and as Johnny Carson’s permanent guest host on The Tonight Show in the 1980s, she was famous for bringing her whip-smart, acid-tongued wit to any subject, no matter how off-limits. Rivers could tackle abortion, 9/11, or Hollywood’s most taboo topic—aging...
- 9/4/2014
- by Melissa Maerz
- EW - Inside TV
This piece was originally published in the May 23, 2010 issue of New York Magazine. Rivers died today at 81. Expect nothing and you won’t be disappointed. This is the mantra of the pessimist and the persecuted alike, the preemptive strike of those who tend to paint the picture a little blacker than it is. And then there is Joan Rivers, the orneriest creature ever to darken Hollywood’s door. She once told me that her husband, Edgar Rosenberg, who killed himself in 1987, lived by the heartwarming motto “Fuck them over before they fuck you over first.”I have known Rivers for 22 years, long enough to know that she does not exactly share this view of the world, even if she likes to muck around in it from time to time. In fact, she considers it a flaw in her late husband’s character, one that set in motion the chain...
- 9/4/2014
- by Jonathan van Meter
- Vulture
Joan Rivers has passed away.
Legendary comedian Joan Rivers, known for her acerbic wit, boundless energy and tenacious work ethic, has passed away at the age of 81. Rivers was a trailblazing performer and writer who redefined Hollywood and society's expectations for women.
Coming of age in an era where women were quickly making inroads in the workplace, Rivers forged her own road in the male-dominated world of comedy, breaking the glass ceiling of late night television by becoming the only permanent guest host for Johnny Carson on The Tonight Show. She then went on to become the first and only woman to ever host her own late night network show, The Late Show Starring Joan Rivers.
Photos: Joan River's 16 Best Quotes
Multi-talented Rivers didn't limit her career to comedy -- she acted, wrote hugely successful books, hosted Fashion Police and Live from the Red Carpet on E!, and starred on the WeTV reality series Melissa and Joan:...
Legendary comedian Joan Rivers, known for her acerbic wit, boundless energy and tenacious work ethic, has passed away at the age of 81. Rivers was a trailblazing performer and writer who redefined Hollywood and society's expectations for women.
Coming of age in an era where women were quickly making inroads in the workplace, Rivers forged her own road in the male-dominated world of comedy, breaking the glass ceiling of late night television by becoming the only permanent guest host for Johnny Carson on The Tonight Show. She then went on to become the first and only woman to ever host her own late night network show, The Late Show Starring Joan Rivers.
Photos: Joan River's 16 Best Quotes
Multi-talented Rivers didn't limit her career to comedy -- she acted, wrote hugely successful books, hosted Fashion Police and Live from the Red Carpet on E!, and starred on the WeTV reality series Melissa and Joan:...
- 9/4/2014
- Entertainment Tonight
Comedy and television legend Joan Rivers has died at the age 81, according to an official statement from her daughter Melissa Rivers. “It is with great sadness that I announce the death of my mother, Joan Rivers. She passed peacefully at 1:17pm surrounded by family and close friends. My son and I would like to thank the doctors, nurses, and staff of Mount Sinai Hospital for the amazing care they provided for my mother. [Melissa's son] Cooper and I have found ourselves humbled by the outpouring of love, support, and prayers we have received from around the world. They have been heard and appreciated. My mother’s greatest joy in life was to make people laugh. Although that is difficult to do right now, I know her final wish would be that we return to laughing soon." The comedy and television legend went into cardiac arrest during minor surgery on her vocal cords on Aug.
- 9/4/2014
- by Katie Hasty
- Hitfix
Joan Rivers, the acerbic comedian, Emmy-winning TV host, red-carpet fashion critic and “celebreality” star, died Thursday in New York City following complications from surgery last week.
Related Joan Rivers: 15 Memorable (and Hilarious) Career Moments
Rivers, 81, had been in a medically induced coma at New York City’s Mount Sinai Hospital since her heart stopped beating during a doctor’s office procedure on her vocal cords. She had been moved to a private room on Wednesday, and was reportedly taken off life support this afternoon.
“It is with great sadness that I announce the death of my mother, Joan Rivers,...
Related Joan Rivers: 15 Memorable (and Hilarious) Career Moments
Rivers, 81, had been in a medically induced coma at New York City’s Mount Sinai Hospital since her heart stopped beating during a doctor’s office procedure on her vocal cords. She had been moved to a private room on Wednesday, and was reportedly taken off life support this afternoon.
“It is with great sadness that I announce the death of my mother, Joan Rivers,...
- 9/4/2014
- TVLine.com
Joan Rivers, a raucous and often-ubiquitous comedic presence on TV and nightclubs since the 1960s, has died. She was 81. "It is with great sadness that I announce the death of my mother, Joan Rivers," daughter Melissa said in a statement obtained by People. "She passed peacefully at 1:17 p.m. surrounded by family and close friends. My son and I would like to thank the doctors, nurses, and staff of Mount Sinai Hospital for the amazing care they provided for my mother. Cooper and I have found ourselves humbled by the outpouring of love, support, and prayers we have received from around the world.
- 9/4/2014
- by Stephen M. Silverman, @stephenmsilverm
- PEOPLE.com
Joan Rivers, the legendary comedian and fashion critic, passed away on Thursday afternoon more than a week after going into cardiac and respiratory arrest during a routine surgery. She was 81.
Joan Rivers Dies
Rivers' tragic passing was confirmed by her daughter Melissa Rivers, who had rushed to her side following the ill-fated outpatient surgery. “It is with great sadness that I announce the death of my mother, Joan Rivers,” wrote Melissa, who was tasked with deciding to take her mother off of life support after doctors had placed her into a medically induced coma last week.
“She passed peacefully at 1:17 p.m. surrounded by family and close friends. My son and I would like to thank the doctors, nurses, and staff of Mount Sinai Hospital for the amazing care they provided for my mother,” Melissa continued. “Cooper and I have found ourselves humbled by the outpouring of love, support,...
Joan Rivers Dies
Rivers' tragic passing was confirmed by her daughter Melissa Rivers, who had rushed to her side following the ill-fated outpatient surgery. “It is with great sadness that I announce the death of my mother, Joan Rivers,” wrote Melissa, who was tasked with deciding to take her mother off of life support after doctors had placed her into a medically induced coma last week.
“She passed peacefully at 1:17 p.m. surrounded by family and close friends. My son and I would like to thank the doctors, nurses, and staff of Mount Sinai Hospital for the amazing care they provided for my mother,” Melissa continued. “Cooper and I have found ourselves humbled by the outpouring of love, support,...
- 9/4/2014
- Uinterview
New York -- "I'm having a great time," Joan Rivers crows before offering a brisk self-appraisal: "Everything is working, my mind is fine.
"The only time I play the age card is on planes when I'm trying to put a bag above the seat: `I am 80 years old! Would someone Please help me?!'"
Actually, she only turned 80 on Saturday, a milestone that has prompted the E! network to stage a Joan Rivers "takeover": Its regular one-hour edition of "Fashion Police" (airing Friday at 10 p.m. Edt) will be a black-tie birthday salute, preceded nightly through Thursday by special half-hours (at 10:30 p.m. Edt) featuring guest appearances by celebrities and even victims of past fashion slams.
This means frequent-flier Rivers would soon be back on a plane for Los Angeles to tape this five-day marathon while she marvels at the success of "Fashion Police," which, since premiering three years ago,...
"The only time I play the age card is on planes when I'm trying to put a bag above the seat: `I am 80 years old! Would someone Please help me?!'"
Actually, she only turned 80 on Saturday, a milestone that has prompted the E! network to stage a Joan Rivers "takeover": Its regular one-hour edition of "Fashion Police" (airing Friday at 10 p.m. Edt) will be a black-tie birthday salute, preceded nightly through Thursday by special half-hours (at 10:30 p.m. Edt) featuring guest appearances by celebrities and even victims of past fashion slams.
This means frequent-flier Rivers would soon be back on a plane for Los Angeles to tape this five-day marathon while she marvels at the success of "Fashion Police," which, since premiering three years ago,...
- 6/10/2013
- by AP
- Huffington Post
By Greg Hernandez
HollywoodNews.com: The one and only Joan Rivers gave a very candid interview to ‘Rage Magazine’ this month which I found most enjoyable.
Thought I’d share some excerpts with you starting with Joan being asked who she’d like to see play her in a biopic: “I hope it’d be someone beautiful like Scarlett Johansson, but with my luck it’d be Betty White. That old bitch has come back from the dead and is taking it all! We’re all so upset!”
Joan is also asked how many plastic surgeries she’s had: “I have no idea because I didn’t do big ones. I always do teensy-weensy ones where you could literally walk out of the doctor’s office and be on stage the next day. Several times I’ve said, ‘can you just fix this?’ Can we just do a little something here or there?...
HollywoodNews.com: The one and only Joan Rivers gave a very candid interview to ‘Rage Magazine’ this month which I found most enjoyable.
Thought I’d share some excerpts with you starting with Joan being asked who she’d like to see play her in a biopic: “I hope it’d be someone beautiful like Scarlett Johansson, but with my luck it’d be Betty White. That old bitch has come back from the dead and is taking it all! We’re all so upset!”
Joan is also asked how many plastic surgeries she’s had: “I have no idea because I didn’t do big ones. I always do teensy-weensy ones where you could literally walk out of the doctor’s office and be on stage the next day. Several times I’ve said, ‘can you just fix this?’ Can we just do a little something here or there?...
- 2/15/2011
- by Greg Hernandez
- Hollywoodnews.com
Hard work and insecurity drive outspoken comic with a career that spans five decades
You would think that there is nothing that Joan Rivers can do to shock any more. She started her career making jokes about abortions, and has made cracks about her husband's suicide. She is famously potty-mouthed (she was thrown off the daytime show Loose Women in 2008 after describing Russell Crowe as a "fucking shit") and there is nothing outrageous that can be said about her extensive cosmetic surgery that she hasn't already said herself.
So it comes as a bit of a shock to find that in person she is so surprisingly quiet. The rasp to her voice that can make her vitriolic and brassy on stage is softer; she seems gentle and excessively polite, offering coffee from a silver pot before sitting down, primly straight-backed, on a sofa in one of the glamorously formal rooms at the Ritz.
You would think that there is nothing that Joan Rivers can do to shock any more. She started her career making jokes about abortions, and has made cracks about her husband's suicide. She is famously potty-mouthed (she was thrown off the daytime show Loose Women in 2008 after describing Russell Crowe as a "fucking shit") and there is nothing outrageous that can be said about her extensive cosmetic surgery that she hasn't already said herself.
So it comes as a bit of a shock to find that in person she is so surprisingly quiet. The rasp to her voice that can make her vitriolic and brassy on stage is softer; she seems gentle and excessively polite, offering coffee from a silver pot before sitting down, primly straight-backed, on a sofa in one of the glamorously formal rooms at the Ritz.
- 10/25/2010
- by Emine Saner
- The Guardian - Film News
Celebrities see Hollywood's newest genre as a way to reassert control over their image
A long queue of biographical films is set to be screened at American cinemas this summer. The documentaries, almost a dozen, include one on Joan Rivers, one on Billy Joel and another on Carrie Fisher, and have been prompted by the surprise success of recent screen studies of Anna Wintour, Vidal Sassoon and Mike Tyson.
Although these films are not big money-making propositions, they appeal to their collaborating subjects as an effective method of repairing a dented public image or a way to fight gossip on fan sites and Hollywood blogs. Sometimes they can even rehabilitate a fallen hero.
When You're Strange, a film about The Doors by Tom Dicillo and narrated by Johnny Depp, has been criticised by some as offering a hagiographical approach to Morrison, hailing him as a "shaman" of the concert platform.
A long queue of biographical films is set to be screened at American cinemas this summer. The documentaries, almost a dozen, include one on Joan Rivers, one on Billy Joel and another on Carrie Fisher, and have been prompted by the surprise success of recent screen studies of Anna Wintour, Vidal Sassoon and Mike Tyson.
Although these films are not big money-making propositions, they appeal to their collaborating subjects as an effective method of repairing a dented public image or a way to fight gossip on fan sites and Hollywood blogs. Sometimes they can even rehabilitate a fallen hero.
When You're Strange, a film about The Doors by Tom Dicillo and narrated by Johnny Depp, has been criticised by some as offering a hagiographical approach to Morrison, hailing him as a "shaman" of the concert platform.
- 6/28/2010
- by Vanessa Thorpe
- The Guardian - Film News
For many of the forty-five years of her extraordinary career, Joan Rivers has been asking audiences her signature line, "Can we talk?"
The last few years, it's been the audience that's been talking – about her, especially her penchant for plastic surgery and her omnipresent appearances flogging jewelry and other merchandise on QVC.
It's never good when a comedian herself becomes the butt of jokes.
But now, at age 77, Rivers is having the last laugh. An extraordinary new documentary, Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work, chronicles fourteen months of her life that also happen to include something of a career come-back, including her recent win on Celebrity Apprentice.
The documentary, by filmmakers Ricki Stern and Anne Sundberg, is well-done, juxtaposing the “present” with the pivotal moments in her amazing career: the first appearances on Carson and her early edgy (and eerily prescient) work in the 1960s; her gig as permanent guest-host...
The last few years, it's been the audience that's been talking – about her, especially her penchant for plastic surgery and her omnipresent appearances flogging jewelry and other merchandise on QVC.
It's never good when a comedian herself becomes the butt of jokes.
But now, at age 77, Rivers is having the last laugh. An extraordinary new documentary, Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work, chronicles fourteen months of her life that also happen to include something of a career come-back, including her recent win on Celebrity Apprentice.
The documentary, by filmmakers Ricki Stern and Anne Sundberg, is well-done, juxtaposing the “present” with the pivotal moments in her amazing career: the first appearances on Carson and her early edgy (and eerily prescient) work in the 1960s; her gig as permanent guest-host...
- 6/10/2010
- by Brent Hartinger
- The Backlot
Comedienne Joan Rivers' love life has taken a funny turn - she has fallen for the man behind the Perfect 10 soft-porn empire.
Norm Zada, 59, admits he has been in love with 76-year-old Rivers for over 30 years after meeting her backstage at a comedy show.
He told her about his lasting crush when he became a subject on her new TV show How Did You Get So Rich - and Rivers was so taken by his loyalty she agreed to date the former mathematics professor-turned-publisher.
What makes the odd romance even odder is Zada made a name for himself by refusing to work with cosmetically-enhanced models - and now he's dating perhaps the world's poster woman for nips and tucks.
Zada reportedly launched Perfect 10 in the mid-1990s after a friend was rejected from the pages of Playboy magazine because her proportions did not fit the magazine's tastes.
But despite his own personal taste for 'real' women, Zada has always found Rivers "intriguing" and "fascinating".
He says, "I was in love with Joan for quite a while back, about 30 years ago... but I had to admire from afar. I got that. She was happily married.
"Then all of sudden they decide to do this show about how I made my money and I had an opportunity to meet her in person - and we got along very well.
"I've always had a lot of respect for her and now we're dating. It's just started and I'm supposed to see her in L.A. when she next comes here. She is a very intriguing lady.
"I would say I have a fascination with her. I've met a lot of natural beautiful models in my time, but I can appreciate women who are incredibly intelligent and are so interesting to be around and learn from, I've always told people that without a high Iq I don't care how attractive the women is, I can't personally get interested in her. Joan is at the very end of the spectrum in terms of Iq."
And Rivers has confirmed she and Zada are an item; her publicist states, "Joan is dating Norm Zada."
Zada, the son of Fuzzy Logic computer scientist Lotfi Zadeh, previously worked at Ibm and was an adjunct mathematics professor at Stanford University, Columbia University and UCLA, where he penned textbooks on computer science.
He turned his back on academia to become a professional poker player before starting up the Perfect 10 empire.
His glossy full of lovelies wrapped up business in 2007, but the enterprising businessman still oversees the spin-off website and remains one of Los Angeles' most powerful players, living among the rich and famous like Denzel Washington, Sylvester Stallone and Rod Stewart in Beverly Park, where Rivers was a recent guest.
And he's already planning a future with the comedienne, who has been single since her beloved husband Edgar Rosenberg died in 1987.
Zada adds, "I would like to go out to lunch with her for the next five years, absolutely, because every meeting would be intriguing.
"I absolutely adore her and just love the Iq and the knowledge and the enlightenment. She's a great dinner companion. We're going to have fun together because I'm going to love talking to her and hopefully she won't hate talking to me."
Rivers isn't Zada's first funny gal - he briefly romanced beloved comedienne Lucille Ball.
Zada reveals, "She used to call me 'The Computer' and I would go visit her at her home on Roxbury in Beverly Hills, and we basically just played backgammon... We were very close.
"But Joan is actually a lot funnier in person than Lucy was... Joan Rivers is in a class by herself."...
Norm Zada, 59, admits he has been in love with 76-year-old Rivers for over 30 years after meeting her backstage at a comedy show.
He told her about his lasting crush when he became a subject on her new TV show How Did You Get So Rich - and Rivers was so taken by his loyalty she agreed to date the former mathematics professor-turned-publisher.
What makes the odd romance even odder is Zada made a name for himself by refusing to work with cosmetically-enhanced models - and now he's dating perhaps the world's poster woman for nips and tucks.
Zada reportedly launched Perfect 10 in the mid-1990s after a friend was rejected from the pages of Playboy magazine because her proportions did not fit the magazine's tastes.
But despite his own personal taste for 'real' women, Zada has always found Rivers "intriguing" and "fascinating".
He says, "I was in love with Joan for quite a while back, about 30 years ago... but I had to admire from afar. I got that. She was happily married.
"Then all of sudden they decide to do this show about how I made my money and I had an opportunity to meet her in person - and we got along very well.
"I've always had a lot of respect for her and now we're dating. It's just started and I'm supposed to see her in L.A. when she next comes here. She is a very intriguing lady.
"I would say I have a fascination with her. I've met a lot of natural beautiful models in my time, but I can appreciate women who are incredibly intelligent and are so interesting to be around and learn from, I've always told people that without a high Iq I don't care how attractive the women is, I can't personally get interested in her. Joan is at the very end of the spectrum in terms of Iq."
And Rivers has confirmed she and Zada are an item; her publicist states, "Joan is dating Norm Zada."
Zada, the son of Fuzzy Logic computer scientist Lotfi Zadeh, previously worked at Ibm and was an adjunct mathematics professor at Stanford University, Columbia University and UCLA, where he penned textbooks on computer science.
He turned his back on academia to become a professional poker player before starting up the Perfect 10 empire.
His glossy full of lovelies wrapped up business in 2007, but the enterprising businessman still oversees the spin-off website and remains one of Los Angeles' most powerful players, living among the rich and famous like Denzel Washington, Sylvester Stallone and Rod Stewart in Beverly Park, where Rivers was a recent guest.
And he's already planning a future with the comedienne, who has been single since her beloved husband Edgar Rosenberg died in 1987.
Zada adds, "I would like to go out to lunch with her for the next five years, absolutely, because every meeting would be intriguing.
"I absolutely adore her and just love the Iq and the knowledge and the enlightenment. She's a great dinner companion. We're going to have fun together because I'm going to love talking to her and hopefully she won't hate talking to me."
Rivers isn't Zada's first funny gal - he briefly romanced beloved comedienne Lucille Ball.
Zada reveals, "She used to call me 'The Computer' and I would go visit her at her home on Roxbury in Beverly Hills, and we basically just played backgammon... We were very close.
"But Joan is actually a lot funnier in person than Lucy was... Joan Rivers is in a class by herself."...
- 8/21/2009
- WENN
Bravo to Joan Rivers for having some pretty thick skin, because the comedians at her Comedy Central roast last night did not hold back—at all! While we're no prudes around here, even we were shocked by some—if not all—of the raunchy and offensive zingers. The roasters targeted Rivers' age, her plastic surgery, her nether regions and even the suicide of her late husband, Edgar Rosenberg. That said, we—like the rest of the audience—were practically doubled over in laughter during most of the almost three-hour event. The humor was absolutely filthy, but completely hilarious. We have some of the jokes after the jump. But we warn you—especially the...
- 7/27/2009
- E! Online
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