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Chris Rock: "We Liked Johnny Carson, But We Loved Joan Rivers"

Chris Rock:
Joan Rivers was clearly one of the most hardworking stars in show business. Chris Rock opened up about meeting the late comedienne for the first time on what he considered to be "the worst day of her life" while attending the Toronto Film Festival on Saturday, Sept. 6. "I did the very last The Late Show Starring Joan Rivers on Fox. It was my first time on television," Rock recalled to Variety on when the two first rubbed shoulders. "Her show had just gotten cancelled and her [...]
See full article at Us Weekly »

Joan Rivers's 5 Most Unforgettable TV Cameos (Video)

  • 05 September 2014
  • by Jenni Miller
  • Moviefone
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,
See full article at Moviefone »

Comedian Joan Rivers dead at 81

  • 04 September 2014
  • by Cineplex.com and contributors
  • Cineplex
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.
See full article at Cineplex »

Entertainment News: Comic Legend Joan Rivers Dies at 81

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,
See full article at HollywoodChicago.com »

How Joan Rivers went from comedian to fashion maven

How Joan Rivers went from comedian to fashion maven
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.
See full article at EW.com - PopWatch »

R.I.P. Joan Rivers: Watch Her Directorial Debut 'Rabbit Test' In Full

Terribly sad news today with the announcement that comedy legend Joan Rivers has passed away at the age of 81 at home in New York. Rivers had a legendary 50-year career in the entertainment industry, beginning as a stand-up in the 1960s and remaining consistently popular for half a century. A frequent talk-show guest, she eventually became the first woman to host a late-night talk show with Fox's 'The Late Show Starring Joan Rivers." Rivers mostly kept her career to the live circuit and television rather than the movies, but did make a few big-screen appearances, mostly cameos as herself in the likes of "The Muppets Take Manhattan," "Shrek 2," and "Iron Man 3." She was also the focus of the excellent 2010 documentary "Joan Rivers: A Piece Of Work," and became world famous for her hilarious and acerbic commentary on awards red carpet pre-shows, most notably at the Oscars. But the
See full article at The Playlist »

R.I.P. Joan Rivers (1933 – 2014)

American comedian, actress, writer, producer and TV host Joan Rivers has passed away today aged 81, her daughter Melissa has revealed. She had been on life support since August 28th, having suffered a cardiac arrest during throat surgery.

Born in Brooklyn in 1933, Rivers began her career as a stand-up comic in New York City in the early 1960s, which led to regular appearances and guest hosting duties on The Tonight Show as well as various variety and entertainment shows such as The Ed Sullivan Show, The Carol Burnett Show and Hollywood Squares.

In the 1980s, Rivers became the first female comedian to perform at Carnegie Hall, and also the first female to front her own talk show, signing a bumper contract to host The Late Show Starring Joan Rivers. She would subsequently win a Daytime Emmy for The Joan Rivers Show, which she hosted for five years, picking up another six nominations as host and writer.
See full article at Flickeringmyth »

Remembering Joan Rivers, comedy's plucky outsider

Remembering Joan Rivers, comedy's plucky outsider
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
See full article at EW.com - Inside TV »

Joan Rivers Dead at 81

Joan Rivers Dead at 81
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:
See full article at Entertainment Tonight »

Joan Rivers, Johnny Carson & The Tonight Show: A Bumpy Relationship

  • 04 September 2014
  • by Alex Heigl, @alex_heigl
  • PEOPLE.com
Joan Rivers, Johnny Carson & The Tonight Show: A Bumpy Relationship
Joan Rivers, who died on Thursday, was one of late-night television's true pioneers. And inextricably tied to her legacy of trailblazing is her relationship with The Tonight Show, and the long shadow that Johnny Carson cast over her career. In the mid-1950s, at age 23, Rivers ran away from home to become an actress. By 1958, she had decided on comedy. But she auditioned for The Tonight Show seven times - as a favor to her manager's other client, Bill Cosby - before she was put on Carson's show in 1965 as a gag writer. "It was a mercy booking," she told
See full article at PEOPLE.com »

Joan Rivers, Johnny Carson & The Tonight Show: A Bumpy Relationship

  • 04 September 2014
  • by Alex Heigl, @alex_heigl
  • PEOPLE.com
Joan Rivers, Johnny Carson & The Tonight Show: A Bumpy Relationship
Joan Rivers, who died on Thursday, was one of late-night television's true pioneers. And inextricably tied to her legacy of trailblazing is her relationship with The Tonight Show, and the long shadow that Johnny Carson cast over her career. In the mid-1950s, at age 23, Rivers ran away from home to become an actress. By 1958, she had decided on comedy. But she auditioned for The Tonight Show seven times - as a favor to her manager's other client, Bill Cosby - before she was put on Carson's show in 1965 as a gag writer. "It was a mercy booking," she told
See full article at PEOPLE.com »

Comedy legend Joan Rivers dies at 81

  • 04 September 2014
  • by Katie Hasty
  • Hitfix
Comedy legend Joan Rivers dies at 81
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.
See full article at Hitfix »

Joan Rivers, Tart-Tongued Comic and Emmy-Winning Host, Dead at 81

Joan Rivers, Tart-Tongued Comic and Emmy-Winning Host, Dead at 81
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,
See full article at TVLine.com »

Joan Rivers Dies At 81; Melissa Rivers Takes Comedian Off Life Support

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,
See full article at Uinterview »

Video: Joan Rivers Thinks Conan Lucked Out and Leno Isn’t Funny

Joan Rivers is no stranger to late-night-tv shakeups. In the early 80s, Rivers was often a guest host for The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson. When she left to host her own late-night program on Fox, Carson never forgave her. Fox’s The Late Show Starring Joan Rivers was short-lived and widely panned, and is often mentioned in the same sentence as Chevy Chase’s disastrous wee-hours outing. She's out at Sundance for her new documentary about her life, A Piece of Work, and spoke with West Coast editor Krista Smith about why Leno isn't funny and why Conan should be grateful to have been fired by NBC.
See full article at Vanity Fair »

Jay Leno Joins The Pantheon Of Spectacular Talk Show Flameouts

After a few days of speculation, the news is now official: NBC confirmed that Jay Leno will be leaving his 10 o'clock time slot and returning to late-night. The last prime-time episode of "The Jay Leno Show" will air on February 12. There is currently no word on how the shake-up will effect Conan O'Brien (the host of "The Tonight Show," which airs in the 11:30 slot that Leno will be once-again assuming) or Jimmy Fallon (whose show airs after Conan's).

Though Leno ruled late night for years as the host of "The Tonight Show," he did not enjoy the same dominance when his new show launched back in September 2009. Though the show started strong, the ratings quickly bottomed out. The low numbers upset local affiliates, whose 11 p.m. newscasts were tanking because the lead-in audience was so low.

"The Jay Leno Show" joins an elite club of spectacular talk show disasters.
See full article at MTV Newsroom »

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