Icons: June 2008 Archives

I can count on one hand the times I have felt physically star-struck. It just sort of hits you in unexpected ways and for me, it seems to happen when I meet stars who I watched in my childhood including two of "Charlie's Angels:" Jaclyn Smith and Cherly Ladd. It happened again the other day with Susan Lucci. Here is a column I wrote on Miss Lucci that will appear in today's LA Daily News:

During all the years that Susan Lucci was nominated for - and famously lost - the Daytime Emmy Award for her performance as Erica Kane on "All My Children," she handled the result each time with extraordinary grace.

So when she finally won her Emmy in 1999 - on her 19th try - there was something akin to a palpable sense of nationwide relief even if it meant she wouldn't be able to spoof her losing streak on "Saturday Night Live" and in commercials.

"When I did win, I got the key to the city of New York and New York City firemen would stop on their trucks and give me a big thumbs up, and beggars would sing (laughs)," Susan said when we spoke at a pre-Emmy party last week. "It was wonderful. It's much better to win but it's great to be nominated."

Here is video from the night of her 1999 Emmy win:

The night of her win, Susan vowed that she would return to the set of "Children" the next day and play Erica "for all she's worth." She kept her word and is now in her 38th year on the show playing the most famous character in soap opera history.

"I love the part of Erica Kane," she said. "I walk into the studio in the morning and I'm smiling, I'm happy. I work with great actors and I've got one of the best parts ever written for a woman as far as I'm concerned."

Remarkably youthful at 61, Susan has managed to juggle her role as the larger-than-life Erica with many other ventures including a series of well-received television movies ("Mafia Princess," "Between Love and Hate" and "Ebbie").

"I love that the fans and the public has really responded to (Erica) so much that I also have had the chance to go on Broadway in 'Annie Get Your Gun' and have a line of jewelry and lingerie and all of that on HSN," she said. "I enjoy it all. But it's all because of Erica Kane."

Erica has been married seven times, legally, and there were another five unions that were either ceremonial or later found to be invalid.

"No, I don't forget," she said when I asked if she remembered everyone her character had been married to.

Nothing in Erica's life is ever simple. She has a lesbian daughter who battled anorexia, a daughter from a traumatic teenage rape, and a son who she thought she had aborted but who was used by the doctor in an experimental fetal transplant.

Working woman Erica started as a model then edited a magazine, wrote several books, ran a cosmetic empire and now works as a talk show host. She is currently involved in a political storyline with Mario Van Peebles.

"I had talked about Erica being involved with a politician and the political world a couple of years ago," Susan said. "But the time is right now. I'm so glad that we're doing it right now because I'm loving it."

The magnificant Meryl Streep (pictured at the 2007 Academy Awards) turns 59 today. While she is the one who deserves gifts on this day, it is she who continues to give us the gift of her immense talent. Her next to films, the musical "Mama Mia" and the drama "Doubt" are highly anticipated and she showed us in "The Devil Wears Prada" a few summers ago that she can still pull off things that we've never seen her do before.

As part of an Out In Hollywood birthday tribute to Miss Streep, here are some clips from some of my very favorite performances of hers over the years. Each are so different, all are wonderful.

1. Devil Wears Prada

2. Postcards From the Edge

3. The Bridges of Madison County

4. Ironweed

5. Best of all, Meryl as herself accepting the Golden Globe Award for "Adaptation"

Gay pride weekend in LA starts in just a few days. So much to do, so little time. Several friends in from out of town, parties, events. One of the most exciting things will be the first-ever appearance of Olivia Newton-John who will sing in concert Sunday night. I can't believe she's nearly 60! I was just reading an interview with her in Frontiers Magazine's Pride issue and was remembering all those Olivia hits from my youth. My faves: "Have You Never Been Mellow," "I Honestly Love You," "Pleae Mr. Please," "Suddenly" (duet w/Cliff Ritchie) and, of course, the songs from "Grease" including "You're the One That I Want" and "Hopelessly Devoted to You" and a few of those early-80s hits: "Physical" and "Heart Attack."

She promises to sing a lot of the hits and has some other surprises up her sleeve for Sunday. Here are a few excerpts from her interview with Frontiers editor Jeremy Kinser.

On her Aussie gay vs. American gay fans: "I think gay men, no matter where they are from, are some of the most loyal fans any artist can have and I feel lucky to have so many."

On playing a trashy ex-con lesbian in the movie and upcoming TV series "Sordid Lives": "Having the opportunity to play Bitsy (Mae Harling) was so much fun because she is so much different from who I am in my normal life. Del Shores is brilliant when it comes to creating characters that have both humor and heart. As a director, he really gave me the freedom to make the most of Bitsy and her 'sordid' past. I think of her as Sandy 2 from 'Grease' gone really wrong! (laughs)."
Will there ever be a 'Grease' sequel reuniting Olivia with John Travolta? "There has been talk of that for many years and for as much fun as it would probably be to make, I think the time has passed for a 'Grease' sequel. It is very difficult to have magic like that happen twice. Now I'm not saying I wouldn't if the right opportunity came along. (John) is a wonderful actor, extremely talented, and a close friend."

On her big screen musical, "Xanadu," which flopped in 1980 but became a cult hit and current Broadway show: "The music was and is fantastic and I truly believe the film was ahead of its time. (High School Musical director) Kenny Ortega was our choreographer and even back in 1980, he incorporated street dancers, skaters, and all types of dance elements that were so ahead of their time. I also think the costumes and fantasy element of the movie helped to make it such a campy cult film. For some reason, the gay community really connects with 'Xanadu'!