Fashion Police without ‘inspector’ Joan
Adaba says Rivers: “is by no small measure one whom we can describe as an icon and a realist to the core; a comedian who took her craft seriously. Though her approach and material could be sometimes described as brash, she remained truthful to herself and her audience. Defying status and personalities, Adaba adds that, […]
Adaba says Rivers: “is by no small measure one whom we can describe as an icon and a realist to the core; a comedian who took her craft seriously. Though her approach and material could be sometimes described as brash, she remained truthful to herself and her audience.
Defying status and personalities, Adaba adds that, Rivers went for the jugular, always starting with herself. “Before she became the fashion icon she is renowned for today, Rivers overcame tragedies like losing her husband of 22 years to suicide in 1987. She stopped; mourned his loss, but even that didn’t stop the laughter,” Adaba said.
“Describing herself as one who was put on this earth to make people laugh, we can say confidently that Joan lived a full and robust life. She could relate with any age group and status, which is why we mostly forgot that she was 81 years old. I know heaven will be in stitches now with Joan Rivers. Rest well Joan,” she said.
The first time, Nana Kusherki discovered Joan Rivers was on Donald Trump’s TV show, ‘The Apprentice’. Kusherki an avid fan of Rivers describes her as someone who made TV shows worth watching. “Hilarious and unafraid; quite vocal and fashionable. I salute #joanrangers,” she said.
Joan first became a household name after landing in the spotlight in 1965 during a guest appearance on ‘The Tonight Show’with Johnny Carson. The duo’s chemistry was so palpable that she was named the permanent guest host in 1983.
Then in 1986, she began the rival program ‘The Late Show’ which sparked a highly publicized rift between the two late-night talk show hosts.
Rivers’ program was a watershed moment for not only late-night television programming, but for women in comedy as a whole—which had up until that point been a male-dominated bubble within the entertainment industry.
She singlehandedly broke boundaries and gender roles and quickly became famous for her outspoken—and often times controversial—no-holds-barred approach.
In 1994, she and her daughter, Melissa hosted the E! pre-show awards for the Golden Globes, which quickly became an absolute sensation.
One year later, the two co-hosted E!’s red carpet coverage of the Academy Awards and cemented their roles as fixtures on the awards season scene.
After briefly leaving the network for a stint at TV Guide, Joan made her triumphant return to E! where she has been hosting Fashion Police. That same year, she appeared on the ‘Late Show With David Letterman’ where she brought her late husband Edgar Rosenberg’s ashes on set and sprinkled them onstage, quipping, “We were banned for so long, so I like to say, ‘Look we’re back!’”
She was also a prolific humour writer; she wrote the films ‘The Girl Most Likely To…’ and ‘Rabbit Test’. In 1974 she released ‘Having a Baby Can Be A Scream’, the first of 12 books including the best-selling ‘The Life and Hard Times of Heidi Abramowitz’.
Her most controversial comments were perhaps among her most recent: earlier this month, the celebrity news website TMZ released footage in which she apparently celebrated the deaths of Palestinians in Gaza.
Told that nearly 2,000 Gazans had been killed in the conflict, she shot up her arms and said: “When you declare war, you declare war. They started it. We now don’t count who’s dead. You’re dead. You deserve to be dead. You started it. You started it. Don’t you dare make me feel sad about that.” She later claimed the media had taken the tirade out of context.
According to an E! News and NBCUniversal statement: “for decades Joan has made people laugh, shattered glass ceilings and revolutionized comedy. She was unapologetic and fiercely dedicated to entertaining all of us and has left an indelible mark on the people that worked with her and on her legions of fans. She’s been a much beloved member of the E! family for over 20 years and the world is less funny without her in it. Today our hearts are heavy knowing Joan will not be bounding through the doors.”
The ‘hollywoodreporter’ quotes her six best one-liners as:
“Don’t make friends with your dogs! The sons of bitches will literally die ahead of you and cause you grief!
“I always like a charity with people who don’t speak English because I get them to do all kinds of things around my house.
“I’ve never done Jay Leno, but I’m sort of glad about that. He wouldn’t know what to do with someone funny.
“I said Justin Bieber looked like a little lesbian — and I stand by it: He’s the daughter Cher wishes she’d had.
“Look at Gwyneth Paltrow being named the most beautiful this year. She got Helen Keller and Stevie Wonder to vote.
“The people voting for the Oscars are so old. I haven’t seen one Academy Award voter with a tampon in her purse.”
E! Network has yet to decide whether hit show Fashion Police can continue without its famed host. The network and its stars needed to mourn the loss of the sharp tongued comedian and the driving force of the program before a decision could be made.