The Liz Smith Column | 07/08/2009 12:00 am

Liz Smith: Farrah Fawcett's Tender Loving Care

Also from Our Gossip Girl, Elvis and Sinatra – Treated better than Michael Jackson? … Bad Penny Palin: She’ll turn up again – and again! Hanging out at NYC’s hottest spot – Monkey Bar.

By Liz Smith

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Farrah Fawcett © Getty Images

"She gave me a smile I could feel in my hip pocket," wrote Raymond Chandler.

***

The death of Farrah Fawcett, after her long and valiant battle against cancer, still has her friends and family reeling. This lovely woman was so strong minded, so determined to cure herself and live, that nobody was really sure she wasn’t going to get up and announce, "No, not yet!"

That wasn’t the case, unfortunately. And two who have been especially stricken by Farrah’s passing are her sister Angels, Kate Jackson and Jaclyn Smith.

When Kate and Jaclyn had their own brushes with cancer, it was – along with their doctors – to Farrah they turned for support and guidance because, according to an insider, "She was always the most level-headed, and they knew she would know what to recommend immediately."

Farrah instantly dropped what she was doing, and went to Kate and Jacyln with healing diets and advice on the best treatments available. Jackson and Smith are cancer free today and they credit at least a part of their recovery to the devotion and intelligent outlook provided by Farrah Fawcett.

***

From the sublime and uplifting to the ludicrous and deliberately misleading.

I ask you, are all the people to whom Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson "preach" 20 years old, with no memory of the lives and deaths of Elvis Presley and Frank Sinatra?

Sharpton, in particular, continues to cite Presley and Sinatra as controversial celebrities whose lives were "respected" after death – at least "until after the funeral." Really? Really?

Well, sorry Al, but if I remember correctly, and I know I do, in the years leading up to Elvis Presley’s death there were many rumors of drugs, not to mention the jumpsuit-bursting results of his quite obvious gross eating habits. (I recall many a "fat Elvis" joke.)

Within hours of Presley’s death, every sordid speculation was in the newspapers and supermarket tabloids; from everywhere came members of his entourage speaking candidly about his rapacious capacity for drugs, food and young women. But along with all this was the weeping and the crying and the massive gatherings at Graceland and the great tributes to his talent. All before the funeral.

Elvis Presley © AP

As for Frank Sinatra, he had lived a long life and had not been a carousing, reporter-punching hothead for many years. His old questionable associations with Mob figures were antique memories by the time of his death in 1998 at the age of 82. But all his wayward ways – womanizing, bad temper, shady friends – were mentioned within hours of his death, all those aspects of his life were included in his eulogies – before the funeral!

So – the often shocking and weird aspects of Michael Jackson’s life are supposed to be overlooked? Please. He’s been positively deified by the media in the week since his passing and I’ve not read one story or seen one TV tribute that didn’t cite his many artistic accomplishments. Along with all the other, less palatable stuff. (Including Quincy Jones – who was a real friend to Jackson – expressing his regret that Michael "didn’t want to be black." Let’s see Al and Jesse take on Quincy Jones.) I daresay Michael’s pharmaceutical peccadilloes and personal relationships were far quirkier than anything in Presley or Sinatra’s life. But Michael, like Frank (and Elvis), did it His Way, and didn’t seem to care too much how it looked to outsiders. Now we have this sordid circus based on the indisputable facts of Michael’s life.

But never underestimate the power of soulless publicity-seeking rabble-rousers like Sharpton and Jackson. I had to laugh as CNN reported Sharpton’s continued criticism of the media, defending itself self-consciously and more than once over several days: "We here at CNN have been very respectful of Michael Jackson!"

Sad. An entire network held hostage by two men who are just flat-out self-promoting jerks who try to insert themselves into every national story.

P.S. Despite all odds and predictions of rioting and "chaos," Michael’s elaborate memorial service yesterday went off without a hitch and there was some genuine emotion displayed, nothing more moving than the remarks of his beautiful young daughter, Paris. This child kind of wrenched one back into remembering that beneath the sometimes bizarre mask of Michael’s chosen persona, was a real person and, apparently, a loving and loved parent.

63 Reader Comments (so far…) Sign In or Register to comment

J. Young: Very strange comments that are WAY over the top in the logic department. For someone who apparently has so much trouble with Liz’s view points why would you be such an avid reader of her column? Happy to see her here? And then you prepare to "educate her?" Really? And she has shown "malice and hatred"? Good golly, Molly! as another musical icon used to sing.

By phyllisDoylePepe on 07/08/2009 6:22 pm

You’re over the top. Jackson was a very talented entertainer. He was not a saint. As a mere mortal he had his own group of problems, and looking like a grotesque white woman was one of them. Whatever his reasons, it was sad as he must have suffered with many issues. But we all enjoyed and marvelled at his talent. It cannot be overlooked that Sharpton’s exaggerated ravings don’t add anything to Jackson’s life and image. We’ve been deluged 24/7 in a media frenzy, and Jackson should be allowed to rest in peace. Madonna? What the H does her life have anything to do with this? It’s no secret that our culture is suffused with celebrity hysteria/mad fan syndrome, and the media is exploiting this.

There is no hatred here, but no one’s talent is limitless. I’m talking Mozart,Beeethoven, et al. We need to all calm down and each of us remember this extraordinary talent in our own way without being accused of "disrespect".

By morris1030 on 07/08/2009 7:39 pm

Ms. Liz, NO-ONE is a saint, not even yourself as we’ve seen today on this issue. Everyone on this earth is here as a mortal. And yes, to the poster, I have enjoyed Ms. Liz’s column over the years, but hey she’s not a saint and I do not AGREE with all that she writes as my comments attest to and it doesn’t mean I will not speak out when I see hatred being spilled. I grew up with Michael Jackson, but I have matured into an intelligent woman. No I haven’t followed him for years, but I do know one thing, Michael Jackson was a pure hearted human being and he would never hurt a child because of what he experienced in his childhood, he made that his life’s mission to express his emotion about children. Ms. Liz is so jaded and cynical herself and like some of her other colleagues that someone like M. Jackson is just out of her comprehension. I am amazed, I too am a southern woman raised iwth manners and I was always taught if you can’t say anything pleasant about the dead then doen’t say anything. No-one asked her to turn a blilnd eye and in her words PRETEND that Michael didn’t have problems, but he was acquitted as he should have been and she knows it. She didn’t have one nice thing to say about Mr. Jackson and was so exasperated over the massive coverage. I too was frustrated that I didn’t get coverage on Farrah Fawcett whom I was devasted to learn that her miracle did not happen, but I too understood that Michael was just that big. I work in an environment where I am the only black woman on board and that is all they are talking about. THis isn’t just about black follk you know, Michael touched people of every stripe all over the world. Ms. Liz, you just don’t get it, or maybe you just don’t want to get it. ANd i understand because you are of a certain generation, but you need to be respectful of folk and I needed to call you out on this. I do read with comprehension. Michael was cleared of ALL charges against him which means NOT GUILTY, whether you want to accept it or not. He led his life in that manner and he would never hurt a child. You may find that hard to believe but it is true! And your initial comments needed to be addressed. And i noticed you did not address my question to you. Since your pal Madonna adopted not one but TWO black children, does that make her hate her whiteness? I bet that thought never entered your mind did it, or the way she lives her life. No. You think the way Madonna lives her life is perfectly NORMAL, yet you choose to tear a man who was found NOT GUILTY down, even in death. Well, this is America and you are entitled to your own opinion and to write about it, but as an African-American, I know racial hatred when I read it. You all can’t stand the fact that Michael Jackson generated this type of emotion and press. Sometimes white people really do not GET IT. Dig deeper and maybe perhaps you will. Like Michael said, I’m Starting With The Man In The Mirror I’m Asking Him To Change His Ways And No Message Could Have Been Any Clearer If You Wanna Make The World A Better Place (If You Wanna Make The World A Better Place) Take A Look At Yourself, And MAKE A CHANGE!.

Peace Ms. Liz.

By JYoung1 on 07/08/2009 10:41 pm

The biggest enabler of all, is indeed, the 24/7 news cycle. The Reverends Jackson and Sharpton, are celebrating, but we’re not.

By PatriciaSprofera on 07/08/2009 6:41 pm

It’s been a Jackson orgy of over the top media hype and Sharpton is being true to form. The media will milk this [along with Sharpton] as long as possible.

As for Palin she’ll make a ton of money, go on Fox and get her own show as GOP new thing. Perhaps even a reality show. The only thing I can look forward to is that I won’t have to watch or listen to her pathological rantings. She’ll be wired where I don’t watch. This is a grotesque woman in a qrotesque political party.

By morris1030 on 07/08/2009 7:24 pm

Just heard on the LA radio station news: LAPD is asking for donations to cover the costs of their police enforcement yesterday at Staples. It was also announced that the City of LA procured box lunches for the police at the tune of $48,000, or about $13 per box lunch, from some sandwich house up in Wrightwood. [Gee, whose relative owns it?]

Ah, do not dispair. These box lunches were different. They contained not one but TWO sandwiches!

So easy to spend someone else’s money.

The City of LA is also considering suing Staples Center for the cost of the police protection yesterday.

Oh yes, it’s suspected that Jackson wasn’t in the casket. [Well at least we know his brain wasn’t because it’s still being tested.]

So now PLEASE can we get on we normal news???? Even some of the newscasters have an expression on their faces that says, "If I’ve gotta’ talk about this guy one more time………"

By AndreaBrandon on 07/08/2009 8:12 pm

When I kept hearing references yesterday to Michael Jackson as "Greatest Performer in the World…EVER!" I thought, "Rev. Sharpton? Did you ever hear of Jenny Lind? Enrico Caruso? Performers come and go, and with each passing century, more or less forgotten. Some greats like Bernhardt transcend time with their names. I was in a conversation once with a girl younger than me, and I mentioned knowing all of the lyrics to Al Jolson songs. She told me she didn’t know who that was, and then she said, "Oh. He was before my time." I said, "Elizabeth! He was before MY time!" Napoleon was before my time, but I know who he was. So it goes.

I want to return to an earlier mention in the comments about the August edition of Vanity Fair, and the Tony Bennett piece called "That Old Sinatra Magic." First of all, there is a wonderful photograph of Mr. Bennett sitting in the Monkey Bar; that and the photograph with Liz’s piece make me want to be there tonight in a black…something…and stilettos, drinking…something. Transport me. I’m going to take a liberty and quote directly from the article, because the second I read it, it made me think of the things being said about Michael Jackson, and how inaccurate I believed them to be.

"…but as Sinatra matured, the one element of his singing that had the most lasting impact on me was best articulated by the man himself. He once observed in an interview, "Whatever else has been said about me personally is unimportant. When I sing, I believe. I’m honest." To me, the hallmark of success in singing is "honesty," and this is true for all manner of vocalist, from Hank Williams to k.d. lang, from Billie Holiday to Luciano Pavarotti to Sinatra himself. The singers who are the most honest are the ones who become immortalized. The writer Pete Hamill once noted that, unlike Bing Crosby’s, Sinatra’s singing "always revealed more than it concealed." Emotional honesty really became the premise of every record I’ve ever made and every performance I’ve given."

I’m in total accord with that belief and could name many more singers that have had that quality, but….BUT….it’s rare. And could the same be said of Michael Jackson’s singing? Not in my mind. Could he sing? Yes. Did he reveal? No.

By WashingtonCube on 07/08/2009 8:47 pm

Liz—I had a similar thought, when I heard Palin’s resignation speech, the image of Evita on the balcony singing "Don’t Cry for Me Argentina" floated through my head. Too funny. Think you’re right, she may well become a big player in GOP national politics in a year or so.

By WillowK on 07/08/2009 11:41 pm

The almighty dollar runs amuck with the classic "love of money…." and there’s nothing new under the sun…American milk when we need more meat.

Again-we each have our part- by either bringing in the same "craziness" by our actions & choices or giving sanity, love and peace to this ol’world.

By MaryCourtney1 on 07/08/2009 11:48 pm

Loved Liz’s article today but was confused about all the negativity about Gov. Palin…what has happened to sisterhood ???? I for one liked the woman and found her refreshing…give her a break !!!!

By PatriciaMcFadden on 07/09/2009 12:35 am

SO GLAD you ‘get’ and are brave enough to ‘say’ what Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson are about. So few recognize their self promoting as the way they raise money with ‘supporters’ for themselves. Until we quit giving publicity to these ne’r do wells we simply perpetuate their opportunity to scalp Americans — no different than televangelists begging for money for their own coffers. What part of this do Americans refuse to understand?

By BrendaMcClain on 07/09/2009 7:49 am

One of the reasons race relations are so strained is because when people have an opportunity to have an honest discussion. The truth is buried benaeath lies . There’s an unspoken concerted effort to keep peace and not rock the boat.

When persons lke Reverend Al Sharpton appear on the scene speaking the truth he’s vilified. He tells society the truth. He tells it like it is for those SUFFERING UNDER RACISM, BIGOTRY AND INJUSTICE ! … It is not Rev. Al Sharpton who assigns himself the title leader. He is a private citizen who is vocal aand visible. He is willing to take the blows for the grreater good. He’s a MAN and not somebodies BOY !

White media has a history of throwing anyone Black they feel comfortable with before the media and erroneously assigning the title Black Leader. Anyone by virtue of the color of the skin to speak on behalf of Black people. How insulting to the African American Community!

I’ve never seen a white figure paraded before the media with the title white leader!

Race relations will improve only when truth is spoken In other words , you can’t piss on me and tell me it’s rain.

By LC4 on 07/09/2009 9:06 am

Hey L.C. we are of one accord here. They are just ridiculous on their faces. It’s all about racism it just is. Michael was Michael. Charles Gibson was called out in the N.Y. Press about his haughtiness and I am sure Katie Couric showed her disdain and was holding her nose. She is the main one who when Mrs. Diallo flew in from Africa after her son’s body wsa riddled with bullets by the NYPD who asked this woman who’d just gotten off a plane from Ethiopia, "…Ms. Dialoo could you find it within your heat to forgive the police who did this to your son?… I was flabber gasted. How dare she? How would she feel if someone shot Nelly her daugher up with bullets and left her laying dead in the street? The entire Jewish Defense League would be up in arms if someone asked her to forgive the people who murdered her daughter. And they hold their noses over Michael Jackson. It just shows how inflexible these people are.

Yes Sinatra was great…IN HIS TIME…and all the others…but so was Michael and after looking at this emotion, I am sure that Michael’s star shown brighter than any of the others because he gave of himself, not for himself, bot of himself. I loved Frank Sinatra’s music and all the big entertainers, but no one championed children like Michael…NO ONE.

By JYoung1 on 07/09/2009 10:43 pm

L.C. y Sharpton is the wrong man to represent the black community. I’m not saying they should not have someone just not a disgusting opportunist such as himself. He’s rich because he is an ambulance chaser. There are so many more qualified & educated black people who would better serve than him. This MJ circus is right up his alley. Notice it was the father of MJ who contacted him. MJ in an interview stated what a monster his dad was need I say more.

By BarbaraB3 on 07/09/2009 9:51 am

I agree, Barbara….Re: those who represent their "communities". I have a litany of other Black leaders that I love (some in my own part of the country-or Bishop James David Manning of NY)… but there are a lot of whites-Asians-Latinos etc who are recognized leaders in their cultures. It’s OK to stand for issues that affect one’s community but we’re still together in this deal-no matter what our skin color-all beautifully created and God’s children. There is so much residual pain within communities of peoples who have experienced racism. There’s a reaction because of the need for healing. But putting people on pedestals because their skin is a certain color is not the solution-as we all are watching on the stage of America. Again-We are all God’s children and ONE HUMAN RACE-but reality is -human beings are "cruel and self centered-always doing the one up one down". Some do it with race, some with money, popularity, weight, beauty, gender, youth, power…etc.

We’re are capable of this ugliness-on both sides of the fence. In Africa, tribes gut and slash each other. In history we’ve seen white Europeans kill each other and then hurt Africans. We saw Africans sell their own into slavery for the almighty dollar. Humans-all of us-filled with an ability to do evil.Blaming one race above another is silly-its in the bones of humanity. But it’s also in the soul to be aware of this ugliness in us ALL and become an instrument of change, compassion, mercy and love-asking forgiveness for our own hard heartedness and ego centric pride.

I am a mongrel of Europ./Cherokee Indian with children of many cultures (Latino,Black,Asian). Racism will never end until we’re heaven bound-and I have to deal with the pain I see when my own little ones get hurt. My buddy’s kids (Af.American) have all "intermarried" as well and she says-"I can’t hate-or I’m hating my own babies". We all align ourselves with our political and moral values (which come out in our politics) and choose people to admire who go with our views-no matter what color their skin. Although lately-I’ve had friends who admitted that even though they were against some of Obama’s moral stands they voted for him because he was Black and they had waited for this day all their lives. I’m not saying that everyone did this-but some chose to. At least they told the truth.

One day-it will all pass. We gotta keep our hearts clean and just love one another.

By MaryCourtney1 on 07/09/2009 12:30 pm