"I want to believe that our country can see beyond race as a factor in voting for a presidential candidate … but on some level, it would be naïve to think that race will not be a factor. I do believe, however, that there is much less racism, sexism and homophobia among the younger generation and that we have come a long way."

That’s Barbra Streisand, talking to Politico. The Oscar/Emmy/Grammy/Tony winner concedes that in the matter of stars speaking out on anything other than their latest film, there is resistance: "On a very basic level, many people think celebrities have so much already, so we shouldn’t be entitled to political opinions." Barbra does not agree.

And she was true to herself when Politico asked her if she’d met with and had a conversation with Barack Obama. "I have met and spoken to Sen. Obama, but I don’t discuss my personal conversations with the media." You know what? In this era of careless stellar chat, I appreciate some restraint. Especially as I don’t think celeb endorsements for political figures are positive.

Oh, and on the matter of Barbra possibly appearing on "American Idol": Her people discussed it again among themselves after our item ran, and got back to me with a definite NO. Oh, well. Barbra went from ICM to the Endeavor Agency in an effort to secure more movie work, so maybe an "Idol" gig wouldn’t do the trick. Streisand, when she does appear onscreen, is still a phenom. Her last film, the very minor "Meet the Fockers," grossed a very major half-a-billion dollars worldwide — the most ever for a live-action comedy!

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The iconic Elton John talked to Entertainment Weekly recently, reminiscing on his decades of live performing — he has played in all 50 states of the U.S. of A. And when speaking of his Dodger Stadium gig in 1975 he said, "That was the height of my career. Cary Grant came; I’ll never forget that. And Charles Nelson Reilly was behind the bar, serving drinks." What struck me was the phrase, "the height of my career." Very few still-active performers ever use such words. This would imply that they had passed some peak, that time and tide are inexorable. Elton, sometimes criticized for being prickly and over-candid, does have his head screwed on properly, even if he’s given up those fabulous hats!

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Actor, legend, painter and our favorite unabashed egoist Tony Curtis was spotted recently dining quietly at The Palm Restaurant in Las Vegas. He had veal parmesan and pasta. But he declined when the waitress asked if he’d like to sample a new Palm cocktail. The still-vigorous Tony stuck to water.

I think of Tony often. Right on my desk is a sensational eight-by-ten black-and-white portrait of the bare-shouldered sexy star at the, uh … height of his career. He inscribed it as: "Relaxing at home." And in the note he wrote to me, "I thought you’d like it for your purse!" We once had a little public dust-up at New York City’s posh Le Cirque, but we reconciled (at the Oscars!) and I have adored him ever since.

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Accidentally channel-surfing onto several of the evening entertainment/news programs the other night, I found myself amazed by the amount of obvious cosmetic procedures. And I noted one all-purpose mistake: Plastic surgery, once the enviable environ of the rich and famous, has now become de rigueur for … almost anybody who cares to stress their credit card. Augmented bosoms, tightened necks, taut foreheads, youthfully filled-out cheeks — I don’t decry any of this. Though I do consider it a crime that a generation of men grew up thinking all women have the bodies of gym-toned 14-year-old-boys with grotesquely large and perky grapefruits attached to their chests.

But I have to draw the line at the disfiguration of the mouth. They say the eyes are the windows of the soul. Perhaps if you are a living Keane painting. Otherwise, it is the mouth — mobile, moving, smiling, grimacing — that conveys emotions and personality. Lips thin as we age — and not just women’s lips. Mick Jagger now has a normal-sized mouth, as opposed to the voluminous, almost obscene cushions of his youth. But it has been a drastic diminution, still. Angelina Jolie, like Mick, will never have to go for a filler.

I am astonished by women who will have the most discrete, delicate procedures, and then screw them up totally by blowing up the mouth, rendering themselves unrecognizable. One does not have the lush rosebud of 20 at the age of 40 or 50 or beyond. If you feel you must struggle with the hands and shifting sands of time, go right ahead. But leave that lip pucker alone. Do the surprised eyes, have that wind-tunnel face, lift your bosoms to the (recently rejuvenated) neck. Just allow the mouth to go its own way.