Liz Smith

Liz Smith calls herself “The 2000-year-old gossip columnist.” Arriving in Manhattan from the University of Texas journalism school in 1949, she has worked in celebrity/show biz for 57 years. She has written for seven different NYC newspapers and for almost every magazine. She was a CBS radio producer for Mike Wallace, then an NBC-TV producer in the Fifties. Later she went on camera at NBC and won an Emmy reporting from the Battleship Intrepid on the 40th anniversary of World War II. In her best-selling memoir Natural Blonde, she wrote about being a war bride.

She appears on Fox News and in 70 newspapers. She has become a voice of reason and common sense, observing popular culture. Her philanthropy is legend -- raising millions for AIDS, Literacy Partners, N.Y. Restoration Project, P.A.L., the Mayors Fund to Advance New York and the Landmarks Conservancy. (They made her a “Living Landmark" in 1996.)

Liz is amused when dubbed as “too nice.” Says she, “If this is true why did Frank Sinatra denounce me on world stages? Why did Donald Trump try to buy my newspaper so he could fire me? Why did P.R. flack Bobby Zarem say I’d had a woman killed? Why did Sean Connery want to stick my column where the sun don’t shine? Why did Sean Penn run out of a building when we were introduced?”

My Favorites

Sweet Memories:

Read my memoir Natural Blonde

Things I Can Do Without:

Name it; I can probably struggle on without it.

I Adore:

My godson (I know I’m a bore)

Most Important to Me:

My godson (I know I’m a bore)

What Makes Me Mad:

Congress and the Senate

What Never Fails to Get My Attention:

The New York Times

Why I Hate My Computer:

I’m technologically impaired

Why I Love My Computer:

I’m used to it

My Tool:

My now ancient hp computer

I Miss:

My mother who died young at age 95

I Like the Feeling Of:

Lying down to read.

What Makes Me Sweat:

Nothing. I seem to be sweatproof.

Hate to Eat:

Most vegetables, but I try.

What I Love the Most:

Reading

I am Happiest:

Working & reading

Tacky Things I Can’t Do Without:

Well, you saw my favorite foods.

Things I Hate the Most:

Getting up before 9 a.m.

My Favorite Things:

Too many to count

I Hoard:

Nothing

My Dream Experience Would Be:

Mary Wells’ boat on the Mediterranean

Dead To Me:

Nobody. I’m willing to entertain a 2nd opinion.

I Don’t Care What They Say:

I do care!

My Remedies:

Aspirin and aleve

I Love(d) Reading:

Biography and history

I Love(d) Listening To:

Silence

I Love(d) Watching:

CSI (the original)
MSNBC’s talking heads
“The Closer” and Kyra Sedgwick
60 Minutes
“Rome”
“The Tudors”

I wish I lived In:

A big apartment with a terrace

Things I am miserly about:

Stamps
Empty soda cans

I Want To Own:

More treasury bonds

I'm addicted to:

The First Thing I Do in the Morning Is:

Find my one cup of coffee for the day

I Use:

Plain old cold cream

I Admire:

My other wOw women friends

I Respect:

Honesty and integrity and the world’s historians

What Wows Me:

Joni Evans’ energy and dedication to wOw

Favorite Quote(s):

“You never marry the person you first see ‘Casablanca’ with.” —From that brilliant Texan philosopher, Kinky Friedman

"I am not offended by dumb-blonde jokes, because I’m not dumb – and I know I’m not blonde." —Dolly Parton.

Share Your Wealth With My Favorite Charities:

My Favorite Website:

Read My Books:

My Favorite Drinks:

White wine
Margaritas
Try me!

My Favorite Foods:

Chicken fried steak
Campbell’s tomato soup
Watermelon
Cream gravy
Fried okra
French fries
Lay’s potato chips
Peanut brittle
Caviar
Foie gras
Cheetos
Vicchysoisse
Real roasted turkey
Corned beef and cabbage
Cornbread & biscuits
KFC
Filet of sole amandine

My Date of Birth:

February 2, 1923

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