Joan Rivers, the brash, witty and hysterical comedian is the focus of a behind-the-scenes documentary that has been receiving rave reviews on the festival circuit. “Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work“, which was directed Ricki Stern and Annie Sundberg, delves into a year in the life of Rivers, where we get to see the comedian [...]]]>

Joan Rivers, the brash, witty and hysterical comedian is the focus of a behind-the-scenes documentary that has been receiving rave reviews on the festival circuit. “Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work“, which was directed Ricki Stern and Annie Sundberg, delves into a year in the life of Rivers, where we get to see the comedian open up for the camera both behind the scenes and on stage. The 76-year-old working comedian, who helped pave the way for the likes of Kathy Griffin, Sarah Silverman and Chelsea Handler, openly discusses the highs and lows in both her career and her personal life in the film produced by IFC and Break Thru.

Rivers has made a career for more than forty years out of poking fun at herself, her looks and at others, specifically celebrities. In the 1980s, she was quite vocal about her various plastic surgery operations, which made her an easy target for jokes and backlash. Since then she has had the honor of being the first and only female to guest-host “The Tonight Show“ until she “broke up” with her comedy mentor Johnny Carson when she got her own late night TV program on Fox. The show quickly failed, her relationship with Carson was through, and she was stuck picking up the pieces once again when her and her husband were fired by Fox. Apparently, this was too much for her husband, as he committed suicide a few months later. Throughout this adversity, Rivers continued to work and work and make herself a household name. Stern and Sundberg when first approaching this project wanted to go beyond the hype on Rivers’ public persona and get into what it takes for a 76-year-old comedian to thrive for “A Piece of Work“.

The directors and producers followed her for a year in her life, right after her appearance on “Celebrity Apprentice,” which she eventually won, and she was faced with a great deal of backlash after “protecting” her daughter Melissa on the program and speaking her mind, most of the time at the expense of her fellow contestants. The film, which has been getting rave reviews at festival appearances, seems to delve far beyond Rivers’ stage persona and show that she is in fact an actual person. We watch as Rivers stares at an empty calendar discussing how the ladies she helped create have taken away her club dates, and what she needs to do to get back on top. We also get to see a day in the life of a successful comedian who, no matter what she says about herself, has built a career on making others laugh at her own insecurities. As a fan of her comedy, it’s impressive to see such a deep portrait of the woman and the comedian, who at one point was a living embodiment of her own caricature. Rivers prides herself on having a successful career and being a mother, and paving the way for women to succeed more easily in a one-time male-only industry.

Never one to shy away or back down from a fight, Rivers is constantly called out on her “goes there” behavior and says, “there is always an adjective in front of my name and it’s never a nice one”. As a child, I remember explicitly falling in love with Rivers when I first saw her in “The Muppets Take Manhattan” in which she played an over the top makeup counter clerk, along with Miss Piggy. After following her career for years, I have always appreciated her dedication to the joke, her ability to make lemonade out of lemons and still be the overbearing mom we all know she is. Whether it be antagonizing celebrities on the red carpets or protecting her daughter to Howard Stern, Rivers knows what it takes to make us laugh. And at this point, she is very much in on the joke. I can not wait to check out “Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work,” which I sadly missed at Tribeca last month, when it hits theaters on June 11th. In the meantime, check out the new trailer for the doc and a clip, provided by Break Thru Films. And don’t miss your opportunity to see a screening of the film when it comes around. You can check out the full list of dates here.

What do you think of Joan Rivers and her brand of comedy? Will you be checking out the film this Summer?

My original review can be found on The Playlist Nation.

Wowsa! 2010 has sure been a whirlwind for the latest actress to secure the title of ‘America’s Sweetheart‘ Sandra Bullock. An Oscar, a Razzie, an adultery scandal, a number one comedy and the sheer ability to hide from the overzealous paparazzi just describes a small percentage of what Ms. Bullock has been through over the past [...]]]>

Wowsa! 2010 has sure been a whirlwind for the latest actress to secure the title of ‘America’s Sweetheart‘ Sandra Bullock. An Oscar, a Razzie, an adultery scandal, a number one comedy and the sheer ability to hide from the overzealous paparazzi just describes a small percentage of what Ms. Bullock has been through over the past 356 days. Bullock has managed to avoid the media circus surrounding her husband Jesse Jame’ gross infidelities, which broke only a week after the actress brought home an Oscar for her role in The Blind Side, until now. Sandra changed course and opened up to PEOPLE magazine to discuss her filing for divorce, her secret adoption (WHAT?) and her attempt at moving on.

Yes, you read right – Bullock can now add mom to her increasingly long resume. Sandra dishes for the latest issue PEOPLE, which hits newsstands this Friday, about the adoption of her baby boy Louis Bardo Bullock. Originally, Sandra and Jesse James began the adoption process as a couple, but as the scandal broke and the number of infidelities seemed to increase on a daily basis, Bullock chose to continue the process as a single mother. According to Bullock, Louis was officially adopted early in January, but to avoid a media circus the couple decided to keep it hush hush until the process was done and legalized. And if anyone is remotely familiar with the US adoption process for within the states, you know it can take up to two years to have everything squared away legally. Sandra describes Louis as, “just perfect, I can’t even describe him any other way,” to PEOPLE and went on to say, “It’s like he’s always been a part of our lives.” And from recent reports of Bullock’s support and care for James’ kids during this trying time, it would seem that Bullock welcomes the role of motherhood in her life.

In regards to the her fractured relationship, it was confirmed that she has in fact filed divorce papers, but to retain some privacy over the ordeal refused to confirm the jurisdiction the papers were filed in. Bullock described herself as “sad and scared” over to the divorce filings. She went on to say, “I really don’t know how our paths will intersect in the future, but the father I have known Jesse to be … is one that I hope Louis can experience one day, no matter how Jesse and I go on with our lives.” Bullock continues to act with class, even after watching the failures of her husband and subsequently her marriage on the cover of every tabloid. I have avoided discussing the salacious nature of this story, as I can imagine one more person pointing and judging is not necessary. Personally, my only issue with Bullock was when she was making out with my 7th grade dream boyfriend Keanu Reeves during SPEED, so I didn’t feel the need to coin her as a cursed actress, who if issues come up in her personal life she wouldn’t be able to move on, professionally or in private. Bullock seems to be taking the media by the reins here and proving you talk when you have something to say. As the nation has seemingly been up in arms over the treatment of Bullock by the media, her husband and his scores of mistresses, it seems that the only one not completely broken after this ordeal is Sandra herself. Her ability to overcome this, and move on with her new baby boy, is inspiring and I can not wait to see what is next up for ‘America’s Sweetheart’.

The full story, along with 2010′s Beautiful People list, can be found in the latest issue of PEOPLE – on newsstands this Friday.

Best known for his integral role as the manager of the Sex Pistols, McLaren was the brains behind the operation, [...]]]> Malcolm McLaren, former manager of the Sex Pistols and punk impresario, passed away this morning at age 64. McLaren died from complications from cancer, which he had been battling for years, at a New York area hospital.

Best known for his integral role as the manager of the Sex Pistols, McLaren was the brains behind the operation, scoring John Lydon, better known back then as Johnny Rotten, the lead singer and assisted in the launching of the band into infamous territory. McLaren, along with his partner designer Vivienne Westwood, made the Sex Pistols more than just a band within the punk movement, but more the aesthetic for the “movement” and his press grabbing tactics made the band one of the most hated AND revered in the world. While McLaren battled with the Pistols in the 1980′s over money and publishing rights, there is no denying that his role with the band aided their arrival to the next level, whether they wanted to be there or not. Dueling images of who and what made the band can be seen in the films The Great Rock ‘n’ Roll Swindle, which tends to favor McLaren, and the band supported The Filth and the Fury, both which were directed by Julien Temple.

McLaren went on to remain a mainstay in the counter culture community, with his continued involvement within the punk scene, and his personal foray into music with the eccentric album “Duck Rock”. His career has evolved over the years from hated music manager to successful and respected film producer and director, continuing McLaren’s hold on both counter and popular culture. Last year, he sat down with VBS.Tv to discuss the changes unfolding within popular culture and the current art world.

VBS Meets… Malcolm McLaren – Click here for this week’s top video clips

Spokesman Les Malloy said he expected McLaren’s body to be returned to the UK for burial. McLaren is survived by his son Joseph Corre, co-creator of Agent Provocateur.

The award for foot in mouth syndrome goes to John Mayer. The musician, who would obviously prefer to be a stand up comic, has managed to offend nearly every human being with his latest interview with Playboy Magazine. Self-aware and attention craving Mayer held nothing back in the article where he discussed his time with his [...]]]>

The award for foot in mouth syndrome goes to John Mayer. The musician, who would obviously prefer to be a stand up comic, has managed to offend nearly every human being with his latest interview with Playboy Magazine. Self-aware and attention craving Mayer held nothing back in the article where he discussed his time with his famous exes Jennifer Aniston and Jessica Simpson, whom he described as “sexual napalm” and “addictive”. Mayer openly discussed the affect of his “womanizer” and “douchebag” status has had on both his personal life and career, but didn’t try to avoid further controversy when he declared that his penis was similar to David Duke, a white supremacist, with its preference for white chicks. And to add insult to injury, Mayer said he understands the black experience, considering himself an honorary black person, used the N-word and said that he was given a “hood pass”. The musician seemed to be completely unaware that any of his statements could be deemed hurtful or racist was sent a rude awakening yesterday when a handful of celebrities, like Talib Kweli and Perez Hilton, as well as journalists, called out the musician for his offensive comments. Mayer has since apologized for using the N-word within the interview and if any of his comments were found to be offensive. He also attempted to explain the interview as a “quest to be clever” at a performance in Nashville last night, where he continued to backpedal on some of his remarks.

And while the normally hyper aware Mayer tends to plays to and with the media for fun, this might be the one time where he was not completely aware of the damage he was doing while the words were coming out of his mouth. Personally, I find Mayer an interesting character with his constant attempts to move beyond his musical status and his keen sense on what his job is as a celebrity and a performer, but that doesn’t excuse offensive language and lack of ownership for it. And while the racism within the interview will be discussed at nauseum, it would be nice to see anyone sort of defend the women Mayer had no problem skewering or over sharing their private sexual history. It seems that since Simpson and Aniston are public figures its appropriate for any asshole to have verbal diarrhea about what happened between the two of them in the privacy of their own homes and lives. I won’t hate on Mayer too much, because who knows maybe that’s what he is looking for, but let’s all learn a lesson here and THINK BEFORE YOU SPEAK. Especially when there is a tape recorder and internet marking every word you say.