Richard Chamberlain...back on mainland in Hollywood! Tribute @ Aero Theatre!

Dr. Kildare is back on the mainland and ready to take your pulse - or send it soaring!

Handsome matinee idol, Richard Chamberlain, played the part of the good (sexy) doctor on the old boob tube a few decades ago - if you recall - when I was a mere lad not even on the fringes of show business.

Ultimately, the part was a bit of fluff, but turned out to be the vehicle that launched the talented actor  to superstar status.

Chamberlain - who has been residing in his permanent digs in exotic Hawaii for the past twenty years - has taken up residence once again in his West Hollywood apartment.

The likeable actor with the infectious grin is also receving a career tribute this weekend at the Aero Theatre.

Peter Weir's thriller - "The Last Wave" - is scheduled to screen on Friday (the plot that twists turn on an aboriginal murder).

In addition, Playwright/director - Neil LaBute - will discuss Chamberlain's career one-on-one on Saturday afternoon.

Richard's fans will have the opportunity to catch two additional films that day - Petulia (1968) - and "The Music Lovers" (1970).

According to the profile, Chamberlain is also slated to hit the boards live in a stage production in the near future.

Unforunately, the publicity still didn't do Mr. Chamberlain any justice.

Personally, I'd string the dude - who snapped the pic - up by the ba**s!

The photographer set the popular star against a basic plain backdrop, in the center of portrait-style frame, staring straight into camera with arms crossed in a boring fashion at the waist.

Talk about unflattering!

Mr. Chamberlain looked all skin and-bones-and like death warmed-over.

If I had undertaken the shoot, I would have asked the respected actor to laze back in a comfortable arm chair in a cosy den or an inviting living-room setting (with soft light filtering in from a nearby window, a coffee table stacked with obects d' art such as art tomes, asian artifacts, and the like) with his distinctive face turned slightly into camera.

The details, folks, that's what matters if you want to get it right!

In the informative interview, Chamberlain poignantly recalled fond memories of working with Kate Hepburn (who he starred opposite in "The Madwoman from Chaillot").

For example, the demanding perfectionist requested that the Thornbirds star meet her in person first,  before she would give the green light for casting.

The actor, who came "out" years ago, appears to be comfortable in his skin, even if the LA TIMES had difficulty fleshing it out.

I expect you'll spy Mr. Chamberlain around the neighborhood as he plucks up a few groceries now and then, or turns heads when he pops up at the local laundry with a handful of soiled linen dress shirts to be cleaned and pressed.

Happy Hunting if you're into celebrity sightings!

http://www.thetattler.biz

I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry...stale gay themes, commercialized

I was in the mood for some off-the-wall humor so - based on word-of-mouth - I thought I would slip in to a local theater and catch Adam Sandler's latest comedy, "CHUCK & LARRY".

Gosh, what can I say?

You know, over the years notable journalists have become infamous for their deplorable reviews; indeed, on occasion their words have come back to haunt them.

For example, when the great Katherine Hepburn first sauntered onto the stage in New York a well-known critic quipped that,

"Ms. Hepburn ran through the gamut of emotions from A to B."

Of course, that quote was penned by the infamous Dorothy Parker, a reviewer known for her caustic wit.

Originally, Ms. Parker's career was launched when she began writing Theatre pieces for popular Vanity Fair.

The celebrated writer was a member of the Algonguin Round Table - a group of New York writers, critics, actors, and philosophers of the day - who met from 1919 to approximately 1929 to discuss matters pressing and those more importantly pertaining to artistic expression in all its myriad forms.

The illustrious group met for lunch every day at a round table at the Algonquin Hotel. More-often-than-not, the stellar literary giants traded biting and insightful quips which echo through the hallowed halls inhabited by literary pundits today.

There was no formal membership at the Roundtable, so people came and went at will; but, the primary members included such luminaries as: Robert Benchley, Alexander Woollcott, Harpo Marx, Franklin P. Adams (known as the father of the group), Harold Ross, George S. Kaufman, Edna Ferber, and Heywood Broun.

Parker was well-known for having said,

"Men never make passes at girls with glasses."

And this little ditty,

"Take care of the luxuries and the necessities will take care of themselves."

Her best known critique is also the shortest review ever written in the history of the Theatre.

After attending a preview of a play - "The House Beautiful" - she quipped,

"The House Beautiful is the play lousy."

With a nod to Ms. Parker, I hand in my assignment to the editor.

"Chuck & Larry is a film gay, but not funny."

Sorry, Adam!

Footnote Queries

(1) Was that Lance Bass playing one of the "Boys in the Band" at the gay wedding? (2) Was that Dr. Kildare in the role of the commissioner? (3) Was a body-double hired for the scene where one of the lead characters bent over to pluck up a bar of soap on the shower-room floor? (4) Was there any tasteless gay joke in the history of mankind that was not offered up on a silver platter in this film?