This should be the full interview from yesterday’s radio talk show:
[wpaudio url=”http://www.bootlegbetty.com/audio/Bette Midler – SmartTalk.mp3″ text=”Bette Midler – SmartTalk” dl=”0″]
This should be the full interview from yesterday’s radio talk show:
[wpaudio url=”http://www.bootlegbetty.com/audio/Bette Midler – SmartTalk.mp3″ text=”Bette Midler – SmartTalk” dl=”0″]
I particularly enjoy the sigh of relief after she hangs up. These folk were afraid!
LOL….you could tell, huh?
Yes funny,lol you did well you did well etc. Bette did well but how about the real deal what about the smart talk , maybe I’m to anxious but.>?
Is there someone who can tell?
Love to know.
I think the only way we’ll get that is if Andrea was able to record the whole thing….
I can’t either….
I was there last night, 7th row. It was not a disaster at all. It was amazing. She did great!!!
TJ,
We would welcome as much detail about the night as you can give. Did she bring photos like she said?
Let’s see..some of what she said was quoted in the article. Some of the things that stuck out to me..hmm.
The Rose was easy for her to film (acting-wise) because she didn’t really need to act. She was almost playing herself at that moment in her life. She said her life at that time was similar to the character of the Rose. I think she even said that she even had her own dealers! Maybe that was a joke? But I don’t think so. Also, the only film role she feels she completely “disappeared” as herself in was Hocus Pocus. Otherwise, she admits that in every other film, she’s kind of playing a version of herself.
Her biggest regret was turning down Sister Act, because it was written solely for her. She didn’t accept the role because she was worried what she’d look like in a nun’s wimple. She also regrets turning down Misery because the role just “wasn’t her”, and her husband reminds her almost every day what a mistake that was. Although at the same time, she didn’t want to be responsible for bringing such a violent film into an already violent world. She questions whether she is a true actor, because if she were, she would have jumped to play those roles.
While she absolutely HATED filming Jinxed, and it was a huge flop, she actually thinks it’s a pretty good film
One of her favorite new artists is Lady Gaga. She said that she is a good songwriter, musician, and singer. And somewhere down the road, she is going to lose the crazy outfits.
The reason why she is so passionate about cleaning up parks stems from her childhood. Her parents were literally extreme hoarders. She spent most of her time cleaning and picking things up. She said it was actually really sad, and she’s never told the public before because she doesn’t want to dishonor her parents’ memory.
Most of you know this, but she had a life-changing moment when she sang God Bless the Child at an open-mic night during her run in Fiddler. But the way she told the story was so exciting, and just hearing it come from her was amazing.
She didn’t talk about her hit songs or live shows and tours..and never mentioned Beaches or much of the work she’s done.
She did spend a lot of time on the NYRP, which was nice. And yes, she brought lots of slides and the presentation went off without a hitch. There was even a little film to go along with it. A majority of the slides were before and afters of the park and rec areas she has cleaned up. The audience really was surprised. I couldn’t believe the work she has done! It really was a huge difference. And to hear her speak so passionately about each and every park, as if it were one of her own kids, made me love her even more.
The article said she spoke for 60 mins. I think it was closer to maybe 75 or 80. But she crammed so much into that short amount of time, so I was just trying to take it all in. I really wish it would have been recorded, because it was a side to her that I wish everyone could see. It really did seem intimate. The way she would get her papers in a mess and get a little lost was funny. But she’s so quick, she would just continue on. She was just…awesome. Well worth going and I hope she continues to do more speaking engagements. I’m sure I’ll think of something else she said, in which case I’ll post 🙂
I kind of feel bad posting some of that only because I think it can be dangerous and disrespectful to misquote people, so bear in mind that what I posted was what *I* got from everything she said. I probably worded things differently, so I’m not quoting her. It’s just the gist.
AND NOT ONCE DID SHE EVEN MENTION HER VEGAS EXPERIENCE!!! Lol.
TJ, thank you so much for sharing:)! Just reading each and every word you’ve written made me feel like I was there with you on the 7th row :):). Regarding Sister Act and Misery — I can understand if Bette regretted not doing those movies but I think those movies/roles were not really meant for her, what I meant is, did Whoopi Goldberg and Kathy Bates become bigger actresses/stars than her because they did those movies? Not doing those movies did not make Bette any less of an actress or movie star or celebrity:):)
And I agree with her about Jinxed – it may be a big flop but it’s not really a bad movie:) I actually liked that movie:)
Thanks so much TJ for helping us out here. Can you tell we were starved for information??? Very much appreciated!
Thanks TJ!!!