The Mashup: My Night At Cher’s “Burlesque Premiere” And Bette Midler’s Need For Some Props on “The Graham Norton Show”


Bette Midler on the Graham Norton Show displaying my Delores Doll

Mister D: I’m trying to remember as much detail as I can about this. I just felt so overwhelmed at the time.

My mother is a long time friend of the guy who runs the movie studio that made the movie, Burlesque. His name is Clint Culpepper. They make tons of movies. So we flew out to Hollywood for this one. My mom had done this before and she had also gone to awards shows and met many famous people. She once lectured Spike Lee on something, so I’m glad I was never there. Anybody who knows my mom will tell you she has no fear. She also went to Chris Brown’s first movie, when he was just starting to rise. She made such an impression on him, he came over at the after party and asked her to dance with him. Little did he know, my mom loves to dance, ham it up, and take over the whole floor. Supposedly, they had a blast.

Anyway, back to my hotel room in Hollywood. I got a call from Bette’s assistant, Jill, saying Bette Midler was in the YUK and was going on the Graham Norton Show on Monday. It was Friday now. They said they needed anything weird or whatever that I had collected of Bette’s. I told her that I was in fucking LA, but I could call my boyfriend, Barry. They said they needed it overnighted. So I called Barry, and he said he’d find some things. I think he ended up sending my Delores Doll, my satin Divine Madness doll, my “The Rose” beach blanket, maybe some old Bette Midler postcards she had made in the ’70s, and I’m not sure of what else. Anyway, it got there. My assistant who does Facebook for me, Nicola Calder, went to the live show and said they talked about a few of the items and cracked up that the Divine Madness doll smelled. WELL!!!! It was old and mildewy. However, that segment had to be cut out except for maybe the Delores Doll bit. I couldn’t even make myself watch it. I’m just weird that way. But the above photo made its way onto the newswire services. By the way, my partner, Barry, did an excellent job of finding things for me and getting them delivered in time. And yes, I got my stuff back. The first thing I did was smell my Divine Madness doll and there was no smell. LOL

As far as the premiere of Burlesque, I met Cher, Xtina, Patricia Clarkson, Debi Mazar, and Kathy Griffin. Anybody that knows me knows I can hold my own with a celebrity/ To me they are just people, and if you treat them that way it goes a long way. I do frustrate friends and family because I hardly ever remember to take photographs. The first time I met Bette was per her invitation, and she even asked, don’t you want a picture? Of course, I do, but I’m too much in the present to remember. I believe it was Eric Kornfeld, one of Bette’s comedy writers, who told me that “stars” hate to be treated differently, but I’m not sure I agree that it’s that way with all of them. I did find out that was true with Ms. Midler. As much as I would have loved to talk about her career and what I think she should do, it just never came to that. The several times we talked, the focus was on the educational system. NYRP, websites, I told her one time she should listen to Air America, a left-wing radio station on XM. especially to Al Franken and Randi Rhodes. And she did. Eventually, she even went on Ms. Rhodes show for an interview. Anyway, everybody I met was wonderful, except for Kathy Griffin. I was standing by her for drinks and she just had this glazed over look and a permanent smile on her face. I said “hi” a couple of times, but nothing. I wanted to ask her why she walked the red carpet, but didn’t go in to see the movie, but ended up at the after party? Just seems kind of fake.

My mom’s friend also got her into the Ellen Show, and she said Ellen danced through her row and had that same glazed over look that Kathy had. I probably would to, to tell you the truth, it’s like a coping mechanism that comes from fear of being around a bunch of stranger and having to do things you really don’t want to do. I don’t think Ellen liked getting into that dancing thing. It probably scored high with viewers. so producers made her do it. But maybe she has grown to like it. That’s very possible.

Back to the after party, we did spend most of our time with Debi Mazar and her husband, Gabriele Corcos. They were so down to earth and just delightful. I talked about my Bette Midler site, and Debi said she knew it and had been there before. She talked about how she loved Bette Midler. Then we talked about her new website that was opening soon about cooking (Debi Mazar and Gabriele Corcos: Cooking Channel | Cooking Channel ). And we just casually chit chatted. Very nice couple. Her husband even sent me a “nice meeting you” email. I also loved Patricia Clarkson, too, Cher and Xtina meetings were too brief to draw any conclusions. But all in all, it was a fun night and I’m glad I got to experience a movie after party. Same kind of parties I went to before, just more expensive food and decorations. BTW, Cher and Xtina did not show up at the “on top of a roof” shindig. I was really hoping the male star showed up, Gig Camelnuts, or whatever his name is. I thought he was adorable and sexy,

If you got this far, thanks for reading. Love, Mister D

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4 thoughts on “The Mashup: My Night At Cher’s “Burlesque Premiere” And Bette Midler’s Need For Some Props on “The Graham Norton Show”

  1. I haven’t gotten to see and talk to Bette again since 2003 Hulaween. I remember at the spring picnic before Hulaween in 2003 I was so drunk and my boyfriend was as well. I did exactly what you said shouldn’t be done…gave her all kinds of song suggestions and grilled her for info on her upcoming tour. (KISS MY BRASS)

    Then Hulaween came along…my second one in a row. I met you and Barry there. I brought two friends along. And we all got kicked out by security. One friend almost jumped onto Donna Summer because he was so thrilled! He got escorted out. Then we were next. Bette Midler’s assistant protested and said I could go to say hi to Bette but security was like “no” and kicked us out! Security guards have been a HUGE thorn in my side ever since. “The loathe me as UN-cordially as I loathe them.” I had just broken up with the boyfriend I had taken to the picnic so I spent the entire night with my friend wandering the streets of New York in a huge depression…it was awful. Then I went bankrupt and have never been able to say “Hi” to Bette again! The first Hulaween the prior year was amazing…the last one…not so much!

  2. Meeting Cher would be fun but I’m not obsessed over the idea like I was with Bette….

    Just a couple more points to make…Cher’s recording career is really quite on par with Bette Midler’s recording career. I did a full analysis and they were neck in neck with hits and neck in neck with bombs. This comparison was made from the seventies when Bette first released an album to the Cher Believe Album and the Midler album Bathouse Betty …And I so enjoyed listening to for the first time the forgotten Cher albums that had not charted and had gotten put into the bargain bins before finally just disappearing altogether. I listened to them all on YouTube. While I have listened to all of Bette’s albums a million times…every single one…these rare Cher albums were on my bucket list for years and years. This included the “Allman and Woman” album and the “Black Rose” album which was the name of her hard rock band she was the lead singer for…it was not a “Cher” album technically.

    Okay so one last point to make: Even though I sometimes think how my love affair with Bette fizzled out in the end to my disappointment I met the love of my life in 2013 and I decided every moment and nuance had to happen exactly as it did for me to have the chance meeting with Nathan as I walked for downtown KC to the East Side…what are the chances…so I have no regrets at all in life. Isn’t that wonderful! Thanks for letting me share this Don and you deserve all your brushes with fame…you are famous!

    1. Thank you Kris and congrats on being happy. I have all Cher’s albums. I have over a 1000 albums and about the same in CD’s. There’s one they haven’t released yet on CD and everyone’s dying for them too. But I have no clue why it hasn’t

  3. I did a followup to this post that was so relevant and I wanted to share…BUT IT DIDN’T SHOW UP?? Next time…because I gotta run! Thanks Don TTYL

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