Category: Scholarship In Action (Page 13 of 15)

CherWorld.com posted this Cher interview from a Danish TV show circa Believe or rather at the last turn of the century. There were very interesting tidbits throughout this unique show. She talked about her interest in fashion and childish things. It was interesting when she said she didn’t care about not knowing things she didn’t know and that she would describe herself in a few words as “on the brink.” Very interesting.

I was surprised to see her play along with the show’s little reindeer games and so good naturedly, too. Although she did seem a little stiff, as I would expect a star of her stature to be, a star of her longevity and old-Hollywood temperament. I was surprised she hadn’t met Bill Clinton or been to China. I keep assuming, despite her claims otherwise, that she’s met everybody and been everywhere. She said it’s a sin to have it and not use it and that she doesn’t like oysters. I love this show for digging up pointless facts like this, I really do. 

And then she lip synced "Believe."

There was one point in the show where the interviewer asked Cher about Cherilyn Sarkisian. That person is non-existent; haven’t seen her in a coon’s age, she said. (This is actually generational Americana speak I cannot translate). I thought how sad that sounds. Cher likes childish things but not her past child. I did a little tsk tsk.

Maybe I was being a dolt or maybe I was just re-enacting my own innocence-to-experience drama, akin to a Sonny Bono song about cowboy games.  I truly thought for a minute that I loved my former child self. That kid was adorable and so able to entertain herself herself for long periods of time.

Then I went to my high school reunion. It was no disaster by any means but it was just okay, mostly depressing ‘cos nobody showed up I was looking forward to seeing. But that wasn’t the worst of it. Later on after the reunion in our hotel room (the fabulously kitschy Cheshire Lodge), after John had fallen asleep, I read my "Senior Destination," my prediction for my life 20 years down the line. I got mildly excited thinking I would see a heart-rendering clue into the fabulous person I became, a hint of the impending launch into an adventurous 20 years.

Alas…no.

It was all about poppin’ out babies and being June Cleaver. I was crestfallen. Who was that person?? It was alarming to me that I didn’t even recognize myself. I guess only my pre-teen self was so adorable. That teenager, she was a blank slate. It’s not that I judge a life of homemaking. It’s just that I so completely changed, I forgot who I was. And then I mourned the loss of both my old friends who didn’t turn up and the girl-in-me who couldn’t yet see her true nature.

Read more about my reunion and see photos from our trip to St. Louis on Ape Culture.
   

I finally bit the bullet and bought the coffee table book: A Woman at War: Marlene Dietrich Remembered as Cher contributed an essay to it. Cher was one of the few celebrities included among children of Dietrich, the son of Joseph von Sternberg, former GIs, producers, directors, biographers, a journalist and a jazz musician. Cher (listed as a singer/actress) is included with Burt Bacharach, Rosemary Clooney and Hildegard Knef.

Overall, the essay was packed with content. I really enjoyed Cher’s self-deprecation and passion about Dietrich. The intro paragraph commented that Dietrich always watched Cher because she was a fan of Bob Mackie’s work and that Dietrich liked Cher’s tenacity and bravado.

Cher discussed her one sighting of Dietrich during a Mackie fitting, which Cher said often entailed standing for hours. Cher also admitted to shaving off her eyebrows like Dietrich during the S&C Comedy Hour. Cher said you can see a whole season of her with penciled-in eyebrows. This is a good Cher test: does anybody know which season this is?

The funny thing is another Cher fan Bruce helped me track down many of the Cher photo credits on this blog and he said you can do Cher-dating based on her eyebrows. It’s all about the eyebrows, he said. I think this definitely deserves further study – resulting in a possible timeline or PowerPoint. I will try to secure some grant monies for this effort.

Cher also admired Dietrich for her ability to "command attention," her ability to do comedy while being sexy, the way she used lighting to create an image of herself, and sustain a singing career without having a strong voice. Cher, a student of all of these attributes, even said “I don’t think much of my own voice.” That kills me everytime she says that!

Cher also discussed women having to be a bitch to survive in show business. She imagines Dietrich could be a bitch from time to time and Cher comments how "people around you often pay for it." You never hear stories about Cher being a Diana-Ross-style beeotch; nevertheless, I still hope Cher’s personal assistant gets a good Christmas bonus.

Cher also said “women like Dietrich, Bette Davis and Katharine Hepburn paved the way for me.” Not only is this true in a ballsy-image kind of way, it also hints to the fact that Cher has an old-Hollywood air about her, probably inspired by these ladies. And I think it’s definitely a facet of her longevity.