When I think of Gossip Lady (no, not the vapid show, Gossip Girl), I always think of Liz Smith. With her trademark southern charm and every-hair-always-in-place blond pageboy, Smith is an institution, and like her colleague Army Archerd, her name became synonymous with gossip.Smith covered all the salacious gossip fit to print for over 33 years in her regular column for the New York Post, which ran in syndication in over 70 publications nationwide. For many years, Smith was the one celebrities ran to, telling their secrets, and under her gentle--but persistent--questioning, Smith was famous for getting the dish that others only dreamed about.
But this year the Post opted not to renew Smith's annual contract and on February 26, it ran the last column. Smith reacted to the news with her usual aplomb: "I'm very sorry that that has come to an end, and that I wasn't valuable enough for them to keep me on," she stated in Sally Kalson's recent column.
While Smith worked in the business of scandal and titillation, she was a class act. It's sad to see the old guard taking a backseat to the more in-your-face antics of TMZ. With both a web site as well as a popular syndicated TV show, TMZ has crews staked out at airports, restaurants, stores, and even the houses of the rich and famous. Their stick-a-camera-in-the-face style of reporting with the crew shouting inane questions has become the de rigour style of gossip mongering.
While Smith will no longer be seen in the pages of newspapers, she will continue to do her own brand of gossiping online at Women on the Web's web site, and Post contract or not, the 86-year-old Smith shows no signs of slowing down. All I can say is, you dish, girl!
What a lovely recollection of a more innocent time in pop culture. May be your best blog so far.
ReplyDeleteThanks Julie!
not being a hollywood watcher, i ask, is it that liz smith was too TAME for today's tastes? wasnt she once considered 'racy', if not dangerous, if a star's philanderings?
ReplyDeletewith my former dedication to all things "the howard stern show" (late 90s/early 2000s), i would always be curious about howard's reluctance to pummel smith's character or to demean her in any way, like he did (does?) to most of hollywood and those who are hollywood reporters. i thought it was because liz smith's column was so influential! hence my question above.
i guess this is all fascinating to me because i am very ignorant of what is big in mainstream entertainment. i still dont know who penelope cruz is, and my favorite male actor is still emilio estevez, based on 'repo man' and the john hughes films.
maybe i'll check out her online gossiping to modernize my outlook!
enjoy the blog! (i must admit i did like the little spat your viewers got into a while ago!)
-g
Hi G - You are absolutely right: I suspect part of the reason that Smith was let go was because she's too tame. Also, she's 86 and there was probably a feeling at the Post that she's "out of touch" (i.e., too old).
ReplyDeleteBut she had--and has--a reputation for getting great scoop. One of her confidants over the years has been Donald Trump. Liz got the skinny from him about his marriages and divorces, pregnancies, and matters concerning his business.
Smith has a reputation for being a decent person, but she's a steel magnolia--sweet, but tough. But I think above all, fair. Probably Howard Stern demurred to her because of her fairness, and also the considerable clout she had.