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Joan Rivers blends fashion savvy with comedy

Kellie B. Gormly
| Thursday, June 19, 2008 4:00 a.m.
If six gay men sit in the front row, Joan Rivers says, she is assured of a successful show. Gay men love her and have great senses of humor and style, says Rivers, who will be performing "an hour and 15 minutes of funny" on Saturday at the Byham Theater, Downtown. The New Yorker says she will talk about everything from restless leg syndrome to Jenny Craig, Viagra, being a grandmother and dating older men. Don't expect to take a trip down memory lane with "Good Old Joan," Rivers adds. Each show is different, and she has new jokes and topics every time. Yet, despite her outspoken, liberal politics, Rivers says the show -- sponsored by The Lambda Foundation, an organization that supports the gay community in greater Pittsburgh -- won't be too political and focus on this year's presidential election. "I couldn't care less," she says, laughing. "I hate everybody." Maybe Rivers herself will run for president, she says jokingly: She would implement a health care policy that covers plastic surgery. "If everybody got a nose job, there would be no wars," Rivers says with a chuckle. "Nobody would risk breaking their nose in the battle." Rivers has played numerous roles throughout her prolific career: comedian, actress, author, talk-show host, screenwriter, playwright and many more. Rivers -- who is known for her style savvy -- also designs her Joan Rivers Classics Collection of fashion jewelry, and created the Joan Rivers Beauty Line of cosmetics. God bless QVC, which sells her products, Rivers says. Of all the roles Rivers plays, does she have a favorite• Not really, she says; it all depends on when you ask. "Whenever I'm designing the jewelry, I say, 'This is what I want to do the rest of my life,'" she says. "When I'm live in front of the audience ... I say, 'No, no, no -- this is where I want to go.' "I love everything. I love the business ... every aspect of the business," Rivers says, referring to show business and the limelight. "And a live audience, there is nothing -- that's in big, bold caps -- nothing like it." Rivers' most cherished role, she says, comes from her personal life, as a mother to her daughter, Melissa, and grandmother to 7-year-old Cooper. Rivers, who was in Southern California last week visiting her daughter and grandson, says she just loves being a grandma. "I adore him," she says about Cooper. "You can spoil (grandkids) rotten, and you don't have to worry about the rules." When it comes to style and hipness, though, Rivers is no old grandma: She's known for her chic-ness, and is considered among America's most visible and authoritative fashion critics. What is her favorite fashion trend today? "There is no fashion today," Rivers says bluntly. "It's very, very sad. Valentino retired, and the real greats, unfortunately, are few and far between now. "In New York, they're all in flats and sweats," she continues. She says she loves Vera Wang, along with a few other designers. "Nobody has joy in fashion anymore, and it makes me very sad. ... I think our lives are just too busy. But it takes so little time to add a necklace or a pin, and change (an outfit) to look like something." A woman's greatest fashion crime, Rivers says, is not wearing high heels -- to heck with comfort -- and not wearing enough makeup. "Your generation does not get how sexy and fabulous high heels make your legs look," she says. "If that's what you want -- to look good -- then that's what you want to put on. "Men are stupid," Rivers adds, laughing. "Men like legs." Additional Information:

Joan Rivers

When: 8 p.m. Saturday Admission: $40-$125 Where: Byham Theater, 101 Sixth St., Downtown Details: 412-456-6666 or www.pgharts.org


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