A peculiar case, Fran Lebowitz.
A writer who doesn’t write, an eccentric quasi-intellectual who relieves herself of quips and insights while barely suffering her audience, a New Yorker born in New Jersey who disdains tourists as “hillbillies,” a humorist and public speaker lately known more for her writer’s block than for her books.
Lebowitz was a brilliant young literary light in the 1970s and early ’80s, author of the essay collections “Metropolitan Life” and “Social Studies,” evident successor to Dorothy Parker in her role as urbane wit and sage.
She has played a judge on “Law & Order.” She has been a Jeopardy category.
Now she’s the subject of a film directed by Martin Scorsese. “Public Speaking” debuts Monday 8-9:30 p.m. on HBO, interspersing archival footage with stream-of-consciousness monologues.
My favorite Lebowitz quote isn’t in the film, but it’s worth recalling: “Stand firm in your refusal to remain conscious during algebra. In real life, I assure you, there is no such thing as algebra.”
I adored her when I lived in New York in the ’70s. Her observations helped form my own perspective at that time.
She blames Andy Warhol for making fame more famous.
Lebowitz drives a vintage Checker cab (she is hilarious about the costs of renting a garage in New York), which, she says, is “such a subtle shade of pearl gray, straight men think it’s white.”
She deplores America’s anti-intellectualism. She laments how the media have replaced every other institution as the country’s sole authority. And she has no computer, microwave, cellphone or other distracting electronic devices.
“When I was a child it was called “talking back.” Now it’s called public speaking. Same thing.”
Clever. But something sad has happened to Lebowitz en route to what she calls “the last- laugh stage of life.” Her bitterness has taken a toll.
At 60, she’s cracking wise about her cigarette habit, her inability to sustain an intimate relationship and her extreme judgmentalism.
It would all be funnier if she had a steady output of “Metropolitan Life” sequels bowing in bookstores. To have peaked at age 27, not so humorous.
Still, she’s an American original. Imagine a bookish Lily Tomlin/Jane Wagner combination, with a mean streak.
“Medium” axed, again.
The long suffering Patricia Arquette show about a psychic talking to dead people has been canceled yet again. “Medium,” dumped by NBC a couple of seasons ago, picked up by CBS (which produces it) and dumped in reruns by Lifetime, has been canceled for good by CBS. With an average audience of 7.1 million, it was the lowest-rated show on the network.
Playboy for couples.
The premium cable channel Playboy TV is reinventing itself as a destination for women, too. “TV for 2” debuts in January. So-called “reality” shows “Brooklyn Kinda Love,” “Swing” and “Playboy’s Sextreme Makeover” are on the lineup.
“Our extensive research shows that both men and women want sexy, uncensored programming they can watch together, and TV for 2 provides a safe and fun destination to do just that,” according to a statement by Gary Rosenson, head honcho of Domestic TV for Playboy.
That is, porn for couples.
American Music Awards.
Airing Sunday on ABC, 7-10 p.m. on KMGH-Channel 7, the 38th annual American Music Awards show features Kid Rock, Miley Cyrus, Taylor Swift, the Backstreet Boys & New Kids on the Block, Rihanna, Diddy-Dirty Money, Ne-Yo, Justin Bieber, Katy Perry, Ke$ha, Christina Aguilera, Bon Jovi, P!nk, Usher and more. Once again it’s all about the online voting. Last year’s showstopper was Adam Lambert.
Joanne Ostrow: 303-954-1830 or jostrow@denverpost.com
