Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work

Forget Judy, Barbra, Madonna or Cher. JOAN is our gay icon, forever, amen.

We mean it, bitches. Those other icons have their charms for sure, but if there's one over-the-top, anatomically correct drag queen out there with whom we most identify, it's Joan Rivers. Bitchy, witty, insecure, heart-on-her-sleeve, and riotously funny, it's always been Joan. There are a couple of reasons for that. She's been knocked around quite a bit in her life, on both a professional and a personal level. Despite a successful career of almost 50 years, the last 30 of which were household-name level of fame, she never really got the respect she deserved. In fact, the only celebrities who ever pay Joan respect are other female comics. You will never hear one of them say anything bad about her. They all treat her with the reverence she deserves. It's the men who can't stand her, proving that the world still has a problem with a mouthy woman. In addition, the woman single-handedly created red carpet commentary and for that, we can't thank her enough.

Oh sure, she's occasionally gone too far and she's definitely burned some fairly important bridges (you do not piss off Johnny Carson without expecting a couple blows to your career), and she's lapsed into QVC tackiness in her old age, plus there's the plastic surgery addiction, which unfortunately left her looking freakish, but all of that is what makes her so interesting and compelling to us.

Anyway, there's a new documentary about Joan coming out with the best title: Joan Rivers: a Piece of Work. That about sums it up. The trailer makes it look awesome:


"Joan Rivers –A Piece Of Work exposes the private dramas of irreverent, legendary comedian and pop icon Joan Rivers as she fights tooth and nail to remain the queen of comedy. Filmed as a cinema verite documentary, the film reveals a rare glimpse of the comedic process and the toxic mixture of self-doubt and anger that often fuels it. Joan’s story is both an outrageously funny journey and a brutally honest look at the ruthless entertainment industry, the trappings of success and the ultimate vulnerability of the life of a performer. With unguarded access, the film cuts intimate scenes with Joan’s personal archive creating a lush visual landscape and cinematic backdrop for the narrative as it unfolds."


It opens in New York and L.A. this week and then goes to screenings around the country. We are so there, poodles. Viva Joan!


[Photo Credit: ww.joanriversapieceofwork.com - Video: YouTube/sckeal]

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