Joan Rivers

If you want to know something truly personal and revealing about the Joan Rivers nobody knows, go see the gripping film I saw last night at the Tribeca Film Festival titled Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work.

You can read into that title many things, as Joan—a longtime friend, interview subject (and fellow dog lover)—is wildly irreverent, controversial, hilarious, even offensive to the delicate sensibilities of some—but at the very least, she’s the hardest-working woman in show business. Her work ethic is without peer.

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Mario Buatta

I recently spent two incredible evenings with the legendary interior designer Mario Buatta, a longtime friend and frequent interview subject who appears in my upcoming book, Katie Up and Down The Hall. Mario stars in an especially fun chapter titled “Prancing With The Stars,” all about my dog’s tete-a-tetes with a host of celebrities, one of her favorite being Mario, the nation’s “Prince of Chintz,” the acknowledged master of the English Country style, his work often featured on the cover of Architectural Digest.

Mario is also a passionate lover of theater, comedy, cabaret, and any good performance in town. One recent night, he kindly ushered me backstage to greet Joan Rivers after one her hilarious performances at the West Bank Cafe, the proceeds of which go to her two favorite charities, Guide Dogs For The Blind and God’s Love We Deliver.

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Judge Judy

Even in the company of the great Katharine Hepburn, Elizabeth Taylor, Nancy Reagan, and Carol Burnett, one of my favorite interview subjects of all time is the incomparable Judge Judy, the charismatic powerhouse who reigns over the highest-rated court session on TV, with more than ten million viewers tuning in daily.

Amazingly, she’s been #1 for the last 700 weeks! Beyond ratings, nobody can surpass Judy’s astute judgments, spicy humor, supersonic mind, and no-nonsense attitude.

And best of all, fear is not in her vocabulary—as she says the things we all want to.

“LOOK at me, Madam!” shouts the Queen of small-screen Justice to an evasive witness.

“Does it say ‘stupid,’ here?” she inquires, pointing briskly to her forehead.

“They don’t pay me because I’m beautiful,” she mugs sweetly to the cameras. “I’m real SMART, so watch it!”

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Joan Rivers

Last night was the funniest, most enjoyable evening I’ve had in months thanks to the inimitable JOAN RIVERS, who performs periodically at Manhattan’s West Bank Cafe, trying out new material while also raising money for her two favorite charities–Guide Dogs For The Blind and God’s Love We Deliver.

You must not miss her at West Bank. My dog-loving book guru, HARRY HELM, brilliant editorial director at Hachette Book Group, and his trusty assistant, Adlai Yeomans, were at my table, along with Broadway actor Brandon Williams and his wife, photographer Sheila, the fantastic life coach Peg Wallis, the adorably congenial real estate rep Taylor Yunis, accessory designer David Cohen, and my “youngest” friend, octogenarian Bud Klauber, energetic and stunningly dressed as always.

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