I was watching Larry King’s interview with Liza Minnelli. That woman is almost 65, and she has clung to the same look she had over 40 years ago. She has actually become a caricature of herself. I know she’s had some serious health problems over the years, but her face looks like an “after” picture for bad cosmetic surgery.
And if you think all the self-caricatures are women, here’s The Donald.
These people stubbornly cling to an image they established decades ago . . . and make it so easy for caricature artists; they merely have to copy reality.
(I was going to include Michael Jackson, but he was just . . . wrong . . . even as a caricature.)
What if you cling to the same image but you don’t look bad? I think Sophia Loren still looked much as she did in her prime when filming Grumpier Old Men. I think Raquel Welch and Terry Anderson still looked good as they got older, without significantly changing the way they presented themselves.
But for self-caricature, you gotta consider Mae West at the ens of her career
I’ll nominate Gene Simmons (KISS) and Cher. Gene even moreso than Cher. It’s not the excessive cosmetic surgery alone, but also their respective attitudes towards it.
Dolly Parton isn’t an older celebrity becoming a caricature of her younger self – she’s been a caricature all along. She admits it – her taste in Big-Hair wigs, overdone makeup, and choice in clothes complementing her existing physique was pretty much a conscious choice.
I used to love you - the quintessential western man. And when you purred in your soft-spoken rumble, “Beef - it’s what’s for dinner,” I melted into my comfy chair.
You’re getting a tad old now but that’s no big deal. We all do and some of us age very well indeed.
But I’ve seen “Ghost Rider” and “The Big Lebowski.” Both of them more than once. Hey, I know you thought you were doing a good job of tongue-in-cheek acting with those roles and I suppose you were. They drew an admiring chuckle from many of your fans, I’m sure.
But for cryin’ out loud, man, take it easy on that stuff cuz you’re treading awfully close to the edge, Dood.
