BEVERLY HILLS—This week in Hollywoodland actor Jack Wagner spoke with us about his upcoming spring golfing fundraiser, Billy Ray Cyrus attempted to make excuses for choosing fame for his daughter Miley over letting her grow up as a normal child, and I spoke with actress Constance Towers to commemorate the death of acting legend, Betty Garrett.
Emmy® Award-nominated actor, recording artist, and philanthropist Jack Wagner will host The 5th Annual Jack Wagner Celebrity Golf Classic, benefiting The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS).
“I lost my father in 1990 to multiple myeloma and in 1999 my brother Dennis was diagnosed with leukemia. He has relapsed four separate times, during each of which he endured chemotherapy and the challenges that come along with recovery. In 2007, Dennis received a complete bone marrow transplant and is still fighting a daily battle against complications associated with this procedure,” Wagner said. “Let Dennis be an example to us all that our efforts truly make a difference. He is still with us today because of new lifesaving treatments, but we must still push for a cure.”
In 2006 after winning $142,550 (the most ever won by a celebrity) on “Wheel of Fortune” in a game for a charity, Wagner approached LLS to create a golf event in support of the Society’s mission: cure leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin’s disease and myeloma, and improve the quality of life for patients and their families. Wagner, named the number one celebrity golfer by Golf Digest and winner of the 17th Annual American Century Tahoe Celebrity Golf Championship, thought that a golf tournament would be the perfect vehicle to continue to raise much needed funds.
This year’s goal is to pass the $1,000,000 mark. In 2008, LLS awarded Wagner the esteemed Chairman’s Citation Award, which was presented to him by President and CEO of LLS, John Walter, in recognition of Wagner’s significant dedication and commitment to the Greater Los Angeles chapter.
Today, Wagner serves as an official LLS Celebrity Ambassador. This year’s event will be held on Monday, April 18, at the Valencia Country Club. The schedule of events includes continental breakfast, shotgun start at 11 a.m., tournament, BBQ lunch, reception and live auction. The event, which is sponsored in part by The Valencia Country Club, is not open to the public. Net proceeds will directly benefit the work of The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. For more information on LLS please visit lls.org.
Billy Ray Cyrus tried to redeem himself and also downplay the blame he rightly deserves for the way his 18-year-old daughter Miley has turned out. It is nothing less than shocking to me that a man who was in the entertainment industry would now expect the public to believe that he was naïve about the detrimental effects that Hollywood can have on children. From Michael Jackson to Dana Plato and Gary Coleman, the fact is most children have a horrible time in this industry. I feel empathy for Miley, but not her parents.
Billy Ray told GQ Magazine that he was trying to be her friend instead of her father. I’d go a step further and say, he was trying to be her manager and not her friend. From Charlie Sheen to Lindsay Lohan, we can see the negative effects this industry has on child stars who miss out on their childhoods because they become commodities to multibillion-dollar movie studios with the approval of their own parents. Former child star Michael Jackson, at the age of 50 was still calling himself “Peter Pan.” Good luck to Miley, as she has also missed out on her childhood while making Disney and her family richer.
Last weekend actor Robert Blake attended a Hollywood autograph show, then proceeded to get into an argument with show management and some fans. Several things triggered Blake’s notorious temper, and he was asked by officers with the Burbank Police Department to remove himself from an autograph show, where Hollywood stars attended to meet and greet fans and to sign autographs. The company immediately apologized to fans who attended the event for Blake’s disruptive behavior. Mr. Blake began his acting career in the “Our Gang” series when he was just 6 years old. Do you see a theme here?
Betty Garrett, star of the stage, screen and television, died Saturday morning of natural causes at UCLA Medical Center following a brief illness. She was surrounded by her family at the time of her death. She was 91. A revered figure in the city’s theatre community, she was the recipient of nearly every artistic award the city could bestow, including Career Achievement Awards from the Los Angeles Drama Critics’ Circle and the Ovation Awards, and the Queen of the Angels Award.
“Betty has been a friend for many years. I saw her last when we performed at the S.T.A.G.E. show last spring and she was wonderful. Producer/director David Galligan had her rise up out of the orchestra pit singing ”˜South America Take It Away,’” said actress Towers. “She sang and danced and brought the house down. The audience couldn’t get enough of her and that’s the way her friends felt about her. She was fabulous!”
She also appeared in a dozen films, including classic Hollywood musicals such as “Words and Music,” “Take Me Out to the Ball Game,” “Neptune’s Daughter,” “On The Town,” “Hit Parade of 1951” and “My Sister Eileen.” Betty was also a popular television performer, best known for her work on “All in the Family,” for which she received a Golden Globe ® and “Laverne and Shirley.” She received an Emmy ® nomination in 2003 for a guest appearance on “Becker.” Her final TV appearance was on “Grey’s Anatomy” in 2006.
A memorial will be planned for a later date. Donations in Ms. Garrett’s memory can be made to Theatre West, the Actors’ Fund, or S.T.A.G.E.
Have a great week, and see you next week! XOXO
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Photographs are Courtesy: Jack Wagner by Gilles Toucas, Bell Phillip TV Productions, Jack golfing from the star’s personal collection and Betty Garrett by Michael Lamont Photography.
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