Newsmakers
Ready to Rumble
Last month NEWSWEEK was keen to interview Liza Minnelli. She was filming a guest spot on a Fox sitcom, and a Broadway musical about her ex-husband Peter Allen was set to open. Was this not a Liza moment? Her publicist said no, but confirmed our radarlike journalistic instinct: "Life's great for her these days."
And these days? Last week the gossip industry celebrated Christmas early when her husband, David Gest, sued her for domestic violence, accusing her of beating him five times in their 15-month marriage. Gest, whose court papers call him a "world renown" promoter, alleges that he now takes 11 painkillers a day. What would make it all better? Ten million dollars of Liza's money. Spousal abuse is no laughing matter, but even the most PC among us--imagining a vodka-powered Liza whacking Gest like a pinata--has to think, maybe just this once.
Minnelli filed for divorce the next day. In a statement, she called his accusations "hurtful and without merit"; she'd hoped "that the end of my marriage would be handled with mutual respect and dignity." (Neither party, you'll be surprised to hear, returned NEWSWEEK's messages.) But from the moment Minnelli and Gest tied the knot in March 2002, dignity's been in short supply; the best man was Michael Jackson. And we lost our journalistic objectivity when we read that Gest alleges Minnelli was not only alcoholic (really?) but "overweight." Isn't that hitting below the belt?
--Devin Gordon
Dustin Hoffman
This month Dustin Hoffman co-stars with Gene Hackman in "Runaway Jury," his 2,750th movie. No? Fine, then you count 'em. Next year he'll be in the much-anticipated "J. M. Barrie's Neverland"; last week he nearly flew away (assisted by wires) with NEWSWEEK's Nicki Gostin.
I don't want to scare you but...
Are you the mother of my child?
No, but when I first came to New York I went to your production offices to try and meet you. Is it creepy being interviewed by an ex-stalker?
No, but you didn't really stalk me. Well, it makes me feel that you're not so ex.
Have you ever been called up for jury duty?
Yes, but I never went. I was always working.
You're eating something. What are you eating?
A mahi sandwich. Do you like mahi?
Yeah, but in a sandwich? I don't know about that.
I know. But it was easier to attack with one hand on the phone. Although the real reason is I have to keep my eyes closed for four hours. I just had surgery.
Ooh. What did you have done?
It's not an ooh. It's an aah.
What was it?
Lasik. I'm so excited. I won't have to wear glasses ever again except reading glasses.
Is Al Pacino the Italian Dustin Hoffman?
I won't even answer that, because he'll probably send out a hit on me no matter what I say.
What's been your favorite role?
You always want to learn something, so I would say "Tootsie." The crew started bringing friends on the set and introducing me as Dorothy Michaels. It was as if they had closed the venetian blind between us. I had never known that feeling before. How brutal.
See? Guys are pigs.
Yes, that was an insight as to how blatant it is, that men will just erase you. Had I met myself at a party I would have ignored me, and I thought I was an interesting woman. I went home and I said to my wife, "I've missed out on a lot of interesting women."
You know what? You still wouldn't have gone out with them.
That's not true. That's not true.
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Devin Gordon is the editor of Newsweek Digital, the umbrella company encompassing Newsweek's various web properties, including Newsweek.com and Newsweek Mobile. Previously, from June 2007 to June 2009, he was senior editor of the magazine's Periscope section, which was nominated for a National Magazine Award for "best section" in 2008. Previously, he was a senior writer, writing about film, television, sports and popular culture for the Arts and Entertainment and Society sections. He was part of the Newsweek reporting team for the past three Olympic games, including the Salt Lake City winter games in 2002, the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, where he covered swimmer Michael Phelps, and the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin, Italy, for which he wrote Newsweek's cover story about skier Bode Miller.
During his tenure at the magazine, Gordon has written about everything from HBO's "The Wire" to rock band Coldplay to Oscar-winner film directors Ang Lee and Peter Jackson. He profiled "Curb Your Enthusiasm" creator Larry David on the eve of the series' fourth season debut, and "The Dark Knight" director Christopher Nolan just prior to the film's record breaking release. For Newsweek's year-end double-issue of 2002, he wrote "The Matrix Makers," (Jan. 6, 2003), a cover story about the two upcoming "Matrix" sequels—the first behind-the-scenes look at the new films by any publication.
Gordon joined Newsweek in 1998, after graduating from Duke University. His first cover story was "The Dominator" (June 18, 2001), an examination of what makes Tiger Woods tick. He lives in Brooklyn, NY.
Nicki Gostin interviews celebrities for newsweek.com. She has written for Newsweek, TV Guide, The Age newspaper, and Australian Women's Weekly, and has appeared on Entertainment Tonight. She dates her interest in celebrities and the Royal Family back to when she was five and wrote letters to Sesame Street, the Queen, and Basil Brush (a British puppet fox with his own TV show).
For inquiries, please contact The Daily Beast at editorial@thedailybeast.com.
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