Elizabeth Taylor - March 23, 2011

We lost a great person today, Elizabeth Taylor.  I know her less as an actress and more as a humanitarian - an advocate for AIDS-awareness when it was not popular to do so, and I remember her allowing photographers to take photos of her (BALD) after a brain tumour surgery.  She did so hoping it might encourage others (who had brain tumours) to keep going.

I KNEW a flight attendant who met her.  My friend had a severe headache and Liz Taylor "picked up on that".  She said to my friend: "Are you alright, dear?  Can I get you anything? An aspirin?  Water?".

We are talking about a GREAT DAME (in every positive sense of the word).  She had her flaws, but made them public in order to help others.

Today on NPR's "Tell Me More" I was extremely disappointed.  It was "supposed" to be a story about and tribute to Elizabeth Taylor.  Instead, the 3 guests who obviously had not even met her, let alone were qualified to speak on her life spoke....not about Elizabeth Taylor but over the racial issue of the role of "Cleopatra".  The first guest admitted she knew NOTHING about ELizabeth Taylor but brought up racial issues over "Cleopatra" and how it should have been played by a woman of colour instead of Elizabeth Taylor.  Within 10 minutes the diologue went from Elizabeth Taylor's role in "Cleopatra" (that was only ONE of many films: 2 Oscars for "Butterfield 8", "Who's Afraid of Virginia Wolfe", "A Place in the Sun", "Giant", "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof", "Elephant Walk", "Taming of the Shrew" and too many to list!)  to the RACIAL comparison between Charlie Sheen to Chris Brown.  This "tribute" acted as if "Cleopatra" was her ONLY role in films, and was cheaply abused to show racial inequalities (and not to make a tribute to Elizabeth Taylor).  Had they wished to drag the subject so low, they might have called it "Cleopatra: Should a Woman of Colour Have Played the Role?"....instead of a so-called TRIBUTE to Elizabeth Taylor.  That was utterly disappointing and this GREAT lady did not deserve such a "tribute".  

What she did in efforts towards AIDS was a non-racial outreach to humanity - reaching out to people of all colours.  This show took a cheap shot to bring up racial-role-inequalities (which certainly can be addressed, but NOT in a tribute to the late, great Elizabeth Taylor!) and I am ashamed I listened to that NPR show.