Thoughts On Leaving The NY Post (Carol Burnett Tells Liz Smith You Have Fallen A Step Up..)

Variety ^ | Mar. 2, 2009, 12:43pm PT | LIZ SMITH

[fight_truth_decay]

Madonna: "What is NY without Liz Smith?"

"DON'T TALK about yourself; it will be done when you leave," said Wilson Mizner. Well, I'm not "leaving" my spot here writing this column, so maybe it's all right if I say a few words about what happened in the past few days. I have decided it is quite exhilarating to be fired, at the age of 86, from a job you've had for 14 years. Fortunately, I seem to be healthy so I'm forging ahead. I do want to say that I am in love all over again with ABC-TV's Bill Ritter, guardian of the 6 and 11 p.m. news in NYC, because in discussing the end of my affair with the New York Post tabloid, he described me as "Eighty-six -- going on 40!" It was almost worth losing a salary and a daily tenure of 33 years in New York newspapers just to hear those words. Mr. Ritter abandoned his journalistic "cool" in this outing, enveloped me in a warm embrace when we finished talking and even put it right on the air without editing out his hug. My hero!

ACTUALLY, many good things happened since I lost my day job. For one, I am so old-fashioned that I usually have my emails printed out. On Feb. 2, I was under a load of missives of congratulations for living so long. Today I have many more from people expressing love, concern and thoughts about the future of news -- TV, print and Web journalism. One phone call I had yesterday was from none other than Carol Burnett who said, "Liz, I think you have fallen a step up in leaving the New York Post." It didn't hurt anything that reporter James Barron and his editors put me on the front page of the New York Times on Feb. 25. I was a little disappointed that they didn't use the gag line repeated to me this week: "WILL THE COL ALLAN FAN CLUB COME TO ORDER!" (Mr. Allan is the Australian editor-in-chief who fired me. But let's get this straight. He had a perfect right to throw out someone who he felt was not in step with his tabloid philosophy. He was the boss.

I liked hearing from my young friend Michael Buble who sang "Just the Way You Look Tonight" at my 80th birthday. We had a, believe it or not, very romantic dance that night ... I also received a love note from the wonderful singer Josh Groban and loving support by email from John Travolta, Tom Cruise and Sly Stallone. It was fun getting a blast from Madonna who asked "What is New York without Liz Smith?" (Nice, but NYC doesn't have to do without me yet, Madge) ... My pal Candice Bergen sent me a cheerio message not appropriate for family reading and Whoopi Goldberg rang in from out of town. Barbara Walters had already chimed in. Then Tom Brokaw called to inquire after my situation. Oh, my word! I had a riotous conversation with the great actor Frank Langella and we decided that, as two people who didn't get exactly everything each of us wanted this week (I lost a job; he didn't win the Oscar) we'd get together soon and lunch. Frank is such a dynamite presence; I told him I observed him through the Golden Globes and AcademyAwards carryings-on with much admiration. He is the consummate serious actor who was dealing with a merciless paparazzi "contest" atmosphere and behaved admirably, and with good humor, in the process. I still believe "Frost/Nixon" was a fabulous film, full of comedy, tragedy and because Frank's "Nixon" was so full and well realized, it has some of the best suspense I've ever seen on film.

The cherry on the sundae was a phone call late at night from a mysterious voice inquiring, "What cha doin?" It was none other than Warren Beatty who wanted to say I was on an upper path now and better off and he encouraged me to really develop my Web and Internet skills. "Learn to control the Internet yourself; don't depend on people to help you." He added, "I had to because otherwise my four kids just say, 'Get up, Dad, and let us do it!'" We had a wonderful talk about how children change and enhance your life. When I asked Warren if he has another movie in the works, he said, "I think so, although I have the appropriate amount of anxiety." We ended the chat with him remarking, "I just wanted to call because, as you know, you are in a class by yourself!"

Well, how long can I feel bad with so many nice reactions from so many nice guys.

AS FOR ME, well, my "divorce" has put me in the limelight as never before. I laughed this week to find my longtime friend, the brilliant creator of "Doonesbury" -- one Garry Trudeau -- doing a cartoon segment with a character who is being let go from The Washington Post after 33 years! (The "33 years" part of this "funny paper" item was pretty close to home.) But Garry's character is a bearded man who is being offered a buy-out. Oh, how terrific it would have been to be offered a buy-out from the New York Post and for that matter, maybe I should grow a beard. MORE:

[fight_truth_decay]

Smith said COL ALLAN Australian editor-in-chief fired me. But let's get this straight. He had a perfect right to throw out someone who he felt was not in step with his tabloid philosophy..but the legendary gossip columnist icon Liz Smith, 86; also admits her $125,000 annual salary was too much for the paper in these tough economic times."

Col Allan, the paper’s editor-in-chief, said: “The Post is grateful to have been able to publish Liz Smith’s legendary column for so many years. We wish her the very best for the future.”

Smith syndicated newspaper column is carried by 70 papers around the country. She also publishes in Daily Variety and in Parade magazine, part owner of a Web site, writing a novel and will never retire. “I’m busy,” she said. “I’m OK. I’m OK for a person who’s been let go.”

In New York, her column appeared in Newsday until she left in a contract dispute in 2005. The Post had run her column six days a week, and cut it back to three days a year ago to cut costs, despite Smith’s unsuccessful appeal to Rupert Murdoch.

Her last column in the Post will appear on Thursday. She’s already written it. -Source

[Robert A Cook PE]

Sounds like she tried to wedge as many “names” into this column as possible.

Liebraless talking to liebraless talking about other liebraless extremist democrats.

And they think they are so cosmopolitan and urbane and important!

[fight_truth_decay]

To be continued:

[Carley]

Bitter hateful old lesbian. Bashing President Bush at every turn.

Her column was nothing more than a lot of name dropping.

As if anyone cared about the names or her opinions.

[JimC214]

She already has a beard to speak of. She thinks no one knows shes gay. Also the rumor going around is that she really doesn’t write her own columns. She supposedly has a writer that she uses.

[Wilhelm Tell]

Sounds like she tried to wedge as many names into this column as possible.

I never saw so much name dropping.

[freekitty]

I am so pleased for you, Liz. Not

[lentulusgracchus]

I never saw so much name dropping.

Which is why she's a "gossip columnist", lol.

Let her go. She's emblematic of the whole dinosaur "new class" media -- "new" 60 years ago now, and still thinking they're "all that", and masters of reality.

Like someone said once, "whatever....."

[Joe Boucher]

Liz Smith said it is time to “get over it” in regards to Hanoi Jane.
Not even after she is dead and in the ground will Viet Nam era vets “get over it”.
And as for you Ms. Smith, F off.

[niteowl77]

"EXTRA! LIZ SMITH DROPS NAMES!
Regis Philbin's Record Shattered."

Based on my somewhat limited recall of such things, I believe that most gossip/society columnists are rather quickly spurned by their nominal friends and forgotten by the public. On the other hand, Hedda Hopper and Earle Wilson remain household names...

Mr. niteowl77