Hollywood: Carol Burnett

By Tony Rizzo

HOLLYWOOD -- I was 11, and Carol Burnett was 26 when we first met. I haunted a candy store next to the off-Broadway Phoenix Theater, where Carol was starring in "Once Upon a Mattress." When she became a regular on "The Garry Moore Show," I was her guest at tapings each week. Had it not been for Carol, you might not be reading this. "The Carol Burnett Show" became a classic CBS variety series, and she became a legend.

At 89, Carol's in her third marriage to Hollywood Bowl Orchestra drummer Brian Miller, and they're celebrating 21 years together come November. The "Carol Burnett Show" and "Mama's Family" have been huge successes in syndication for years. She could easily rest on her laurels, but happily, she's signed to be a regular in the 10-part Apple TV+ series "Mrs. American Pie," produced by and starring Oscar-winner Laura Dern, who's assembled a great cast: Kristen Wiig, Allison Janney, Ricky Martin and Josh Lucas. It's about a woman trying to break into Palm Beach Society. Thanks, Carol, for pointing me in the right direction.

Carol Burnett PHOTO CREDIT: Sonja Flemming/CBS

Obviously taking a cue from Lin-Manuel Miranda's mega successful "Hamilton," which depicted all of our forefathers diversely (the only non-person-of-color being King George III), a revival of the classic musical "1776" is now headed to Broadway, getting booked for the Ahmanson Theater in Los Angeles from April 5 to May 7, 2023. This production will feature a cast of female, trans and nonbinary performers. Since the show originally consisted of mostly 23 men and only 2 women -- being about the Continental Congress' creation of the Declaration of Independence -- the question is, Are they rewriting history, or are they just taking many liberties?

Movie theaters may finally be getting their audiences back. It's going to be a three-way fight between "Top Gun: Maverick," which joined the billion-dollar film club after one month in release; "Jurassic World: Dominion," which reached a billion-dollar gross in half the time; and "Elvis," which swiveled out of the gate strongly and is nipping at their heels. Moviegoers were stunned by Tom Hanks' portrayal of Col. Tom Parker, partly because they didn't know Parker was a greedy, ruthless man who purposely held Elvis Presley back to make more money. Sept. 8 will bring Hanks as "Pinocchio's" father, Geppetto, and on Dec. 25, he'll be a grumpy retiree in "A Man Called Otto." Tom Cruise turned 60 on July 3, and if "Elvis" eventually beats "Maverick" at the box office, does that mean Tom will be cruised out to pasture by an Elvis impersonator?

(c) 2022 King Features Synd., Inc.