I Found Some Blog...by Cher Scholar

Even Stars Feel Weather

All over America…it’s CA-HOLD! Even in our warm little paradise of Southern California. Look! Even Cher is cold.

Daily Mail commented she was “Looking less like an international superstar and more like The Pirates of the Carribean’s Jack Sparrow…”

And she’s shopping for shoes again. I myself hate shopping for shoes. But as the Zen Buddhists say, you must take care of your feet above all else. They are the foundation of your life.

Here is a blow by blow of the shopping expedition (it’s like the paparazzi is following Lewis & Clark. Do we need this much useless information?)

She and a friend headed into Beverly Hills where they stopped at department store Barneys New York, where a pair of long black boots caught her attention.

In true celebrity style, she kept her dark black sunglasses on but ditched the big coat as she warmed up during her spending spree, showing off a trim figure in snug velour tracksuit bottoms and a tight hot pink vest top.

Still without her coat, she dashed out to her stretch limo but battled with her scarf as she tried to pull it back over her face again.

Cher then visited a day spa for some pampering before heading to LAX International Airport where she flew off to Las Vegas by private jet.

The Grammy-winning singer began a three-year residency at the city’s 4,300 seat Colosseum at Caesar’s Palace in February.

Last Tuesday, she celebrated her 100th show and throwing a huge party for her crew. She hired the Las Vegas Pussycat Dolls revue girls to perform for her and her bandmates, dancers, acrobats and technicians at the Pussycat Dolls Lounge in Pure Nightclub at Caesars Palace.

Buzzfoto didn’t like the hat, but has self-awareness about living in a world of Cher hats:

Normally, we’d ask WTF was this star thinking for being allowed to go out in a hat like this, but since it’s Cher, we won’t even bother trying. Cher shopped at Barney’s yesterday. We hope she purchased something to replace that atrocity on her head.

The Coverage with More Photos:

• http://perezhilton.com/2009-12-09-that-really-is-cher-under-all-those-clothes
• http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-1234490/Feeling-bit-chilly-Cher-The-singer-wraps-warm-Christmas-shopping.html
• http://socialitelife.celebuzz.com/archive/2009/12/09/swashbuckling_cher_shops_for_shoes_in_beverly_hills.php?img=0&gfmt=m#alpha-inner
• http://www.buzzfoto.com/2009/12/cher/cher-shops-for-the-better/

New Appearances in a Cowboy Hat!!

Awesome! You know I love me some Cher in cowboy hat. Is it just me?

Taken at the LA Airport:

 My peoples carry my bags.

And new hippie chick photos two. Eh. I'm not as excited about those:

...just as Cher is not excited about these shoes.

 But apparently is okay with these shoes.

I See Black People!

Here is an interesting peak into Cher's 1980s Egyptian-style house and working with Cher and her team from a photographer's point of view, Anthony Barboza in particular.

Remember that chain mail and jewels look?

But what is the black-people obsession about in this article? Kind of an explosive issue and I thought it should either be eliminated by Barboza or pumped up a bit more. As it was I couldn’t tell what his point was. Did he think Cher's entourage was racist? This is a surprising idea to me. But what do I know? Was Barboza overly sensitive to what was more of a photo lighting issue than a race issue?  Or did he suppose the lighting issues were code for racism?

We’re all tuned in to issues of race right now with the President and the protests, so it’s a timely topic but the article was kind of a tease. How refreshing if he would have just come out and talked about it fully. Because I’m liked a dog with a cocked head, like did I just hear something juicy?

Full story on: http://www.cherworld.com/news/?p=821

His celebrity gallery has a very cool alternate take of Cher from the session described in the article; Cher is surrounded the fur of her white couch: http://www.barbozastudio.com/celebrities/galmain.htm

  

Designer Jill Stuart Inspired by Cher

http://blogs.wsj.com/runway/2009/09/14/not-for-the-shy-jill-stuarts-neo-cher-collection/

Stuart’s noon show at the New York Public Library today. Stuart says this collection’s “angel rocker girl” look was inspired by Cher. A silver mesh dress was cut so low in the front and back that it prompted the question about what underthings one would wear with it. “You can’t,” Stuart said with a laugh. “You have to be pretty risky to wear that.”

Her clothes were described as Neo Cher. I don’t know what Neo Cher means. Do you?

  

Hole Fit Furor

Last Saturday Cher was performing at the music producer David Foster's "'Hit Man: David Foster and Friends" concert at the Mandalay Bay Events Center. Not a huge David Foster fan but let's let that go because he's really not much of this story...incredibly. (This story is actually apropos for this week because my maid of honor and I just started planning my bachelorette party at Mandalay Bay. I’ve always wanted to stay there and luxuriate in their beachy-pool.)

But for the life of me, I cannot figure out why Cher wearing an elderly version of her hole-fit has caused such a reaction in the press. She’s been wearing a similar version of the same outfit in all her Vegas shows, in all the Farewell shows, and an odd covered-up version in the Believe tour shows and back through time to the original one seen on the cover of People Magazineback in 1979 which was sold at her auction a few years back. Yes, the fit has evolved as her figure has evolved. But the press notices that now?? And don’t tell me they just don't pay attention to each costume in each show when the costumes are paraded out as the most newsworthy element of each dern show.

But who am I to judge the timeliness of pubic concern over Cher outfittery? Here are the most memorable quotes from each report:

http://www.usmagazine.com/news/cher-wears-a-see-through-bodysuit+-2009115

At a David Foster and Friends concert Saturday in Las Vegas, the singer, 62, wore a sheer black bodysuit, similar to the one she wore 20 years ago in her "Turn Back Time" video.

This is actually an error: she wore the V-fit in "Turn Back Time" Video...she wore her hole-fit singing the same song in the concerts. Bob Mackie made much over having to design the basically non-existent V-fit for the video--she herself felt uncomfortable with it in front of the sailors and threw on a leather jacket at the last minute. Why do people always confuse those two outfits? The V-fit is more risqueé by far.

http://www.celebitchy.com/50440/62_year-old_cher_in_recreation_of_her_turn_back_time_cut-out_bodysuit/

This past weekend Cher donned a see-through body suit that was nearly identical to the iconic one she wore for her “Turn Back Time” music video in 1992. (that same error again)

The Daily Mail wondered if body suit was the original - and it’s definitely not. The cut outs are different on the sides of her torso – there were two in the original, and there’s only one now. So there’s a teeny bit more coverage. No matter what, Cher looks amazing.Maybe getting to 62 and looking this good will feel like an accomplishment, and she will finally compromise a bit and allow herself to age.

Daily Mail via Cher World: http://www.cherworld.com/news/?p=755

Cher stunned audiences when she first donned her trademark black cut-out body suit 17 years ago. (Again, 17 years ago was the "Turn Back Time" video - again...wrong! Her first wearing of the hole-fit was 30 years ago as seen above.)

The Kansas City Star: http://www.kansascity.com/stargazing/story/1190851.html

She's still putting it out there, you have to give her that.

http://dlisted.com/node/31998- this snarky blog titled theirs “Git it Granny”  and although technically incorrect (Cher is not yet a Grandmama), it’s still funny. The rest of their review is pretty raunchy, however. Proceed to read it at your own risk. This is all I felt okay with quoting:

Ole' girl shimmed her crotch like a pre-op tranny working for his last layaway payment on a sex change surgery.

http://www.stylelist.com/blog/2009/05/11/cher-turns-back-time/print/ - these guys celebrated Cher's over-the-top fashion sense and joie de vivre and her "scandalous, leaves-nothing-to-the-imagination glittery getup"

“In 1992, she donned a black bodysuit with so little material we'd hesitate to even classify it as an article of clothing.”

“...the jacket is definitely shorter and the hair is even bigger -- who knew, it was possible?...But, the, "I'm way more fabulous than anyone else in Hollywood could ever even dream of being," attitude hasn't changed a bit.”

Stylelist allowed users to vote on two questions:

1) How do you feel about Cher's blast from the past?
Wow! She's amazing! 55% 11,614 votes
Yikes! Leave it in the past! 38% 8,118 votes
She's still performing? 7% 1,530 votes
Total Votes: 21,262

2) Which leotard lady wears it best?
Cher 70%
Lady GaGa 15%
Madonna 15%
Total Votes: 17,166

My review of Cher's hole-fit and TBT-fit through time: http://www.apeculture.com/music/summerofcher.htm 
(scroll down for a review of the hole-fit through time and the "Turn Back Time" V-fit through time)

Video of the David Foster event: http://www.etonline.com/news/2009/05/74090/

 

Cher Link Zoo

For quite some time there has been a ton of links clogging up my blog to-do list. I’m just gonna throw them all up here now just so I can move on with my life. You can link wherever strikes your fancy. My take for must see items have a star (or two) next to them.

• Cher’s last words on her farewell tour: 
  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pxoKm81YzeQ&NR=1

• **S&C Bible ad revisited:
  http://www.bay-of-fundie.com/archives/1207/lol-sonny-and-cher (This is actually hilarious. Remember this bible ad from posts back? In this version, people have written in funny comments in S&C's  thought bubbles – don’t skip the comments below either.)

Elephants and Parties

Paparazzi pics came out there last week showing Cher shopping at Barneys in Beverly Hills. Much ado was made of her sunglass postures. Ugh. So stupid. Must have been a slow celebrity fashion news week to warrant this. I don't want to repeat the 80s with our hyper vigilant sunglass posturings! Nicholson, Cruise - you know who you are!

Cher was also seen at a party chatting up Goldie Hawn at the Slumdog Millionaire/ The Wrestlerawards party in Los Angeles. Much ado was made over her “bondage-style PVC thigh-high boots,” sequined skirt, plaid shirt and red eye shadow.

For more info:

http://www.cherworld.com/news/?p=690

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-1133873/Someone-forgot-tell-Cher-wasnt-fancy-dress--takes-inspiration-Ozzy-Osbourne-LA-party.html

Look at this picture to the right. Is someone grabbing Cher’s ass again?

Cher was also out trying to save Billy the elephant last week. I had to catch up on this somewhat. I’m embarrassed to say in my former life I was an animal activist (yeah, I did a march or two) and aside from not eating meat or buying leather and contributing to my favorite animal organizations (Farm Sanctuary and Animal Legal Defense Fund), I’ve been out of touch recently.

Farm Sanctuary got me started as a vegetarian in college after seeing their film on factory farming. Animal Defense League sends lawyers in to stop animal abuses and enact change through the court system – and they’re surprisingly effective.

See their cat mascot? Who can say no to that cat? I’m telling you, they’re playing hardball over there.

Inspiring cow escape story on Farm Sanctuary: http://www.farmsanctuary.org/rescue/memory/cincinnati.html

Recent story on ADLF: Meat Industry Seeks to Overturn California Law Barring Sick and Disabled Farm Animals From the Food Supply: http://www.aldf.org/article.php?id=819

But back to Billy...

Odd Cher Links and Wedding Dresses

Okay, this was mostly a great week in some ways but also a God-awful week for two people I care a great deal about. A shout out to my de-facto sister Maureen and my friend Sherry in upstate New York.

Family drama threatened to be a gurgling zombie this week regarding the wedding (my friend Ann warned about that), but I had such a good shopping week – and my mom has offered to help in said potential dramas. 

My bf and I have decided our theme is a library in the Fall. This is because the wedding will take place in a library next Fall.

Last week I happened upon, to my great joy, a JoAnns fake-fall-foliage sale; and this week I snared a library card catalog drawer for $56 on eBay when most have been going for over $100 (I have come to understand people put them in their kitchens as quaint little recipe and spice drawers - an idea which I intend to steal). I also found a library wholesale supplier and ordered some overdue slips to put in our programs and library stamps to stamp our wedding date as the due date (yes...this is very nerdy stuff; it’s what I do).

Also in wedding sales this week: table number holders and name change kits! And I found a most perfect guest gift: bookmarks shaped like leaves! You can pinch me!

I’m still not all that enthused about the wedding dress search, however. I’ve found one that will do. But I’m hoping the styles update somewhat in the spring collections. This sleeveless halter look is just getting old. When we were forced to plan our weddings back in high school Home Economics class, that was the day of obnoxious satin and big puffy sleeves. Not that I want those times back. I'm just saying I'm feeling a hostage to fashion.

You can tell what I really care about because I’ve spent hours looking at library curios and only a fraction of the time grumpily perusing wedding dresses. Do you think Bob Mackie would design me an off-white replica of the 1975 Cher Show Foxy Lady outfit?

I looked everywhere for the picture of Cher wearing the dress above. Thank you Cher Extravaganza! The got piles of pics of Cher Show dresses that could be turned into wedding dresses.

Not much Cher news this week but I have collected quite an assortment of odd Cher links to share:

What the hell is this one all about? http://foo.secondlifeherald.com/slh/2008/11/deans-vegas-clu.html

I guess Cher’s the new Peter Frampton for all the crap we hear about her the vocoder effect: http://yepyep.gibbs12.com/2008/10/blame-cher-timeline-of-the-robot-effect-thats-ruining-music/

I hate to even tamper with this headline: "Aerosmith Singer Gets Cher's Pants" http://www.bravewords.com/news/97300

    

Meet Cher! And Other Opportunities for the Obsessed

Apparently, Cher was spotted at Foxtail restaurant in West Hollywood this week. Now don’t go looking for those pictures the crazy paparazzi take. Just be content in the knowledge that you now know where she was for 30 minutes one day of the year in 2008. A real knuckle-brained, celebrity-obsessed thing to do would be to actually go there and pretend you were actually having dinner there with Cher. Honestly, that’s exactly the type of activity I don’t recommend. Hey, I’m just doling out some tough love for you right now...because I essentially see the I Found Some Blog as a support group environment – deep down.

A better use of your celebrity obsessed dollars would be to try to win a charity auction where you could actually meet Cher backstage. And by participating you’ll be providing a community service to a charity, which as we discussed last week might just offset the side-effects of too much celebrity obsession, which in its pure form, helps no one.

Here’s the press release:

MEET CHER BACKSTAGE AT HER LAS BEGAS SHOW ON SEPTEMBER 20, 2008!": This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for you and a companion to enjoy Cher during a live performance at her Las Vegas show at the Colosseum at Caesar's Palace and meet her backstage. This fantastic package also includes coach class airfare for two aboard JetBlue AND two night's accommodation that weekend at Caesar's Palace.

AUCTION CLOSES: Jun 24, 2008 12:14:00 PM

FOR MORE INFORMATION: Visit charitybuzz. com

PROCEEDS FROM THE EVENT WILL BENEFIT: The Jorge Posada Foundation, a non-profit organization established by the New York Yankees' All-Star Catcher, Jorge Posada, and his wife, Laura. Proceeds will help the foundation reach out to families in need, whose children are affected by Craniosynostosis, and provide them with emotional support through its family support network; provide financial assistance to underwrite a portion of the costs of initial surgeries in its partner medical centers; and encourage further research of this medical condition. The Foundation also strives to create awareness about the condition through events and through funding other educational outreach efforts.

Direct Link: https://auction01.charitybuzz.com/secure/viewItemDetail.do?auction_item_id=743030

This week we had a financial setback and we think we may have to postpone the wedding for a year. This actually takes me out of the meeting-Cher-via-auction business. But that’s not so much my bag really. Anyway, even though our party-plans have now moved from a boil to a simmer, I’m still on the look-out for some Cher 70s-era dance tracks. This week, the remix of Dark Lady appeared here: http://bcubsmusic.blogspot.com/2008/06/cher-dark-lady.html

The remix is compressed on that site and I couldn’t extract it myself but apparently you can download a free trial version of WinRAR to do this: http://www.rarlabs.com/.

And here’s a celebrity-obsessed project I can fully endorse: creating your own fan-art - be it functional fan-art like purses made of record-albums or classic fan-art like Cher paintings or even Cher-doll-art. This crafty fan has recreated the outfit from Cher’s Caesar’s poster for the newer Cher doll.

By the way, JimmyDean recently suggested I use this dress as my wedding dress prototype.  But I kind of prefer this dress at the top as a prototype. Do you have any other suggestions?

And collecting ancient Cher artifacts is another Cher-obsessed activity that’s harmless in small doses. You can find even more Chertiques at this new trading site: http://www.ioffer.com/search/items/cher/text_pics/ioffer/0/false

Go crazy kids! Can someone loan me a dollar for a lottery ticket?

  

More Bootleg Reviews

I want to take a moment to finish up reviewing bootlegs Cher peeps have sent me. Regarding the 60s set I got for purchasing two posters off eBay, I have three clips left. I also just received a new and fabulous DVD from Jimmy (aka gypsy90028) that I’ll start discussing, as well.

Back to the Late 60s...

The Smothers Brothers
Most of us have seen Cher singing “Alfie” on this show. I never ceased to be amazed by Cher in that short baby-doll dress.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0lDSf0A9RTk

The Jerry Lewis Show
Now this show had some cool effects with background projections and whatnot and Cher arrives with BIG mascara. Things have clearly gotten out of hand in that regard. S&C sing “What Now My Love” and you can see Cher is definitely more confident these days. Lots of finger snapping goin down. And doesn’t Cher have skinny legs though?

Are they lip synching again? Cher gets ready to sing “You’d Better Sit Down Kids” introducing it proudly as a song “my husband wrote for himself.” I was reminded watching this clip how unusual the song is being about broken homes and change and all, that painful moment when a parent has to explain divorce to their kids. Have you ever heard anything like it...before or since?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZJlubAgs7uM

Glen Campbell
We’ve already seen the super-fine duet of Cher singing “All I Really Want to Do” with Glen on his variety show. If not, get his latest DVD. It’s fabulous.

On that episode, Cher also sings “The First Time” in a set looking like a bedroom after a cheap one night stand. Cher’s eyelashes have improved. And she's growing out her bangs….they look like little orphans, uncut and running away.  She gives Glen a big smile and he asks if Sonny produced that song. She again proudly says that he wrote that song and doesn’t someone in there say “and he can cook too.”

Then things really gets crazy with Neil Diamond. He’s just become successful (and it now occurs to you 40 years later how rarely you see him on TV). Cher is in an Indian top and they all three do a medley of Diamond hits up to that time, which include “Thank the Lord for the Nighttime" (full with emotive 'Oh Yeahs'), “Kentucky Woman,” “Brother Loves Traveling Salvation Show” and “Sweet Caroline” which we only recently found out is about Caroline Kennedy. Come on, Neil! That ruins it! I thought it was another song about booze all this time!

Now skip to the early 80s...

Black Rose on Midnight Special
I had never seen Black Rose in action. And I loved it. I was amazed by it. This is honestly a side of Cher no-one gets to see. It never appears in biographical footage and it's a phase of her career mostly ignored. And even though I would accept the critique that Black Rose was no great shakes when you stack them against Hall of Famers, they was fairly a good enough new band that could've stood up against other new bands out there.

Because it was Cher’s third or fourth or fifth (according to your timeline) incarnation, she brought all her former incarnations' baggages, infamy and expectations to the act which was unfortunate. Had Cher started her career entirely with this band, they may have evolved and succeeded and we’d probably see Cher as a respected rock singer today alongside our other stellar rock chicks.

And this is one of the many instances where Cher had to pay her dues (not with drugs or alcohol or poverty, but with no respect); and it also exemplifies ironically in reverse why she should be a hall of famer because she took such risky risks musically in almost every musical genre and survived some huge failures but prevailed to bigger and better successes down the line.

Her rock moves here are fully and faithfully performed in “Never Should’ve Started.” Physically she dances with hard rock enthusiasm no one had seen before and would never see from her again. She rebelliously sings the word 'bitch' in the song “Julie” and tries to sing eye to eye with Les Dudek in “You Know It.” However, he’s no Sonny. Like Gregg Allman before him and Richie Sambora after him, no "real rocker dude" seems to have the balls to sing while looking Cher dead in the eye so intently as Sonny did. But she kept trying.

For Cher, loving you must mean singing live with you.

Something bothered me throughout the three songs on Midnight Special: who the hell is that guy on the left, the backup singer. He plays air guitar as if he’s the main act. And yet, with that tight shirt, he seems more like a dancing bodyguard than an actual band mate.

And I know she’s trying to dress down now but is that a hole fit she’s wearing under that sweat shirt?? I think I see a sequin.

In any case, out of love for rock music, Cher wanted to be in a band against her career's common wisdom. And she had enough conviction to try to sublimate her image and name to try to make it work. However, as we all have come to now know: such a thing is ludicrously impossible. And that’s probably the idea at which most of the ridicule started. Therefore, no one give the act a fair, pure looksee.

See? Even Wikipedia considers it "a Cher album"

The Monte Carlo Show
This DVD also included the Monte Carlo show in its entirety, something I'd never seen before either. I’d been surviving ravenously from clips online. I was so entranced when I watched it I didn’t even take any notes. Now looking back, I must say honestly it felt a little rough compared to Celebration at Caesars a year or so later. Caesars was so smooth and slick and it had that big awesome shoe. I feel the Monte Carlo show stumbles starting directly with Laverne. We expect the big Cher entrance, not a fake out. The fake out with the drag Cher is much better played after the intermission, as Cher did it during her Heart of Stone tour.

However, I love, love, love the outfits in this show. And the dancing makes me nostalgic for the late 70s and early 80s. That encore crotch shot was scandalous! I played it for my bf when he got home!

What really fascinates me is the stupifying contrast between Black Rose and Vegas Cher in 1980. Consider with these:

Merv Griffin clips of Black Rose
(Merv Griffin? No wonder they had a hard time getting steet cred!)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=omdLRZE5Zh4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EB4aSGF66Qs

Then Monte Carlo
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pFMc668T8xo