Shirley Maclaine

Reflecting on Times film critic Kenneth Turan's comment that "Not many actresses can carry a movie" (" 'Striptease' Is Surely Moore's Fittest Hour," Calendar, June 28), what immediately comes to mind is: Angela Bassett. Sandra Bullock. Glenn Close. Jamie Lee Curtis. Catherine Deneuve. Faye Dunaway. Jodie Foster. Whoopi Goldberg. Melanie Griffith. Anjelica Huston. Jessica Lange. Jennifer Jason Leigh. Gong Li. Shirley MacLaine. Bette Midler. Lena Olin. Vanessa Redgrave. Meg Ryan. Winona Ryder.

Oldies radio KRTH-FM (101.1) is once again joining with Variety Club, the Children's Charity, to present the third annual "Care for Kids" Radiothon July 12-13. The event starts at 5 a.m. on July 12 and continues until 7 p.m. July 13 with a goal of raising money for various local children's charities. The broadcast will originate from KRTH's Los Angeles studios. Celebrities such as William Shatner, Shirley MacLaine and Linde Blair are expected to participate, in addition to the station's regular on-air personalities.

Two original network programs will go head-to-head tonight, capping off a Thanksgiving holiday filled with traditional television fare that includes parades, football games, marathons, specials and movies. "CBS Playhouse 90" presents Shirley MacLaine, Liza Minnelli, Jennifer Grey and Robert Pastorelli in "The West Side Waltz," a drama based on the Ernest Thompson play about the bonds that unite three New York women in a unique circle of friendship, at 9 p.m. on Channel 2.

Shirley MacLaine directs Shirley MacLaine, no matter who is listed as director of a MacLaine project. She whirls through the Los Angeles set of "The West Side Waltz" as if she owned it, pulling along the ostensible director, Ernest Thompson, in her wake, along with a bevy of technicians who also take their cues from her. She's in character (isn't she always?

What was the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences thinking when it offered David Letterman the job of hosting the annual Academy Awards?! Oscar night is usually thought of as a night of stars and class. So why doesn't the Academy Awards get a classy and elegant woman to host it? Names that come to mind include: Barbra Streisand, Shirley MacLaine, Liza Minnelli or ever-elegant Angela Lansbury. Letterman will only downgrade the night and make it tacky. Will he invite Madonna to perform as well?

The Lear jets are landing, the limos are purring, the media army is dug in and the gigantic tent looms taut and ready. Here they come: Colin L. Powell, Henry A. Kissinger, James A. Baker III, two former heads of state, the three Apollo 11 astronauts, Peter Jennings, Larry King, Shirley MacLaine and--yes--a lot more. The spectacle unfolded Saturday in--where else?--Bakersfield, home to oil wells, cotton fields--and, quite possibly, the most bizarre celebrity event in the world.

She sings! She dances! She acts! She tells jokes! What a talent! Shirley MacLaine's one-woman performance for the season's opening night Friday at the Cerritos Center for the Performing Arts was a nonstop, high-voltage tribute to the joys of versatility. But wait a minute. Let's keep this in context. Despite her unstinting enthusiasm and undeniable charm, MacLaine didn't actually do most of the above tasks strikingly well, although some were more successful than others.

She sings! She dances! She acts! She tells jokes! What a talent! Shirley MacLaine's one-woman performance for the season's opening night Friday at the Cerritos Center for the Performing Arts was a nonstop, high-voltage tribute to the joys of versatility. But wait a minute. Let's keep this in context. Despite her unstinting enthusiasm and undeniable charm, MacLaine didn't actually do most of the above tasks strikingly well, although some were more successful than others.

Maybe Shirley MacLaine has been razzed for her metaphysical beliefs often enough and drawn enough cutting reviews to explain her prickly, often openly disdainful attitude during a recent interview. She gave one-word answers to some questions and banned certain topics, namely metaphysics. Whenever the phone rang, MacLaine answered, even though an assistant and her manager were on hand. One conversation dragged on for 15 minutes without so much as a "pardon me."