Who Knew? Jazz Riffs Led to Comic Riffs
Sure, the recent American Friends of the Hebrew University dinner honoring Billy Crystal was haimish. And why not? Everyone in the Beverly Hilton ballroom got to nosh on challah blessed by Billy’s mom, Helen Greenfield. Billy’s meshuga friends caroused onstage, people like Comic Relief co-pitchers Robin Williams and Whoopi Goldberg, as well as Jon Lovitz, Jason Alexander and Garry Shandling. Even Muhammad Ali, an old pal of Billy’s, showed up for a surprise appearance as the evening’s honorary chair.
What we didn’t expect was a lesson in Billy Studies 101. Who knew that he developed his comic timing at the feet of a jazz master, his late father, Jack Crystal, who produced small concerts in unusual Manhattan venues--catering halls, aircraft carriers and the Lighthouse for the Blind?
During his childhood “the house was often filled with the greatest artists of the day,” Crystal said. “It smelled of brisket and bourbon. It was an incredible experience, and these men made me want to perform. [Jack Crystal] was an extraordinary man loved by musicians to this day. A couple of weeks ago, a great musician named Conrad Janis said to me, ‘Your dad was really the first man to integrate bands in Manhattan in the ‘40s and ‘50s.’ ”
Crystal announced that he’s endowing the Jack Crystal Scholarship for Jazz Studies at the Israeli university. That was music to the ears of the school, which honored the comedian with its 27th annual Scopus Award, presented by the cuddly Kirk Douglas. The dinner, co-chaired by Terry Semel and Ron Meyer, also raised $1.5 million for the Billy Crystal Endowment for Peace through Performing Arts, which will encourage Israelis and Palestinians to forge common bonds through theatrical collaborations.
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We opened our mail to find a copy of a fab new magazine called Form & Figure. It came with a note from the publisher, Santa Barbaran William Fischer, who wrote, “It’s the first beauty magazine that doesn’t even mention eating less, exercising more or drinking lots of water.”
Hey, pipe down, you health nuts. He’s not finished.
“Not that we’re against those things.”
Yes, the time has finally come for an undiluted magazine about stitch-in-time beauty--cosmetic surgery and dentistry, dermatology, cosmoceuticals, you name it.
Editor in chief and surgeon Suzanne Sergile said she and Fischer carved out the glossy after her plans for career development made her the popular girl at parties. “Any time I told people I was going into plastic surgery, they crowded me endlessly.”
Hard to imagine in L.A.
For now, Sergile is pursuing a master’s degree in public health at UCLA, and she gets a little miffed by people who criticize the magazine for bypassing that intangible inner beauty. Hey, we’re all for that too. Anyone know a good doctor?
“Plastic surgery has always been a taboo, and people don’t want to talk about it, but it’s gotten so popular, people do need more information.”
The debut issue features articles about liposuction, non-surgical hair loss remedies and surgical routes to a plumper pout. The cover girl is author Helen Bransford, the poster child for plastic surgery who trashes celebrities for snipping and not telling: “The stars are [having plastic surgery], and I think they’re giving you a lot of b.s. about the regimens they follow when they just have access to a good plastic surgeon.”
Sing it, sister.
Irene Lacher’s Out & About column runs Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays on Page 2.