Evenings with Elaine Kaufman (1929 - 2010)

By Banzay on 18:14

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I was introduced to Elaine Kaufman by Frank DiGiacomo. She had the amazing ability to make a schlub like me feel that I was her guest and part of that mob of culture generators that made New York matter.

I was editor of The New York Observer then and she would invariably say, “Oh yes. I love the Observer.” She would say this even on bad weeks when nobody loved the Observer. But we adored her in return, particularly our great cover artist Drew Friedman who loved drawing Elaine and whose drawing of a table of her with Bill and Hillary Clinton hangs just to the right of the bar behind the cash register. Drew told me that Elaine regularly would ask him to paint her walls with celebrities and regularly would pull back when informed of the price of being Michelangelo to her Pope Julius.

To Elaine, the community of writers, editors and media affiliates belonged on a lateral plane with the more exalted members of New York royalty—movie directors, athletes and artists. Elaine may have looked intimidating in photographs but the extraordinary warmth of her rather sweet smile was both a device and an endowment: it allowed you to feel that you belonged to the lineage of journalists, writers and artists that went back, back in time before our watered down ranks had our cigars taken away by the Bloomberg regulations to a moment when giants stomped the city. The giant print of the Avedon photograph of Bogart staring down from the back of the restaurant said it all. That we were a lesser breed was a given; that we were allowed in at all to Elaine’s land of chops, bourbon and linguine, of cops, auteurs and authors, of Bruce Jay Friedman, Woody Allen and Mario Puzo was a cultural gift that tied us to a New York that began to evaporate today with her demise.

Elaine and I shared the same birthday—February 10. For several years—including on my 50th birthday—I would go to Elaine’s and emerge blinded by steak fat, spaghetti bolognese, and bourbon. There wasn’t a year I went when I didn’t feel compelled after two drinks to remind her of our shared birth date and every year a bottle of red wine would come to our table.

I was watching Casablanca the other night and there was plenty of Rick’s in Elaine’s and also a little bit of what I imagined was an amalgamation of the Stork and Costello’s. So one always approached Elaine with a certain amount of trepidation. But she almost never received me with anything but genuine kindness and a beatific smile. When I stumbled over to thank her—she was generally at a better table surrounded by an adoring crew—she would smile, her gaze up simultaneously well-worn and innocent. She had seen it all and yet somehow she exuded the thing that made Elaine’s eternally young: the sense of confidence that the right people in the right place—and she allowed you to feel that you were one and that Elaine’s was the only place—made New York young for one more night that would almost certainly last forever.

Evenings with Elaine Kaufman (1929 - 2010)

By Banzay on 18:14

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I was introduced to Elaine Kaufman by Frank DiGiacomo. She had the amazing ability to make a schlub like me feel that I was her guest and part of that mob of culture generators that made New York matter.

I was editor of The New York Observer then and she would invariably say, “Oh yes. I love the Observer.” She would say this even on bad weeks when nobody loved the Observer. But we adored her in return, particularly our great cover artist Drew Friedman who loved drawing Elaine and whose drawing of a table of her with Bill and Hillary Clinton hangs just to the right of the bar behind the cash register. Drew told me that Elaine regularly would ask him to paint her walls with celebrities and regularly would pull back when informed of the price of being Michelangelo to her Pope Julius.

To Elaine, the community of writers, editors and media affiliates belonged on a lateral plane with the more exalted members of New York royalty—movie directors, athletes and artists. Elaine may have looked intimidating in photographs but the extraordinary warmth of her rather sweet smile was both a device and an endowment: it allowed you to feel that you belonged to the lineage of journalists, writers and artists that went back, back in time before our watered down ranks had our cigars taken away by the Bloomberg regulations to a moment when giants stomped the city. The giant print of the Avedon photograph of Bogart staring down from the back of the restaurant said it all. That we were a lesser breed was a given; that we were allowed in at all to Elaine’s land of chops, bourbon and linguine, of cops, auteurs and authors, of Bruce Jay Friedman, Woody Allen and Mario Puzo was a cultural gift that tied us to a New York that began to evaporate today with her demise.

Elaine and I shared the same birthday—February 10. For several years—including on my 50th birthday—I would go to Elaine’s and emerge blinded by steak fat, spaghetti bolognese, and bourbon. There wasn’t a year I went when I didn’t feel compelled after two drinks to remind her of our shared birth date and every year a bottle of red wine would come to our table.

I was watching Casablanca the other night and there was plenty of Rick’s in Elaine’s and also a little bit of what I imagined was an amalgamation of the Stork and Costello’s. So one always approached Elaine with a certain amount of trepidation. But she almost never received me with anything but genuine kindness and a beatific smile. When I stumbled over to thank her—she was generally at a better table surrounded by an adoring crew—she would smile, her gaze up simultaneously well-worn and innocent. She had seen it all and yet somehow she exuded the thing that made Elaine’s eternally young: the sense of confidence that the right people in the right place—and she allowed you to feel that you were one and that Elaine’s was the only place—made New York young for one more night that would almost certainly last forever.

Andy Kaufman Bio

By Banzay on 06:21

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Andy Kaufman, a multi-talented actor of America, was born on 17 January 1949 and died at quite young age of 35. He was well-known for his comedy. He grew up in New York and started his performance from the childhood. He took part in several shows of his school and college. He was a graduate of Graham College located in Boston. He also showed his performance in various small clubs. He belonged to Jewish family. He worked for about ten years in the field and then he died. He has a passion for acting throughout his life.

He did lots of work in his short tenure. He was an actor, composer, and writer. He was a producer and also appeared in several shows as a guest. In his short life, he appeared in lots of television serials and films. He started with a television serial “Van Dyke and Company” in the year 1975 and then time to time appeared in different programs. Some of his programs “Taxi”, “The Midnight Special” and “The Andy Kaufman Show” are very famous among the people. He also composed some of the songs of “Man on the Moon” which were released in 1999 after his death.

He was also a writer and wrote lots of his role for television serials. He wrote “Andy’s Funhouse”, “Andy Kaufman Show”, “I’m from Hollywood” and many others. He was also the producer of his own show “Andy’s Funhouse”. He appeared in many episodes of “Saturday night Life”. People waited for his show as he was great comedian. People liked his script and also the way he presented them. He was suffering with metastatic disease and died on 16 May 1984. At that time, he was settled in California. He was a great comedian and people will remember him for long time.

Andy Kaufman Bio

By Banzay on 06:21

comm. (0)

Filed Under: ,


Andy Kaufman, a multi-talented actor of America, was born on 17 January 1949 and died at quite young age of 35. He was well-known for his comedy. He grew up in New York and started his performance from the childhood. He took part in several shows of his school and college. He was a graduate of Graham College located in Boston. He also showed his performance in various small clubs. He belonged to Jewish family. He worked for about ten years in the field and then he died. He has a passion for acting throughout his life.

He did lots of work in his short tenure. He was an actor, composer, and writer. He was a producer and also appeared in several shows as a guest. In his short life, he appeared in lots of television serials and films. He started with a television serial “Van Dyke and Company” in the year 1975 and then time to time appeared in different programs. Some of his programs “Taxi”, “The Midnight Special” and “The Andy Kaufman Show” are very famous among the people. He also composed some of the songs of “Man on the Moon” which were released in 1999 after his death.

He was also a writer and wrote lots of his role for television serials. He wrote “Andy’s Funhouse”, “Andy Kaufman Show”, “I’m from Hollywood” and many others. He was also the producer of his own show “Andy’s Funhouse”. He appeared in many episodes of “Saturday night Life”. People waited for his show as he was great comedian. People liked his script and also the way he presented them. He was suffering with metastatic disease and died on 16 May 1984. At that time, he was settled in California. He was a great comedian and people will remember him for long time.