Joy Behar Disses Kirk Douglas

Joy Behar and her panel dissed the 83rd Annual Academy Awards on her HLN Talk Show on February 28th big-time. Joy even managed to piss me off, although usually I can take her with a grain of salt.

Joy's panel consisted of fashion expert Jay Manuel; Linda Stasi, TV critic for the "New York Post;" and A.J. Hammer, host of "Showbiz Tonight," also on HLN.

One thing I like about actors and actresses, in general, is how they usually respect the generations who came before them. And I don't like it when the media disses actors who were legends in their time because I feel they should continue to get that respect. But let's face it, critics and comedians have no respect for anyone.

So Linda Stasi was the first one to bring up Kirk Douglas' appearance as a presenter: "... they bring out Kirk Douglas. It was so -- I mean, it was like New Year's Rockin' Eve with Dick Clark.

"Let me ask you guys, why do you need Kirk Douglas there?" Joy Behar responded. "He's 94 years old. Give him a lifetime achievement award and call it a day. We don't need him to give the award away to supporting actress, right? That's who he gave it. But it was a big award. He was self-involved, I thought, trying to be funny, and it's like, come on."

Jay Manuel said: "You didn't think he was funny at all?" and Behar said she didn't.

Well, Kirk Douglas isn't a comedian for one thing. A legendary actor from the Golden Age of Hollywood, Kirk gave us many fine performances that still are thoroughly enjoyed by classic film buffs. There's "Spartacus" (1960) where he played the lead role and "Lust for Life" (1957) where he played Vincent Van Gogh, just for starters. He played General Patton in "Is Paris Burning" (1966); in the List of Adrian Messenger (1963), he was George Brougham, Vicar Atlee, Mr. Pythian and Arthur Henderson; in "Town without Pity" (1961), he was the defense counsel to a group of GI's accused of raping a German girl; and he was Doc Holliday in 1957's "Gunfight at the O.K. Corral." These are just a few of the great movies from this awesome actor, who was named 17th on a list of The 50 Greatest Screen Legends by the American Film Institute.

So now that Kirk is 94 years old, he can't get fifteen or so minutes as a presenter on the Oscars? Why? Because he's old, or because his speech is somewhat impaired from a stroke?

Joy went on to say: "I mean, Kirk Douglas is a legend. He is. He was a great actor in his day, one of a kind and an original ... why go out like this? I mean, what's her name -- Marlena Dietrich was brilliant. She stayed in the hotel and never went out after 50."

I know that she probably thinks it was all a very funny observation, but it's not. Kirk Douglas obviously enjoyed himself immensely at the Oscars and said he would remember it the rest of his life. He richly deserved the standing ovation he got and, I'm sure I'm not the only one who thought it was great to see him. I mean, think about it -- to call a 94-year-old man "self-involved?"

How mean can you be, Joy?

Source: Joy Behar Show (2/28/2011)