Bill talks about the fame factor
Fifteen minutes passed, another time passed Book by Bill O’Reilly. The 12th in his Killing series is “Killing Legends: Celebrity Deadly Menace,” which airs tomorrow.
“Celebrities kill celebrities,” he said in a recent phone conversation.
Me: Which means what?
“People used to hide things. No one exposed JFK’s lifestyle or bad boy movie star Errol Flynn’s level of protection. Years ago, oldies were just drinkers.
“It’s different now. Security is gone. From Jesus until today, fame has not been so dangerous. The goals are behind you. Kim Kardashian in Paris? Drugs, alcohol, social media running wild, crazy personal stuff on the internet, people making things up. He doesn’t take anyone into account. This is obvious glory.
“Fame is a crushing weight. Janis Joplin, John Lennon. Jimi Hendrix, Michael Jackson at a young age and increasingly separated. I write about three – Elvis, Marilyn, Muhammad Ali. These were mega – not George Clooney level. These changed American society. Their popularity overwhelmed them.
“Elvis the truck driver didn’t understand. What did he know? Even though he introduced rock and roll, his pastor said he was Satan. It’s not complicated, he was betrayed by people close to him, he thought he could trust. He almost filed for bankruptcy. His father took money, but did not help him.
“I did five pages about Muhammad Ali, who was unprepared and was never the same. His famous Thrilla fight against Joe Frazier in Manila nearly killed him. His people forced him to fight for money. People stole him blind. It’s broken.”
O’Really something
On celebrities, O’Reilly continued: “These stars are isolated. John Lennon, heroin addict – and that’s what broke up The Beatles. He didn’t run to any hole for a sandwich. “He was trapped in his apartment in Dakota.”
So a person should always be nobody and nothing?
“No. They need lawyers to follow the families on the ship.”
What about YOUR lifestyle?
“Prepared. I know the basic exercises for this. I measure everything I do. Don’t run to parties. I’m not going to take pictures in weird clothes. Not to parties. Not with people corroded by celebrity. Stay in the center. Raise my children. There are no publicists. Stick with people you can trust.
“Check out our headlines today. Donald Trump, Joe Biden. Humility is when you get the best table in a restaurant, yes. But the downside is that they say unpleasant things about you. Everyone is trying to hurt you.”
Balancing new WFH tasks
Meanwhile, Fox TV reruns one of my columns from last week – my exclusive at-home-just-the-two interview with former government employee Andrew Cuomo. Their little slaps told me the former head of government. Andrew obviously had no one left for dinner – but Cindy. What a scratch.
Wrong. We didn’t eat lunch. Just a drink and a chat at 5 o’clock. Since he was no longer in office and no longer in Albany, I served a local wine.
favorite for here is the United Nations and all these foreign dignitaries triple park their rides. Especially those great people from Vladimir Putin’s neighborhood. And swim safely in shark-infested waters.
Yes? This is called professional courtesy.
Only in New York, guys, only in New York.