Watch: Joy Behar Hopes Fred Phelps Will Die Soon; WBC a No-Show at Elizabeth Taylor Funeral

Joy Behar speaks with Nate Phelps, the estranged son of Fred Phelps, who claims his father physically abuses the family, about the WBC's attacks on gays, and their plans to picket Elizabeth Taylor's funeral.

Says Behar: "There's a sickness to it. There's an obsessive quality to it that rings of mental illness to me."

Behar says she hopes the elder Phelps dies soon.

Watch, AFTER THE JUMP...

Incidentally, the WBC was a no-show to Taylor's funeral, which was held yesterday at Forest Lawn Memorial-Park in Glendale:

Glendale Police Department officials said the department was asked to assist in security for the three dozen to four dozen family members and friends expected to attend the service because of the proximity of an elementary school. No details were given to the media about who attended the service.

Scotland Beavers, 47, left work early after reading posts on Facebook that suggested anti-gay protesters might be picketing. "We need to get there and try to block them," he said.

They had umbrellas ready if protesters showed up, but they never materialized.

Taylor was laid to rest near her good friend Michael Jackson. 

Watch the Behar clip, AFTER THE JUMP...

Movies: Elizabeth Taylor, A True "Giant"

Liz holds court, a common occurrence.

NATHANIEL ROGERS
...would live in the movie theater but for the poor internet reception. He blogs daily at the Film Experience. Follow him on Twitter @nathanielr.

 
La Liz
By now you've read the obituaries, scoured the career appraisals, maybe you've put in a DVD, donated to her charity in lieu of flowers, wiped away a tear, or done something silly to commemorate her. Maybe you've just marvelled at how difficult it is to wrap one's head around the loss of a true Giant, capital and italics intended, and not just because that's one of the only titles in her filmography that doubles as an apt descriptor of its star. 

A friend of mine told me last month when she was dramatically hospitalized on Oscar weekend, that he'd been commissioned to write an obit (just in case). I actually felt bad for him. "You'll never be paid," I said, buying into her mythos wholeheartedly. "Liz survives everything." So her death on Wednesday morning still came as a shock. How many other 79 year olds seemed like they were going to live forever?

And here is the happy solace for those mourning the loss of true big screen immortals; they do live forever, albeit only in legacy and iconography.

Laurence Harvey and Elizabeth Taylor in BUtterfield 8 (1960)

"You're just like all the rest, aren't you?"
"I'm not like anyone else. I'm me."

Truer words have rarely been spoken onscreen. More, AFTER THE JUMP...

Shrine and Cocktail Honor Elizabeth Taylor at Her Favorite Gay Bar

Elizabeth Taylor was a frequent visitor to West Hollywood gay bar The Abbey in recent years, and the bar has set up a shrine in her name, and is planning a special this weekend, TMZ reports:

"We're told the bar's offering a special drink in Liz's memory this weekend ... and they're donating ALL the proceeds to Elizabeth's AIDS foundation. It's called the 'Blue Velvet Martini' -- which they picked in honor of her role in the 1944 hit 'National Velvet' -- and if you wanna try out their recipe ... it's made with Blue Angel vodka and blueberry schnapps. Sources at the bar tell TMZ, regulars have been adding to the shrine non-stop since Elizabeth passed -- sending flowers and gifts since yesterday morning."

Watch: amfAR Tribute to Elizabeth Taylor

amfAR posted a powerful tribute to Elizabeth Taylor on its website following her death this morning, highlighting her work as an AIDS activist over the years.

Watch it, AFTER THE JUMP...

They also released this statement:

"The board of trustees and staff of amfAR mourn the passing of our beloved Founding International Chairman, Dame Elizabeth Taylor. Dame Elizabeth was without doubt one of the most inspirational figures in the fight against AIDS. She was among the first to speak out on behalf of people living with HIV when others reacted with fear and often outright hostility. For 25 years, Dame Elizabeth has been a passionate advocate of AIDS research, treatment and care. She has testified eloquently on Capitol Hill, while raising millions of dollars for amfAR. Dame Elizabeth’s compassion, radiance, and generosity of spirit will be greatly missed by us all. She leaves a monumental legacy that has improved and extended millions of lives and will enrich countless more for generations to come."

Watch the clip, AFTER THE JUMP...

Westboro Baptist Church to Picket Funeral of Elizabeth Taylor

Who would have thought?

And as a response to this tweet I received a short time ago from the Phelps clan, I offer a quote sent out by GLAAD this morning.

Said Taylor at the GLAAD Media Awards in 2000:

"Why shouldn't gay people be able to live as open and freely as everybody else? What it comes down to, ultimately, is love. How can anything bad come out of love? The bad stuff comes out of mistrust, misunderstanding and, God knows, from hate and from ignorance."

Singer Eddie Fisher, Father of Carrie, Dead at 82

Some bad news for music fans: legendary crooner Eddie Fisher, known today perhaps for his marriages to Debbie Reynolds and Elizabeth Taylor, has died at the age of 82 after suffering complications from a hip surgery.

Born and raised in 1928 in Philadelphia, Fisher's career took off in the 1950s, when he had a string of aural hits, including "Oh, My Papa" and "I'm Always Hearing Wedding Bells."

Fisher's fame only multiplied in 1955 with his marriage to Debbie Reynolds, a five-year union that birthed two children, including Star Wars actress Carrie Fisher, who, along with the rest of the family, released the following statement: "Late last evening the world lost a true America icon. One of the greatest voices of the century passed away. He was an extraordinary talent and a true mensch."

Fisher caused a scandal in 1960, however, when he divorced Reynolds for her friend, the equally famous Elizabeth Taylor, who eventually left him for Richard Burton. Fisher's career fizzled after that, although he went on to marry the actress Connie Stevens and had two more children, daughters. Unfortunately, that didn't work out, and Fisher ended up in two more marriages.

Fisher attempted a comeback in the 1980s, but his attempts never panned out. He did, however, have a bestseller with his autobiography, "Been There, Done That," in which he claimed Reynolds "bullied" him into marriage, an "admission" that severely alienated him from his family. 

AFTER THE JUMP, one of Fisher's most famous songs, "Tell My Why;" they don't make voices like this anymore...