Jewish American Heritage Month

Jewish American Heritage Month

  Jewish-Americans are influential in a wide range of sectors -- from entertainment to the sciences. In honor of Jewish American Heritage Month, here are a few notables singled out by the Jewish-American Hall of Fame.

Stylish brides through history

Stylish brides through history

From Elizabeth Taylor, to Mia Farrow, Audrey Hepburn and Grace Kelly - we've rounded up the most stylish brides of all time. Find out who made the biggest fashion statement as they walked down the aisle...

Elizabeth Taylor's first marriage to Richard Burton in 1964.

Elizabeth wore a chiffon gown in daffodil yellow, finishing the look with an emerald and diamond brooch presented to her by her husband. In her hair, she wore lilies of the valley and white hyacinths.

March 2011 Celebrity Deaths

March 2011 Celebrity Deaths

March in memoriam

In March we said farewell to many beloved figures, including a famous composer, a grunge legend and a princess.

Scrod down to read about the notable lives of:

Knut the polar bear

Nate Dogg

Mike DeStefano

James Dean secret revealed

James Dean secret revealed

James Dean molestation kept secret by Taylor
During making of 'Giant,' actor confessed that he was abused by minister as a child
It was a Hollywood secret Elizabeth Taylor took with her to the grave — well, almost.

When the late actress spoke to journalist Kevin Sessums back in 1997, she had one big-time revelation that had to wait until after she was gone.
The shocker concerned James Dean, her friend and handsome co-star in the classic film "Giant," which was released in 1956. Dean died a year earlier at age 24 in a car crash, and received a posthumous Oscar nomination for his performance in the movie.
"I loved Jimmy," Taylor told Sessums, writing in a Daily Beast item. (Taylor passed away in L.A. at age 79 of congestive heart failure, and was buried at Forest Lawn Cemetery in Glendale, Calif., Thursday.)
"I'm going to tell you something, but it's off the record until I die. OK?"
In the chat 14 years ago, Taylor revealed: "When Jimmy was 11 and his mother passed away, he began to be molested by his minister. I think that haunted him the rest of his life. In fact, I know it did. We talked about it a lot. During 'Giant' we'd stay up nights and talk and talk, and that was one of the things he confessed to me."

Elizabeth Taylor Eyes

Elizabeth Taylor Eyes

 

Mystery over Taylor's true eye color

In death, as in life, it is her eyes that haunt.
After Hollywood's grande dame Elizabeth Taylor passed away, people paid their online respects, searching out her biography, baby pictures, good works (AIDS foundation), her relationships both familial (children, Richard Burton) and famous (Michael Jackson, Andy Warhol). Yet most unique were those eyes, and people wanted another look into them as they sought out "elizabeth taylor eyes," "elizabeth taylor violet eyes pictures," and "elizabeth taylor's eye close up."

Could someone's eyes truly be purple? If photos or her namesake perfume -- Violet Eyes, which debuted just last spring -- weren't proof enough, eyewitness accounts certainly testify to those riveting orbs. A remembrance by Hollywood Reporter film critic Todd McCarthy recalled a meeting in the 1970s, when the actress had essentially retired from the big screen. "What should abruptly stop me in my tracks," he wrote, "but a pair of eyes unlike I've ever beheld, before or since; deep violet eyes of a sort withheld from ordinary mortals that were suddenly looking up into mine from mere inches away."

Taylor's son's emotional statement

Taylor's son's emotional statement

Michael Wilding, Liz Taylor’s Son, Emotional Family Statement
Elizabeth Taylor’s son, Michael Wilding, released an emotional, heartfelt statement on behalf of the entire family, including the actress’ other three children, Christopher Wilding, Liza Todd, and Maria Burton, 10 grandchildren and 4 great-grandchildren, after her tragic death earlier this morning.

“My mother was an extraordinary woman who lived life to the fullest, with great passion, humor, and love,” Wilding, 58, said in a statement Wednesday. “Though her loss is devastating to those of us who held her so close and so dear, we will always be inspired by her enduring contribution to our world.”

“Her remarkable body of work in film, her ongoing success as a businesswoman, and her brave and relentless advocacy in the fight against HIV/AIDS, all make us incredibly proud of what she accomplished. We know, quite simply, that the world is a better place for Mom having lived in it. Her legacy will never fade, her spirit will always be with us, and her love will live forever in our hearts.”

Elizabeth Taylor Through the Years

 Elizabeth Taylor Through the Years

Elizabeth Taylor Through the Years

Elizabeth Taylor

Elizabeth Taylor has led a big life. "'The more the better' has always been my motto," she once said. Indeed with three Oscars, eight marriages, 12 best-selling fragrances, and countless carats of gemstones, she is a one-woman epic, dressed for the part with towering sculptures of ebony hair and artfully blended sweeps of jewel-toned shadow. Yet, despite her timeless beauty, juicy personal history, and legendary film performances, her most extraordinary role has been that of a tireless fundraiser for AIDS awareness. For Taylor, living large means giving big.

Screen legend Elizabeth Taylor, the violet-eyed film goddess whose sultry screen life was often upstaged by her stormy personal life, died Wednesday at age 79.
She died of congestive heart failure at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, where she had been hospitalized for about six weeks.

Elizabeth Taylor dies at 79

Elizabeth Taylor dies at 79

Screen legend Elizabeth Taylor, the violet-eyed film goddess whose sultry screen life was often upstaged by her stormy personal life, died Wednesday at age 79.

She died of congestive heart failure at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, where she had been hospitalized for about six weeks, publicist Sally Morrison said.

"All her children were with her," Morrison said.

Taylor had extraordinary grace, fame and wealth, and won three Oscars, including a special one for her humanitarian work. But she was tortured by ill health, failed romances and personal tragedy.

"I think I'm becoming fatalistic," she said in 1989. "Too much has happened in my life for me not to be fatalistic."

Elizabeth Taylor Through the Years

Elizabeth Taylor Through the Years

Elizabeth Taylor Through the Years

Elizabeth Taylor

Elizabeth Taylor has led a big life. "'The more the better' has always been my motto," she once said. Indeed with three Oscars, eight marriages, 12 best-selling fragrances, and countless carats of gemstones, she is a one-woman epic, dressed for the part with towering sculptures of ebony hair and artfully blended sweeps of jewel-toned shadow. Yet, despite her timeless beauty, juicy personal history, and legendary film performances, her most extraordinary role has been that of a tireless fundraiser for AIDS awareness. For Taylor, living large means giving big.