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25938 Middlebelt Rd. at 11 Mile Rd. in the Mid-11 Plaza
476-1750
Farmington Hills
. 7
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Roseanne Barr Laughs
Away Her Painful Past
MICHAEL ELKIN
Special to The Jewish News
T
alk of tantrums on the
sitcom set, a broken
marriage, reports of
romantic liaisons with the
comedian/fiance who used to
be her opening act in clubs,
allegations that she hired
thugs to pummel bother-
some photographers, revela-
tions of a child born to Barr
out of wedlock some 20 years
ago, accounts of her stay
years back in a mental
hospital . . . And, of course, a
top-rated sitcom.
Not long
ago, Roseanne Barr sat in a
bookstore, the center of at-
tention of adoring fans as
she signed copies of her
autobiographical Roseanne:
My Life as a Woman, the
woman who never met a
dustball she didn't like
offered a tidy explanation of
No Nielsen ratings
sum up a long-
running series of
hurts and hits that
life has dealt.
why, at the age of 36, she
penned her life story. "To
stay sane," she says.
Life for Roseanne Barr has
been more dramedy than
comedy. There are no
Nielsen ratings that can
conveniently sum up a long-
running series of hurts and
hits that life has dealt.
And while the caustic com-
ic fondly recalls early per-
formances — "I was real
good," Barr says of her por-
trayal of King Ahasuerus in
a Purim production for her
local synagogue — Roseanne
Barr's reviews of hometown
Salt Lake City are pans,
plain and simple.
"That," she says, the bit-
terness ever present, "was a
horrible place to be Jewish."
Those early taunts stick
with her. "There was a lot of
anti-Semitism, a lot of anti-
Semitism. By the time my
brother was 9, he had had
his nose broken nine times."
Breaking with the past has
not been easy for Barr.
Despite the riches that come
with fame, the comedian has
a certain sadness about her;
it is as if she is waiting for
life's laughtrack to end so
she will once more have to
hear the pain of the past.
Indeed, it seems no small
irony that the original title
for Barr's book was Reflec-
tions of Hatred and Bit-
terness.
Barr's autobiography is
novel in form — off-hand
comments mixed with
memories and mischief, an
amalgam of the wit and
wisdom of an entertainer
who wows audiences with
hilarity born of honesty.
"I want to write a second
book about me," says Barr,
adding that Barr writes: "I
loved my grandmother more
than any other human being
because she never lied,
never told you what you
wanted to hear, never com-
promised. She had a healthy
hatred for all living human
beings, all systems of
government, all religion, ex-
cept her own, of course,
which was based on her in-
tolerance of humanity with a
little Judaism thrown in."
Barr was left bereft when
her grandmother died in
1982. She composed her own
elegy in honor of Mary Bit-
man Davis "because I could
find no prayer in all of
Judaism to thank her." Barr
read that prayer on a recent
"Oprah Winfrey Show."
She also said she's not
afraid of a challenge — in-
cluding her first movie, She-
Devil, in which she stars op-
posite Meryl Streep.
Like the character she
plays on "Roseanne," Barr
doesn't so much march to
her own drummer as step to
Symphony
Sets Concert
The Ann Arbor Symphony
Orchestra will present
pianist Benjamin Paster-
nack 4 p.m. Jan. 14 at the
Michigan Theater.
Pasternack was the 1988
top prize winner at the 40th
Busoni International Piano
Competition in Italy.
There is a charge. For in-
formation, call the Michigan
Theater, 668-8397.
People Dancing
Has New Works
People Dancing will pre-
sent The Robe and Crown, a
collaboration between
Setrakian and singers Tracy
Lee Komarmy and Dick
Siegel 8 p.m. Jan. 12 and
Jan 13 and 2 p.m. Jan. 14 at
the Performance Network in
Ann Arbor. The concert
features Appalachian music.
There is a charge. For in-
formation, call Michigan
Theater ticket office, 668-
8397.
a.
2 for $10.95
8
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her own symphony. Indeed,
in a recent article in Red-
book, Arnold mentioned that
"Rosey wants to be another
Janis Joplin" and that the
two of them are thinking
about going out on the road
with a band.
Roseanne Barr as a rock
star? Maybe just another
way to get her licks out of
life — and to lick the pain of
the past. 0
OPEN 7 DAYS ... MON. THRU THURS. 7 a.m. to 9 p.m.
FRI. & SAT. 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. — SUN. 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.
DIET SEAFOOD SALAD
BUY. ONE GET ANY
SECOND 1 LB. SALAD
FREE
Expires 1 11-90
-
Film Close-Up
Group Forms
Registration for
Southfield's Film Close-up
class will begin the first
week in January at the
parks and recreation
building. The class begins 7
p.m. Jan. 16 and meets for
eight weeks.
The class, conducted by
Walter Bothwell, attends
area cinemas each week.
The group then meets at
Southfield Art Center for a
critique of the art of the film
viewed: the sets, costumes,
lighting, music, editing and
directing as well as the in-
terpretation of the script and
the quality of performance.
There is a charge. For in-
formation, call parks and
recreation, 354-4717.
VINEYARD'S
CAFE L' DELICATESSEN
• OVER 50 GOURMET SANDWICHES (DOUBLE & TRIPLE DECKERS)
• ALMOST 30 FRESH HOMEMADE SALADS • FRESH HOMEMADE SOUPS
• MIDEASTERN CUISINE • COLOMBO FROZEN LITE YOGURT
32418 NORTHWESTERN, BET, MIDDLEBELT & 14
855.9463
Ammingis..
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Judy Goldstein
Performs At Library
The Friends of the Hun-
tington Woods Library pre-
sent Judy Goldstein, inter-
nationally known folk-
singer and guitarist, 7 p.m.
Jan. 16 at the library.
There is no charge.
WSU Jazz Band
Appears At OCC
The Wayne State Univer-
sity Jazz Band will play 8
p.m. Jan. 19 on the Highland
Lakes Campus of Oakland
Community College.
For information. call OCC,
360-3041.
The City of Southfield's
Cultural Arts Division will
hold the first of the 1990
"Kids Koncerts" 1:30 p.m.
Jan. 20 in room 115 of the
parks and recreation
building.
Guy Sferlazza stars in this
musical adventure, "The
Chautauqua Express."
Yards and Yards
of BRUNCH
Each Sunday 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.
$1 495
per person
Give every
NEWBORN
the
advantage
Reservations Suggested
March of Dimes
Private Parties up to 200
IF YOU WANT
v Competitive Rates
Tax Advantages
V Complete Safety
Kids Concert
In Southfield
TRAY CATERING
FOR ALL
OCCASIONS
BUY U.S.
SAVINGS BONDS
Where you bank.
495
Children 12 and under
3551050
EMBASSY
SUITES
HOTEL
28100 Franklin Road
Southfield
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THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS
65