When I was a young child, I would study the photos on the cover of my parent's Van Cliburn albums & I would get that familiar & perplexing tingle of recognition & arousal. I mistakenly thought he had one name- Vancliburn... like Liberace. I sometimes got them mixed up, except that Van Cliburn's photos really held my attention. My mother explained that he was a brilliant classical pianist, & also a cowboy. I swooned & then diligently practiced my piano lessons, looking forward to the day we would play 4 handed piano & then ride the range together.
Harvey Lavan "Van" Cliburn Jr studies at Juiliard at 17 years of age, & his talent took him to Moscow at 23 years old & propelled him to international stardom.
The first International Tchaikovsky Competition in 1958 was put together to prove to the world the Soviet cultural superiority during the Cold War, after the USSR’s technological victory with the Sputnik launch in October 1957. Van Cliburn's performance at the competition finale of Tchaikovsky's Piano Concerto #1 & Rachmaninoff's Piano Concerto #3 earned him a standing ovation lasting 8 minutes. When it was time to announce the winner, the judges were obliged to ask permission of the Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev to give 1st prize to an American. Kruschchev: "Is he the best… then give him the prize!"
Cliburn returned home to a ticker tape parade in NYC, a 1st for a classical musician. Time magazine’s cover dubbed him "The Texan Who Conquered Russia." He appeared on TV shows- Person to Person, What's My Line? & The Tonight Show. His recording of Tchaikovsky's 1st Piano Concerto shared the top of the LP charts with Johnny Mathis's Greatest Hits album & the soundtrack from South Pacific. It became the first classical music album to sell a million copies.
In 1998, Cliburn was named in a lawsuit by his domestic partner of 17 years- Thomas Zaremba. Zaremba claimed entitlement to a portion of Cliburn's income & assets & charged that he had been exposed to HIV from Cliburn & claimed emotional distress. Each claim was subsequently dismissed, holding that palimony suits are not permitted in the state of Texas unless the relationship is based on a written agreement.
Cliburn called the accusations "salacious" but said little else about the case. Described as gracious & polite, Cliburn is also known to be notoriously difficult to interview. Music insiders had long been aware of his homosexuality, & he & Zaremba had appeared together at public functions in Fort Worth, but in Cliburn's 4 decades as a celebrity, the press had never linked him romantically with anyone.
The public's image of him was still that of the All-American Boy. He lived with his mother until her death at 97, & is a lifelong Baptist & who attends regular church services & does not drink or smoke. He begins his concerts with The Star-Spangled Banner. He seems to me to be a more talented Liberace... minus the glitz.
In December 2001 Cliburn was among the artists feted at the Kennedy Center Honors. National security adviser Condoleezza Rice, herself a pianist: " Van Cliburn possesses grace & power…the power of his music to build bridges across the cultural & political divide."
Milton Teagle Simmons is an industry, not just a personality to millions of overwight Middle American women who watch daytime TV. But, fitness guru Richard Simmons may a secret dirty secret. Richard was one of the biggest customers of gay hustler/porn star Bruce Headrick back in the1980s, according to The National Enquirer. Bruce claims Richard is a “lovely guy”, but “not particularly attractive”, who enjoys giving full body massages with extra oil. In the first time they allegedly had sex, Richard told the Bruce, “Shhh! We’ll have to be quiet. My mother’s asleep upstairs.”
Simmons personally answers emails & letters. He makes 100s of phone calls each week to those who seek his help.
He also talkes to people on the air during his radio show, & holds weekly live chats in the "clubhouse" area of his website. All of his appearances include a meet & greet, so that people can speak to him personally.
Claiming to habe few friends, Simmons: "I don't have a lot to offer one person. I have a lot to offer to a lot of people." Except from his dogs & a pair of maids, Simmons lives alone in the Hollywood Hills.
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