Leave it to Howard Stern to show up at Joan Rivers' funeral and mention her private parts in his eulogy. In truth the comedienne would probably not have wanted it any other way, right? Joan's sharp wit and bawdy commentary is what made her a star and so she certainly wouldn't want Stern to censor himself even at her funeral. That aside, Rivers funeral at 11a.m. this morning at Manhattan's Temple Emanu-El was as star studded as any red carpet event that she had the privilege of dissecting. The only difference was that it was a much somber occasion, one that paid tribute to a Hollywood legend that paved her own way to iconic status.
Joan had joked that she wanted her funeral to be "a huge showbiz affair with lights, cameras, action..." and that is precisely what she got, minus the wind machine to make her hair flow even in death the way that Queen Bey's does while onstage. The celebs turned out in full force: Rosie O'Donnell, Kathy Griffin, Whoopi Goldberg, Barbara Walters, Michael Kors, Hugh Jackman and the list goes on nearly forever. One thing was quite obvious this morning, everyone who is anyone in Hollywood loved and respected Joan Rivers.
So Stern did deliver the eulogy and got a laugh for making a comment about Joan now being somewhere chasing Johnny Carson with a baseball bat, a comment that was in reference to their long-running feud. Deborah Norville, Margie Stern and Joan's daughter Melissa Rivers also spoke before Audra McDonald sang one of Joan's favorite songs, "Smile."
While seating was tight inside the temple, fans and the media were lined up around 5th Avenue and 65th Street paying their own respects to the legendary star. Joan Rivers remains are scheduled to be flown back to L.A. So that they can be buried at Forest Lawn Cemetary. Sources say that the paparazzi were swirling like vultures outside of Temple Emanu-El and while some thought that it was inappropriate, others believed that Joan would have had it no other way. Do you think that this mornings' service was handled the way that Rivers would have wanted it to be? Tell us your thoughts in the comments below!
