Close X
Saturday, November 23, 2024
ADVT 
National

Brian and Mila Mulroney mourning 'dear' friend, comic Joan Rivers

Jennifer Ditchburn, The Canadian Press, 05 Sep, 2014 01:11 PM
    OTTAWA - No one was safe from Joan Rivers' sharp-edged humour, not even Mila Mulroney, who, a decade ago, found herself on the pointy end of a Rivers dart.
     
    The comedian was among a gilt-edged group celebrating Brian Mulroney's 65th birthday.
     
    "She said the first time she met Brian Mulroney and then met his wife that she was sure I was his third wife because of the jewelry I was wearing," Mila Mulroney recalls.
     
    "It was a very harmless joke, there were no four-letter words. She was really very adaptable. She could be anywhere with anyone."
     
    The former prime minister's wife counted Rivers, an American comedy legend who died Thursday, as a good friend.
     
    "She really wasn't finished and it was such a life cut short," said Mila Mulroney of her reaction to Rivers' death.
     
    "It was upsetting from that standpoint and losing a very dear friend was another point."
     
    Mila Mulroney met Rivers more than twenty years ago through a mutual friend who had worked with former American first lady Nancy Reagan. The Mulroneys were living in 24 Sussex at the time.
     
    The two hit it off, and they met over the years at dinners and events in New York, Montreal, Florida, and elsewhere. A few years ago, the Mulroneys took her to dinner at the Palm Springs home of Canadian business mogul Paul Desmarais.
     
     
    "She liked people that dared to dare, and she always thought that politicians and their families were very big risk-takers," said Mila Mulroney.
     
    She said Rivers was fond of the former prime minister and his famous gift of the gab. Rivers tried to attend his 75th birthday this year, but her packed schedule wouldn't allow it.
     
    "She thought Brian was wonderful because he's a good storyteller, and she actually stole some of his lines," recounts Mulroney.
     
    However, Rivers added her own particular spice to the borrowed gags.
     
    "I think they were a little to risque to give to you. She adapted them, she added a few words to them."
     
    Mulroney said was struck by the difference between Rivers' on and off-stage personas, an observation echoed by many of the comic's friends since her death.
     
    "She was quiet, she was a great listener. She didn't have to have centre stage at all. She was a very good friend. She involved you in her life."

    MORE National ARTICLES

    Canadian Press journalists Spencer and Hayward win Sports Media Canada Awards

    Canadian Press journalists Spencer and Hayward win Sports Media Canada Awards
    TORONTO - Canadian Press journalists Donna Spencer and Jonathan Hayward are being honoured by Sports Media Canada.

    Canadian Press journalists Spencer and Hayward win Sports Media Canada Awards

    Former B.C. Minister's 'ethical Difficulties' Undeserved: Commissioner

    Former B.C. Minister's 'ethical Difficulties' Undeserved: Commissioner
    British Columbia's conflict of interest commissioner says former agriculture minister Pat Pimm did not breach conflict of interest rules when he contacted the Agricultural Land Commission about a proposed rodeo ground and camp site project on protected farmland.

    Former B.C. Minister's 'ethical Difficulties' Undeserved: Commissioner

    Judge rules against blood-sample evidence after B.C. crash that killed 2 people

    Judge rules against blood-sample evidence after B.C. crash that killed 2 people
    KAMLOOPS, B.C. - The alleged driver in a crash that killed two people registered a blood-alcohol reading 50 per cent higher than the legal limit about an hour after the incident but a judge has ruled against the evidence.

    Judge rules against blood-sample evidence after B.C. crash that killed 2 people

    Former NHL rookie Steve Moore Glad To No Longer Be Burdened By 10-year Legal Ordeal

    Former NHL rookie Steve Moore Glad To No Longer Be Burdened By 10-year Legal Ordeal
    TORONTO - Former NHL rookie Steve Moore can finally move past the on-ice attack that ended his career, he said Thursday, unburdened by a decade-long legal battle that inched through the courts.

    Former NHL rookie Steve Moore Glad To No Longer Be Burdened By 10-year Legal Ordeal

    GSK won't be able to supply 2 million doses of flu vaccine promised for 2014-15

    GSK won't be able to supply 2 million doses of flu vaccine promised for 2014-15
    TORONTO - GSK, Canada's largest flu vaccine supplier, will not be able to fill about 30 per cent of its Canadian order for the upcoming 2014-15 flu season, the company said Thursday.

    GSK won't be able to supply 2 million doses of flu vaccine promised for 2014-15

    Nova Scotia could miss economic opportunity with fracking ban: Finance Minister

    Nova Scotia could miss economic opportunity with fracking ban: Finance Minister
    TORONTO - Federal Finance Minister Joe Oliver says Nova Scotia could be missing out on an economic opportunity by banning high-volume hydraulic fracturing.

    Nova Scotia could miss economic opportunity with fracking ban: Finance Minister