Joan Rivers searches NYC for perfect gay sidekick
Entertainment legend Joan Rivers has been scouring New York for the perfect gay man to co-host her new TV series.
The untitled project for Bravo has generated gossip among the better-off gay residents of Manhattan.
One of those who auditioned for the coveted role told the New York Observer: “It was as if they took all the notable gays in the city and brought them in.”
There were three rounds of auditions – the first were held on West 54th Street, famous as the location of legendary 70’s club Studio 54. Aspiring presenters were asked to pose for a picture and fill out a form – questions included ‘what three things could you not live without?’
Rivers is in fact looking for three gay co-hosts, but the format of the show is a secret. Famous faces to audition are rumoured to include Jim McGreevey, who resigned as governor of New Jersey after admitting an affair with a male employee.
Weathermen, MTV presenter Johnny Hardesty and prominent bloggers are also among the hopefuls. Final auditions were held last week and a pilot will now be made.
The series, tentatively titled ‘Can We Dish?’ is just the latest in River’s long television career. She has been a fixture of American entertainment since the early 1960’s and is renowned for her humorous bitching.
Her fashion reports from the red carpet of Hollywood events have cemented her icon status among American gay men, which might explain the levels of interest the Bravo series has created among New York’s A-list gays.
“What I thought about when I was there was how my parents would react,” commented a hopeful who didn’t make it to the finals.
“What would they say to their friends: ‘Of all the gays in the world, our son is the gayest’? I can literally imagine my mother saying that.”
