ELIZABETH TAYLOR
It was sad to hear of the March 23, 2011 passing of film screen icon, Elizabeth Taylor.
During the press conference, a local reporter asked her, in front of a huge crowd in the store, if she did her own laundry. She responded by pausing and then telling him, "what an absolutely stupid thing to ask someone. I would think you'd be interested in the fragrance which is the reason I'm here." People clapped.
She spoke more about her fragrance before the president of Marshall Fields came to the podium, said a few words and presented her with a large and clearly heavy, flat, rectangular, gift-wrapped box. She said, "I do love furs." Everyone laughed. However, when she opened it, with the help of the store president, she saw that it was a huge box of Frango Mints. Her response was, "why in the world anyone would give a sixty pound box of chocolates to a woman who has been publicly battling weight issues all of her life is beyond me."
The store president turned red and there was a very awkward moment as people scurried to get the mints off of the stage. She then continued answering questions, quite graciously, about the fragrance and her work. I still have a headshot from the appearance, and even though it was unsigned, the event itself and the memory are signature enough.
NOTE: The Marshall Fields store was sold in 2006 to Macy's and has since seen protests by Chicagoans over the loss of the Marshall Fields brand. Even the BBC picked up the story about the store... Marshall Field's will never be replaced or matched, nor will Ms. Taylor. ---Abiiba Howell
J.T. WALSH
It was announced on February 27, 1998 that J.T. Walsh passed away from a fatal heart attack while on holiday with his family.
When I worked on the Goldie Hawn directed film, HOPE, as the Assistant Makeup Artist in 1995, I was assigned by the Key Makeup Artist, Alison Gordin to do the makeup of the actor, J.T. Walsh. He was a lead actor on the film, which also included Lee Norris, Goldie's friend Mary Ellen Trainor (who was also a dear friend of Goldie and the wide of director, Robvert Zemeckis), Jeffrey Samms, Jena Malone, Catherine O'Hara, Christine Lahti (wife of Tommy Schlamme), Lee Norris, Kevin Jamal Woods. While there had been rumors that he was hard to work with, I had no such experience, opting to respect his mental space for getting into character, as with all talent when they are in the makeup department. After all, their performance is bought and paid for by the production and they need to be able to prepare mentally to deliver that performance every time they leave the makeup, hair and wardrobe/costume departments. When there was down time, he talked with me, asking questions about my work in the industry and was open to talking about his life and work. He was also very patient and courteous when I had to apply special effects makeup for his character look during certain scenes, not to mention the touchups.
May J.T. Walsh rest in peace and may people go into situations with an open mind and heart... you just might be surprised and learn something in the process (about the other person and about yourself). ---Abiiba Howell
COOLIO (Artis Leon Ivey, Jr.)
Learning of the September 28, 2022 death of the American recording artist, Coolio,
The booking came with a one week notice that I was recommended to work on the music video, Mama, I'm In Love for Coolio. They wanted to hire me for Makeup, Hair and Wardrobe.
