According to the papers at the time, Prince and I were living together.
I had fired all of his health and was cooking for him.
And we were just communicating telepathically and I left him for Don Johnson.
Singer Sheena Easton on Prince, music's mystery man, a sexy genius to millions, to others
the epitome of bad taste.
Our Inside Story from Monday, September 26th, 1988.
Hi everybody, I'm John Tesch.
And I'm Mary Hart.
Today's Inside Story is an unauthorized biography.
You won't hear Prince speak, but the story tells itself.
His fans say he's sexy.
His detractors say he's disgusting.
We say he's difficult to ignore.
He is the reigning bad boy of rock, provocative, and he's the prince of controversy as one
of his songs is appropriately titled.
His lyrics are among the dirtiest on record.
He has at times deliberately obscured the lines of his own sexuality.
He mixes sex and religion in a manner some consider nearly blasphemous.
He's virtually inaccessible to journalists and fans alike.
He's accompanied in public by huge bodyguards.
The seeds of controversy began in Minneapolis where Prince Roger Nelson was born 30 years
ago.
His parents were divorced, so he spent much of his childhood in the basement of his friend
Andre Simone's house.
Prince wasn't a bad kid, but music was always on his mind, so he didn't pay any attention
to any other thing.
Though just over 5 feet 3 inches tall, he played basketball in junior high before forming
several local bands.
His stage clothes were designed by Sylvia Payne.
I put buttons down inside of his jeans, everything that he wore at that time to make him appear
taller.
He broke onto the national scene with an image of a man whose every action seemed calculated
to provoke.
He often appeared on stage as clad in bikini underwear, obscuring his own sexual identity.
He used to come out in the bikini underwear and he'd rub up against the guys in the band
and then he'd go and kiss the girl, keyboard player.
Off stage, he's said to have an endless passion for women.
One English tabloid describes in great detail a recent Prince affair in which he is reported
to have eaten popcorn and honey from the navel of a British model.
But Sheena Easton, who is rumored to have been romantically linked to Prince, says you
can't always believe what you read in the papers.
According to the papers at the time, Prince and I were living together.
I had fired all of his help and was cooking for him and we were just communicating telepathically
and then I left him for Don Johnson.
And Sheena says Prince is a true genius.
To me, he is one of the most creative, innovative, talented geniuses and I use the word rightly
so.
Prince's focus on sex in his lyrics has also drawn protest.
He was a prime target at congressional hearings for sexual references like those in his song
Darling Nikki.
I met a girl named Nikki.
I guess you could say she was a sex fiend.
I met her in a hotel lobby masturbating with magazines.
In spite of his stage persona, Prince is said to be very religious, leading his band in
prayer before each concert.
Chick Huntsberry is a former Prince bodyguard turned evangelist.
I gave Prince his first Bible for Christmas one time, big nice Bible.
Prince I think is just a little confused in some things.
I mean, see, because you can't serve two gods.
At times, Prince's penchant for mixing sex and religion has even troubled members of
his own band.
Situations got real tense because everybody was real, literally saying the Lord's Prayer
on stage and then going right into a tune about something sexual.
But those closest to him describe Prince as being extremely shy and protective of his
image.
When Prince was riding high on the film Purple Rain, noted satirist and author Stan Freberg
produced this commercial for Prince's spaghetti, a pasta that's been around three quarters
of a century.
Oh, that Prince.
Well, what do you mean in concert?
In concert with your Prince spaghetti sauce.
Prince the rock star was not amused and his lawyer sent a letter to Prince Spaghetti asking
them to cease and desist using the commercial and to kindly remove the name of their client
from Prince Spaghetti.
In the end, Prince found his sense of humor and, you know, backed off from the lawsuit.
Despite all the controversy, Prince's current tour continues to be a huge success and fans,
musicians and critics call him a musical genius.
In terms of being successful and being creative at the same time, there's no one who touches
him right now.
You can see his impact everywhere and I suppose maybe we've been maybe a little more outrageous
because of it.
Obviously to some Prince is incredibly sexy, a trendsetter in the forefront of style and
for others, maybe H.L. Menken put it best, nobody ever went broke underestimating the
taste of the American public.
But whatever you happen to think or whether you confuse him with spaghetti or not, according
to Forbes Magazine, over the past two years, Prince has earned 24 million dollars.
Now before Prince wore the crown as ruler of outrageous rock, Elton John was the king,
but now Elton has tamed his act substantially.
Yes, I'll sit with you and talk, let your eyes relive the game.
Superstar Elton John is back on the road with his Red Strikes Back tour.
This past year has been a good one for him with his new No Frills look and a new album.
Everything's been going very well this year, what can I say, it's worked out very well.
I've done, well, I've worked hard but the record company have been tremendous and the
dividends have paid off.
Gone are the outlandish costumes and hard rock sounds, fans are witnessing a back to
basics Elton John.
I'm singing straight onto the audience, not sideways, I'm in the middle of the stage for
the first time in my career, I'm not stuck behind something that's nine foot long.
And we're still easing our way into the tour, it's a very young band yet.
It's very touching to get out there and receive the amount of applause and the feeling of
affection that comes across is very rewarding, they're tremendous.
All of Elton's flamboyant costumes aren't gathering dust in the closet, they are money
in the bank.
He auctioned off his costumes and wound up with over eight million dollars.
Now in tomorrow's Inside Story, special correspondent Huerando Rivera investigates John Lennon's
extramarital affair with May Pang.
It started out as Yoko's idea but ended up taking on a life of its own.
Did you communicate with John after he went home?
Yes, we did a lot.
Were you still lovers?
Yes.
Did Yoko know about it?
No.
May Pang with a vision of love and deceit inside the world of John and Yoko and that's
coming up tomorrow.
And coming up next, Andy Griffith and Don Knotts, the Mayberry buddies are back together
and headed for court.
And ahead, Glenn Close, fresh from motherhood and happy to be working even though the characters
in her new movie don't smell very good.
NBC elected to cover last night's presidential debate live in lieu of the Olympics and it
proved to be an informed decision.
The network jumped up by almost a million and a half households over its early Olympic
coverage and continued climbing when the Olympics returned to air, easily winning the night.
And there was no debate from NBC executives when Andy Griffith requested pal Don Knotts
join the cast of his Matlock series.
The two were on hand at a press conference in New York.
Remember Andy and Barn on the old Andy Griffith show?
You're talking?
Of course, it bothers you how dirty the shot at, but it's scary.
The chemistry was pretty good during the five years that Andy Griffith and Don Knotts worked
together.
And now that Griffith has his own show, Matlock, the two are going to work together again with
Knotts joining the regular cast as Matlock's neighbor.
And I'm tickled pink.
We've been close friends and as close friends there is an automatic chemistry.
You couldn't kill it with stick.
Thanks, Alex.
You're welcome.
The season opener for Matlock, introducing Don Knotts to the series, will not air until
November the 29th.
Dead ringers rung up the number one spot in this weekend's box office estimates.
A fish called Wanda sunk into a tie with Die Hard for second place.
Cocktail, who framed Roger Rabbit and A Nightmare on Elm Street 4 were too close to call for
third.
Punchline is looking to pack a wallet at the box office when it opens Friday and got things
underway with a star-filled gala.
Sally Field and Tom Hanks attended the Hollywood premiere of their new movie Punchline over
the weekend.
Both stars play stand-up comedians, something they've never done before.
I never could do it.
I still can't do it.
I did what little bit you see, but by the hair of my chinny chin chin.
And I don't want to be intimate with anything that has a 90-day warranty.
It's an intimidating moment when you get up there now, he's a very funny guy.
He's a funny guy, you've seen him in these funny movies, and he's going to make a lot
of ladies into him.
And then you get up on stage, and you know, you have to be funny then.
What?
Do you have a question?
Your hand has been up as long as I've been here.
You're turning blue, Sam, why is that?
You're turning blue.
What's the...
Oh, good God, I'm standing on his arrow.
At a party after the premiere, the audience certainly appreciated the fine art of delivering
a good Punchline.
I tried it one time several, several years ago, and it was the most nerve-wracking thing
I've ever done in my life, and I never did it again.
Ten minutes on a stage with a microphone and an audience has got to be like ten years.
I don't know how anybody does it.
What if it isn't funny?
Tell me to talk about my life, but what if my life isn't funny?
All of our lives are funny, babe.
We're God's animated cartoons.
The premiere and party will benefit the Los Angeles homeless with a live comedy show taped
at the party to air on HBO October 1st.
Don Johnson chases drug smugglers around the waters of Miami in cigarette boats at break
neck speed.
So how does the hunky Miami Vice star relax?
By chasing around other thrill seekers at the annual Donald Trump powerboat race in Atlantic
City.
But these speeds really can break your neck.
Don Johnson was ready to go just before the race, although he was hoping for a little
help from Mother Nature.
We need a little more wind.
Was he worried about the danger?
Nah.
At speeds just over 100 miles an hour, Johnson and his crew of two ripped through the 157-mile
race course.
Watching from his $37 million yacht was host Donald Trump.
After just over two hours, the race was finished with Johnson and the Gentry team coming in
a respectable third.
We understand Barbara Streisand was to have joined Johnson for post-race festivities aboard
the Trump Princess, but inside word from on board said the two had an argument Friday
night and she canceled.
It was a subject Johnson did not want to talk about.
She's changing her on-screen image and her off-screen life, but Glenn Close is still
one of the most popular and versatile leading female stars.
David Frost journeyed to Paris for a profile that takes you closer to the real Glenn.
Just last year, Glenn Close was being called an Earth Mother personified, playing serene
and nurturing roles.
Then one film changed all that.
Daddy!
I'm not going to be ignored.
Glenn Close's bad girl image began with Alex Forrest in Fatal Attraction.
Now she's been in France playing yet another scheming woman in Les Liaisons Dangerose,
a story of perverse love games played by some members of the 18th century French aristocracy.
I think she's extremely naughty.
She's a woman with a brilliant mind and that was an intolerable position for her to be
put in.
So I think she decided very early that she would try to beat the system.
She would try to manipulate the manipulators and avenge her sex.
Close's character lives in a society where women are often merely pawns of powerful men.
Her ex-lover is played by John Malkovich and together they plot the seduction of a virtuous
matron played by Michelle Pfeiffer.
Would you have been happy living in France in settings like this in the period that the
movie takes place?
I don't think so.
Everyone was too smelly for one thing.
Glenn and boyfriend John Stark have recently become parents of a baby girl.
You look very serene and you look very happy.
Is it the happiest time of your life now?
I think it is.
It is an amazing thing.
I still look at her and I find it hard to believe that she's actually of me and John.
Do you plan to have more children?
I have no idea.
I can't answer that.
Do you plan more films?
Yes.
That's for sure.
And so is her humor, beauty and success.
David Frost, Entertainment Tonight.
Thank you David.
Her baby has been staying with her while on location and Glenn's only complaint, that
of most new parents, she isn't getting any sleep.
Kids do have a way of carrying on one's legacy and in the case of Abin Costello, the efforts
of two of their children will pay off dividends for all comedy fans.
Leonard Moulton joins us now to explain.
Leonard.
Well John, Abin Costello started out in burlesque when that form of theater was still a great
training ground for comedians.
Then they moved to Broadway and radio and finally to Hollywood where they became top
box office stars.
But now thanks to a new home video, we're able to see how Bud and Lou worked in front
of an audience when they starred coast to coast on live TV in the early 1950s.
Hey Abin!
Have some popcorn over here folks.
Have some popcorn over here.
The best of Abin Costello live is compiled from the team's appearances on the Colgate
Comedy Hour in the early 50s, kind of the Neanderthal age of television.
While the technique is primitive, it does enable us to picture ourselves sitting front
row center watching Bud and Lou recreate some of their most famous routines, including 7
times 13 equals 28.
Hey there, that's 3, 6, 9, 12, 15, 18, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28.
And others would participate in their famous word play too, like Charles Lawton.
Four score seven years, one father came to this community.
Not four fathers, we all had four fathers.
We all had four fathers.
Did you have four fathers?
Mr. Lawton, all these people out there had four fathers?
Do I have to be ashamed of this?
Among the fans of this material are the people who saved it in the first place, the children
of Abin Costello.
These are the only live shows that they did and they loved them.
They absolutely loved them because it was like being back in the old vaudeville days,
the old burlesque days and they always supplied a lot of their actors, were old friends from
burlesque and they just loved to do them.
Who's on first?
Go ahead and tell me.
Who?
The guy on first.
Who?
The guy on first.
Who?
The guy on first.
Who is on first?
What are you asking me for?
Wonder is the watermelon.
When will I be back on the tricks?
I'm going back to yap.
What are you doing Mike?
Back to yap.
How many?
How many boxes ofứ okay.
Why bishop not straindruck you.
Side podium only what am I saying.
He demonstrated all kinds of things.
He demonstrated things like he was Guo Guoatua and he was a goodpaid lawyer.
Maryine I think you were posting ho述o jh butteredpy.
Arre you got a paper curve, so what ab cortar you got it to
Costello are back at center stage.
I said I don't give a darn!
Oh, that's our shortstop!
I'll be back!
It's wonderful stuff no matter how many times you see it and this stuff you really haven't
seen before.
Incidentally, one of the best things about the video is the number of bloopers and fluffs
they make.
A lot of fun to watch.
It's called the best of Abin Costello Live.
It's on Warner Home Video.
Great, thanks Leonard.
He's guaranteed to make you laugh.
When we come back, the insider hears JRU and can't get into his own room.
Air transportation furnished and a promotional fee paid by Delta Airlines.
Delta offers you a choice of more flights to more cities than any other airline system.
At Delta, we love to fly at its shows.
Celebrating birthdays today, actress Melissa Sue Anderson is 26.
Singer Olivia Newton-John is 40.
Singer Lynn Anderson is 41.
Actor Kent McCord is 46.
And TV fitness pioneer Jack Lillane is 74.
Last night on his rounds in constant pursuit of truth and its consequences, the ET insider
was working by light of a full moon.
And has it that the ghost of Bella Lugosi appears on such nights at a home he once owned
in Hollywood.
Well, the insider waited as long as he could, but our guy Bella was a no-show.
There is a bad moon rising on the new season of Dallas for Larry Hagman.
Larry tried to check into his regular suite in the mansion at Turtle Creek, the posh Dallas
hotel, only to be told it's all booked up through October.
That JRUing himself was coming to town, cut no ice with the manager.
And Larry had to make do with digs at another hotel.
He went to the Crescent and he told the insider he likes the health club there better anyway.
So there.
Things may be out of control with Bryant Gumbel, NBC's man at the Summer Olympics.
Bryant has long been considered a tough guy to work with, but now things appear to be
getting personal.
The insider reading the current issue of Sports Illustrated finds Mrs. Gumbel, his wife, quoted
as follows.
I've long since stopped apologizing to company for his grumpiness and aloofness.
And Mrs. Gumbel, his mother, is none too happy either.
Note, I'm just trying to forget I have him.
Gee mom, the tallest of the tall were gathered in Chicago where athletes we have to look
up to gathered for charity.
ET's Newsreel was on the scene.
The Newsreel ball bounces to Chicago for the eighth annual NBA Player Awards dinner.
I gotta tell you man, basketball is my life.
Designed to benefit the mentally handicapped, the dinner drew big fans and even bigger players.
1'3 Mark Eaton, the Pistons' Isaiah Thomas and Chicago Bull Michael Jordan.
Back in Boston, a benefit for AIDS.
One thousand guests and two hundred chefs gathered in the Boston Gardens to cook up
three hundred thousand dollars for the AIDS and Comfort fundraiser.
I'm sorry that we missed the suckling pig.
That must have been wonderful.
In LA, Quincy Jones, Henry Mancini and the cast of 30-something were serving up their
own benefit.
A Sunday brunch to fund the Santa Monica Rape Crisis Center.
And finally, Newsreel page four, Paul Harvey in Chicago for a personal salute given by
the Museum of Broadcast Communication.
I've been trying to think of the right word.
I don't know what it is.
Proud?
My mother would be proud.
I think just grateful.
Alright everybody, as we promised you Friday, here it is, Mary Hart in Sterling Heights,
Michigan with Mary Hart.
A huge crowd convened at Sterling Heights Lakeside Center shopping mall to greet Mary
Hart and meet the next best thing.
Here she is from Utica, Michigan, Beth Forbes.
Beth Forbes beat out four other blonde blue-eyed finalists after her mother entered her in
the competition.
Competing against other girls is one thing, but Beth stood up to real scrutiny in a direct
calf to calf comparison.
Now what do you think?
Backstage, Mary asked Beth the big question.
Do you want my job?
I would love your job.
That's what I was afraid of.
Great life.
She'll be here tomorrow and I'm going back to Sterling Heights.
I'll have none of this.
None of this.
Be sure and come back tomorrow for our inside story on Mei Pang, the woman who was sent
to have an affair with John Lennon and the woman who sent her was Yoko Ono, Lennon's
wife.
And as we say goodbye today, Elton John with The King Must Die.
Take care.
Today Christopher Reeve is an embittered war pilot who finds himself in the middle of a
dangerous adventure with Rosanna Arquette in The Aviator.
But right now it's the controversial Occurrent Affair.
Next on Fox 25.
Tell the answer that her name was The very first to join