Joan Rivers and her daughter, Melissa, are used to sharing space on the show that brings them together as roommates, "Joan & Melissa: Joan Knows Best," and used to sharing opinions on the show that takes them to the red carpet, "Fashion Police." In preparation for the Oscars, the duo who invented the phrase "Who are you wearing?" open up about their best memories as well as the ones that make them cringe with regret.
[ Photos: Most embarrassing roles of Oscar stars ]
Joan admits she still wishes she could erase the moment she interviewed Oscar winner Anthony Hopkins. "I called his wife his mother. You want to kill yourself. You don't want to hurt anybody, and I said, 'And this is your mother?' And he said, 'No, this is my wife.' I thought, 'I am going through the roof right now.' You just keep on talking. He later got divorced from her [Jennifer Lynton]. I hope I wasn't the nail in the coffin."
Bullock at the 2011 Golden Globes.
Another awkward moment happened last year after Joan and Melissa had just finished saying that Sandra Bullock's heavy bangs made her look like a Pekingese dog and that her dress didn't work for her. Immediately after the show, they found themselves seated next to Bullock on a flight.
"She comes rushing over and it is a big 'Hello! How are you?' Kiss, kiss, kiss. And meanwhile we just said we didn't like what she wore," says Joan. "And it hadn't aired yet!" Other celebs skip the kiss, kiss, kiss. "Queen Latifah grabbed me the other day and said, 'B**** stole my look!' I realized she was watching the show," says Joan, who had taken on Queen Latifah in an episode and was flattered by the star's good-natured response.
"We don't take it seriously, and they shouldn't either," says Joan, who adds that she has the hardest time with Oscar winners who are rude on the red carpet and celebrities who are dishonest.
"Jennifer Aniston doesn't tell you the truth about anything! I don't like anyone that gives you the pat answer. For example, on a sitcom, you know they all despise each other, and then you hear, 'Oh we love each other.' You go, 'Next.'"
Others who have made her eye-roll list over the years? "Russell Crowe is miserable on the red carpet. Then get off the carpet! Don't be there!" says Joan, while Melissa adds another Oscar winner to that list. "Tommy Lee Jones. He's miserable and he is going to make everyone around him as unhappy on the red carpet as he is. Don't come to the party; don't ruin it for everyone else!"
[ Photos: Best and worst looks from last year's ceremony ]
Of course, they also have their favorites. "Leonardo DiCaprio is adorable and you don't expect it, or Nicole Kidman has a great sense of humor. You don't expect her to have a great sense of humor," says Joan. Oscar winners have even surprised them with very sweet gestures that the cameras never caught.
George Clooney offered Melissa his coat one year when she was shivering on the red carpet. Another year, Joan was interviewing Rita Wilson about "My Big Fat Greek Wedding" and Tom Hanks momentarily disappeared. "He went away and got coffee for us and came back. It was so adorable," says Joan. "He is a nice man."
[ Related: Tune in Saturday to watch the Independent Spirit Awards red carpet live ]
Over the years, Joan and Melissa have faced their own share of red carpet disasters, in addition to those they police. At the Oscars one year, Melissa discovered her dress hadn't been well-sewn . "It began to completely unravel during the course of the show. All of the seams started opening and they started taping me and clipping me together during commercials."
The two will be taking on the best and worst of the red carpet once again. Before then, catch them on their show "Joan & Melissa: Joan Knows Best," which airs on Tuesday night and brings mother and daughter together as roommates, revealing their life as it happens.
"Tuesday night's episode is going to be tough on me," says Melissa, who went through a breakup as the show was taping. Joan adds that she is glad to have these moments preserved for the future.
[ Related: Get the official Academy Awards app from Oscar.com ]
"I love to see the dogs. I love every time the dogs are in the shots," Joan says. "Great moments with Cooper [her grandson] are now kept, and when he's an adult he'll be able to look back and see 'that was so nice of my mother.' Or 'that was so nice of my grandmother.'"
And of course he may also get to see a few moments when his mother and grandmother have a little fun with the people around them at the award shows.
"You have to still be a fan to enjoy the Oscars and the red carpet. I am still a huge fan," says Joan. "When that door opens and out comes Halle Berry or whoever, I still go, 'Oh wow.' I love the energy of the Oscars."
Kwala Mandel is an editor for Yahoo! who works on special projects ranging from the royal wedding to the remembrance of 9/11 to the live-streamed Decade of Difference concert. She's contributed to omg!, TV, Movies, Shine, and News. Kwala has also written for People magazine, In Style magazine , Sunset, Fortune, and the Los Angeles Times.
3,647 comments