Names and faces

September 8, 2014 at 3:39 a.m.

by The Associated Press

FILE - In this May 23, 2010 file photo released by Starpix, comedians Sarah Silverman, left, and Joan Rivers pose during arrivals at the New York premiere of "Joan Rivers - A Piece of Work," in New York. Rivers, the raucous, acid-tongued comedian who crashed the male-dominated realm of late-night talk shows and turned Hollywood red carpets into danger zones for badly dressed celebrities, died Thursday, Sept. 4, 2014. She was 81. Rivers was hospitalized Aug. 28, after going into cardiac arrest at a doctor's office. (AP Photo/Starpix, Amanda Schwab, File)
FILE - In this May 23, 2010 file photo released by Starpix, comedians Sarah Silverman, left, and Joan Rivers pose during arrivals at the New York premiere of "Joan Rivers - A Piece of Work," in New York. Rivers, the raucous, acid-tongued comedian who crashed the male-dominated realm of late-night talk shows and turned Hollywood red carpets into danger zones for badly dressed celebrities, died Thursday, Sept. 4, 2014. She was 81. Rivers was hospitalized Aug. 28, after going into cardiac arrest at a doctor's office. (AP Photo/Starpix, Amanda Schwab, File)

Howard Stern delivered the eulogy and Broadway singer-actress Audra McDonald sang "Smile" at Joan Rivers' funeral Sunday, a star-studded send-off that brought together the worlds of Hollywood, theater, fashion and media. They were among the legion of notables who turned out at New York's Temple Emanu-El to remember Rivers, who died Thursday at 81: Kathy Griffin, whose edgy, biting comedy career was largely made possible by Rivers; colleague and friend Kelly Osbourne; Sarah Jessica Parker; Whoopi Goldberg; and celebrity doctor Mehmet Oz. Theater stars Bernadette Peters, Alan Cumming and Tommy Tune were there. Record producer Clive Davis was, too. Fashion designers Carolina Herrera and Michael Kors were there. Stars from TV such as Barbara Walters, Geraldo Rivera, Diane Sawyer, Kathie Lee, Hoda Kotb and Andy Cohen attended. Late-night band leader Paul Shaffer joined moguls Barry Diller, Donald Trump and Steve Forbes. Mourners lined up outside the Fifth Avenue synagogue and waited for their names to be checked against a list before entering. The comedian detailed in her 2012 book I Hate Everyone ... Starting With Me that she hoped for "a huge showbiz affair with lights, cameras, action" and "Hollywood all the way." Instead of a rabbi talking, Rivers asked for "Meryl Streep crying, in five different accents."

Chris Rock premiered his third feature film directing effort, Top Five, at the Toronto International Film Festival. Top Five debuted Saturday night at the festival, where it was received warmly by a boisterous audience. Rock wrote, directed and stars in the film, in which he plays a famous comedian trying -- and failing -- to transition into serious movies. Rock's last directing effort -- 2007's I Think I Love My Wife -- suggested some semi-serious, Woody Allen-esque ambitions. Top Five is an often broad, R-rated comedy. In it, he plays Andre Allen, a popular comic trying to sell America on a Haitian revolution drama, Uprize, when all his fans really want is for him to be funny. A reporter (Rosario Dawson) spends the day with him just as Uprize is hitting theaters and he's preparing for a reality TV-show wedding to his fiancee (Gabrielle Union). After the screening, Rock said he was inspired to make a movie about the life of a comedian by TV shows such as Louie and Curb Your Enthusiasm.

A Section on 09/08/2014

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