IN the stress of daily living, like maybe falling over debris on a street being permanently readied for our Never To Be Seen Second Avenue subway, one might not realize that today, July 24, is Cousins Day. Who so mandated this, no idea. Not a clue. I only know Chase’s Calendar of Events decrees it. I, therefore, am prepared:
Sissy Spacek and Rip Torn? Cousins. Lauren Bacall and Shimon Peres? Cousins. Lee Remick and the Smothers Brothers? Cousins. Glenn Close is second cousin to Brooke Shields. Denis Leary, Conan O’Brien‘s cousin. Gennifer Flowers, a once part-time ladyfriend to Bill Clinton, said she was Gene Autry’s cousin, which is, obviously, why she knew how to ride ’em, cowboy.
Kyra Sedgwick was second cousin to Andy Warhol’s Edie Sedgwick. Bonnie Bedelia? Aunt to Macaulay Culkin. Madonna is a very distant cousin of Celine Dion — but, then, Madonna is very distant to most ladies.
In six degrees of separation, New England’s Historic Genealogical Society of Boston, founded 1845, puts John McCain of Arizona a sixth cousin to Laura Bush of Texas. And sticks Hillary Clinton as ninth cousin twice removed (whatever that means) to Angelina Jolie because both come from Jean Cusson of Saint-Sulpice, Quebec. Mr. Cusson is not around for comment due to the fact he passed away in 1718.
Pam Shriver, 47, and Maria Shriver, 53, something like fourth cousins. Christopher Plummer‘s father’s cousin Nigel Bruce played Dr. Watson to Basil Rathbone’s Sherlock Holmes — and if that’s too heavy, try this one: Martha Plimpton on cousin George Plimpton: “There was no Plimpton competition. We encouraged each other. People see the Plimptons as stodgy, but there’s this whole other Plimpton branch that’s different. We’re not all bankers.”
The Internet’s “10 Famous People Who Married Their Cousins” lists Jerry Lee Lewis, who married his cousin Myra. Not only wasn’t that the best thing to do, but she was 13. Next to that listing comes this one: “Gov. Rudy Giuliani married his second cousin Regina Peruggi.” While we know that was his first wife, we did not know that he’d become governor.
Obama could call six US presidents “cuz.” Very distantly he’s somehow entangled with George H.W. Bush, Dubya Bush, Gerald Ford, Lyndon Johnson, Harry S. Truman, James Madison. Other Obama cousins include, as you may have heard, Dick Cheney. Also Winston Churchill and Robert E. Lee.
Also, Washington’s chief of state, with his international family, is related to Hollywood’s king of the world with his international family. Somewhere along the line, Barack Obama can call Brad Pitt kin.
Per Burke’s Peerage, Colin Powell, whose parents were immigrants from Jamaica, is directly descended from a randy Irish baronet who diddled a slave and made a child. This straight line to the British crown means the general and the queen could conceivably go to family circle dinners together.
Pam Grier is Rosey Grier‘s cousin. David Byrne is the uncle of China Chow. Susan Saint James is aunt to somebody from “The Drew Carey Show.” Stephen Baldwin: “Our cousin Joe, an actor, lives nearby in Long Island and is definitely clan, but he’s thickset — he doesn’t have the Baldwin look.”
NOW to the late Merv Griffin’s cousin Marvin Hamlisch, who’s doing the music for a Jerry Lewis– directed B’way musical based on Jer’s oldie movie “The Nutty Pro fessor.”
“I felt there was a good run of Act 1, and a first draft should be ready to play for Jerry in October,” said Marvin. “Rupert Holmes is writing book and lyrics. Early on I got involved because I know Jerry, and when I was approached I told him, ‘Count me in.’
“I’ve done seven songs so far. Another six to go. I’ve screened the movie several times to find the truth inside it and slowly find the characters who need to say what’s in the songs. The core of this kind of writing is to be entertaining but true and to draw down to the fundamentals. A musical goes through such constant change and rewrite that it could be 2092 before it gets finished.”
Jerry’s not directed a Broadway musical before but, says Marvin: “This is his baby. He adores that movie. And he’s been lovely to work with so far.”
With Jerry in Vegas, Rupert in San Diego and Marvin in NY, the creativity goes on.
A MEMORY of Buzz Aldrin. Not long after he was the second man to wander around the moon, he was invited to a function at an East Side place that then held events and was called the Limelight. His secretary requested specific instructions on how to get there. The person who took the call replied: “You mean he could find his way to the moon, but not to the Limelight?”
Only in New York, kids, only in New York.