Joan Rivers was cheated out of a good ten years last week. The clinic where she technically “died” — and now thanks to them, is dead– is going to be investigated. Joan performed last Wednesday night, saw friends at dinner, and was in great shape. When she joked that she was 81 and “could go at any time” she was kidding. But did she have an inkling of something bad about to happen? We will never know. We’ve really lost a great voice, and one that has helped form American culture for the last 50 years.

I met Joan when she and Edgar started their late night show on Fox. People were afraid to cross Johnny Carson and bring them guests. But I had celebrity authors at the Atlantic Monthly Press in 1986, and Johnny wasn’t going to take them anyway. So I called Joan up, and she said, essentially, bring everyone. The two I recall most vividly were Paloma Picasso– they talked jewelry– and Peter Ustinov– very very funny with Joan.

Barry Diller was lurking around the hallways, and Edgar didn’t look well. His eyes were hollow. On one occasion we had dinner with them. Joan was also exhausted. But for a short time her ratings were good, and everyone was excited. It didn’t last long.

After Edgar’s suicide, Joan returned to New York. When she had her daytime show — this was circa 1989-90 — I was often a guest. Marlaine Selip was the producer. The show was a lot of fun and Joan won an Emmy. I was in the green room for a taped show when Angela Bowie, David Bowie’s ex wife, unmuzzled after 10 years, told Joan she found David and Mick Jagger in bed together. There were huge headlines the next day. It didn’t hurt that Howard Stern was on that day too.

Joan was a regular at Elaine’s. Barbara O’Connell, Elaine’s assistant, recalled today that Joan used to bring jewelry from her collections for the waiters to give to their wives as presents. Her best pals were Cindy Adams, and Judge Judy. They went to the theater together and out to dinner. A couple of years ago, at a party for Joan’s documentary (now so glad she did it) everyone turned out. There was a lot of reminiscing. It did feel like Joan had been part of our consciousness forever.

With Joan Rivers, there was a lot of bluster and loud noise if you only knew her from TV. I was lucky that I knew her a little, not like the inner circle but just someone she recognized and was happy to see. When she hosted the Johnny Carson show in the early 80s on Monday nights, no one was funnier or smarter, hands down. And what a great thing that Jimmy Fallon and Lorne Michaels brought her back twice this year after her falling out with Johnny in 1985.

If Melissa listened and learned, and I’ll bet she did, she’s ready to run her mother’s business and keep her flame burning. Joan devoted her whole life to Melissa. What a terrible thing she’s had to do. She’s lost not only her mother but her best friend.

The Kennedy Center has definitely decided to hip up its rep. This year’s honourees are the hippest group in a long time, a real nod to Baby Boomer tastes. Tom Hanks leads the list– a two time Oscar winner and much younger than many actors and actresses in their 60s and 70s who’ve been waiting to be tapped. But he deserves it, and Hanks is exactly the audience the Kennedy Center wants now. A very good choice.

Music stars Sting and Al Green are honoured. By the time of the Kennedy Center show, Sting will have opened his lovely and hit bound Broadway musical “The Last Ship.” Ironically, I’m told Sting got the news of the Kennedy Center honour while visiting his hometown of Newcastle, England. “The Last Ship” is loosely based on his childhood there.

Al Green is one of the great R&B stars of all time. His songs like “Let’s Stay Together” and “Tired of Being Alone” are classics. I don’t think he’s ever shown up to accept an award anywhere. It’s kind of an inside joke in the industry. Al likes to be paid for appearances. I hope someone can explain this to him. He really needs to be there.

Also nominated are two women of real genius: Lily Tomlin and ballerina Patricia McBride. I’ll leave ballet scholars to describe McBride’s achievements. But Lily Tomlin– wow. One of our greatest comic performers, actors, writers, thinkers. It’s about time she was bestowed with a great honour. Bravo!

Great choices from George Stevens and co. And as a bonus, don’t be surprised if Bruce Springsteen makes an appearance. Sting and Tom Hanks are two of his best friends.

What an irony! Just as Joan Rivers fights for her life, a movie about her sort of mentor is being planned.

A film about Phyllis Diller, the iconic and ground breaking female comic, is being planned. Producers Shaun Redick and Ray Mansfield of the Movie Package Company are producing, also with manager Heidi Rothbart and Alan Gasmer. Playwright Jonathan Tolin and Seth Bass are writing the script. No director has been announced.

Diller died at age 95 in the summer of 2012. She was quite a legend, and easily recognized as Rivers’ if not mentor, the trailblazer who made Joan possible. Rivers would pick up the ball and run with it, herself becoming the reason so many female comics soon blossomed.

Right now, a casting call has gone out for an actress to play Diller from around age 35-60. The film concerns her heyday years from the mid 1950s to the 1970s. This was when Diller was a staple on every single TV variety show, regular with Bob Hope and Ed Sullivan, with her wild wigs and caftans.

If it’s done right, and not kitschy, the movie could be a real awards-buzzer for some actress. The producers are looking for a star to play Phyllis but what they really need is a very solid director. Penny Marshall, you should come out of retirement for this.

David James, the famed photographer who took Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie’s wedding photos, tells me he did the job for free. James called me this afternoon from the set of “Star Wars 7,” where he’s the stills photographer. James doesn’t usually shoot weddings. But he knew Brad and Angelina from “Unbroken,” Jolie’s coming film with a lot of Oscar buzz.

How much notice did he have? “About two weeks,” he told me. And he really worked at the wedding. Even though there were only 22 guests, James and his staff stayed busy the whole time. “We were treated very well,” he assured me, but he was not a guest. He didn’t talk to the guests and didn’t know who they were really. But he did work for free, knowing the money for the pictures would go to charity.

To that end, this afternoon Brad and Angie announced all the money from the sale of the pix– upwards of $10 mil– will go to their Jolie Pitt Foundation. As I predicted. They are very good at distributing funds to charitable orgs. It’s a win win.

Joan Rivers‘ daughter Melissa has issued a statement this afternoon. “At this time she does remain on life support. I know my mother would be overwhelmed by the continued outpouring of kindness and I want to thank everyone for keeping us in their prayers.”

In the meantime, watch this classic video of Joan and Lucille Ball on the Tonight Show: