Melissa Rivers Movies
The daughter of acerbic comedienne Joan Rivers and her manager, Edgar Rosenberg, Melissa Rivers (born Rosenberg) grew up in the shadow of show business, watching from the wings as her famous mom perfected comedy routines at locales such as Caesar's Palace and the Golden Nugget. Raised in Beverly Hills, CA, Melissa received an Ivy League education, attending Penn after high school. Her father's 1987 suicide caused a deep-seated mother-daughter riff, though not estrangement per se. Meanwhile, Melissa established herself as one of the premier entertainment commentators on cable television -- in a triple role as a Rona Barrett-style gossip maven on the Hangin' with MTV segments, an MTV spring break emcee, and, in time, a broadcast journalist of youth-oriented material for both MTV and CBS This Morning. By the early '90s, Melissa and Joan mended fences and healed wounds -- an achievement reflected in the pair's joint professional accomplishments, when they began famously patrolling the pre-show red carpet together on nationally televised awards programs, and interviewing celebrities. The mother and daughter portrayed themselves in the 1994 celebrity docudrama Tears and Laughter: The Joan and Melissa Rivers Story. In the summer of 2007, Melissa began parlaying her awards-show experience into Internet work when she launched her own blog commenting on the latest in entertainment and fashion, with a strong emphasis on the Emmys. ~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide
A very special student deals with exams, first love, and national security issues in this teen-oriented romantic comedy-drama. Samantha MacKenzie (Katie Holmes) is a seemingly ordinary college freshman with one important exception -- her father happens to be the President of the United States (Michael Keaton). Samantha, however, would prefer to be as inconspicuous as possible as she begins her studies at Redmond University, so she asks a favor of her father -- remove the two Secret Service agents who follow her everywhere, and allow her to fend for herself at school. The president agrees, but out of concern for her safety, he sends in a young undercover agent, James (Marc Blucas), who will pose as the Resident Advisor at her dorm to keep an eye on her. Samantha and James strike up a fast friendship that grows into a romance, but when Samantha discovers the truth about James, she wonders if his love for her is real or just part of his cover. First Daughter was directed by actor-turned-director Forest Whitaker. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Katie Holmes, Marc Blucas, (more)
