The Divine Miss M's Enduring Magic

For Nearly 40 Years, Bette Midler Has Entertained With Acting, Comedy And Singing

(CBS) 
"I loved the comedies I made for Disney. I just loved 'em," she said. "That little string that I made when I was their girl, I had a great time."

Her biggest hit, "The First Wives Club," was bittersweet, because it demonstrated, she says, what Hollywood doesn't understand about women.

"When we went back to do a sequel, they said, 'Oh, it's just a fluke. We're not gonna do a sequel to this,'" she said, even though she believes a sequel would have done well. "That was really the one where I realized ... they don't pay attention."

She even tried her luck with a television but, she said, "I didn't have the stamina for it." But Midler gave a memorable television appearance when she was the final guest on Johnny Carson's last episode of "The Tonight Show."

In 1994 Midler and her family moved from Los Angeles to New York, and driving with her daughter she noticed something.

"I used to drive up and down the West Side Highway taking her to school and I used to say, 'Oh my God. This is a pit,'" she said. "You know, the Greatest City in the World? How can you say that when it looks like this?"

The city's parks were a mess, so Midler decided that she would take it upon herself to help clean them up.

"I decided I had to do something about it because I feel like everybody deserves a chance to be in nature," she said. "It's a God-given thing. It's an important thing. You're in touch with your spiritual side when you're in it."

Midler founded the New York Restoration Project, which over the last 11 years has removed 1.7 million pounds of garbage from city parks. Her organization has also rescued and revived 57 community gardens in the city's poorer neighborhoods, with some big-time help from the likes of former President Bill Clinton.

Midler's annual Halloween gala, called Hulaween, is a New York tradition, attracting outrageous costumes and raising big money for the parks. This year she raised more than $2 million.

In a return to her roots, Midler is now releasing a Christmas album called "Cool Yule," which she said features fun holiday songs. It also features a rearranged version of Midler's hit "From a Distance."

"There are over 500 Christmas albums, over 500," she said. "So you can have Christmas with anybody you want. And I thought, 'Well, maybe my people would like to have it with me.'"

In the beginning of her career, Midler never had an imposter complex — or the fear that someday her adoring public would realize that she is just a normal person. But now as she is older, she said she is beginning to realize that she was very lucky.

"Because you grow up and you absorb all this information," she said, "you realize, oh, like anybody could get here, but it's me. I'm the one that got here. And oh, maybe I don't really belong here."

[kndny]

What an amazing, classy and gracious lady. I had the outrageous pleasure of actually meeting Bette backstage at Radio City after one her Kiss My Brass shows - - I have been a fan since 16 [I'm 42 now!] - - and getting the chance to actually speak with her, although I think I babbled a lot, was DIVINE. LH

[waffle1--2008]

Oh Yes!! I have dreams of the Divine Miss M. What is there not to Love about her. She has talent,wit,charm,voice,looks and a personality. She is the type of woman that men admire. I find her humor,intelligence,smile and charm very attractive.Through her life she has not come across as a snob. I think this was a very good interview and whish I could of been there to ask some questions myself. She is the only women my wife has to worry about me meeting.

[elgraz]

bushrocks1
You are in the wrong quadrant. We are talking about Midler not the idiot Bush. Wake up amigo!!!!
el graz

[elgraz]

She is such a beautiful and passionate woman and she is not even Italian. Love her.

[elgraz]

What a woman !!!!

[jb11120]

This was the BEST interview.
I have always been fascinated with the charming Divine Miss M and you did such a wonderful job showing her personality, passion and good works.
I also listened to "The House On The Hill," one of my favorite songs in the car coming back from out of town for Thanksgiving, and can't wait to hear her do it.
Kudos, Harry, for a GREAT interview.

[jb11120]

This was the BEST interview.
I have always been fascinated with the charming Divine Miss M and you did such a wonderful job showing her personality, passion and good works.
I also listened to "The House On The Hill," one of my favorite songs in the car coming back from out of town for Thanksgiving, and can't wait to hear her do it.
Kudos, Harry, for a GREAT interview.