Bruce Vilanch
Also Known As: Bruce Vilanche
Biography: From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Bruce Vilanch (born November 23, 1948) is an American comedy writer, songwriter and actor. He is a six-time Emmy Award-winner known to industry professionals in Hollywood and New York as "the fat guy who writes everyone's jokes." He is likely best known for his four-year stint on Hollywood Squares, as both a celebrity participant and head writer for the show. He also performed off-Broadway in his one-man show Bruce Vilanch: Almost Famous in 2000. Since 2000, Vilanch has been the head writer for the Oscars, after being an Oscar program co-writer for the previous 10 years. He is a featured writer for the Tonys, Grammys and Emmys. Description above from the Wikipedia article Bruce Vilanch, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.
Department: Acting
Place of Birth: New York, New York
Birthday: November 23, 1948
Adult: No
Gender: Male
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Known For:
The Ice Pirates
Overview: In the not too distant future, where by far the most precious commodity in the galaxy is water. The last surviving water planet was somehow removed to the unreachable centre of the galaxy at the end of the galactic trade wars. The galaxy is ruled by an evil emperor presiding over a trade oligarchy that controls all mining and sale of ice from asteroids and comets.
Genres: Science Fiction Action Adventure Comedy
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1984-03-16
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Love Can Be Murder
Overview: Elizabeth Bentley is a successful lawyer who suddenly has some "punkish" daydreams of being "Rambo" right around the time her clueless boyfriend Brad asks her to marry him. After a therapy session, she quits her job to the surprise of her family and Brad, and goes into the detective business, opening her own private-eye office. Unfortunately, the ghost of the private-eye who owned the office still lingers and Elizabeth's the only one who can see or hear him. At first, she becomes an unwilling partner in Nick Peyton's unfinished investigation, but then she finds herself falling for the salty, but dead, guy.
Genres: Comedy Fantasy Mystery TV Movie
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1992-12-14
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I Brake for Caterpillars
Overview: Misdiagnosed with a terminal illness, a computer nerd dates his hospice worker, while suspecting someone is out to get him.
Genres: Romance Comedy
Original Language: en
Release Date:
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A Disturbance in the Force: How the Star Wars Holiday Special Happened
Overview: In 1978, CBS aired the “Star Wars Holiday Special” the week before Thanksgiving to an audience of 13 million people. Considered one of the worst shows in television history, it aired only once. George Lucas tried to bury it and an infamous camp legend was born. This documentary unravels the mysteries behind the most bizarre Star Wars spin-offs of all time.
Genres: Documentary
Original Language: en
Release Date: 2023-03-11
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Live at Mister Kelly's
Overview: The iconic Mister Kelly’s bedazzled the country by launching superstars like Barbra Streisand, Richard Pryor, Bette Midler, and Steve Martin. It smashed color and gender barriers to put controversial voices on stage and transformed entertainment in America in the '50s, '60s, and ’70s.
Genres: Documentary Music
Original Language: en
Release Date: 2021-09-17
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The Aristocrats
Overview: One hundred superstar comedians tell the same very, VERY dirty, filthy joke--one shared privately by comics since Vaudeville.
Genres: Comedy Documentary
Original Language: en
Release Date: 2005-07-29
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Eloise And Her Rawther Enormous Life
Overview:
Genres: Documentary
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1999-10-14
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Body Electric
Overview: With 25% of all body dysmorphic disorders stemming from the LGBTQ+ community, and 42% of all males with eating disorders identifying as gay men, filmmaker Nick Demos examines body image in the LGBTQ+ community, media obsession with youth culture, and his own journey to self-acceptance in his middle age.
Genres: Documentary
Original Language: en
Release Date: 2023-09-22
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Get Bruce!
Overview: Affectionate tribute to Bruce Vilanch, who writes material for celebrities who make public appearances, from Oscar hosts and award recipients to Presidents. We meet his mom and see photos of his childhood; in Chicago, he writes for the Tribune and then heads West. Whoopi Goldberg, Billy Crystal, Robin Williams, and Bette Midler talk with him and to the camera about working with Bruce, and we also watch Bruce help others prepare for Liz Taylor's 60th, Bill Clinton's 50th, and an AIDS awards banquet where the hirsute, rotund Vilanch lets his emotions show.
Genres: Comedy Documentary
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1999-01-01
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It Nearly Wasn't Christmas
Overview: Feeling unneeded, a disillusioned Santa Claus (Charles Durning) quits Christmas. Through the selflessness of a little girl looking to reunite her parents for Christmas (and the help of his bumbling chief elf, Philpot (Bruce Vilanch), Santa and the child travel across America and Santa discovers that people really do need him and care about other people.
Genres: Drama TV Movie
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1989-12-01
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Time Warp Vol. 3: Comedy and Camp
Overview: The final volume of Time Warp digs deep into what makes us laugh over and over again as we reveal the greatest cult comedies and campy classics of all-time. From "Fast Time at Ridgemont High" and "Office Space" to "Monty Python and the Holy Grail," and "Showgirls."
Genres: Documentary
Original Language: en
Release Date: 2020-06-23
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Studio One Forever
Overview: A documentary film about Studio One which, from 1974 to 1994, was the center of queer nightlife in West Hollywood as well as the staging ground for the rise of the LGBTQ rights movement and fight against the AIDS crisis.
Genres: Documentary
Original Language: en
Release Date: 2024-10-18
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Going Down in La-La Land
Overview: A fresh face comes to Hollywood to act in movies but only the gay porn studios are eager to provide him with work.
Genres: Drama Comedy Romance
Original Language: en
Release Date: 2011-05-01
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Scrooge & Marley
Overview: A modern day, queer variation on Charles Dickens' classic story of the holidays, "A Christmas Carol." On Christmas Eve, Ben Scrooge, the man who hates the holidays, is given the chance to begin again when he is visited by three spirits - the Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present and Future. Recounted from a gay sensibility with heart, comedy and music.
Genres: Family Drama Romance
Original Language: en
Release Date: 2012-12-01
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Sister Mary
Overview: Homophobic detective Mark Rima must "partner" up with the very gay and flamboyant Detective Chris Riant to stop a serial killing Nun from offing 5 band members otherwise known as "The Ex Choir Boys." But when it is determined that the detectives can't solve the case on their own, expert F.B.I. profiler Agent Peccant (comedian Ant) is assigned to the case. As the details of the case slowly emerge the police determine that that the "nun" may only be a silent witness to the grisly murders. The task force then turns its attention on the Catholic Church and a suspect group of Priests that have had a propensity for "cleansing the souls" of innocent young choir boys.
Genres: Horror Mystery Thriller
Original Language: en
Release Date: 2011-07-10
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I Am Divine
Overview: Harris Glenn Milstead, aka Divine (1945-1988) was the ultimate outsider turned underground hero. Spitting in the face of the status quos of body image, gender identity, sexuality, and preconceived notions of beauty, Divine succeeded in becoming an internationally recognized icon, recording artist, and character actor of stage and screen. Glenn went from the often-mocked, schoolyard fat kid to underdog royalty, standing up for millions of gay men and women, drag queens and punk rockers, and countless other socially ostracized misfits and freaks. With a completely committed in-your-face style, he blurred the line between performer and personality, and revolutionized pop culture.
Genres: Documentary
Original Language: en
Release Date: 2013-03-09
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Inside the Golden Statue
Overview: A behind-the-scenes look at the preparations for the live broadcast of the 69th Annual Academy Awards ceremony.
Genres: Documentary
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1998-01-01
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Time Warp Vol. 1: Midnight Madness
Overview: From "The Rocky Horror Picture Show" to "The Big Lebowski" and everything in between, this fascinating deep-dive documentary begins its celebration of the greatest cult movies of all-time discussing the birth of the midnight movie.
Genres: Documentary
Original Language: en
Release Date: 2020-04-21
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TMZ Investigates | What Really Happened to Richard Simmons
Overview: Investigating why beloved fitness icon Richard Simmons hasn't been seen for over eight years. TMZ speaks to the people closest to him including Bruce Vilanch, Suzanne Somers, Dr. Phil, and Simmons' longtime costume designer, Leslie Wilshire.
Genres: Documentary
Original Language: en
Release Date: 2022-08-22
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The Adonis Factor
Overview: Gay men and their pursuit of physical perfection. When it comes to looks and body image, gay men can be a pretty tough crowd. Men are visually programmed. And gay men have an appreciation for beauty in all aspects, whether it's other male bodies or just antiques. There's no doubt that attractiveness is key to a man's self-esteem and his impression on others, especially in gay life. The pressure to look good is even more intense in an image- driven culture where near-naked images of masculine perfection abound. Men are being objectified as never before. From super models and muscle boys, to bears and twinks to average Joes, along with experts in the business of beauty, "The Adonis Factor" is a revealing look at gay men's love or lust for all things pretty.
Genres: Documentary
Original Language: en
Release Date: 2010-06-19
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Breathless
Overview: Jesse, a small-time criminal, high-tails it to Los Angeles to rendezvous with a French exchange student. Stealing a car and accidentally killing a highway patrolman, he becomes the most wanted fugitive in L.A.
Genres: Romance Drama Action
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1983-05-13
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Vito
Overview: In the aftermath of Stonewall, a newly politicized Vito Russo found his voice as a gay activist and critic of LGBTQ+ representation in the media. He went on to write "The Celluloid Closet", the first book to critique Hollywood's portrayals of gays on screen. During the AIDS crisis in the 1980s, Vito became a passionate advocate for justice via the newly formed ACT UP, before his death in 1990.
Genres: Documentary
Original Language: en
Release Date: 2011-10-14
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And the Oscar Goes To...
Overview: The story of the gold-plated statuette that became the film industry's most coveted prize, AND THE OSCAR GOES TO... traces the history of the Academy itself, which began in 1927 when Louis B. Mayer, then head of MGM, led other prominent members of the industry in forming this professional honorary organization. Two years later the Academy began bestowing awards, which were nicknamed "Oscar," and quickly came to represent the pinnacle of cinematic achievement.
Genres: Documentary TV Movie
Original Language: en
Release Date: 2014-02-01
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The World According to Allee Willis
Overview: Take one look at award-winning songwriter / artist Allee Willis and you see someone unafraid to be themselves. Dressed in a cacophony of prints and colors, her signature asymmetrical haircut and famed parties at her real-life Pee-Wee’s Playhouse, Allee didn’t waste any opportunity to tell you what she was about. But privately, Allee struggled with not fitting established gender and sexual norms. She buried herself in her work, until true love manifested her ultimate masterpiece - self-acceptance.
Genres: Documentary Music
Original Language: en
Release Date: 2024-11-15
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Wrangler: Anatomy of an Icon
Overview: The outrageous story of 1970s porn icon Jack Wrangler, and how he rose to the top of the gay, and then straight, adult film industry.
Genres: Documentary
Original Language: en
Release Date: 2008-06-07
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Outstanding: A Comedy Revolution
Overview: This rapturous documentary steps into the dynamic world of queer stand-up and examines the powerful cultural influence it has had on social change in America. The film combines rare archival materials, stand-up performances, and interviews with a show-stopping lineup to present a definitive history of queer comedy.
Genres: Documentary Comedy
Original Language: en
Release Date: 2024-06-07
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Queer Duck: The Movie
Overview: Queer Duck and his partner of 18 months (a lifetime in gay years), Stephen Arlo "Openly" Gator, hit a relationship crisis when the fey fowl is wooed by a brassy Broadway broad. Queer Duck wonders if he'd be happier being straight, while Gator the waiter spills his problems to a compassionate Conan O'Brien.
Genres: Animation Comedy TV Movie
Original Language: en
Release Date: 2006-07-14
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Amsel: Illustrator of the Lost Art
Overview: The first in-depth profile of legendary illustrator Richard Amsel (1947-1985), detailing the artist's remarkable body of work, while chronicling an enigmatic life marked with personal heartbreak, celebrity friendships, creative genius, and a tragic end at the age of thirty-seven.
Genres: Documentary
Original Language: en
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You Don't Mess with the Zohan
Overview: An Israeli counterterrorism soldier with a secretly fabulous ambition to become a Manhattan hairstylist. Zohan's desire runs so deep that he'll do anything -- including faking his own death and going head-to-head with an Arab cab driver -- to make his dreams come true.
Genres: Comedy Action
Original Language: en
Release Date: 2008-06-05
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The Morning After
Overview: Failed actress Alex Sternbergen wakes up hungover one morning in an apartment she does not recognize, unable to remember the previous evening -- and with a dead body in bed next to her. As she tries to piece together the events of the night, Alex cannot totally rely on friends or her estranged husband, Joaquin, for assistance. Only a single ally, loner ex-policeman Turner Kendall, can help her escape her predicament and find the true killer.
Genres: Thriller Mystery Romance Crime
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1986-12-25
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Mahogany
Overview: An aspiring designer from the slums of Chicago puts herself through fashion school in the hopes of becoming one of the world's top designers. Her ambition leads her to Rome spurring a choice between the man she loves or her newfound success.
Genres: Drama Romance
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1975-10-08
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Spring Breakdown
Overview: Three women in their thirties head to a popular Spring Break destination and try to relive the Spring Break they never had.
Genres: Comedy
Original Language: en
Release Date: 2009-05-22
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Silent but Deadly
Overview: Senior citizens are being offed by a masked killer in their small retirement community.
Genres: Comedy Horror
Original Language: en
Release Date: 2012-11-06
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Funny, You Don't Look 200: A Constitutional Vaudeville
Overview: An all-star cast lead by Richard Dreyfus perform sketches celebrating the bicentennial of the U.S. Constitution, including new animation done by Disney.
Genres: Family Documentary Comedy
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1987-10-12
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Limelight
Overview: In a society obsessed with fame, validation, and social media, one small-town narcissist pulls out all the stops in his pursuit of absolute stardom.
Genres: No genres available
Original Language: en
Release Date: 2017-09-07
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Tru Loved
Overview: Recently relocated from San Francisco to conservative suburbia by her lesbian mothers, Tru struggles like all teens to fit in and find love, but her quest is complicated by sexual politics, closed minds, and closeted friends as she seeks to establish her school's first Gay-Straight Alliance.
Genres: Comedy Drama Romance
Original Language: en
Release Date: 2008-02-27
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Circuit
Overview: The hunky John is a closeted small-town cop who moves to L.A., where he is quickly seduced into the gay life of workouts and dusk-to-dawn parties. With actual circuit party footage and mounds of glistening and chiseled flesh, the pulsating Circuit is bound to get your juices flowing.
Genres: Romance Drama
Original Language: en
Release Date: 2001-10-13
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Pride: The Gay & Lesbian Comedy Slam
Overview: Gay & Lesbian Comedy Show Hosted by the Oscars resident writer for the past 17 years and comedy satirist Bruce Villanch, "Pride" the Gay & Lesbian Comedy show brings together four of today's funniest Gay and Lesbian comedians; starring outrageously funny comics Alec Mapa (Ugly Betty), Sandra Valls (Latin Divas Comedy), Poppy Champlin (Logo), and Scott Kennedy.
Genres: Comedy
Original Language: en
Release Date: 2010-06-02
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Call Me Claus
Overview: When Lucy Cullins, a successful but cranky producer at a home shopping network hires an actor named Nick to play Santa Claus on the network, she gets more than she bargained for.
Genres: TV Movie Family
Original Language: en
Release Date: 2001-12-03
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The Advocate Celebrates 50 Years: A Long Road to Freedom
Overview: Documentary exploring The Advocate's role at the forefront of the LGBT movement in the U.S.
Genres: Documentary
Original Language: en
Release Date: 2018-03-01
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The Drifter
Overview: A suspensefilled thriller about a successful single woman who, on a deserted road, picks up a mysterious hitchhiker. Once back in the city, "The Drifter" follows her every move. Every attempt to free herself of his harassment fails until the shocking conclusion is revealed!
Genres: Horror Thriller Crime
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1988-10-15
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Waiting in the Wings: Still Waiting
Overview: The stripper Tony and the naive enthusiast Anthony, two entertainers, destined for the big time, who are mismatched in a casting office from two very different online contests.
Genres: Music
Original Language: en
Release Date: 2018-06-09
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The Divine Bette Midler
Overview: Follow the career of the Divine Miss M -- singer and actress Bette Midler -- from the bathhouses to Broadway to starring film roles. This A&E biography tells the story of the Emmy, Grammy and Golden Globe winner through interviews with friends, family, colleagues and the superstar herself. See clips from stage performances and films, and learn how the star of such films as The Rose, Beaches, and Down and Out in Beverly Hills has stayed on top.
Genres: Documentary Music
Original Language: en
Release Date: 2005-01-01
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Oy Vey! My Son Is Gay!
Overview: Nelson and Angelo, a gay couple, decide to come out to their parents. However, when they do so, their parents find it difficult to cope with the news
Genres: Comedy Romance
Original Language: en
Release Date: 2010-06-18
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Annul Victory
Overview: Annul Victory is a documentary on the fight for marriage equality and the Proposition 8 election battle. The film documents the roller coaster ride of emotions in California after the historical state Supreme Court decision in May of 2008, finding it unconstitutional to deny gays and lesbians the right to be married in the state, and then the passage of Proposition 8 in November, denying gays and lesbians marriage rights, and “annulling” thousands of marriages. The story is told through the life and experiences of Robin Tyler and Diane Olson, one of the 14 couples involved in the historic litigation, with a look at some of the 18,000 couples who got married during the window of “legality” between May and November, with thought and commentary provided by a host of celebrities.
Genres: Documentary
Original Language: en
Release Date: 2009-05-02
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Fucking with the Stars
Overview: "Fucking with the Stars" fares less well as a send-up of the similarly-named TV show than as an opportunity for Coco LaChine and Chi Chi LaRue to do their comic turns. LaChine and crew go for absolute broke and end up being as much a part of the fun as the actual fucking. As far as prizes go, a chunky, silver spray-painted dildo that's studded with gewgaws may not be worth coveting. But the notoriety that comes along with being crowned star fucker is another matter.
Genres: No genres available
Original Language: en
Release Date: 2006-09-08
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10 Attitudes
Overview: A Jewish man discovers his boyfriend of 10 years has been cheating on him, and decides to embark on a dating spree.
Genres: Drama Comedy Romance
Original Language: en
Release Date: 2001-07-10
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Michael Lucas' Dangerous Liaisons
Overview: Lust, betrayal, murder, and deceit all come alive in Michael Lucas' most anticipated film to date. Michael Lucas' Dangerous Liaisons, based on Choderlos de Laclos' 1782 classic Les Liaisons Dangereuses (famously made into an Oscar winning film starring Glenn Close and John Malkovich), is a new modern-day twist on one of literature's most intriguing tales of wicked revenge and twisted seduction. Instead of 18th Century France, this X-rated version takes place in modern day New York. Featuring appearances from such notable gay superstars as RuPaul, Boy George, Bruce Vilanch, Graham Norton, Lady Bunny, Amanda Lepore, and Michael Musto, Michael Lucas' Dangerous Liaisons has already become the most talked about porn flick of the year. Celebrity cameos by: Boy George, Lady Bunny, Amanda Lepore, Hedda Lettuce, Michael Musto, Graham Norton, RuPaul, Bruce Vilanch, and Matthew Mariani.
Genres: No genres available
Original Language: en
Release Date: 2005-02-01
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The Fabulous Allan Carr
Overview: Armed with a limitless Rolodex and a Benedict Canyon enclave with its own disco, Allan Carr threw the Hollywood parties that defined the 1970s. A producer, manager, and marketing genius, Carr built his bombastic reputation amid a series of successes including the mega-hit musical film "Grease," until it all came crashing down after he produced the 1989 Academy Awards, a notorious debacle.
Genres: Documentary
Original Language: en
Release Date: 2017-05-19
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Jackie's Back!
Overview: A British documentarian profiles washed-up diva Jackie Washington as she prepares for her comeback concert.
Genres: Comedy Music TV Movie
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1999-06-14
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Gotta Get Off This Merry-Go-Round: 'Valley of the Dolls'
Overview: We look at why Valley of the Dolls is so beloved and appreciated, both for its "badness" and hidden merits. Valley Of The Dolls is considered either a national disaster or a national treasure.
Genres: Documentary
Original Language: en
Release Date: 2006-07-15
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