Bernadette Peters, Still Gorgeous At 61



My friend David Patrick Columbia at NYSocialDiary ran this amazing photo of Bernadette Peters who was the special guest at At New York Presbyterian Hospital Weill Cornell Medical Center’s 2009 Cabaret. The woman is, quite frankly, stunning at age 61. This brings to mind Helen Mirren's infamous bikini shots at age 63. Both Helen and Bernadette have been crushes of mine for years. Perhaps the success of ABC's "Cougar Town" means that there is a groundswell in American popular culture for older, sexy, successful women. That would be nice, considering how Hollywood oftentimes forgets women over 40, even as leading men like Clint Eastwood and Paul Newman -- two of dozens of examples -- are lionized and still being cast as sexy romantic leads well into their 70s. Women over 40 tend see their film work evaporate even as basic cable dramas beckon.

And at the risk of sounding overly guyish, those breasts (Madre de Dios!)-- whether the work of good genes or the surgeon's hand -- are remarkable.