Adams, Cindy (Heller) 1930-

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ADAMS, Cindy (Heller) 1930-

PERSONAL: Born 1930, in New York, NY; daughter of Harry (an insurance agent) and Jessica (Sugar) Heller; married Joey Adams (a comedian and writer), February 14, 1952 (died, 1999). Hobbies and other interests: Collecting Ming, Sung, and other oriental objects of art.

ADDRESSES: Offıce—New York Post, 1211 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10036-8790. Agent— Mrs. Jane Dystel, One Union Square West, New York, NY 10003.

CAREER: Author and columnist. WABC-TV, New York, NY, newscaster, 1967-70; correspondent for North American Newspaper Alliance and Women's News Service; professional lecturer and fashion show commentator; conductor with husband of tours to the Orient for Northwest Orient Airlines, beginning 1969; National Broadcasting Company, Inc. (NBC), interviewer, 1970-73; Miss Universe, Inc., director, assistant to president, 1970-77; gossip columnist for the New York Post, New York, NY, 1981—; A Current Affair, Fox Broadcasting Company (FOX), cofounder, interviewer, 1986-91. Former model and cover girl; former war correspondent in Vietnam. Contributor to Good Morning America, American Broadcasting Companies, Inc. (ABC). Appeared on Live at Five, WNBC, New York, NY, Larry King Live, Cable News Network (CNN), Gossip Show, E! Entertainment Television, and Politically Incorrect, ABC. Also created a canine boutique named after her dog, Jazzy, and helped create a perfume line called "Gossip by Cindy Adams."

MEMBER: American Federation of Television and Radio Artists, American Guild of Variety Artists, Screen Actors Guild, Actors' Equity Association.

AWARDS, HONORS: Named "Professional Woman of the Year" by Yeshiva University, and "Woman of the Year" by Troupers (theatrical organization), both 1967.

WRITINGS:

Sukarno: An Autobiography as Told to Cindy Adams, Bobbs-Merrill (Indianapolis, IN), 1965.

My Friend, the Dictator, Bobbs-Merrill (Indianapolis, IN), 1967.

Jolie Gabor, as Told to Cindy Adams, Mason/Charter (New York, NY), 1975.

Lee Strasberg: The Imperfect Genius of the Actors Studio, Doubleday (Garden City, NY), 1980.

(With Susan Crimp) Iron Rose: The Story of Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy and Her Dynasty, Dove Books (Beverly Hills, CA), 1995.

The Gift of Jazzy, St. Martin's Press (New York, NY), 2003.

Author of daily syndicated column, New York Post, 1981—. Regular contributor to popular magazines and contributor of feature articles to Christian Science Monitor.

WORK IN PROGRESS: The Quintessential Round-Up Book, for Doubleday.

SIDELIGHTS: Cindy Adams is the well-known author of a daily gossip column for the New York Post. Adams credits her late husband, Joey, for helping her launch her career as a writer in the news industry. As a comedian and newspaper columnist, Joey Adams often traveled. It was through Joey that Adams formed bonds with her many acquaintances. Adams often wrote of her experiences in local newspapers, and in 1965, she published her first book, Sukarno: An Autobiography as Told to Cindy Adams. The book details the life of the Indonesian dictator, Sukarno. Sukarno was sold around the world and was published in several languages. Her second book, My Friend, the Dictator, is also about Sukarno, but this time Adams recounts her personal experiences with the dictator. Adams's book Jolie Gabor, as Told to Cindy Adams explores the life of the mother of the famous Gabor sisters. Adams's early books and an article she wrote about visiting the Shah of Iran impressed New York Post editors so much that they offered her a position as a gossip columnist for the daily paper.

Adams's next book, Lee Strasberg: The Imperfect Genius of the Actors Studio, chronicles the life of the man considered to be one of the best teachers of acting in recent times. Strasberg was the inventor of the "method" school of acting, which relies on triggering genuine, buried emotions for dramatic motivation. Dale Pollock took exception to the "chatty" tone of the biography in a Los Angeles Times Book Review, remarking that Adams's book is a "text-book example of how not to write a popular biography." However, Patricia Bosworth observed in the New York Times Book Review that by focusing primarily on the story of Strasberg's life, Adams presents readers with a "gossipy and readable account, full of anecdote and passion." Although Bosworth commented that this biography "consolidates rather than extends our understanding of Lee Strasberg," she admitted that the book "provides a fascinating portrait of an elusive and contradictory man."

Following Lee Strasberg, Adams coauthored Iron Rose: The Story of Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy and Her Dynasty with Susan Crimp. Together, Adams and Crimp tell the story of the mother of John F. Kennedy. Born to a Boston mayor, Rose grew up to marry a millionaire and give birth to a President of the United States. The book offers insights into the life of Rose Kennedy, delving into the strengths, weaknesses, and darkest hours of the famous matriarch.

Though Adams has achieved a great deal professionally, she joked on The Gift of Jazzy Web site that her "crowning life achievement" was "playing nursemaid to a seven-pound dog." Adams's love for her Yorkshire terrier, Jazzy, inspired her to write the national best-seller The Gift of Jazzy. In the book, Adams not only discusses her dog, but also her marriage, her career, and the loss of her beloved husband. A friend sent Adams the tiny Yorkshire terrier puppy to help take her mind off the sadness and pain she felt from losing Joey. The Gift of Jazzy is filled with amusing stories of how Jazzy charmed his way into Adams's life. Jazzy caused Sylvester Stallone to become angry with Adams because he thought Adams was yelling at him during a phone call when she was actually yelling at Jazzy. It was Jazzy's fault that Adams locked herself out of her apartment, forcing her to share McDonald's food with Imelda Marcos in the hallway of her apartment building. These are just some of the many stories Adams shares with readers as she learns to cope with the death of her husband and falls in love with the petite, pampered pup.

A Publishers Weekly critic remarked of The Gift of Jazzy, "Although Adams chronicles what it's like to be a new widow, she also recognizes the absurdity of finding comfort in a teensy dog." The reviewer continued, "This self-consciousness, mixed with Adams's descriptions of truly humorous incidents, make the book a guilty little treat." Book's Elaine Szewczyk observed, "the star of this funny book is Jazzy, whose antics Adams boastfully recalls with the delight of a new mother. . . . It's evident that the single figure in Adams's life able to rival Joey's comedic timing is the dog who unwittingly replaced him." Kathleen Hughes of Booklist expressed a similar opinion, writing, "In her familiar staccato style, the outspoken New Yorker relates the story of her glamorous life with her husband, his illness and death, and how this little puppy helped her through her grieving process."

The Gift of Jazzy propelled Adams's diminutive dog to fame and prompted Adams to open a boutique in his name. While Jazzy passed away on August 17, 2003, his legacy continues. According to the New York Observer's Frank DiGiacomo, Adams and her other Yorkie, Juicy, were so upset with the loss of Jazzy that they adopted a new Yorkshire puppy, which Adams named Jazzy, Jr. Adams once wrote in a Book Page article republished on The Gift of Jazzy Web site, "I took comfort locked in the warmth of this teensy creature who loved me as I did him. . . . The gift of Jazzy was for me the gift of life."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

BOOKS

Almanac of Famous People, Gale (Detroit, MI), 2003.

PERIODICALS

Book, March-April, 2003, Elaine Szewczyk, review of The Gift of Jazzy, p. 80.

Booklist, January 1, 2003, Kathleen Hughes, review of The Gift of Jazzy, p. 810.

Entertainment Weekly, October 24, 2003, Sumeet Bal, "Legacy," p. 20.

HFN: The Weekly Newspaper for the Home Furnishing Network, August 18, 2003, Michael D. Devine, "All That's Jazzy," p. 78.

Kirkus Reviews, November 15, 2002, review of The Gift of Jazzy, p. 1665.

Library Journal, May 1, 2003, Danna Bell-Russel, review of audio book version of The Gift of Jazzy, p. 168.

Los Angeles Times Book Review, May 18, 1980.

Mediaweek, March 3, 2003, Anne Torpey-Kemph, "The Westminster Dogs Show," p. 36.

New York Observer, November 10, 2003, Frank DiGiacomo, "Jazzy Forever," p. 3.

New York Times Book Review, March 16, 1980.

People, February 24, 2003, Lan Nguyen, review of The Gift of Jazzy, p. 39.

Publishers Weekly, December 16, 2002, review of The Gift of Jazzy, p. 54; April 7, 2003, review of audio book version of The Gift of Jazzy, p. 28.

Washington Post, March 11, 2003, Hank Stuever, "I Woof New York: Cindy Adams and Her Yorkie Prove that a Little Dog Can Go a Long Way," p. C01.

Washington Post Book World, June 15, 1980.

WWD, May 9, 1997, Faye Brookman, "Coty to Spread Gossip," p. 9.