By Maximillien de Lafayette

I thought it would be fun, nostalgic and informative to write a column on divas and colorful characters who shaped a part of our history in a most unusual way. Divas I knew in person. Especially,  those mega stars who were or are often misunderstood and or misconceived by the media and the public. In the twenty years plus, I spent on ink, papers and "manchettes", I had the reason, the means and the opportunities to meet a lot of them. I forgot a great deal of  and about those once upon a time goddesses of the screen, and a lot of fond memories and vivid recollection about what they told me or showed me,  I kept in my heart and across the bridge of my "souvenirs". Some caused a permanent imprint on my psyche, while others entertained me and confused the hell out of me for a while. Today, you and me will revisit dear and confidential moments I shared with some of them. And hopefully, you will get to know the real persona and character of the divas I knew, off stage, far from the glitter of the stage , the spotlights and red carpet. Those who follow the bla bla bla and adore Joan Rivers will label this column a tabloid, a gossips rendez vous. And those who dig deeper in the human fabric will see it and read it differently. For, they will be capturing an unwritten short chapter in the life and history of illustrious stars but warm, tender and unquestionably unmatched in their craft and personality...

SIMONE SIGNORET

I knew Simone very very well. She was quite different from her husband Yves Montand. Yves was flamboyant, flashy-dashy, arrogant, stingy, adventurer and by nature unfaithful. He adored women and had so many extra-marital affairs. Simone was down to earth, generous to a fault, faithful, a great story teller and a great cook. She donated more than $500,000 to orphans and underprivileged children without making a propaganda or noise about it. She knew about her husband's escapades, infidelity and paramours. But she approached that dilemma with wisdom, pain and hoped that Montand, one day, perhaps one day will come back to his sense. But Montand did not. Believe it or not, Simone Signoret was not French, neither was her husband Yves Montand. It is ironic, for the leading French stars of the 50s, 60s and 70s were foreigners, NOT FRENCH. Charles Aznavour (Original name Aznavourian) is  Armenian. Jacques Brel is Belgian, Marina Vlady is Russian, Yves Montand is Italian, Robert Hossein is Moroccan, Josephine Baker is American. Simone Signoret was née Henriette Charlotte Simonne Kaminker. She was born on March 25th,  1921, at Wiesbaden, in West Germany, and her father was a Polish Jew. So she was Polish.  CONTINUES ON P7