Some People's Lives
These are stories that fans have written to me about how Bette has touched them in their lives with her music, movies and all her entertainment and charity work. |
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Bette Poem - Sofia Lotthagen |
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To whom
this may concern: As I grew older I realized more about my desire to learn more about Bette. I refused to ever let the video of "Beaches" out of my sight so I decided to keep in my room with my teddy bears and Barbie dolls (and all else dear to me). When I was five, my mother tragically passed away, much like the little girl's mother in the movie I held so dear to my heart. I was devastated, understandingly. I was told to move in with my 50-some-odd year old aunt, 60-year-old uncle, and two cousins (one of them being physically challenged). I was crushed in every aspect of my life. Only when I watched that one movie did I ever feel comforted. My family couldn't help me, only that one "melodramatic, sentimental" film would.Years have passed since then, seven to be exact. And every year I'd uncover yet a little more history on The Divine Miss M. And I'd also discover more of my interest in the field of refuge - acting.Now that I am twelve years old and have more opportunities as an actress I really required someone to admire. And still after about nine years only one name comes to my mind, and that is Bette Midler.I became further enchanted by this remarkable woman while watching the premiere of VH1's "Behind the Music: Bette Midler". Immediately I popped a blank tape in the VCR with the purpose of letting it not be blank. This woman, who has been my ongoing clutch for such tragic events, is such an inspiration to me. If there was ever a way to say what she means to me to her face I'd probably say the two words that pretty much sum it all up... "Thank you!" And thank you for letting me share my story. Sincerely, "To dream the impossible dream, To reach the unreachable star!" - Joe Darion |
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As a child
with many expectations to live up to, I find myself needing a way to express the
loneliness I sometimes feel. Other times, I need to courage to continue, and sometimes, I
just need to feel loved. The Divine Ms. M has done all of those things for me, and so much
more.At age 8, I saw Beaches in an old run down dollar movie theater, I walked out of the
theater in awe of this beautiful woman. She captivated me, and made me more motivated to
be the actress I had always dreamed of being. I went home that night, and wrote her a
letter. I begged her for some sign that she was real, and not just another stuck up movie
star with a ton of money and no appreciation for the people that got her there. I wrote to
her about my life, and about how much pain I felt. Months went by and nothing, just when I
was about to give up hope, I received a large envelope posted Disney. Inside was an
autographed picture of the Divine Ms. Midler. That picture has given me hope and the
knowledge that not all movie stars, singers, etc. are trapped in the "Hollywood
attitude."That is not all Ms. Midler has given me, but I think that's probably more |
I have been a Bette Midler since I was twelve years old when I first watched 'For the Boys'. When I was thirteen my father died of pneumonia and all I did was cry. I started listening to her music and it made me feel a little better. Bette was very instrumental in helping me move on with my life after I lost my dad and I wish that there was some way to let her know that. THANK YOU BETTE |
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Dear MTV, Can you imagine having people look at you and
call you hurtful names day after day, month after month, year after year? I have had to
face these hurtful people everyday of my life. For 16 years, people have been really
cruel. I have had very few true friends in my My dream is to be able to meet her and tell
her how much she means to me. She has made me love life and to cherish my talent. I no
longer wish I would die or hate the way I look. I know longer cuss God or normal looking
people. I no longer do any of this because of Bette. |
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Hi!, My name is Sascha and I'm 19 years old. I think that there is no other word for Bette Midler than divine! I just wanted to let you know that there is one more person, who loves Bette for so much. Her acting, her singing but most of all for her entertainment. "Diva Las Vegas" is simply her best concert-show's I've ever seen. It's the best Bette at all. She does that with so much talent, so much happiness, so much joy and so much dignity! She is simply the greatest and I would miss her if she stopped entertaining. But I think Bette is a person, who'll always be on stage or on TV if she wants it. Imagine Bette with 70, playing a filthy, old, bitchy broad in a Sitcom such as Sophia in Golden Girls. She would hit the heights again. She'll always be around. She is one of the greatest personality I know in Show-Biz. I just love her for sharing her talent with us fans. P.S. Your Bette-Page is great! I love it! |
How Bette Inspired my life.... |
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TO BETTE: What can I say to be unique? What can I say that you, haven’t already heard one million times. Do all comments blend together after awhile? I have tortured myself over what to say. I tried imagining I was stuck in an elevator with you and wondering what I would say to you, other than “how the hell do we get out of here?!” Or would I say that? I hate trying to pick out a few things to say to you that will help you realize who I am and what influence you have had in my life. Everyone of your fans dreams to be the one unique person that you stop to ponder a moment in your extremely busy life. Only few can express on paper how they really think about you. I just hope I don’t fail. Many ask me, “why do you love Bette Midler so much?” It is very hard to put in words without sounding mushy, overzealous, or just plain crazy. Many of your fans including myself use the word love frequently when explaining what you mean to them. What is it about you that I love? I love your talent, of course...a voice from the heavens. I love your humor.....sometimes because I think like you do and sometimes because you can say things I wish I had the guts to say. I love your style.....unforgettable, fabulous, and impeccable taste. Mostly I love your passion....about life, love, caring, environment, and future for the children. I remember finding a really interesting looking cassette tape in my dad’s work truck. I took the tape and popped into my tape recorder. What I heard made tears swell up in my eyes and I felt pressure in my chest either from joy, sadness, I can’t really say. The name of the was The Rose. I was only 8 or 9 years old with a mission. Who was this angel? I asked my mom to listen to the angel sing....and I asked her it was? My mom said, “Bette Midler.” Oh. Since I was so young, I did not know who this person was.....I new nothing of the Continental baths, TV specials, especially the move “The Rose.” So life went on...but I never forgot that song. One spring, one of my best girlfriends bought Experience the Divine tickets for me. I was soooo excited!!!!!!! I was going to the see the Angel sing in person. So in May of 1994 I drove to Raleigh NC, and what transpired has changed my outlook on life forever. I was mesmerized from the first time you stepped out on stage. By intermission, I was hooked. By your second encore, I was in love. I drove home that night with such a strange feeling in my chest I thought I was going to die. Imagine that??!! The next day, I sped to the nearest music store and bought 3 Experience the Divine CD’s. One for me, one for my friend who bought the concert tickets, and one just to have. I couldn’t explain how I was feeling to anyone....so I won’t even try. I just wanted to know everything there was about you.....what your opinions were on life, love, careers, etc. I went crazy buying everything I could find. ( I have spent an obscene amount of money since then!!) As I got to know more about you I found myself in a strange transformation. I did not want to be so introverted. On Aug. 13, 1994, I came home from school for the weekend. My mom, dad, and I grilled outside and had a nice dinner. That evening, my dad and I decided to watch Stella. So we watched......it was pretty late....we cried....we said good night....we went to sleep. About 3am, I heard my mom screaming..... a very bad way to be jerked from slumber. My mom was yelling that my dad was making a weird noise and would not wake up. I tried everything......frantically I called 911.....they came....they took my dad....he never woke up. He had has a massive heart attack. Point is....now that I probably have depressed the hell out of both of us....was that my dad and I loved each other very much and I am so glad that the last few hours we had together we were watching you. Thank you. Now, with that said......I don’t want you to think that I have been freaking out over my dad for the last few years. I have made my peace with how things happened. I will always have fond memories of my dad. Afterwards, going back to school was tough. I found the strength to go however, and it was very challenging. I had only a few months to finish my master’s thesis so that I could graduate. I have to admit....many late nights went by with me typing and listening to your music. I even acknowledged you in my thesis. So again, thanks. I am a high school teacher now. I have become more outspoken.......partly because I have to in my field of work and partly because of you. I like the way you tell it like it is!!! Thanks again. I look forward to your next endeavor. Your tour was Fabulous.....if I didn’t have to work for a living I would have gone to as many shows as possible. I also can’t wait to see your movies: “Isn’t she great?” and “Drowning Mona.” I hear you are thinking of retiring? Well, good for you. Please take care of yourself and your wonderful family. If you ever get bored (yeah right) and need to talk....look me up. Ha ha. I love you Bette. - Amy P.S. To everyone, sorry this was so long. "Ain't this my sun, Ain't this my moon, Ain't this my world to be who I choose!" Bette Midler |
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When Bette sings she takes on
the character of the song. She becomes that old women longing for the old days when people
cared about her life. She becomes the young girl from Cuba or the mother who gave up her
child at birth. I don't think that there is any one singer out there can match Bette
Midler when it comes to character. She is bursting at the seams!!! (oh when will she be on
VH1 Divas Live? You know that she is the only REAL Diva out there :) |
I have
always liked Bette. I remember when I was very young watching movies like Ruthless People
and Outrageous Fortune. My mom and I would laugh hysterically. I also remember hearing
WBMW and From A Distance and fathoming at the beauty and warm emotion in Bette's voice. It
wasn't until I was 13 that came to the full realization of Bette though. I wish to god I
had found out about her sooner. My friend and I were watching FWC one night and I just
totally fell in love with Bette in that movie. Her character was so real and it was that
way because of Bette. After that we decided to watch Beaches (which was always and still
is one of our all time favs) and we both sat there and cried our eyes out. That's when I
realized that Bette wasn't just an ordinary celebrity. I guess you could say that I look
at her as an act of God. She can stir up emotions in me that no one else can. I'm very
impressed with her as an actress, singer, performer and etc. But I am utterly fascinated
with her as a person. I love reading things about her goodness to the environment, her
family values and her outlook on life in general. I also find Bette as the epitamy of
womanhood. She puts up with a lot of BS in Hollywood and yet she sticks to her guns. And
she plays in her own arena. Not many actresses can say they have done that. She has
achieved so much in her life and that motivates me to put forth that extra effort and not
give in. She has had her ups and down, although she has had more ups, but she didn't let
the downs bring her down. The woman has got guts, and then some. I look at Bette as
natural and human in every way. From her natural unique beauty to her genuine talent. I
could go on forever about Bette. All my life I have been searching for someone to adapt to
and look up to. I'm very proud to have Bette be that person. If Bette ever does read this,
I just want her to know that she has my full admiration and love. And she will undoubtedly
till the day I die. |
I have to say that I met Bette
Midler on a park called the Cloisters, which is a park that is not far away from my heart.
She adopted when she moved back to New York a few years before, we spoke for a few
minutes. I saw another side of her that not a lot of people have seen, I saw the woman
without make up and a woman who was working next to a lot people picking up things from
the floor and collecting garbage to maintain the park clean. To me she represents a real
person and as one I like it even more now than before because she is who she is, a real
thing. |
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My story is small, but basically I became a fan starting with a day when Beaches
happened to be on in the afternoon. I was home from school, and my mom was watching it. I have liked Big Business ever since I was a little kid, and loved First
Wives Club when my parents rented it, but I had never seen Beaches until that day. I came in just to hear "WBMW" and said to myself, "I know
that song"...but I didn't know she sang it until then! Thankfully my grandparents had the soundtrack, and after listening to it for a while, I was hooked...on the soundtrack. Then one day I heard "From A Distance" on
the radio, which led to getting the CD, Some People's Lives, from the library. I heard "Night and Day" on the CD and recognized it from the video clip VH1 shows on Behind the Music. Anyways, after learning how to build a website, I established my website My One True Bette. For the rets of the history, please visit my website by way of the following link.
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Bette Midler was gradually becoming an obsession when I discovered a movie called For The Boys that would change my life forever. Until this day it is my favorite Bette movie, and nothing will surpass it for me. I just think that movie is so incredible, it is Bette at her finest. From beginning to end it is riveting and the lesson behind it has helped me a lot throughout my life. Bette always seems to touch me in so many ways, whether in her songs or her films, she's just incredible. She has that "certain something" that gets me everytime.Very few performers can do that to me and she does. And not only is she a roller coaster ride, making me cry at one moment, and cracking me up the next, but she's really truly talented. A star beyond many others.One day I hope to be half as talented as she is in show business. I'm a teenage aspiring actress and there are not that many great role models nowadays, but Bette is someone I'm proud to admire. She is truly Divine! Think Peace, |
No matter what Bette will always
be beautiful. |
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Like most fans my age (20) I
discovered Bette when I was 8, while watching Beaches. I remember it was summer and we had
cable, so after falling in love with her sassiness and red hair, I watched the movie every
single time it came on cable that summer. I think I even taped it to watch. Gosh, what a
worn out tape! But after that she was my most favorite person in the whole world,
and I wanted to be exactly like her. My love for her just grew and grew in the years to
come, and she was there to help pick my face off the ground on many occasions. Like these
in particular. I have met Bette several times in my life and
she still gives me hope and courage to chase my dreams. The last time I met her, was a day or two
after giving her the Divine Inc. letterbook and I knew she read my letter cuz she told me
to "live in your bliss and I hope you do everything you want to do." Actually
hearing these words out of the most DIVINE woman's mouth, who I brought to tears by a
selfless act, gave me all the reason in the world to never stop going after my dreams. I hold her in the highest respect, she is
exactly what I want to be. Her soul is so pure, you can see that when you look into her
eyes. She is so kind, and almost everything she does is a selfless act of generosity. I
want to be like that. She has taught me how to lead an absolutely divine life. I
just have to stop being afraid of going after it. |
