Barbara Walters involved in a stoush (again)

Earlier this week Barbara Walters spoke about the passing of her dear friend Beverly Sills. Now it is being reported that Barbara is involved in a brewing conflict over plans for Beverly Sills memorial service. Here's the story...

Fox News
Beverly Sills: BFFs Fight Over Memorial

Should opera legend and ultimate New Yorker Beverly Sills' memorial service be full of music or speeches? Should it be produced by the Metropolitan Opera, her manager or best friend Barbara Walters? And was Walters even her best friend?

These are the questions that threaten to turn themselves into an opera of their own. Maybe it will be called "La Travesti."

Right now, all these parties, none of whom get along, are jockeying for power. Sills died on July 2 at age 78, but the memorial will probably not be held until the early fall.

Chances are it won’t happen until possibly right before the 2007 opera season premieres on Sept. 24 with "Lucia de Lammermoor."

Chief among the agitators, I am told, is Walters. You’d think that "The View" anchor-producer-part owner would be more interested in finding replacements for Rosie O'Donnell and the by then very pregnant Elisabeth Hasselbeck.

But the word is that Walters wants to help organize the memorial and choose the speakers. She, of course, would be at the top of the list.

This is amusing to at least one Sills insider who told me, "Now Carol Burnett, that was her best friend. Barbara had Beverly on 'The View' as her best friend, but you know, that was her 'view.' It wasn’t so."

Last week, all the components of Lincoln Center — the operas, the ballet and Philharmonic — took out a full page in the New York Times mourning the loss of Sills.

"Did you see the ad?" asked my source. "Don't you think it's those people who will decide about the memorial?"

Aside from Walters, another Sills friend who is said to be eager to get more involved is Shirley Lord Rosenthal, once hilariously dubbed "bosomy dirty book writer" by Spy magazine.

Rosenthal, say Lincoln Center insiders, has her own ideas about how Sills should be memorialized.

"And they don't necessarily mesh with Barbara's," says a source.

No word yet on Burnett's participation, or if she'll even get to voice an opinion with everything going on. Ironically, Sills — a true New York institution — was all about peace and tranquility. But even she knew that nothing is ever over until the fat lady sings.

Not so witty article from a biased news source? You decided.