This would have been great news in 1978:
As far as the rest of the world is concerned, Fran Lebowitz stopped writing in 1981 to devote herself fully to smoking. There's been talk of a novel, but there's been talk that the Yellowstone caldera may explode; doesn't mean it'll happen in our lifetimes. I had no idea she was doing "Law and Order" shows, playing a judge, but that seems about right; she was tired and annoyed when she was a young woman, and has probably gotten more so now that she's 60.
For those who have no idea who she was: in 1978 she published a collection of humorous essays - epigrammatic, short, brittle, urbane, and very New York. She was the toast of the world. She took three years to put out another book, which was more of the same but not as good. I still remember beginning the book with a grin of anticipation, only to feel it fade away. It's the curse of the follow-up album. Today the book seems stale and rather strained.
She also makes best-dressed lists, because she always wears a shirt with an open collar and a dark tailored suit and doesn't accessorize.
You can find a list of her quips here.
