Evil Woman

OK, I admit it. I always found Leona Helmsley to be sort of fascinating in a "larger-than-life person you hear about in the papers" kind of way. (Come on, those ads were sheer genius!) But leave it to Cindy Adams to spill the beans on just what a worthless shrew of a woman the Queen of Mean really was. It seems Adams had befriended Leona during the hotel queen's darkest days and in return, Helmsley offered Cindy's ailing mother the use of her Palm Beach estate. Adams writes: I maintained a Palm Beach apartment where my fragile, wheelchair-bound mother went every winter, accompanied by loving people to care for her. Leona had a lavish spread nearby which, with all her problems, she couldn't visit. Although it wasn't necessary or requested, she insisted my mother use her facilities. This satisfied no need for us. It actually was bothersome because mom had to be transported there. Anyway, possibly motivated by a sense of control, Leona kept insisting. My little group finally went. When Mrs. Helmsley monitors reported to her that mom's small coterie of caretakers and their friends were gay, she went ape. She screamed: "Remove them. I will not have homosexuals in my cabana. Throw the whole bunch out!!!" Startled, reeling in disbelief, they began falling all over themselves to grab up their clothes and gear because Leona had actually summoned marshals. These marshals came onto the property and physically removed my mother. I never spoke to her again. It is unlikely that even in the next life I will speak to her. (Read Cindy's full column -- she's got lots more dirt.)