To top off this day of Elizabeth Taylor commemoration, here are four final videos where Hollywood's finest stepped out to honor the brazen screen star. The toasting celebs range from Taylor's costars and close personal friends to the class of modern stars she inspired. Yes, some moonwalking sneaks into the fun.
Paul Newman
This TCM narration sweetly encapsulates the dynamic between Newman and Taylor in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof and her legacy as a whole. Newman's conviction fills me with the zeal of Tennessee Williams!
Madonna
Lourdes's mother has often claimed that A Place in the Sun is her favorite film, and you can see why in this heartfelt speech from 1996. This may have been the official debut of Madonna's pseudo-British accent. Historians take note.
Michael Jackson
At the same event, Michael Jackson performed this predictably strange ode to Ms. Taylor called "Elizabeth I Love You." Highlight: the spotlit figure who pops up after Michael's shimmy.
Richard Dreyfuss, Julia Roberts, Cher, Billy Crystal, Sharon Stone, Jim Carrey, Martin Landau
This countdown of the silver screen's 50 greatest stars was a prime example of engrossing nostalgia, from back when AFI's "Top 100" TV specials were filled with fresh and fantastic interviews. I think Billy Crystal and Sharon Stone make the best points, though I like thinking about Cher watching National Velvet and whinnying gloriously to the heavens. (Click to 2:00 for the beginning of Taylor's section.)