Liza Minnelli Stepping Out! 2015

Liza Minnelli Stepping Out! 2015

Monday, April 26, 2010

Caroline Rhea Hosts PFLAG Gala Honoring Liza Minnelli, May 1



Caroline Rhea will host the Straight for Equality Awards Gala honoring Liza Minnelli on May 1. The second annual awards ceremony will be held at the New York Marriott Marquis. Liza Minnelli will be presented with the 2010 Straight for Equality in Entertainment Award. This honor recognizes Liza's lifelong role as a Straight Ally of the LGBT community. Also being honored at the ceremony will be NFL Super Bowl XLIV star Scott Fujita, for Straight for Equality in Sports.
Tickets to this event are $300 for a general admission ticket or $400 for a VIP ticket.
Liza Minnelli was born on March 12, 1946 in Los Angeles, California to the actress/songwriter Judy Garland and Vincente Minnelli. She began her career at a very early age, co-starring with her mother in the movie "In the Good Old Summertime" in 1949. At the age of 10, Liza hosted the first-ever TV broadcast of "The Wizard of Oz", reaching a viewing audience of about 45 million people. By the time she was 19, she had landed the lead role in "Flora, the Red Menace". This Broadway performance won her a Tony for the Best Actress in a Musical.
In 1972, her movie career peaked when she played Sally Bowles in "Cabaret." The film won eight Oscars, including the Best Actress for Liza. The role also earned her a Golden Globe and a British Film Academy Award. The unqualified success of "Cabaret" put Liza on the covers of Time and Newsweek in the same week. Liza also starred in the first concert ever filmed for live television in 1972. Liza went on to appear opposite Robert DeNiro in the musical "New York, New York," directed by Martin Scorsese, in 1977. In 1981, she co-starred with Dudley Moore in the movie "Arthur", going on to make the sequel "Arthur 2" in 1998.
Liza added a second Golden Globe to her already impressive list of awards in 1985 wither her performance in "A Time to Live", a made-for-TV movie. Liza returned to the state in December 1999 to pay tribute to her father in a show called "Minnelli on Minnelli" at New York's Palace Theater. In 2008 Liza returned to Broadway with "Liza's at the Palace..." which went on to win the Tony Award for Best Special Theatrical Event, marking her four Tony Award. She recreated the show at the MDM Grand where her performance was filmed for a public television special and a DVD. The show's cast recording was nominated for a Grammy Award. Liza continues her extraordinary music career with ongoing concert tours in the U.S. and Europe, as well as recording a new album. Liza has also won a special Tony Award in 1974 for "adding lustre to the Broadway Season."
For more information on this cause visit http://www.straightforequality.org/.
Straight for Equality is a project of PFLAG National that was launched in 2007 to invite, educate, and empower straight allies to demonstrate their support for their LGBT friends and family. Since its inception, the program has trained more than 3,500 people nationwide through its educational workshops in corporations, healthcare environments, and communities. The Straight for Equality in Entertainment Award was designed to honor a performer and/or artist who has a history of advocating for equality for LGBT people. The first award was presented in 2009 to actress Sigourney Weaver.
Photo Credit: Walter McBride/Retna Ltd.

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