Sunday, August 31, 2008
Liza, Horseshoe Casino, Indiana, with the "William's Brothers".
Just a peek at LIZA & the boys, great number!
Friday, August 29, 2008
Liza Minnelli's show salutes her godmother: New Liza interview from the ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH Newspaper / STLToday.com, Friday, August 29th, 2008,
By Judith Newmark 08/31/2008
POST-DISPATCH THEATER CRITIC
08/31/2008Liza Minnelli is the only Academy Award winner whose parents both won Oscars of their own.But she doubts that genes explain everything. "If that were true," she laughed, "wouldn't things be different for Frank Sinatra Jr.?"But in the nature-vs.-nurture debate, Minnelli does all right on the nurture side, too. Her parents, entertainment legend Judy Garland and celebrated movie director Vincente Minnelli, knew everybody — and they introduced their daughter.The great lyricist Ira Gershwin was her godfather; her godmother was writer and performer Kay Thompson, of "Eloise" fame. Composer Richard Rodgers and lyricist Oscar Hammerstein II bestowed the slightly misspelled name "Ensign Lisa Minelli" on one of the nurses in the chorus of their 1949 smash hit, "South Pacific." "They were just the neighbors," Minnelli says now.A superstar since the 1970s, a fashion icon in sequins and a jet-black gamine coif, a long-reliable source of tabloid gossip, Minnelli was born famous. Then she lived up to the legacy. She got an early start. Minnelli made her screen debut at 3, playing her mother's daughter in a 1949 costume musical, "In the Good Old Summertime."
POST-DISPATCH THEATER CRITIC
08/31/2008Liza Minnelli is the only Academy Award winner whose parents both won Oscars of their own.But she doubts that genes explain everything. "If that were true," she laughed, "wouldn't things be different for Frank Sinatra Jr.?"But in the nature-vs.-nurture debate, Minnelli does all right on the nurture side, too. Her parents, entertainment legend Judy Garland and celebrated movie director Vincente Minnelli, knew everybody — and they introduced their daughter.The great lyricist Ira Gershwin was her godfather; her godmother was writer and performer Kay Thompson, of "Eloise" fame. Composer Richard Rodgers and lyricist Oscar Hammerstein II bestowed the slightly misspelled name "Ensign Lisa Minelli" on one of the nurses in the chorus of their 1949 smash hit, "South Pacific." "They were just the neighbors," Minnelli says now.A superstar since the 1970s, a fashion icon in sequins and a jet-black gamine coif, a long-reliable source of tabloid gossip, Minnelli was born famous. Then she lived up to the legacy. She got an early start. Minnelli made her screen debut at 3, playing her mother's daughter in a 1949 costume musical, "In the Good Old Summertime."
But it was not love at first take."When I was a kid, I thought my parents' jobs were boring," Minnelli recalled in a telephone interview. "You always had to be so quiet on the set!"I liked to hang out in the dance studio instead and watch the dancers." All that movement and energy suited her temperament and her little-girl dreams: She wanted to be an ice skater.
When she was in her teens, however, her father took her with him to New York, treating her to night after night of Broadway shows. One of them, "Bye Bye Birdie," knocked her out. "It must have already been up for a while, because I didn't even see Chita (Rivera) in it," Minnelli said. (Years later, they co-starred in another Broadway show, "The Rink.") "I just loved it and I thought, yes! This is what I want to do. I knew I belonged on Broadway."Minnelli also has a vague memory of an earlier influential show, sitting on her mother's lap at a nightclub to watch her "tall, slim, simply beautiful" godmother do her act.Today, Thompson is probably best remembered for her stories about an impish girl who lives at the Plaza Hotel — a character long rumored to be partly based on little Liza Minnelli. (Minnelli has her doubts. "When we were in New York instead of at home in California, we always stayed at the Plaza," she concedes. "But I think all kids like to play with hotel mail chutes.")During her long career, however, Thompson was a popular performer in clubs and on radio. She made some movies, too, playing a character based on famed Vogue editor Diana Vreeland in the Audrey Hepburn/Fred Astaire classic "Funny Face." Furthermore, Minnelli points out, she was a terrific music arranger and perhaps the most esteemed singing coach in Hollywood. "Talk to people in music and look at the respect you see in their faces just at the mention of Kay's name," Minnelli said. "She taught everybody at MGM to sing."Now Minnelli salutes her godmother in a solo concert that showcases her own signature songs ("Cabaret," "All That Jazz," "New York, New York") in the first half, then turns to Thompson's material in the second.The show may be Broadway-bound. ("I can't confirm that yet," Minnelli says. But she doesn't even try to keep the optimism out of her bubbling, distinctive voice.) Next month, it opens Lindenwood University's new performing arts center in St. Charles.Thompson actually grew up close by, in St. Louis. After graduating from Soldan High School, she embarked on a show-business career that eventually led to Hollywood. There, she worked on such movies as 1944's "The Ziegfeld Follies" — starring Judy Garland, directed by Vincente Minnelli. The friendship extended into another generation: Thompson, in her last years, shared Minnelli's Manhattan apartment. "I didn't want her to be alone," Minnelli said. "She was a huge influence on me."Indeed, the entertainment world that nurtured her may be the most stable force in Minnelli's stormy personal life. Her fourth marriage to David Gest, which featured all kinds of bizarre charges and counter-charges, finally stopped being tabloid fodder when they agreed last year to drop their various complaints and proceed with a no-fault divorce. Her many stints in rehab for substance abuse have of course inspired comparisons to her mother, who suffered from the same kinds of problems and died from an overdose. It could have been an all-too-typical, second-generation show-biz story — except for the work. Minnelli's always been good at it, and she's always gone back to it. It seems to mean stability to her.And young as she was, she was right about Broadway: She did belong there. Her status as triple-threat powerhouse has been acknowledged with three Tony awards. She won the first, for the musical "Flora the Red Menace," when she was just 19 years old. In the movies, she's played all kinds of characters, from the eccentric teenager of "The Sterile Cuckoo" to the down-to-earth waitress who wins a millionaire's love in "Arthur." But her biggest screen triumph was undoubtedly "Cabaret," the brilliant Kander and Ebb musical about Germany in the 1930s.With her bowler hat and garters, her scissor-legged dance style and her shattering delivery of the title song, Minnelli's performance as Sally Bowles became an icon of decadence — and brought her the 1972 Oscar for best actress.She and "Cabaret" director/choreographer Bob Fosse quickly teamed up for a dazzling song-and-dance TV special, "Liza with a Z." (She got an Emmy for that one.) More recently, she charmed a new TV audience as the dizzy Lucille 2 in the cult comedy hit "Arrested Development."Then there are the recordings, the concerts, the club appearances. Add it up and it's a heavyweight résumé — but you don't take your résumé onstage. Dashing off to another rehearsal, Minnelli said that she's never worked as hard on anything as she's worked on her current Thompson show. "It has to be just perfect," she said, "because Kay was." jnewmark@post-dispatch.com 314-340-8243
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
Liza Minnelli Performs at Birdland's Cast Party
Photos by Derek Storm/Retna Ltd.
Monday nights might be dark on Broadway, but the stars certainly light up the stage at Birdland on their off nights! Jim Caruso's Cast Party has seen it's share of celeb-studded evenings, but on Monday, August 26, the club was jam-packed with showbiz royalty, all entertaining each other at the concert grand piano. Liza Minnelli brought the sold-out room to pin-drop silence with the Aznavour standard "You've Let Yourself Go," then launched into a duet with Billy Stritch of "I Can't Give You Anything But Love," dedicated to pal Mary-Louise Parker, who was also in the crowd. The new cast of Altar Boyz entertained everyone with one of their signature numbers, with composer Gary Adler at the piano. LaLa Brooks, who was the lead singer for The Crystals, sang her 1963 hit "Da Doo Ron Ron!" Manhattan Transfer alum Laurel Masse showed off a swingin' piece from her upcoming Broadway at Birdland concert. Josh Grisetti and Emily Shoolin performed a hilarious song from the York Theatre production of Enter Laughing. Broadway beauty Luba Mason performed "All That Jazz," and announced her Birdland debut to launch the upcoming Brazilian cd, "Krazy Love."
Jim Caruso's Cast Party takes place every Monday night at 9:30. Birdland is at 315 West 44 Street, NYC. Call 212-581-3080 for reservations. There is a $10 cover and $10 food/drink minimum.
Sunday, August 24, 2008
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
Sunday, August 17, 2008
Saturday, August 16, 2008
Thursday, August 14, 2008
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
Minnelli set for RTH return
Slew of big names to hit T.O. in 2008-09
By JASON MACNEIL, SUN MEDIA
Liza is coming.
Legendary singer Liza Minnelli is one of the bigger names confirmed for the 2008-09 season announced by The Corporation of Massey Hall and Roy Thomson Hall yesterday.
Minnelli performs at Roy Thomson Hall Mar. 2 (tickets $189.50, $59.50), her first visit to the venue since a four-night run there 26 years ago.
Legendary singer Liza Minnelli is one of the bigger names confirmed for the 2008-09 season announced by The Corporation of Massey Hall and Roy Thomson Hall yesterday.
Minnelli performs at Roy Thomson Hall Mar. 2 (tickets $189.50, $59.50), her first visit to the venue since a four-night run there 26 years ago.
Monday, August 11, 2008
LESS -- AND MUCH MORE -- OF LIZA
Follow Spot
by Michael Portantiere
Boasting of having recently lost 45 pounds, Liza Minnelli looked "terrific!" in the concert she gave in Coney Island's Seaside Park last Thursday, with Christopher Cross (of "Arthur's Theme" fame) as her opening act. Although she was jet lagged and seemed to be in pain of some sort, Liza also sounded great -- better, in fact, than I've heard on any occasion during the past 15 years or so. Lovingly supported by musical director Billy Stritch and a 12-piece band, she wowed the fan-filled crowd with "My Own Best Friend," "Cabaret, "Maybe This Time," "Ring Them Bells," "New York, New York," and other selections from her stack of hits, plus "Teach Me Tonight," "What Did I Have That I Don't Have?", "My Ship / The Man I Love," and several more gems. Here are a few photos of the indomitable Miss M. doing her amazing stuff.
Posted by Michael Portantiere on Monday, August 11, 2008 Item Link
Saturday, August 9, 2008
Friday, August 8, 2008
Liza Minnelli to open Lindenwood Center
By Judith Newmark
ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH
08/07/2008Liza Minnelli, an entertainer famed for her Oscar-, Tony- and Grammy-winning performances, will open the new Lindenwood Center for the Fine & Performing Arts with a solo concert at 7:30 p.m. on Sept. 11 and 12.Her concert includes some of her biggest hits - "All That Jazz," "Cabaret," "New York, New York" - as well as a tribute to her godmother, the late Kay Thompson.
An actress and singer who came from St. Louis, Thompson is probably best known as the author of the "Eloise" books about a little girl who lives in the Plaza Hotel. Minnelli’s parents, of course, were film star Judy Garland and the celebrated director Vincent Minnelli. The Lindenwood Center, 2300 West Clay Avenue in St. Charles, is a $32-million addition to Lindenwood University. Tickets for "Liza Minnelli in Concert" go on sale Monday at telecharge.com ( 800-447-7400 ). The cost $125 to $200; tickets for most shows will range from $25-$75. For information about all the Lindenwood programs, including schedules and ticket prices, call the box office ( 636-949-4433 ) or visit lindenwoodcenter.com online.
ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH
08/07/2008Liza Minnelli, an entertainer famed for her Oscar-, Tony- and Grammy-winning performances, will open the new Lindenwood Center for the Fine & Performing Arts with a solo concert at 7:30 p.m. on Sept. 11 and 12.Her concert includes some of her biggest hits - "All That Jazz," "Cabaret," "New York, New York" - as well as a tribute to her godmother, the late Kay Thompson.
An actress and singer who came from St. Louis, Thompson is probably best known as the author of the "Eloise" books about a little girl who lives in the Plaza Hotel. Minnelli’s parents, of course, were film star Judy Garland and the celebrated director Vincent Minnelli. The Lindenwood Center, 2300 West Clay Avenue in St. Charles, is a $32-million addition to Lindenwood University. Tickets for "Liza Minnelli in Concert" go on sale Monday at telecharge.com ( 800-447-7400 ). The cost $125 to $200; tickets for most shows will range from $25-$75. For information about all the Lindenwood programs, including schedules and ticket prices, call the box office ( 636-949-4433 ) or visit lindenwoodcenter.com online.
LIZA INTERVIEW - TIME OUT MAGAZINE , Aug 7
Backstage with…Liza Minnelli
You’ve played some iconic New York stages: Radio City Music Hall, the Palace, Carnegie Hall. So what brings you back to Coney Island for a free show?It’s the spirit of the whole thing. You know, everybody’s so happy, and summer is a time of vacation—so maybe people don’t have to be at work the next day and are just ready to have a good time. I used to go to Coney Island as a kid… [Pauses, adopts sad tone] but that’s all gone now, right?
Actually, most of it’s there at least for the rest of the season. The Cyclone and the Wonder Wheel are staying put, and Nathan’s, of course.Oh, far out! I love going to Nathan’s for a=2 0hot dog, with the works!
Nathan’s hot dogs are a great source of protein; a gal’s gotta keep up her energy somehow.And there’s so much dancing in this show! [Laughs] A whole section is based on my godmother, Kay Thompson. She was the best musician anybody had ever met: She changed the sound of music and harmonies; she starred in movies and a nightclub act that knocked everybody’s socks off; she was the [musical director] of MGM and a huge radio star. She had a real Renaissance life. A lot of the music that my godmother did I do in my show, so I jump around quite a bit.
What songs of hers will you do?Well, she was in Funny Face and she sang “Clap Your Hands” with Astaire. And there’s one song of hers that I just love an arrangement of which is, um… [Sings] “Won’t you come and go with me to the Mississippi.” You know, “Basin Street Blues.” We’ll do those for sure.
Are there any songs you feel obligated to sing but you’d rather say, “Oh, the hell with it”?Oh, no! That sounds awful, that’s like spitting in God’s eye! I mean, I’m so lucky. I just feel blessed that I can go on the stage and go in the studio. It’s a rare career I have.
Aside from your godmother, whom do you listen to when you feel like just putting on a record?Maroon 5, Ella Fitzgerald, Tony Bennett. There’s some good rock & roll going around—I’m on a couple of those albums! And then I’ll listen to classical music. I think music illustrates one’s heart. The last thing I listened to on my iPod was this wonderful writer singing a blues song called “A Very Dirty Shade of Blue.” It’s funny! [Giggles]
It’s interesting that you should perform the music of another member of your family circle. Do you find any difference between strictly your fans and those who discovered you through your lineage?You know, they may come for one reason, but they leave with another. As Fred Ebb said, “Whatever brings ’em in, you shouldn’t worry about it. It’s what they think when they go out that’s your problem!”
Liza Minnelli plays the Seaside Summer Concert Series Thu 7.
— Erin Meister
Actually, most of it’s there at least for the rest of the season. The Cyclone and the Wonder Wheel are staying put, and Nathan’s, of course.Oh, far out! I love going to Nathan’s for a=2 0hot dog, with the works!
Nathan’s hot dogs are a great source of protein; a gal’s gotta keep up her energy somehow.And there’s so much dancing in this show! [Laughs] A whole section is based on my godmother, Kay Thompson. She was the best musician anybody had ever met: She changed the sound of music and harmonies; she starred in movies and a nightclub act that knocked everybody’s socks off; she was the [musical director] of MGM and a huge radio star. She had a real Renaissance life. A lot of the music that my godmother did I do in my show, so I jump around quite a bit.
What songs of hers will you do?Well, she was in Funny Face and she sang “Clap Your Hands” with Astaire. And there’s one song of hers that I just love an arrangement of which is, um… [Sings] “Won’t you come and go with me to the Mississippi.” You know, “Basin Street Blues.” We’ll do those for sure.
Are there any songs you feel obligated to sing but you’d rather say, “Oh, the hell with it”?Oh, no! That sounds awful, that’s like spitting in God’s eye! I mean, I’m so lucky. I just feel blessed that I can go on the stage and go in the studio. It’s a rare career I have.
Aside from your godmother, whom do you listen to when you feel like just putting on a record?Maroon 5, Ella Fitzgerald, Tony Bennett. There’s some good rock & roll going around—I’m on a couple of those albums! And then I’ll listen to classical music. I think music illustrates one’s heart. The last thing I listened to on my iPod was this wonderful writer singing a blues song called “A Very Dirty Shade of Blue.” It’s funny! [Giggles]
It’s interesting that you should perform the music of another member of your family circle. Do you find any difference between strictly your fans and those who discovered you through your lineage?You know, they may come for one reason, but they leave with another. As Fred Ebb said, “Whatever brings ’em in, you shouldn’t worry about it. It’s what they think when they go out that’s your problem!”
Liza Minnelli plays the Seaside Summer Concert Series Thu 7.
— Erin Meister
Liza Minnelli hits Coney Island in free show
By JOE DZIEMIANOWICZ
Thursday, August 7th 2008, 4:00 AM
Thursday, August 7th 2008, 4:00 AM
Life is a cabaret. So is Asser Levy Park in Brighton Beach, where Liza Minnelli performs a free concert Thursday night at 7:30. It's the third year Liza with a Z has sung in the Seaside Concert Series. She shares the bill with opening act Christopher Cross.
The 62-year-old showbiz icon will be accompanied by 12 musicians on familiar tunes, including "Maybe This Time," "My Ship" and "The Man I Love."
"I choose songs as an actress chooses roles," says Minnelli. "Each song to me is a different character. I know what color hair and eyes the girl has, how many decals are on her refrigerator, what has led her to this exact moment."
Do you have a favorite song to sing in concert?
I love "So What" from "Cabaret." It wasn't in the movie, but Lotte Lenya sang it on stage. I do it every time I perform. "So What" is so profound. It says, "So you've got problems, so what." I just love that.
Do you relate?
I just love it.
You open the show with "I Can See Clearly Now" - an optimistic curtain-raiser. Is getting the right start important?
Well, you walk out on stage, you look at the audience, they look at you and the relationship starts. They make it all possible in that song. When I'm on stage, I'm like a tiger or some animal. I prowl around to see who's doing what and then act accordingly [laughs]. I find people's faces in the audience and I sing to them.
Guys or girls?
I don't flirt with the men, I just don't. I always want to get to his wife or his daughter as if to say, "You know what I'm talking about."
How do you keep a signature song like "New York, New York" fresh?
I think of a girl who's thinking, "I want to go to New York. I'm not already in New York. I want to go to New York, you know, and be on Broadway."
Speaking of Broadway, You've been working on a musical salute to your godmother, Kay Thompson, the actress and "Eloise" author. Are you doing any songs from that show tonight?
No. But I would love to bring the Kay show, with a little bit more work, to Broadway. I'm going to get Johnny [Kander, the "Cabaret" composer] to help me because he's great. I'm going to call it "Bazzaz," after a song Kay wrote, I think. I'm not sure. You know lawyers - you can't say anything until everything is signed. We're just in the middle of finding out the what and where and when. When we get everything settled and can step back, we'll know what to call it.
What do you feel on stage?
It's the place where one feels the most immediate. You can't think of the future and you can't think of the past. You've got to sing the lyric.
Getting there: The park is a short walk from the Stillwell Ave./Coney Island Station on the D Train and the W. Eighth St./N.Y. Aquarium Station on the Q or F.
The 62-year-old showbiz icon will be accompanied by 12 musicians on familiar tunes, including "Maybe This Time," "My Ship" and "The Man I Love."
"I choose songs as an actress chooses roles," says Minnelli. "Each song to me is a different character. I know what color hair and eyes the girl has, how many decals are on her refrigerator, what has led her to this exact moment."
Do you have a favorite song to sing in concert?
I love "So What" from "Cabaret." It wasn't in the movie, but Lotte Lenya sang it on stage. I do it every time I perform. "So What" is so profound. It says, "So you've got problems, so what." I just love that.
Do you relate?
I just love it.
You open the show with "I Can See Clearly Now" - an optimistic curtain-raiser. Is getting the right start important?
Well, you walk out on stage, you look at the audience, they look at you and the relationship starts. They make it all possible in that song. When I'm on stage, I'm like a tiger or some animal. I prowl around to see who's doing what and then act accordingly [laughs]. I find people's faces in the audience and I sing to them.
Guys or girls?
I don't flirt with the men, I just don't. I always want to get to his wife or his daughter as if to say, "You know what I'm talking about."
How do you keep a signature song like "New York, New York" fresh?
I think of a girl who's thinking, "I want to go to New York. I'm not already in New York. I want to go to New York, you know, and be on Broadway."
Speaking of Broadway, You've been working on a musical salute to your godmother, Kay Thompson, the actress and "Eloise" author. Are you doing any songs from that show tonight?
No. But I would love to bring the Kay show, with a little bit more work, to Broadway. I'm going to get Johnny [Kander, the "Cabaret" composer] to help me because he's great. I'm going to call it "Bazzaz," after a song Kay wrote, I think. I'm not sure. You know lawyers - you can't say anything until everything is signed. We're just in the middle of finding out the what and where and when. When we get everything settled and can step back, we'll know what to call it.
What do you feel on stage?
It's the place where one feels the most immediate. You can't think of the future and you can't think of the past. You've got to sing the lyric.
Getting there: The park is a short walk from the Stillwell Ave./Coney Island Station on the D Train and the W. Eighth St./N.Y. Aquarium Station on the Q or F.
Seaside Concert Series in Coney Island "LIZA, I LOVE YOU !"
LIZA MINNELI PLAYED THE FREE Seaside Concert Series AT Asser Levy Park in Brighton Beach IN Coney Island LAST NIGHT & SET THE BEAUTIFUL OUTDOORS FULL OF ELECTRICTY WITH A SEXY, FUNNY, AND BRASSY SET, A WONDERFUL SELECTION OF GREAT NUMBERS. I WAS THERE EARLY & GOT TO SEE LIZA IN REHERSAL, SHE LOOKED ADORABLE ALL IN BLACK WITH HER FAMOUS HAT PLAYING WITH THE BAND, GETTING EVERYTHING JUST RIGHT, PLAYING AROUND WITH RING THEM BELLS AND THEN DOING AN AWESEOME TEACH ME TONIGHT WAY BEFORE THE SHOW EVEN STARTED. HOURS LATER AT SHOWTIME, LIZA RETURNED LOOKING BEAUTIFUL AND SEXY, SHOWING THOSE LEGS AND BELTING OUT EVERY NUMBER. HER VERSIONS OF "TEACH ME TONIGHT & ""MY SHIP/THE MAN I LOVE" MEDLEY WERE STUNNING. HER TAKE ON A SONG FROM CHICARGO "MY OWN BEST FRIEND" WAS ESPECIALLY A SHOW STOPPER, LIZA WAS IN TOP FORM, LOUD AND STRONG MAKING EVERY WORD FELT and ANOTHER HIGHLIGHT, "WHAT DID I HAVE I DON'T HAVE NOW", A FAVORITE OF MINE WHICH I NOW CONSIDER A LIZA SONG, the HIGH ENGERY VOCAL SET ENDED WITH "CABARET" & "NEW YORK, NEW YORK" WITH HER USUAL FLARE. IT WAS A BEAUTIFUL EVENING OF ENTERTAINMENT WITH A GREAT BAND & THE EXCELLENT BILLY STRITCH BUT I WAS THERE FOR LIZA AND SHE DELIVERED!!! with all my love to the generously TALENTED LIZA MINNELLI, love Sammy.
I was able to catch some video to share and remember, but being there with Liza & hearing her voice fill the air was what it was all about, enjoy...
He's Funny That Way, just beautiful!
The Band!
Liza's powerful "What Did I Have I Don't Have Now?"
life is a "CABARET"
the finale..."New York, New York"!
I was able to catch some video to share and remember, but being there with Liza & hearing her voice fill the air was what it was all about, enjoy...
He's Funny That Way, just beautiful!
The Band!
Liza's powerful "What Did I Have I Don't Have Now?"
life is a "CABARET"
the finale..."New York, New York"!
Wednesday, August 6, 2008
Monday, August 4, 2008
LIZA & Group Fans please wear a RED Ribbon at Coney Island to meet at show...
Hi all LIZA fans and internet goup members, an idea has come up that fans who want to meet and chat at the Liza Coney Lsland show this Thursday August the 7th should wear a RED RIBBON on thier shirt or wrist so we can easily approach each other to meet and enjoy our Liza day, it's going to be a great one, thanks Shannon & love, Sammy.
Friday, August 1, 2008
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