LIZA MINNELLI TALKS & SINGS "GOD BLESS THE CHILD" - DAVID LETTERMAN, 198...

Liza Minnelli Will Present Dancer Mikhail Baryshnikov With 2012 Ambassador for the Arts Award

http://www.playbill.com/news/article/168401-Liza-Minnelli-Will-Present-Dancer-Mikhail-Baryshnikov-With-2012-Ambassador-for-the-Arts-Award

By Michael Gioia
25 Jul 2012

Tony Award nominee Mikhail Baryshnikov will be honored at the NYC Dance Alliance Foundation's Bright Lights Shining Stars gala Sept. 5. Tony winner Liza Minnelli will present him with the Ambassador for the Arts Award.

The 7:30 PM ceremony at NYU's Skirball Center for the Performing Arts serves as a fundraiser for the NYC Dance Alliance Foundation. The evening begins at 6 PM with a pre-show cocktail reception and is followed by a VIP after party at 9 PM.
The gala will include performances from the Broadway and dance communities, and the presentation of the Ambassador for the Arts Award will feature a special dance tribute to Baryshnikov as well as a donation to the Baryshnikov Arts Center. Teenage student dancers from across the United States will also receive scholarship recognition.
The 2011 Ambassador for the Arts Award recipient, Grammy Award winner Roberta Flack, is scheduled to appear at the Bright Lights gala.

Baryshnikov, who was nominated for a Tony Award in 1989 for his performance in Metamorphosis, has also been seen on Broadway in Push Comes to Shove and Awakening. He has danced with major ballet companies around the world including the New York City Ballet, where he worked with George Balanchine and Jerome Robbins. He was also the artistic director of American Ballet Theatre, and was director and dancer with the White Oak Dance Project, which he co-founded with choreographer Mark Morris. In 2005, he opened the Baryshnikov Arts Center (BAC), a creative home for local and international artists to develop and present work. Among Baryshnikov's many awards are the Kennedy Center Honors, the National Medal of Honor, the Commonwealth Award, the Chubb Fellowship, the Jerome Robbins Award and the 2012 Vilcek Award. In 2010 he was given the rank of Officer of the French Legion of Honor.

The NYC Dance Alliance Foundation, Inc. is "committed to broadening performing arts awareness while advocating education and high standards of excellence in dance." NYCDAF offers scholarships for secondary and college education.
The Skirball Center for the Performing Arts is located at 566 LaGuardia Place. For more information and tickets, call (855) 692-5678 or click here. For more information on the NYCDAF, visit NYCDance.com.

Give It Back To The Indians' 87!

Liza MINELLI à Paris

Liza, Shirley and Barbra!

Liza Minnelli received this year’s Ella Fitzgerald Award 2012

http://www.jazzpolice.com/content/view/10265/79/
The 2012 Montreal Jazz Festival – A Feast for the Senses Written by Sheila Horne Mason; Photos by Kevin R. Mason   

The 33rd edition of the Festival International de Jazz de Montréal took place June 28 - July 7, 2012 (with a couple of pre-Festival concerts on June 27, and a special Battle of the Bands on July 8).  It was festive in every sense of the word. With a profusion of offerings from over 3,000 musicians from 30 countries, special art exhibitions, and street performers, this Festival appealed to the ears, eyes, and heart. Even Mother Nature blessed the Festival, as beautiful weather prevailed for the majority of the events.
Global superstar Liza Minnelli, Academy Award winner and recipient of a special “Legends” Grammy, now has another prestigious honor for her mantle. Minnelli received this year’s  Ella Fitzgerald Award. Liza said, “Ella Fitzgerald was my hero; I have every record of hers. I really learned from her!” Minnelli received a standing ovation when she arrived on stage. Despite a recently broken ankle and some hoarseness, this lifelong child of show business charmed the audience with “Liza with a Z” in French, and regaled the crowd with anecdotes from her life. After speaking about Charles Aznavour, Fred Ebb, and filling in for Gwen Verdon in the Broadway show Chicago, she sang “Maybe This Time,” “Cabaret,” and a duet with singer-pianist Billy Stritch, “I Can’t Give You Anything but Love.” She continued with “The World Goes Round” and “New York, New York” to thunderous applause. For an encore, Minnelli finished with a moving, a cappella version of “I’ll be Seeing You.”

1973 - Liza Minnelli / Cabaret. Best Actress in a Leading Role

Liza Minnelli

Liza Minnelli Aznavour MinnelliDVD Rip

Mon Émouvant amour, Charles Aznavour, Liza Minelli Sub

Cyndi Lauper, Liza Minnelli, Lady Gaga + More Team Up for Charitybuzz Auction

http://www.artistdirect.com/entertainment-news/article/cyndi-lauper-liza-minnelli-lady-gaga-more-team-up-for-charitybuzz-auction/10202281

Thu, 19 Jul 2012 12
Have we got news for you!

Longtime civil rights advocate and artist Cyndi Lauper has rallied an impressive list of stars from music and entertainment to help kick off the 2012 True Colors Summer Charity Auction to benefit the True Colors Fund's work in support of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender equality. Elton John, Liza Minnelli, Lady Gaga, Anderson Cooper, Jason Mraz, Ricky Martin and many more celebrities have donated incredible experiences for the auction, open now through July 31 at leading online charity auction house Charitybuzz here.

Lauper founded the True Colors Fund to inspire and engage everyone, especially straight people, to become active participants in the advancement of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender equality. The organization also works to raise awareness about and bring an end to gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender youth homelessness.

"The True Colors Fund's fourth annual summer online auction with Charitybuzz is shaping up to be our most successful to date. I am so grateful to everyone who donated an incredible experience in support of equality for all and to help gay and transgender homeless youth,” said Lauper. “The funds raised from this auction will go towards creating real change in the lives of so many. Everyone—whether straight, gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender—should be allowed to show their true colors, and be accepted and loved for who
they are."

The highlight of this year's auction is the chance to meet Liza Minnelli, the acclaimed Oscar-, Grammy-, Emmy- and Tony-award winning entertainer. The winning bidder of the experience will meet Liza backstage and enjoy premiere VIP tickets to any live performance of their choice. This is the first time the experience has been auctioned online at Charitybuzz.

Other experiences up for auction to benefit True Colors include:

• Take home Cyndi Lauper's Mardi Gras dress and meet Cyndi at her Home for the Holidays concert with 2 VIP tickets
• Meet Anderson Cooper at a live taping of Anderson in New York City
• Meet Lady Gaga backstage with two VIP tickets to a live performance • Meet Elton John backstage with two VIP tickets to a live performance
• Visit the set of Modern Family in Los Angeles with three friends
• Enjoy two house seats to see Ricky Martin in the award-winning musical Evita in NYC
• Meet Kelly Osbourne with 4 VIP tickets to a taping of Fashion Police in Los Angeles
• Meet Jason Mraz and Christina Perri with premiere tickets to their October 15 show in Los Angeles
• Meet Yankees Manager Joe Girardi, watch batting practice and catch the Yankees vs. Toronto Blue Jays Game
• Score two VIP weekend passes to Jay-Z's Made in America Festival in Philadelphia
• Have a lunch date at The Abbey and get your nails done with Jessica Sutta of The Pussycat Dolls in Los Angeles
• Enjoy VIP seats to see Norah Jones on her 2012 tour and take home a signed lyric book
• Snag two prime seats to the Project Runway finale fashion show at Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week in New York City

In addition to the True Colors Fund's long-standing project the Give a Damn Campaign, funds raised through this summer's Charitybuzz auction will support the Forty to None Project, True Colors' newest initiative. The Forty to None Project seeks to raise awareness about and bring an end to gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender youth experiencing homelessness.

In America, it is estimated that between 500,000 and 1.6. million youth are homeless each year and that up to 40% of these young people identify as gay or transgender. Since its creation in 2008, the True Colors Fund and its co-founder Cyndi Lauper have been advocating and raising awareness about the fact that no young person deserves to be homeless, let alone because of their sexual orientation or gender identity.

Are you bidding? Check out the auctions at charitybuzz

Amy Sciarretto
07.19.12

Tags: Cyndi Lauper, Liza Minnelli, Lady Gaga, Elton John, Anderson Cooper, Jason Mraz, Ricky Martin, Kelly Osbourne, Christina Perri, Jay-Z, The Pussycat Dolls, Norah Jones

Liza Minnelli, Chita Rivera and Bebe Neuwirth Visit Ben Vereen at 54 Below!

http://broadwayworld.com/article/Photo-Flash-Liza-Minnelli-Chita-Rivera-and-Bebe-Neuwirth-Visit-Ben-Vereen-at-54-Below-20120716

Monday, July 16, 2012; 12:07 PM - by BWW News Desk

Some of Broadway's legendary leading ladies came out for Ben Vereen's opening week at 54 Below. Liza Minnelli, Chita Rivera and Bebe Neuwirth were among the stars to catch "Steppin' Out with Ben Vereen" and visit with the star backstage following the performance. Other notable guests included Rachelle Rak (Catch Me if you Can). Check out photos of Vereen and his guests below!
Tony Award winner Ben Vereen brings his hit show, “Steppin' Out with Ben Vereen,” to 54 Below, through July 21. A high energy tribute to the music of Broadway, along with musical selections made famous by the likes of Frank Sinatra and Sammy Davis, Jr., audiences can expect to hear classics such as "Life is Just a Bowl of Cherries", "Mr. Bojangles" and even "Defying Gravity".

Well known to theatre audiences for his Tony and Drama Desk winning performance in Pippin, Vereen has also appeared on Broadway in Wicked, Chicago, Fosse and Jelly's Last Jam. Television audiences will remember him from his celebrated portrayal of Chicken George in Roots, along with recent appearances on “How I Met Your Mother,” “Grey's Anatomy” (Prism Award) and “Law & Order: Criminal Intent.” In January, 2012, Mr. Vereen was inducted into the Theatre Hall of Fame. Cover charge: $50 - $60. Food and beverage minimum: $30. Performances are July 17, 18, 19, 20, 21 at 8PM. Doors open at 6:00 pm for 8:00 pm shows. $30 food and beverage minimum.

54 BELOW, Broadway’s nightclub is the new performance venue in the grand tradition of New York City nightlife. A few blocks from the heart of Times Square and just below the legendary Studio 54, 54 BELOW is a classically designed state-of-the art nightclub in the theatre district that hosts audiences with warmth and style.
In their description of 54 BELOW, The New York Times writes “the club has the intimacy of a large living room with unimpeded views and impeccable sound; there is not a bad seat. Its sultry after-hours ambience is enhanced by brocade-patterned wall panels planted with orange-shaded lanterns. And the atmosphere is warmer and sexier than in Manhattan’s other major supper clubs.” The New York Post calls the venue "a gorgeous new cabaret space. With its heavy lineup of moonlighting Broadway stars, 54 Below has the congenial feel of a theater hangout where stars go to unwind and sing the songs that really matter to them. It’s a pleasure to share their joy."
Designed by Tony Award winner John Lee Beatty and architect Richard Lewis, lit by Tony Award winner Ken Billington, and with sound by Tony Award nominee Peter Hylenski, 54 BELOW features an in-your-living-room intimate relationship between its performers and audiences. Tony Award winner Scott Wittman serves as creative consultant and MAC Award Winner Phil Geoffrey Bond serves as director of programming. André J. Marrero is the Executive Chef of the new venue, which provides a food and beverage menu from early evening through the wee hours of the morning that is worthy of the world-class entertainment on the stage. Bringing together his love of the arts with his passion for cooking and hospitality, Chef André has created a market driven contemporary bistro menu that includes ingredients sourced from all over the world.
54 BELOW is owned and operated by Tony Award winning producers Tom Viertel, Marc Routh, Richard Frankel, and Steven Baruch. 54 BELOW features up to three shows nightly and has audio and video recording capabilities. The cover charge ranges from $5-$85.
54 BELOW is located at 254 West 54th Street. Tickets and information are available at http://www.54below.com/.

Photos courtesy of 54 Below

Musique. Auto interview : Liza Minnelli (Deuxième partie) SWEET!

CD Review: New recordings and reissues from Masterworks Broadway...Liza Live at The Wintergarden 1974

http://www.musicalcriticism.com/recordings/cd-masterworks-4-0712.shtml

The first CD and digital release of Liza Minnelli’s “Live at the Winter Garden” concert is a real landmark. Remastered from the original master engineered by Phil Ramone, the recording marks a turning point in Minnelli’s career. Though she had been overshadowed by her parents (Judy Garland and Vincente Minnelli), this month-long concert series at the Winter Garden Theater in January 1974 completely sold out within 36 hours and showed that the twenty-seven-year-old performer had truly come of age. A live album based on the concerts was released in April of the same year, but it had to be abruptly withdrawn because it contained performances from Cabaret; the contract for the latter film had stipulated that Minnelli couldn’t re-record the songs so soon and compete with the soundtrack, so the concert album never got the recognition it deserved. The show was directed by Bob Fosse – director of the film Cabaret, too, of course – and Kander and Ebb wrote some new material for the concert. The extra-special line-up was completed by the musical direction of Marvin Hamlisch, who would soon become a true Broadway legend after the premiere of A Chorus Line the following year.
This release of the concert also contains three tracks that weren’t included on the original release: “You and I”, “It Had to be You” and “My Shining Hour” – three gorgeous songs that demonstrate Minnelli’s ability with a lyric. The sound of this reissue is wonderfully vibrant, and one can sense the excitement felt by the audience at experiencing the performer’s raw talent in person, after her previous landmark appearance in the film of Cabaret (1973). Other highlights of the concert include a powerful but intimate rendition of “More Than You Know” and the poignant “Quiet Thing”. Overall, the album is a more than worthy addition to the “Legends of Broadway” series.

Q&A: Liza Minnelli Talks Hollywood Bowl Show, More...

http://la-confidential-magazine.com/channels/home-page/insights/q-and-a-with-liza-minnelli-on-upcoming-hollywood-show-and-more

As Broadway’s most iconic performer, Liza Minnelli had been entertaining audiences for over 50 years. Now, Minnelli is bringing her legendary voice to The Hollywood Bowl for a special one-performance-only concert on August 11.
The show will be an intimate mix of classic Minnelli songs as well as those from her latest albums, Confessions and Live a the Winter Garden, the latter a live collection from her historic 1974 concert series Liza which played at the Winter Garden Theater and garnered her a special Tony Award. We caught up with the multi-talented Tony, Oscar, Grammy, Golden Globe, and Emmy winner about her upcoming show, past inspirations, and why she’ll never retire.
Having been inducted into the Hollywood Bowl Hall of Fame for your many performances there, what makes coming to The Hollywood Bowl so special?
LIZA MINNELLI: I think the aura that surrounds it and its history, and the fact that it’s so wide open. You’re singing to the stars. It’s wonderful. And being in LA, I get to see all my friends and my family.
How will this concert stand out?
LM: It’s much more intimate then any concert I’ve ever done. It’s not written, I just say whatever comes to mind.
In addition to your classics 'New York, New York' and 'Cabaret,' you’ll also be singing songs from your albums Live at the Winter Garden and Confessions. Tell us a little about the inspiration for these albums.
LM: I loved the Winter Garden—it’s the biggest theater on Broadway and I had a really good time because [in 1974] all my friends were around. After the show I could go over and meet some of my dancer friends on Broadway, and go to Joe Allen. I was just being home. It was a great experience and it’s thrilling because there are songs on it that I forgot I sang!
Confessions is a very, very intimate album. I had broken my ankle and had to stay in bed for six weeks. I thought I’d go nuts, so I called [Grammy-winning composer] Billy Stritch and said, 'please come over, we have to sing something, anything,' and he said ‘sure, honey.’ So he came over and we started remembering all these terrific love songs that were a little unusual—some well known and some not known at all—and we put them down. And the record company loved it and said 'we want to release this.'

What’s a favorite song from the album, and why?
LM: 'I’m One Of The Smart Ones.' It’s a character song, which are my favorites, where you play a different character in each song. In other words, there are words on one page of my script and on the other page is the description of the woman that I am—what color hair does she have, where does she live, what details are on her refrigerator—a whole character breakdown. It’s very specific; this show was about a girl in San Francisco who was determined to make it, so it’s about this funny ambition.
You're currently on a 75-city international tour and you always bring so much excitement and energy to every performance. What drives you to keep performing?
LM: I love it. It’s great fun for me. It’s one of the things that I do and every place I go I have friends, so I’m always going to visit people.
You’ve accomplished so much in your 50-year career. Is there anything you want to accomplish that you haven’t yet?
LM: I want to do everything I did, better.
Do you ever see yourself retiring?
LM: Why?
Good question.
—Michelle Ward

Liza Minnelli at Carnegie Hall: I Happen to Like New York

Liza Minnelli Performs 'New York, New York'

Liza hits "Good Afternoon America" !!! (VIDEO)

Liza Minnelli (2012-07-05) Salle Wilfrid-Pelletier - PdA

LiZa Minelli au Festival de jazz de Montréal 2012 VIDEO!

LIZA serves up rousing Cabaret...

http://www.montrealgazette.com/entertainment/festival-central/Jazz+Fest+review+Liza+serves+rousing/6892963/story.html

Montreal International Jazz Festival 2012: Liza serves up rousing Cabaret

Photograph by: John Kenney/THE GAZETTE

There might have been a slight bit of trepidation in the air for Liza Minnelli’s Thursday night concert

By Bernard Perusse, The Gazette July 6, 2012 2:34 PM

MONTREAL - There might have been a slight bit of trepidation in the air for Liza Minnelli’s Thursday night concert at Salle Wilfrid-Pelletier of Place des Arts, given a photo of her in a wheelchair that was published only a few days ago.

And indeed, she walked the stage with a slight limp – the result, she told the audience, of breaking an ankle after tripping over her dog. “I gotta sit down and stop pretending it’s easy standing up,” she said six songs in, before delivering the evergreen torcher Maybe This Time from a seated position.

But she was soon back up for a rousing Cabaret, in true show-must-go-on, there’s-no-business-like-show-business fashion. That’s because Liza Minnelli, at 66, is still more showbiz royalty than you can handle: intense, magnetic and professional beyond words. The concert was exactly the way you hoped to experience Liza (avec un Z, as she delightfully reworked her theme song in la langue d’Aznavour). It was a privilege to be in the same room.

If there was any disappointment, the blame fell squarely on the ever-unreliable sound in Salle Wilfrid-Pelletier, which the larger-than-life performer was unlucky enough to catch on a bad night (Is Place des Arts ever going to do something about this?). The hapless listener often had to hold his breath, squint and cup his ear to try and catch lyrics or Minnelli’s amusing between-song patter.

Still, from the moment Minnelli – the recipient of the Montreal International Jazz Festival’s Ella Fitzgerald Award this year – opened with Alexander’s Ragtime Band, it seemed clear that she was on her game. The worst one could say is that her voice sometimes faltered on climactic notes or she occasionally spoke the lyrics or chose a lower note instead of going for the Big One, as she did in New York, New York.

More often, though, it was the full-tilt-boogie delivery. To hear Minnelli belt out “There’s still gonna be A SUMMAH!! A WINTAH!!! A SPRIIIINNNGGGG!” in But the World Goes `Round was to hear perfection. To see her get in character as Roxie Hart in Chicago (she replaced Gwen Verdon in the role for six weeks in 1975) and then killing it with My Own Best Friend was to see an era through a window that won’t stay open forever.

Although Minnelli had announced in an earlier interview that the concert would focus on her most recent album, Confessions, only a four-song sequence near the end came from the disc. But the set list, well-chosen as it was, was almost beside the point. The reason we were all there was to celebrate the legend.

And what a joy that it was lived up to.

bperusse@montrealgazette.com
Twitter: @bernieperusse

© Copyright (c) The Montreal Gazette

 

 

Liza Minnelli @ The Montreal International Jazz Festival July 5th 2012!

http://www.montrealgazette.com/entertainment/festival-central/Photos+Liza+Minnelli+Montreal+International+Jazz+Festival+2012/6889945/story.html

Photos: Liza Minnelli at the Montreal International Jazz Festival 2012

Legendary performer Liza Minnelli takes to the stage singing at the start of her concert at the Salle Wilfrid-Pelletier of Place des Arts as part of the Montreal International Jazz Festival in Montreal Thursday, July 5, 2012.

Photograph by: John Kenney/THE GAZETTE

"Good Afternoon America" Will Welcome Liza Minnelli July 9...

http://www.playbill.com/news/article/167812-Good-Afternoon-America-Will-Welcome-Liza-Minnelli-July-9
By Andrew Gans
06 Jul 2012

Tony and Academy Award-winning entertainer Liza Minnelli, who was honored with the Douglas Watt Lifetime Achievement Award at the June 4 Fred & Adele Astaire Awards, will appear on the first broadcast of "Good Afternoon America" July 9.

Minnelli will discuss her new CD, "Liza Minnelli Live At The Winter Garden," which was recently released by Masterworks Broadway.
"Good Afternoon America" airs in the New York metropolitan area on ABC beginning at 2 PM ET; check local listings.
Minnelli has also earned Tony Awards for her performances in Flora, the Red Menace, The Act, Liza's at the Palace, as well as a special 1974 Tony. She also presented a tribute to her late father Minnelli on Minnelli at the Palace and has appeared in the films "The Sterile Cuckoo," "Arthur," "New York, New York" and "Stepping Out." The singer is also a Golden Globe and Emmy Award-winning actress.
Visit Minnelli's page on the Playbill Vault.

Liza Minnelli - (Liza With A Z, Bob Fosse, 1972)

Happy 4th of July!

Cabaret Posters