Due to my work on Barbra's official websites, I will not be posting news on this site.
I will still be sending updates out via the BarbraNews mailing list. You can subscribe at the top of this page.
Please choose one of the following links for the latest news.
Official sites:
www.barbrastreisand.com - Official Streisand News.
www.facebook.com/barbrastreisand - Official Streisand Facebook
www.instagram.com/barbrastreisand - Official Streisand Instagram
www.twitter.com/barbrastreisand - Official Streisand Twitter.
Thanks for all your support and loyalty,
Craig.
Tuesday, 12 August 2014
Monday, 11 August 2014
PARTNERS - Barbra Streisand New Duet Album coming 16 September.
From Barbra's Official Facebook/Instagram:
PARTNERS is coming September 16th, featuring duets with Andrea Bocelli, Michael Bublé, Babyface, Jason Gould, Josh Groban, Billy Joel, John Legend, John Mayer, ELVIS PRESLEY, Lionel Richie, Blake Shelton, and Stevie Wonder. What an extraordinary collection of talent! #BarbraPartners
Cover art: http://instagram.com/p/rjj5pdK2YS/
PARTNERS is coming September 16th, featuring duets with Andrea Bocelli, Michael Bublé, Babyface, Jason Gould, Josh Groban, Billy Joel, John Legend, John Mayer, ELVIS PRESLEY, Lionel Richie, Blake Shelton, and Stevie Wonder. What an extraordinary collection of talent! #BarbraPartners
Cover art: http://instagram.com/p/rjj5pdK2YS/
Thursday, 12 June 2014
Barbra in Washington
SPOTTED: Singing legend Barbra Streisand, meeting with lawmakers including Sens. John McCain (R-Ariz.), Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) and Rep. Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) on Wednesday to talk about women’s heart disease.
The “Funny Girl” star, who founded the Barbra Streisand Women’s Heart Center at the Cedars-Sinai Heart Institute in Los Angeles in 2012, made the trip to Capitol Hill to urge Congress to expand existing women’s heart health initiatives and to push for additional research funding.
Heart disease kills more women than all cancers combined, according to Cedars-Sinai.
We hear Barbra, a longtime Democratic donor, was “determined to make this trip completely bipartisan,” meeting with a group of female senators and House members from both political parties.
“The fact is a woman’s heart is different from a man’s, yet women’s hearts are under-researched, go untreated, and are misdiagnosed,” Streisand said in a statement. “Together, we can change that.”
Wednesday, 28 May 2014
Barbra’s Entire Statement To The New York Times About Her Long Effort To Help Achieve Right-to-Love Equality
When I fell in love with Larry’s Kramer's play, "The Normal Heart," in 1986, I wanted to promote the idea of everyone’s right to love. Gay or straight!
The gay community was suffering. A new disease was rearing its ugly head and no one was listening.
Larry was at the forefront of this battle and God love him, he's still fighting. But there's no need to fight me by misrepresenting my feelings.
As a filmmaker I have always looked for new and exciting ways to do love scenes. It's a matter of taste... whether they're about heterosexuals or homosexuals.
I was trying to reach a large audience and I wanted them to want these two men to get married!
We’ve come a long way since then—gay marriage is now legal in 17 states, but there are still 33 more to go.
I’m just glad that a large audience will finally get to see this story. It's an historical document now.
Barbra comments on the passing of Maya Angelou
Her voice can never be silenced. The beauty of her words and the strength of her wisdom held us to the truth.
Monday, 28 April 2014
Barbra and Jim - New photo.
James Brolin and Barbra Streisand at the Gourmet Games. (Paul Bliese)
http://www.latimes.com/fashion/alltherage/la-ar-duke-of-york-barbra-streisand-guests-global-gourmet-games-20140428,0,4075657.story#ixzz30E0OlMo1
Thursday, 10 April 2014
Barbra Streisand on 'The Normal Heart': 'I Tried Very Hard to Get It Made.'
The Hollywood Reporter.
Larry Kramer's searing AIDS play caused a sensation in 1985, and Hollywood, including Streisand, came calling. Now, she opens up about her 10-year entanglement, as Murphy, a hot all-star cast and money from HBO finally make it happen.
Even as Larry Kramer, the lifelong gay activist, worked with producer and director Ryan Murphy on the HBO adaptation of Kramer's 1985 play The Normal Heart, which premieres May 25, Kramer kept asking the question: Why did it take so long? Why, he lamented, did it take so long to make the play into a film?
For Kramer, now 78, The Normal Heart -- set in the early, terrifying days of AIDS when gay men in New York, San Francisco and Los Angeles were dying of mysterious and rare diseases like Kaposi's sarcoma -- was always more than just a play. Its plot told of how Ned Weeks, Kramer's alter ego, rallied then alienated his fellow gay activists who banded together in the battle against AIDS. It also served as a furious denunciation of the institutions -- from The New York Times to the New York mayor's office to the federal government -- that Kramer blamed for initially ignoring the escalating epidemic; it was an urgent call for gay men to fight back to save their lives; and, nearly 30 years before the Supreme Court opened the door to federal recognition of same-sex marriage, it envisioned a world in which two gay men could wed.
But despite the support of high-profile directors and actors -- at various times Barbra Streisand, John Schlesinger, Kenneth Branagh and Ralph Fiennes have been attached or interested -- for nearly three decades the film adaptation remained in limbo. In part, it fell victim to Hollywood's timidity about telling gay stories in general and AIDS dramas in particular -- and Kramer's play is a fiercely, explicitly polemical work. "Way back then, it just felt like an incredibly depressing tale that looked as if it would appeal only to a narrow demographic corridor," says one source familiar with the project's history. "It was viewed as a major downbeat story that didn't seem to have any wide appeal." And, too, Kramer never was the easiest collaborator. In 2012, recounting the years he and Streisand put into trying to make a movie version, Kramer accused her of lacking "the burning passion to make it," a charge she resoundingly rejects. "It was hard for me to be attacked like that by Larry. I worked for so many years on it without ever taking a penny," Streisand told THR recently. "I will always believe in Larry's play and its powerful theme of everyone's right to love."
And so the property languished until Murphy, who'd broken ground by injecting gay storylines into his TV series Glee and The New Normal, came along in 2009. After winning Kramer's trust, he sold the project to HBO with a blue-chip cast, including Mark Ruffalo, Julia Roberts, Matt Bomer, Jim Parsons and Taylor Kitsch. "Larry had his heart broken so many times," says Murphy, "I promised him I would not stop until it got made."
The Normal Heart had never been an easy sell. "It was a fight for Larry from the very beginning," remembers Michael Lindsay-Hogg, who directed the original stage production, which bowed at the Public Theater on April 21, 1985. "At first, nobody wanted to produce it. People were frightened, worried that it would hurt their careers."
Back then, mystery and misinformation surrounded the disease. While the play was still in rehearsals, the director recalls, he attended a party where he was introduced to a man who asked what he was working on. After shaking hands, Lindsay-Hogg explained he was directing a new play about AIDS. The man took a step backward, rubbing his hand against his pants leg. "There was a great deal of ignorance, a great deal of fear," Lindsay-Hogg says.
At first wary straight theatergoers stayed away. The play appeared so early in the epidemic, when a scared public could dismiss AIDS as a "gay disease," it almost was a work of reportage. But almost immediately, he found an enthusiastic supporter in Streisand, who was eager to direct a film version in which she'd play the key supporting role of the polio-stricken doctor who becomes one of Ned's few straight allies. "It's a fabulous, fabulous play and I thought it could make a great movie," says Streisand, who optioned the rights by 1986. "It was so ahead of its time in terms of understanding gay marriage. I wanted it out in 1987. Everyone who goes into that play comes out understanding why you want to get married to someone."
Even today, she can recount the opening sequence she imagined for her version, introducing the characters as they go about their lives in New York, not revealing each of the men is gay until they meet in a doctor's office. To underline the politics of the time, she intended to show in the background TVs playing images of President Ronald Reagan -- who infamously did not utter the word "AIDS" until September 1985, four years into the epidemic.
Streisand and Kramer quickly fell into arguments over the direction of the script. She insisted it needed to be opened up to make it more cinematic. They fought over other things like how quickly Ned and Felix, the New York Times reporter whom Ned comes to love, should fall into bed. Years dragged on as they worked their way through various drafts until Streisand decided to bring in another writer, Ramsey Fadiman, who'd written for the TV series thirtysomething.
By the mid-'90s, Streisand, who had a deal at Columbia, felt the script almost was ready. While she originally had thought Dustin Hoffman should play Ned, she talked to Kenneth Branagh about the role, with Ralph Fiennes playing Felix. But a green light proved elusive, and Streisand went on to direct and star in The Mirror Has Two Faces.
A number of smaller independent films (Parting Glances in 1986, Longtime Companion in 1989) and the occasional TV movie (like 1985's An Early Frost) had grappled with the growing epidemic. And in 1993, Columbia's sister company, TriStar Pictures, released Jonathan Demme's Philadelphia, starring Tom Hanks and Denzel Washington. Hanks' portrayal of a gay man fired for having AIDS won him a best actor Oscar and the film grossed $207 million at the worldwide box office.
But the studios continued to shy away from the much franker, far more incendiary Heart, which went so far as to accuse then-mayor Ed Koch of being a closeted gay man. Refusing to give up, Streisand meanwhile had turned to Schlesinger, telling him if he'd take over directing Heart, she would still be willing to play the doctor. "John thought it was a great theater piece and he and Larry worked together for several months in our living room in Los Angeles," says his partner, Michael Childers (Schlesinger died in 2003). Laurence Mark and David Picker came aboard as potential producers, and more actors, including Richard Gere, entered the discussions. "But then it just sort of fell apart," says Childers.
By 1996, with her option about to run out, Streisand also had enlisted Craig Zadan and Neil Meron, with whom she'd produced the 1995 Emmy-winning TV movie Serving in Silence: The Margarethe Cammermeyer Story, starring Glenn Close in the true story of a National Guard officer who challenged her discharge for being a lesbian. Says Streisand, "When it became clear that we couldn't raise the money to do it as a film due to the controversial nature of the material, I thought, 'All right, we'll do it on TV.' At least it would reach a wide audience."
Then she and Kramer hit another impasse. As Streisand tells it, she had an offer from HBO to pay Kramer $250,000 for the rights, but he was demanding $1 million "and no company was willing to move on it." In a 2012 email to Streisand that became public, Kramer offered his own version of events in typically lacerating style: "You had other movies and tours to make first. I sat back with increasing sadness as I watched you (often at the last minute) choose something else to do. … When your options lapsed, I said you could buy it for a million dollars and do whatever you wanted with it. … You kept telling me I wanted too much money. I kept telling you this is my only asset to sell and live on for the rest of my life."
For nearly 15 years, the project sat idle. Despite occasional interest from directors like Paris Barclay and George C. Wolfe, who co-directed a Tony-winning Broadway revival with Joel Grey in 2011, the film version of Heart couldn't gain traction. Even though she no longer had formal ties to the project, Streisand persevered, convinced that if she could put together a great cast, she could win over Kramer and revive the project. She talked with Ruffalo and Bradley Cooper about playing Ned and Felix, respectively, and says she suggested to Roberts that she step in to play the doctor. "We've been associated with a lot of people who've had passion projects," says Meron. "But I think Barbra's passion for The Normal Heart surpassed all of them put together."
By then, though, Murphy had entered the picture, introduced to Kramer in 2009 by Dante Di Loreto, who works as an executive producer on Murphy's TV shows. Sitting down with Kramer in the writer's New York apartment, where the first meeting of the Gay Men's Health Crisis took place in 1981, Murphy, 48, won over the older man. Even though Murphy had directed one film, 2006's Running With Scissors and was about to begin 2010's Eat Pray Love, he says, "There really was nothing in my body of work at that point that would have suggested I could direct it. I had a lot of gay-friendly characters, but my work was more sardonic and comic and satirical." But he told Kramer about how much the play had meant to him as he was growing up. And Kramer, just as passionate as ever, argued that, given all the history that had taken place, Heart couldn't be just another AIDS movie.
"In his mind," says Murphy, "it really was a movie about prejudice and civil rights. He wanted young people to see it. And he really got me stoked. And I took it very seriously because it was the work of his life."
Kramer's script, which the writer had kept working on over the years, had ballooned to around 200 pages -- he called it his "kitchen sink draft." It wasn't filmable, Murphy thought, but he convinced Kramer he would work with him to get it right. Together they struck up a transcontinental working relationship even though, Murphy says, they "fought a lot at the beginning about stupid stuff." Murphy would write Kramer with questions like, "What were you afraid of?" Kramer wrote back, "I was too damn angry, being a caregiver [to my sick friends], to be afraid. I never had the luxury of fear." "What do you mean?" Murphy asked, and Kramer said, "Well, I was literally cleaning up shit." And out of that developed a montage in which Ned is seen taking care of the ill Felix, washing him, cleaning his sheets.
The story, says Murphy, "isn't just about the people that we lost. It's also about the caregivers, the doctors, the nurses. And what it was also like to be young and going through that brutal kind of existence." Eventually, they got the script down to a lean 97 pages.
Envisioning Heart as a theatrical release, Murphy also was working to find financing, eventually lining up support from Brad Pitt's Plan B Entertainment and Jason Blum's Blumhouse Productions. He hadn't planned to pitch it to HBO when he found himself in a meeting with HBO programming president Michael Lombardo about another project, a proposed movie about the making of Whatever Happened to Baby Jane?, starring Jessica Lange and Susan Sarandon. Lombardo wasn't interested in that concept but asked what else Murphy was working on. When he heard about Heart, Lombardo immediately said, "Ryan, that's what I want to do with you." Says the exec, "I used all my powers of persuasion to convince him more people would see it on HBO and we would treat it more respectfully in the way we marketed it. Thank goodness it didn't take much convincing."
It also helped that the cable network had established a tradition of dealing with both gay- and AIDS-themed projects. In addition to 1993's And the Band Played On, based on Randy Shilts' 1987 history of the epidemic, HBO aired Mike Nichols' adaptation of Tony Kushner's Pulitzer Prize-winning play Angels in America in 2003.
"Movies about gay subject matter, particularly when they involve issues like AIDS, dying, fighting for your life, are hard sells when you have to worry about selling tickets -- but we've been the beneficiary of that," says Lombardo.
Plus, HBO offered Murphy a richer budget (about $17 million to $18 million) than he would have had for an indie feature, allowing him to film on a broader canvas.By the time the cameras began rolling last summer, Murphy had no trouble recruiting actors, both straight and gay. Bomer, who recalls reading the play when he was 14, asked to read for any available part. "The piece meant so much to me," he says. "People like Larry and the Gay Men's Health Crisis and ACT UP were the catalysts for the gay rights movement, and we stand on their shoulders."
For Ruffalo, the work's themes are as current as ever. "The play served as an agitprop theater piece when that kind of politics and strategy really needed to be employed," says Ruffalo, who stepped into Ned's shoes after bonding with Kramer over their shared commitment to activism (the actor is a lead voice in the anti-fracking movement). "The movie opened up a much more humanistic and universal tale about love, mostly about love."
The Big Bang Theory's Jim Parsons brought a dual perspective to the part of Tommy, who tries to mediate between Ned and the more cautious early activists, since he'd also played the part in the 2011 Broadway revival. "We're at another really right time for this story," he says. "I felt it doing the play and I feel it now that the movie is about to come out. Time has been very good to Larry's script. This story has only gotten richer."
Even as Murphy filmed, the politics of gay rights and same-sex marriage were shifting in profound ways. On June 26, the cast and crew assembled on a set decked out to resemble the Paradise Garage, an early '80s Manhattan disco. Murphy was re-creating "April Showers," the first fundraiser held by Kramer and his friends.
A frail Kramer, his own health in question (he was too ill to be interviewed for this story), was visiting that day. Before Murphy called action on the first shot, an electric jolt ran through the set: The Supreme Court had just issued its landmark ruling in the case of United States v. Windsor, declaring that the Defense of Marriage Act, which barred the federal government from recognizing same-sex marriage, was unconstitutional.
Suddenly, the crowd erupted in celebration. Ebullient, screaming and cheering, the actors milled around Kramer, wanting to applaud, to hug him, to thank him for all he had contributed to the fight. The once-fiery Kramer summoned the strength to tell them, "Today's a triumph, but there's still a lot of work to be done." The moment, says Murphy, "was pretty historical and great." Seconds Taylor Kitsch, who plays a closeted gay politico, "We had a blast that day -- it was the kind of day where we recognized this is why we do what we do, to tell these kind of stories."
Like a soldier who couldn't quite believe the battle was over, Kramer was trying to process the fact that history -- and Hollywood -- had finally caught up with him. For three decades, he had been at the forefront of the gay rights movement -- and just as often, he had been at odds with it, often accusing his fellow activists of not fighting hard enough, hectoring other gays for not fighting at all.
"Larry is the toughest person I've ever met," says Murphy. "And the thing that touched me so much at the end was, he doesn't understand that he doesn't have to fight anymore. It was my fight to get it made, to make sure it's good. I was just so moved because he felt so f---ing alone for so many years that even in success, even when he was proven right, he didn't feel it."
In January, as Murphy was still editing the movie, Kramer's health took a precarious turn. Murphy rushed a print to New York, showing the nearly completed film to Kramer and his husband, the architect David Webster. (The couple had married the previous July in Kramer's hospital room, where he was recovering from bowel surgery.) Kramer was overcome with the emotion of finally seeing the play committed to film, at least this one long battle finally behind him.
Larry Kramer's searing AIDS play caused a sensation in 1985, and Hollywood, including Streisand, came calling. Now, she opens up about her 10-year entanglement, as Murphy, a hot all-star cast and money from HBO finally make it happen.
Even as Larry Kramer, the lifelong gay activist, worked with producer and director Ryan Murphy on the HBO adaptation of Kramer's 1985 play The Normal Heart, which premieres May 25, Kramer kept asking the question: Why did it take so long? Why, he lamented, did it take so long to make the play into a film?
For Kramer, now 78, The Normal Heart -- set in the early, terrifying days of AIDS when gay men in New York, San Francisco and Los Angeles were dying of mysterious and rare diseases like Kaposi's sarcoma -- was always more than just a play. Its plot told of how Ned Weeks, Kramer's alter ego, rallied then alienated his fellow gay activists who banded together in the battle against AIDS. It also served as a furious denunciation of the institutions -- from The New York Times to the New York mayor's office to the federal government -- that Kramer blamed for initially ignoring the escalating epidemic; it was an urgent call for gay men to fight back to save their lives; and, nearly 30 years before the Supreme Court opened the door to federal recognition of same-sex marriage, it envisioned a world in which two gay men could wed.
But despite the support of high-profile directors and actors -- at various times Barbra Streisand, John Schlesinger, Kenneth Branagh and Ralph Fiennes have been attached or interested -- for nearly three decades the film adaptation remained in limbo. In part, it fell victim to Hollywood's timidity about telling gay stories in general and AIDS dramas in particular -- and Kramer's play is a fiercely, explicitly polemical work. "Way back then, it just felt like an incredibly depressing tale that looked as if it would appeal only to a narrow demographic corridor," says one source familiar with the project's history. "It was viewed as a major downbeat story that didn't seem to have any wide appeal." And, too, Kramer never was the easiest collaborator. In 2012, recounting the years he and Streisand put into trying to make a movie version, Kramer accused her of lacking "the burning passion to make it," a charge she resoundingly rejects. "It was hard for me to be attacked like that by Larry. I worked for so many years on it without ever taking a penny," Streisand told THR recently. "I will always believe in Larry's play and its powerful theme of everyone's right to love."
And so the property languished until Murphy, who'd broken ground by injecting gay storylines into his TV series Glee and The New Normal, came along in 2009. After winning Kramer's trust, he sold the project to HBO with a blue-chip cast, including Mark Ruffalo, Julia Roberts, Matt Bomer, Jim Parsons and Taylor Kitsch. "Larry had his heart broken so many times," says Murphy, "I promised him I would not stop until it got made."
The Normal Heart had never been an easy sell. "It was a fight for Larry from the very beginning," remembers Michael Lindsay-Hogg, who directed the original stage production, which bowed at the Public Theater on April 21, 1985. "At first, nobody wanted to produce it. People were frightened, worried that it would hurt their careers."
Back then, mystery and misinformation surrounded the disease. While the play was still in rehearsals, the director recalls, he attended a party where he was introduced to a man who asked what he was working on. After shaking hands, Lindsay-Hogg explained he was directing a new play about AIDS. The man took a step backward, rubbing his hand against his pants leg. "There was a great deal of ignorance, a great deal of fear," Lindsay-Hogg says.
At first wary straight theatergoers stayed away. The play appeared so early in the epidemic, when a scared public could dismiss AIDS as a "gay disease," it almost was a work of reportage. But almost immediately, he found an enthusiastic supporter in Streisand, who was eager to direct a film version in which she'd play the key supporting role of the polio-stricken doctor who becomes one of Ned's few straight allies. "It's a fabulous, fabulous play and I thought it could make a great movie," says Streisand, who optioned the rights by 1986. "It was so ahead of its time in terms of understanding gay marriage. I wanted it out in 1987. Everyone who goes into that play comes out understanding why you want to get married to someone."
Even today, she can recount the opening sequence she imagined for her version, introducing the characters as they go about their lives in New York, not revealing each of the men is gay until they meet in a doctor's office. To underline the politics of the time, she intended to show in the background TVs playing images of President Ronald Reagan -- who infamously did not utter the word "AIDS" until September 1985, four years into the epidemic.
Streisand and Kramer quickly fell into arguments over the direction of the script. She insisted it needed to be opened up to make it more cinematic. They fought over other things like how quickly Ned and Felix, the New York Times reporter whom Ned comes to love, should fall into bed. Years dragged on as they worked their way through various drafts until Streisand decided to bring in another writer, Ramsey Fadiman, who'd written for the TV series thirtysomething.
By the mid-'90s, Streisand, who had a deal at Columbia, felt the script almost was ready. While she originally had thought Dustin Hoffman should play Ned, she talked to Kenneth Branagh about the role, with Ralph Fiennes playing Felix. But a green light proved elusive, and Streisand went on to direct and star in The Mirror Has Two Faces.
A number of smaller independent films (Parting Glances in 1986, Longtime Companion in 1989) and the occasional TV movie (like 1985's An Early Frost) had grappled with the growing epidemic. And in 1993, Columbia's sister company, TriStar Pictures, released Jonathan Demme's Philadelphia, starring Tom Hanks and Denzel Washington. Hanks' portrayal of a gay man fired for having AIDS won him a best actor Oscar and the film grossed $207 million at the worldwide box office.
But the studios continued to shy away from the much franker, far more incendiary Heart, which went so far as to accuse then-mayor Ed Koch of being a closeted gay man. Refusing to give up, Streisand meanwhile had turned to Schlesinger, telling him if he'd take over directing Heart, she would still be willing to play the doctor. "John thought it was a great theater piece and he and Larry worked together for several months in our living room in Los Angeles," says his partner, Michael Childers (Schlesinger died in 2003). Laurence Mark and David Picker came aboard as potential producers, and more actors, including Richard Gere, entered the discussions. "But then it just sort of fell apart," says Childers.
By 1996, with her option about to run out, Streisand also had enlisted Craig Zadan and Neil Meron, with whom she'd produced the 1995 Emmy-winning TV movie Serving in Silence: The Margarethe Cammermeyer Story, starring Glenn Close in the true story of a National Guard officer who challenged her discharge for being a lesbian. Says Streisand, "When it became clear that we couldn't raise the money to do it as a film due to the controversial nature of the material, I thought, 'All right, we'll do it on TV.' At least it would reach a wide audience."
Then she and Kramer hit another impasse. As Streisand tells it, she had an offer from HBO to pay Kramer $250,000 for the rights, but he was demanding $1 million "and no company was willing to move on it." In a 2012 email to Streisand that became public, Kramer offered his own version of events in typically lacerating style: "You had other movies and tours to make first. I sat back with increasing sadness as I watched you (often at the last minute) choose something else to do. … When your options lapsed, I said you could buy it for a million dollars and do whatever you wanted with it. … You kept telling me I wanted too much money. I kept telling you this is my only asset to sell and live on for the rest of my life."
For nearly 15 years, the project sat idle. Despite occasional interest from directors like Paris Barclay and George C. Wolfe, who co-directed a Tony-winning Broadway revival with Joel Grey in 2011, the film version of Heart couldn't gain traction. Even though she no longer had formal ties to the project, Streisand persevered, convinced that if she could put together a great cast, she could win over Kramer and revive the project. She talked with Ruffalo and Bradley Cooper about playing Ned and Felix, respectively, and says she suggested to Roberts that she step in to play the doctor. "We've been associated with a lot of people who've had passion projects," says Meron. "But I think Barbra's passion for The Normal Heart surpassed all of them put together."
By then, though, Murphy had entered the picture, introduced to Kramer in 2009 by Dante Di Loreto, who works as an executive producer on Murphy's TV shows. Sitting down with Kramer in the writer's New York apartment, where the first meeting of the Gay Men's Health Crisis took place in 1981, Murphy, 48, won over the older man. Even though Murphy had directed one film, 2006's Running With Scissors and was about to begin 2010's Eat Pray Love, he says, "There really was nothing in my body of work at that point that would have suggested I could direct it. I had a lot of gay-friendly characters, but my work was more sardonic and comic and satirical." But he told Kramer about how much the play had meant to him as he was growing up. And Kramer, just as passionate as ever, argued that, given all the history that had taken place, Heart couldn't be just another AIDS movie.
"In his mind," says Murphy, "it really was a movie about prejudice and civil rights. He wanted young people to see it. And he really got me stoked. And I took it very seriously because it was the work of his life."
Kramer's script, which the writer had kept working on over the years, had ballooned to around 200 pages -- he called it his "kitchen sink draft." It wasn't filmable, Murphy thought, but he convinced Kramer he would work with him to get it right. Together they struck up a transcontinental working relationship even though, Murphy says, they "fought a lot at the beginning about stupid stuff." Murphy would write Kramer with questions like, "What were you afraid of?" Kramer wrote back, "I was too damn angry, being a caregiver [to my sick friends], to be afraid. I never had the luxury of fear." "What do you mean?" Murphy asked, and Kramer said, "Well, I was literally cleaning up shit." And out of that developed a montage in which Ned is seen taking care of the ill Felix, washing him, cleaning his sheets.
The story, says Murphy, "isn't just about the people that we lost. It's also about the caregivers, the doctors, the nurses. And what it was also like to be young and going through that brutal kind of existence." Eventually, they got the script down to a lean 97 pages.
Envisioning Heart as a theatrical release, Murphy also was working to find financing, eventually lining up support from Brad Pitt's Plan B Entertainment and Jason Blum's Blumhouse Productions. He hadn't planned to pitch it to HBO when he found himself in a meeting with HBO programming president Michael Lombardo about another project, a proposed movie about the making of Whatever Happened to Baby Jane?, starring Jessica Lange and Susan Sarandon. Lombardo wasn't interested in that concept but asked what else Murphy was working on. When he heard about Heart, Lombardo immediately said, "Ryan, that's what I want to do with you." Says the exec, "I used all my powers of persuasion to convince him more people would see it on HBO and we would treat it more respectfully in the way we marketed it. Thank goodness it didn't take much convincing."
It also helped that the cable network had established a tradition of dealing with both gay- and AIDS-themed projects. In addition to 1993's And the Band Played On, based on Randy Shilts' 1987 history of the epidemic, HBO aired Mike Nichols' adaptation of Tony Kushner's Pulitzer Prize-winning play Angels in America in 2003.
"Movies about gay subject matter, particularly when they involve issues like AIDS, dying, fighting for your life, are hard sells when you have to worry about selling tickets -- but we've been the beneficiary of that," says Lombardo.
Plus, HBO offered Murphy a richer budget (about $17 million to $18 million) than he would have had for an indie feature, allowing him to film on a broader canvas.By the time the cameras began rolling last summer, Murphy had no trouble recruiting actors, both straight and gay. Bomer, who recalls reading the play when he was 14, asked to read for any available part. "The piece meant so much to me," he says. "People like Larry and the Gay Men's Health Crisis and ACT UP were the catalysts for the gay rights movement, and we stand on their shoulders."
For Ruffalo, the work's themes are as current as ever. "The play served as an agitprop theater piece when that kind of politics and strategy really needed to be employed," says Ruffalo, who stepped into Ned's shoes after bonding with Kramer over their shared commitment to activism (the actor is a lead voice in the anti-fracking movement). "The movie opened up a much more humanistic and universal tale about love, mostly about love."
The Big Bang Theory's Jim Parsons brought a dual perspective to the part of Tommy, who tries to mediate between Ned and the more cautious early activists, since he'd also played the part in the 2011 Broadway revival. "We're at another really right time for this story," he says. "I felt it doing the play and I feel it now that the movie is about to come out. Time has been very good to Larry's script. This story has only gotten richer."
Even as Murphy filmed, the politics of gay rights and same-sex marriage were shifting in profound ways. On June 26, the cast and crew assembled on a set decked out to resemble the Paradise Garage, an early '80s Manhattan disco. Murphy was re-creating "April Showers," the first fundraiser held by Kramer and his friends.
A frail Kramer, his own health in question (he was too ill to be interviewed for this story), was visiting that day. Before Murphy called action on the first shot, an electric jolt ran through the set: The Supreme Court had just issued its landmark ruling in the case of United States v. Windsor, declaring that the Defense of Marriage Act, which barred the federal government from recognizing same-sex marriage, was unconstitutional.
Suddenly, the crowd erupted in celebration. Ebullient, screaming and cheering, the actors milled around Kramer, wanting to applaud, to hug him, to thank him for all he had contributed to the fight. The once-fiery Kramer summoned the strength to tell them, "Today's a triumph, but there's still a lot of work to be done." The moment, says Murphy, "was pretty historical and great." Seconds Taylor Kitsch, who plays a closeted gay politico, "We had a blast that day -- it was the kind of day where we recognized this is why we do what we do, to tell these kind of stories."
Like a soldier who couldn't quite believe the battle was over, Kramer was trying to process the fact that history -- and Hollywood -- had finally caught up with him. For three decades, he had been at the forefront of the gay rights movement -- and just as often, he had been at odds with it, often accusing his fellow activists of not fighting hard enough, hectoring other gays for not fighting at all.
"Larry is the toughest person I've ever met," says Murphy. "And the thing that touched me so much at the end was, he doesn't understand that he doesn't have to fight anymore. It was my fight to get it made, to make sure it's good. I was just so moved because he felt so f---ing alone for so many years that even in success, even when he was proven right, he didn't feel it."
In January, as Murphy was still editing the movie, Kramer's health took a precarious turn. Murphy rushed a print to New York, showing the nearly completed film to Kramer and his husband, the architect David Webster. (The couple had married the previous July in Kramer's hospital room, where he was recovering from bowel surgery.) Kramer was overcome with the emotion of finally seeing the play committed to film, at least this one long battle finally behind him.
Wednesday, 26 March 2014
'Funny Girl: Original Broadway Cast Recording' 50th Anniversary Edition To Be Released By Capitol/UMe
Commemorative Boxed Set Includes GRAMMY®-Winning Album Remastered on CD and LP with a 48-Page Book.
Los Angeles, California – March 26, 2014 – It has been 50 years since Barbra Streisand portrayed Fanny Brice in the 1964 Broadway stage production of Funny Girl, and 46 years since she reprised her critically acclaimed role for the 1968 feature film. On April 29, Capitol/UMe will release the Gold-certified Funny Girl: Original Broadway Cast Recording in a 50th Anniversary Deluxe Edition boxed set with a digitally remastered CD and vinyl LP, as well as a 48-page book featuring exclusive photos from the production and a new essay by Jay Landers. The remastered original cast recording will also be available for digital purchase, including 192k and 96k high definition audio on HDtracks.
By 1964, Streisand’s star was on a rapid rise. She was already a two-time GRAMMY® winner, earning 1963’s Album of the Year and Best Female Vocalist awards for her solo album debut, The Barbra Streisand Album. On March 26, 1964, Funny Girl opened on Broadway at the Winter Garden Theatre, with Streisand in the musical’s lead role of Fanny Brice.
With music by Jule Styne and lyrics by Bob Merrill, Funny Girl was produced by Ray Stark, directed by Garson Kanin, and choreographed by Carol Haney under the supervision of Jerome Robbins. In addition to Streisand, the show’s original cast included Sydney Chaplin, Kay Medford, Danny Meehan, Jean Stapleton, and Lainie Kazan, who also served as Streisand's understudy. The production earned rave reviews and eight Tony® Award nominations, in every major category.
Funny Girl’s Original Broadway Cast Recording album was recorded in one session, 10 days into the show’s run, with seasoned Broadway cast recording producer Dick Jones at the helm. Released one week later by Capitol Records, the album climbed to No. 2 on the Billboard 200 albums chart, just behind The Beatles’ Second Album (also released by Capitol), and Streisand’s rendition of “People” became an instant classic. The album won the year’s GRAMMY® Award for Best Original Cast Album.
After more than 1,300 performances at the Winter Garden Theatre, the Majestic Theatre, the Broadway Theatre, and a triumphant run in London’s West End, Funny Girl closed on July 1, 1967. The next year, Streisand made her Hollywood film debut, once again wowing critics and fans alike and earning the Best Actress Academy Award® for her portrayal of Fanny Brice in the Funny Girl motion picture.
Funny Girl: Original Broadway Cast Recording (50th Anniversary Deluxe Edition)
1. Overture
2. If a Girl Isn't Pretty [Jean Stapleton, Kay Medford, Danny Meehan and Ensemble]
3. I'm the Greatest Star [Barbra Streisand]
4. Cornet Man [Barbra Streisand]
5. Who Taught Her Everything? [Kay Medford and Danny Meehan]
6. His Love Makes Me Beautiful [John Lankston, Barbra Streisand and Ensemble]
7. I Want to Be Seen With You Tonight [Sydney Chaplin and Barbra Streisand]
8. Henry Street [Ensemble]
9. People [Barbra Streisand]
10. You Are Woman [Sydney Chaplin and Barbra Streisand]
11. Don't Rain on My Parade [Barbra Streisand]
12. Sadie, Sadie [Barbra Streisand and Ensemble]
13. Find Yourself a Man [Danny Meehan, Kay Medford and Jean Stapleton]
14. Rat-Tat-Tat-Tat [Danny Meehan, Barbra Streisand and Ensemble]
15. Who Are You Now? [Barbra Streisand]
16. The Music That Makes Me Dance [Barbra Streisand]
17. Don't Rain on My Parade (Reprise) [Barbra Streisand]
Click here to pre-order.
Saturday, 22 February 2014
Young Barbra Streisand in Newly Discovered Photo
Sunday, 9 February 2014
Barbra: Spotlighting women's health issues is 'bigger than show business'
Barbra Streisand isn't just an iconic musician and actress, she's also a philanthropist concerned about women's health issues. And on Friday, a day designated as "red" day to spotlight women's heart health, the notoriously private Streisand spoke with TODAY about why this issue is so important to her.
"It's about gender inequality," said Streisand. "In the last 50 years, most of the research has been focused on men. ... Ever since 1984, more women have died from heart disease than men."
According to the American Heart Association, approximately 43 million women are affected by heart disease, and it kills one of every three women.
"Heart disease kills more women than all cancers combined," Streisand noted.
Shocked by those statistics, the singer took action and raised $22 million(including $10 million of her own fortune) to create The Barbra Streisand Heart Center at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, which opened in June 2012. One sign of how important it is to her is that she's willing to be the public face on the Center.
"I don't like to go to opening nights," said Streisand, who has begun drawing and painting at home as her latest creative outlet. "I don't even like to have to talk about my work."
But this is a special exception, she noted. "Seeing my name in stainless steel on the building at Cedars-Sinai — I must say I'm just thrilled by it because it's doing something that's bigger than me, bigger than show business. It's hopefully going to save women's lives."
"It's about gender inequality," said Streisand. "In the last 50 years, most of the research has been focused on men. ... Ever since 1984, more women have died from heart disease than men."
According to the American Heart Association, approximately 43 million women are affected by heart disease, and it kills one of every three women.
"Heart disease kills more women than all cancers combined," Streisand noted.
Shocked by those statistics, the singer took action and raised $22 million(including $10 million of her own fortune) to create The Barbra Streisand Heart Center at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, which opened in June 2012. One sign of how important it is to her is that she's willing to be the public face on the Center.
"I don't like to go to opening nights," said Streisand, who has begun drawing and painting at home as her latest creative outlet. "I don't even like to have to talk about my work."
But this is a special exception, she noted. "Seeing my name in stainless steel on the building at Cedars-Sinai — I must say I'm just thrilled by it because it's doing something that's bigger than me, bigger than show business. It's hopefully going to save women's lives."
Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy
Monday, 3 February 2014
Barbra on The Today Show - New Interview!
Natalie Morales' interview with Barbra Streisand will air on The Today Show, Friday February 7 in the 8am hour as part of "Go Red" day focusing on women and heart health.
Thursday, 16 January 2014
Van Gogh Museum Editions Makes U.S. Debut At LA Art Show
(L-R) Willem van Gogh, Barbra Streisand and Director of the Van Gogh Museum Axel Rger attends Van Gogh Museum Editions making it's U.S. debut at LA Art Show on January 15, 2014 in Los Angeles, California.
(Photo by Charley Gallay/Getty Images for Van Gogh Museum Editions)
Monday, 30 December 2013
Barbra in New York Times Ad
(Taken from Barbra-Archives.com - Thanks Matt!)
This full-page ad for Teachers College Columbia University on page 65 of the Dec. 29 New York Times Magazine features the Emanuel and Barbra Streisand Endowed Scholarship Fund. Thanks to Tessie Patterson for scanning it so all can see!
This full-page ad for Teachers College Columbia University on page 65 of the Dec. 29 New York Times Magazine features the Emanuel and Barbra Streisand Endowed Scholarship Fund. Thanks to Tessie Patterson for scanning it so all can see!
Sunday, 29 December 2013
Thursday, 24 October 2013
Back To Brooklyn coming to CD/DVD + CD November 25
Columbia Records has announced the simultaneous release of a CD and a CD/DVD package of Barbra’s critically acclaimed 2012 “Back To Brooklyn” concert, set to be released on November 25. Filmed and recorded over two nights, the CD and DVD capture the superstar’s celebratory return to her hometown of Brooklyn, NY.
A unique and compelling attraction of "Back To Brooklyn" is that the CD and CD/DVD combo features nine never previously performed songs by the star in concert. Ms. Streisand is the only recording artist to have accomplished #1 albums in five consecutive decades. She has achieved 51 gold albums, 30 platinum and 13 multi-platinum. Streisand has also earned eight gold DVDs, six of which have gone platinum and three of which have gone multi-platinum.
The DVD provides biographical video and still photo images of Barbra’s childhood and early career. The evening marked her first musical performance in her native Brooklyn since she departed at age 16 to pursue her acting career and became one of the most popular and famous musical performers of her time. Throughout the concert, she reflects upon her years growing up in Brooklyn, and to mark the occasion, she commissioned special lyrics for two songs:
ACT I opens with Andrew Lloyd Webber’s “As If We Never Said Goodbye,” which she turns into an homage to “the Brooklyn docks, the nova lox” and other fond memories of the sights and sounds of her youth. When she triumphantly sings, “I’ve come home at last,” the audience rises from their seats with a thunderous welcome back ovation.
ACT II pays tribute to the people and places in Brooklyn today, with a re-written lyric to Cole Porter’s “You’re The Top”: “You’re the top, you’re a Brooklyn trolley… you’re the top you’re a hot bialy!”
In her own words, the evening is also about “the songs that I love, written by people who I love.” Through their words and music, she pays tribute to her friends Alan & Marilyn Bergman (“Nice ‘n’ Easy”/ “That Face”/ “The Way He Makes Me Feel”), Jule Styne (“Gypsy”/ “Funny Girl”) and Leonard Bernstein (“Make Our Garden Grow”/ “Somewhere”). She pays loving tribute to her friend Marvin Hamlisch, who passed away as she was preparing for the concert. Her sentimental rendition of “The Way We Were” featuring Hamlisch’s original movie score arrangement is heart-aching and life-affirming.
Among the many highlights of the evening, the first time ever pairing of Barbra and her son Jason Gould singing Irving Berlin’s “How Deep Is The Ocean,” had the audience in awe. Few could have imagined that Gould, an accomplished actor in his own right, also possessed his mother’s way with a song. Blended in harmony, their two voices combined are simply magic. Barbra also shares a special birthday video Jason made for her, which features his highly moving solo version of Nat King Cole’s “Nature Boy.”
Barbra also shares the stage for three songs with the extraordinary trumpet player, Chris Botti. Botti adds his instrumental sophistication to a medley of “What’ll I Do” and “My Funny Valentine.” Then he weaves in and around Barbra’s vocals on two of her own compositions from the soundtrack to “A Star Is Born”—“Lost Inside Of You” and the Academy Award-winning “Evergreen (Love Theme from “A Star Is Born)."
The young Italian singing quartet, Il Volo, accompanies Barbra on a moving version of Charlie Chaplin’s “Smile.” For the entire concert, Barbra is surrounded by a 60-member strong orchestra comprised of New York’s finest musicians, conducted by the renowned composer and arranger, William Ross.
The DVD contains two standout bonus features—Jason Gould’s solo performance of the classic Leon Russell song, “This Masquerade,” and a documentary entitled “I Remember Barbra,” featuring interviews and anecdotes with people who either knew or remembered Barbra as she was growing up in Brooklyn.
With the CD, DVD and Deluxe CD/DVD, Barbra achieves yet another career milestone and proves along the way that you can take the girl out of Brooklyn, but you can’t take Brooklyn out of the girl.
“Barbra Streisand: Back to Brooklyn” will also air on Great Performances on Friday, November 29 at 9 p.m. (check local listings) as part of the PBS Arts Fall Festival.
DVD
1. Back to Brooklyn
2. As If We Never Said Goodbye
3. I Remember Brooklyn (Dialogue)
4. Nice ‘n’ Easy / That Face
5. The Way He Makes Me Feel
6. Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered
7. Didn’t We
8. Smile (w/ Il Volo)
9. Q & A
10. Sam, You Made The Pants Too Long
11. No More Tears (Enough Is Enough)
12. The Way We Were / Through The Eyes Of Love
13. Being Good Isn’t Good Enough
14. Rose’s Turn / Some People / Don’t Rain On My Parade
15. I Remember Barbra
16. You’re The Top
17. What’ll I Do / My Funny Valentine (w/ Chris Botti)
18. Lost Inside Of You (w/ Chris Botti)
19. Evergreen (Love Theme from A Star Is Born) (w/ Chris Botti)
20. Nature Boy (Birthday video performed by Jason Gould)
21. How Deep Is The Ocean (Duet w/ Jason Gould)
22. People
23. Here’s To Life
24. Make Our Garden Grow / Somewhere
25. Some Other Time
26. Happy Days Are Here Again
BONUS MATERIAL:
27. “This Masquerade” (Performed by Jason Gould)
28. I Remember Barbra Documentary Film
CD
1. I Remember Barbra #1
2. As If We Never Said Goodbye
3. Nice ‘n’ Easy / That Face
4. The Way He Makes Me Feel
5. Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered
6. Didn’t We
7. Marvin Hamlisch intro
8. The Way We Were / Through The Eyes Of Love
9. Jule Styne intro
10. Being Good Isn’t Good Enough
11. Rose’s Turn / Some People / Don’t Rain On My Parade
12. I Remember Barbra #2
13. You’re The Top
14. What’ll I Do / My Funny Valentine (w/ Chris Botti)
15. Lost Inside Of You (w/ Chris Botti)
16. Evergreen (Love Theme from A Star Is Born) (w/ Chris Botti)
17. Jason Gould intro
18. How Deep Is The Ocean (Duet w/ Jason Gould)
19. People
20. Here’s To Life intro
21. Here’s To Life
22. Make Our Garden Grow
23. Some Other Time intro
24. Some Other Time
Click here to pre-order CD/DVD pack.
Click here to pre-order CD only.
A unique and compelling attraction of "Back To Brooklyn" is that the CD and CD/DVD combo features nine never previously performed songs by the star in concert. Ms. Streisand is the only recording artist to have accomplished #1 albums in five consecutive decades. She has achieved 51 gold albums, 30 platinum and 13 multi-platinum. Streisand has also earned eight gold DVDs, six of which have gone platinum and three of which have gone multi-platinum.
The DVD provides biographical video and still photo images of Barbra’s childhood and early career. The evening marked her first musical performance in her native Brooklyn since she departed at age 16 to pursue her acting career and became one of the most popular and famous musical performers of her time. Throughout the concert, she reflects upon her years growing up in Brooklyn, and to mark the occasion, she commissioned special lyrics for two songs:
ACT I opens with Andrew Lloyd Webber’s “As If We Never Said Goodbye,” which she turns into an homage to “the Brooklyn docks, the nova lox” and other fond memories of the sights and sounds of her youth. When she triumphantly sings, “I’ve come home at last,” the audience rises from their seats with a thunderous welcome back ovation.
ACT II pays tribute to the people and places in Brooklyn today, with a re-written lyric to Cole Porter’s “You’re The Top”: “You’re the top, you’re a Brooklyn trolley… you’re the top you’re a hot bialy!”
In her own words, the evening is also about “the songs that I love, written by people who I love.” Through their words and music, she pays tribute to her friends Alan & Marilyn Bergman (“Nice ‘n’ Easy”/ “That Face”/ “The Way He Makes Me Feel”), Jule Styne (“Gypsy”/ “Funny Girl”) and Leonard Bernstein (“Make Our Garden Grow”/ “Somewhere”). She pays loving tribute to her friend Marvin Hamlisch, who passed away as she was preparing for the concert. Her sentimental rendition of “The Way We Were” featuring Hamlisch’s original movie score arrangement is heart-aching and life-affirming.
Among the many highlights of the evening, the first time ever pairing of Barbra and her son Jason Gould singing Irving Berlin’s “How Deep Is The Ocean,” had the audience in awe. Few could have imagined that Gould, an accomplished actor in his own right, also possessed his mother’s way with a song. Blended in harmony, their two voices combined are simply magic. Barbra also shares a special birthday video Jason made for her, which features his highly moving solo version of Nat King Cole’s “Nature Boy.”
Barbra also shares the stage for three songs with the extraordinary trumpet player, Chris Botti. Botti adds his instrumental sophistication to a medley of “What’ll I Do” and “My Funny Valentine.” Then he weaves in and around Barbra’s vocals on two of her own compositions from the soundtrack to “A Star Is Born”—“Lost Inside Of You” and the Academy Award-winning “Evergreen (Love Theme from “A Star Is Born)."
The young Italian singing quartet, Il Volo, accompanies Barbra on a moving version of Charlie Chaplin’s “Smile.” For the entire concert, Barbra is surrounded by a 60-member strong orchestra comprised of New York’s finest musicians, conducted by the renowned composer and arranger, William Ross.
The DVD contains two standout bonus features—Jason Gould’s solo performance of the classic Leon Russell song, “This Masquerade,” and a documentary entitled “I Remember Barbra,” featuring interviews and anecdotes with people who either knew or remembered Barbra as she was growing up in Brooklyn.
With the CD, DVD and Deluxe CD/DVD, Barbra achieves yet another career milestone and proves along the way that you can take the girl out of Brooklyn, but you can’t take Brooklyn out of the girl.
“Barbra Streisand: Back to Brooklyn” will also air on Great Performances on Friday, November 29 at 9 p.m. (check local listings) as part of the PBS Arts Fall Festival.
DVD
1. Back to Brooklyn
2. As If We Never Said Goodbye
3. I Remember Brooklyn (Dialogue)
4. Nice ‘n’ Easy / That Face
5. The Way He Makes Me Feel
6. Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered
7. Didn’t We
8. Smile (w/ Il Volo)
9. Q & A
10. Sam, You Made The Pants Too Long
11. No More Tears (Enough Is Enough)
12. The Way We Were / Through The Eyes Of Love
13. Being Good Isn’t Good Enough
14. Rose’s Turn / Some People / Don’t Rain On My Parade
15. I Remember Barbra
16. You’re The Top
17. What’ll I Do / My Funny Valentine (w/ Chris Botti)
18. Lost Inside Of You (w/ Chris Botti)
19. Evergreen (Love Theme from A Star Is Born) (w/ Chris Botti)
20. Nature Boy (Birthday video performed by Jason Gould)
21. How Deep Is The Ocean (Duet w/ Jason Gould)
22. People
23. Here’s To Life
24. Make Our Garden Grow / Somewhere
25. Some Other Time
26. Happy Days Are Here Again
BONUS MATERIAL:
27. “This Masquerade” (Performed by Jason Gould)
28. I Remember Barbra Documentary Film
CD
1. I Remember Barbra #1
2. As If We Never Said Goodbye
3. Nice ‘n’ Easy / That Face
4. The Way He Makes Me Feel
5. Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered
6. Didn’t We
7. Marvin Hamlisch intro
8. The Way We Were / Through The Eyes Of Love
9. Jule Styne intro
10. Being Good Isn’t Good Enough
11. Rose’s Turn / Some People / Don’t Rain On My Parade
12. I Remember Barbra #2
13. You’re The Top
14. What’ll I Do / My Funny Valentine (w/ Chris Botti)
15. Lost Inside Of You (w/ Chris Botti)
16. Evergreen (Love Theme from A Star Is Born) (w/ Chris Botti)
17. Jason Gould intro
18. How Deep Is The Ocean (Duet w/ Jason Gould)
19. People
20. Here’s To Life intro
21. Here’s To Life
22. Make Our Garden Grow
23. Some Other Time intro
24. Some Other Time
Click here to pre-order CD/DVD pack.
Click here to pre-order CD only.
Tuesday, 15 October 2013
Barbra Streisand: Back to Brooklyn PBS Press Release.
The "Greatest Star" Returns Home in Barbra Streisand: Back to Brooklyn on Great Performances Friday, November 29, 2013 at 9 p.m. as Part of the PBS Arts Fall Festival.
The legendary singer is joined by Chris Botti, Il Volo, and son Jason Gould for two hours of hits, including nine songs she has never performed on a concert stage.
The full musical program follows:
As If We Never Said Goodbye (with special lyrics)
Nice N Easy / That Face
The Way He Makes Me Feel*
Bewitched, Bothered & Bewildered
Didn't We
Smile (with Il Volo)
Sam, You Made The Pants Too Long*
No More Tears (Enough is Enough)*
The Way We Were/Through The Eyes of Love
Being Good Isn't Good Enough*
"Gypsy" medley: Rose's Turn/Some People*
Don't Rain On My Parade
You're The Top (Brooklyn Version)
What'll I Do* / My Funny Valentine (with Chris Botti)
Lost Inside of You* (with Chris Botti)
Evergreen (with Chris Botti)
Nature Boy (Jason Gould)
How Deep Is the Ocean* (with Jason Gould)
People
Here's To Life
Make Our Garden Grow* (with Chris Botti, Il Volo, Jason Gould, & the Brooklyn Youth Chorus)
Somewhere
Some Other Time
Happy Days Are Here Again
*live performance premiere
Click here to read the full press release.
The legendary singer is joined by Chris Botti, Il Volo, and son Jason Gould for two hours of hits, including nine songs she has never performed on a concert stage.
The full musical program follows:
As If We Never Said Goodbye (with special lyrics)
Nice N Easy / That Face
The Way He Makes Me Feel*
Bewitched, Bothered & Bewildered
Didn't We
Smile (with Il Volo)
Sam, You Made The Pants Too Long*
No More Tears (Enough is Enough)*
The Way We Were/Through The Eyes of Love
Being Good Isn't Good Enough*
"Gypsy" medley: Rose's Turn/Some People*
Don't Rain On My Parade
You're The Top (Brooklyn Version)
What'll I Do* / My Funny Valentine (with Chris Botti)
Lost Inside of You* (with Chris Botti)
Evergreen (with Chris Botti)
Nature Boy (Jason Gould)
How Deep Is the Ocean* (with Jason Gould)
People
Here's To Life
Make Our Garden Grow* (with Chris Botti, Il Volo, Jason Gould, & the Brooklyn Youth Chorus)
Somewhere
Some Other Time
Happy Days Are Here Again
*live performance premiere
Click here to read the full press release.
Saturday, 5 October 2013
Barbra Streisand Back to Brooklyn coming to DVD and CD.
Barbra's 2012 BACK TO BROOKLYN concert is coming to DVD and CD on November 19.
There are no details currently - but we recommend you pre-order to get the best deal with Amazon.
Amazon pre-order promise: Pre-order Price Guarantee! Order now and if the Amazon.com price decreases between your order time and the end of the day of the release date, you'll receive the lowest price.
DVD/CD set: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00FN3HRG4/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B00FN3HRG4&linkCode=as2&tag=barbranewsc02-20
CD: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00FN3HRFA/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B00FN3HRFA&linkCode=as2&tag=barbranewsc02-20
No details on extras at the moment. I will share the info when I get it.
There are no details currently - but we recommend you pre-order to get the best deal with Amazon.
Amazon pre-order promise: Pre-order Price Guarantee! Order now and if the Amazon.com price decreases between your order time and the end of the day of the release date, you'll receive the lowest price.
DVD/CD set: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00FN3HRG4/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B00FN3HRG4&linkCode=as2&tag=barbranewsc02-20
CD: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00FN3HRFA/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B00FN3HRFA&linkCode=as2&tag=barbranewsc02-20
No details on extras at the moment. I will share the info when I get it.
Saturday, 14 September 2013
Idols and an icon: Barbra Streisand, Tom Cruise meet Anne Frank
Idols and an icon: Barbra Streisand, Tom Cruise meet Anne Frank
BY DANIELLE BERRIN - JewishJournal.com
On the Monday evening before Kol Nidre, the Simon Wiesenthal Center’s Museum of Tolerance invited two dozen Hollywood VIPs to preview their new Anne Frank exhibit prior to its October public opening. The guest list, created by Dreamworks Animation CEO Jeffrey Katzenberg and vice chairman of NBCUniversal Ron Meyer, included both Barbra Streisand and Tom Cruise. Cruise was the first to arrive, solo, dressed elegantly in a suit and red tie. During cocktail hour, he mingled politely in the museum’s central rotunda while a lavish spread of kosher hors d’oeuvres languished coldly beside him.
“I made sure not to order anything from Doheny Meats,” Rabbi Marvin Hier, dean and founder of the Wiesenthal Center quipped about the now-defunct kosher butcher that was caught on tape circumventing supervision.
God forbid Tom Cruise should eat non-kosher meat, or, poo poo poo, leave a Jewish event hungry.
Tom Cruise watches a documentary about Anne Frank alongside Holocaust survivors and Simon Wiesenthal Center board members Fela and David Shapell
“I told Tom to eat something,” Hier’s wife, Marlene, gushed to a group of attendees. “I told him, ‘Tom, make yourself a plate.’ Because the thing I remember about his dinner” – the 2011 fundraiser at which the Wiesenthal center honored Cruise with a humanitarian award – “is that he talked to everyone. They’d bring him food, and he’d be talking, and then…” She gestures as if she were Cruise attempting to near his plate. “They’d bring another dish, and he’d have to turn around and start another conversation.”
She recounted a time Cruise and his then-wife, actress Katie Holmes joined her and the rabbi for Shabbat dinner. “Tom and Katie came to my house on Friday night and they loved the potato kugel. So we sent them home with kugel in a Ralph’s plastic bag and then we sent her the recipe. She kept saying, ‘This is so nice, Tom. It’s so peaceful.’ I said, ‘You can do it, too…’
“Then she divorced him.”
Streisand was the last to arrive, at half past six, wearing an off-the-shoulders black summer dress, with her dashing husband, actor James Brolin, on her arm. He carried her Chanel purse.
“Let’s see this exhibit,” she declared as she greeted the rabbi.
Hier invited her to have some hors d’oeuvres before the tour began.
“Let’s have some tapas,” Brolin said, but his wife didn’t seem interested.
“We just came from Amsterdam,” Streisand announced, referring to a visit she and Brolin made to the Anne Frank House earlier in the summer.
“We were allowed up into her attic,” she said.
“We read her letters in the dark,” Brolin added.
“This was a special visit,” Streisand explained, “a night where we were allowed to sit in her room, and the curator was reading from her book…”
The night following, Streisand performed in Germany – on what happened to be Anne Frank’s birthday. “I said to the audience, ‘Today is Anne Frank’s birthday,’” she recalled. “I dedicated the performance to her. I just told the audience, ‘you know, let’s celebrate Anne Frank.’”
Asked how the audience responded, Streisand added, without hesitation, “They were the most incredible audience in Europe.”
To set the tone for the tour, Hier invited the group into a special classroom where he announced that he was about to show them “the only existing evidence in the world linking Hitler to The Crime.”
Cruise hopped right to the front, taking a seat in the first row. Babs and Brolin sat in the center, giving Katzenberg, who leaned against the back wall, a bird’s eye view of Brolin giving Streisand a backrub.
Hier stood at the front and put on a pair of latex gloves. He introduced “The Hitler Letter,” an original document typed and signed by Adolf
Hitler in 1919, in which he lays the foundation for his political scapegoating of the Jews. “This is ordinarily kept in a safe,” Hier said, inviting the group to the front to see the letter up close.
“How did you get it? Did you have to buy it?” Streisand asked.
Hier replied that the Board of Trustees opted to purchase the letter for $150,000. Streisand gasped.
“Have you told them the typewriter story?” Rabbi Meyer May, executive director of the Wiesenthal Center prodded.
Hier hesitated, eager to move the evening forward since Streisand had announced she was due back at an editing suite in Hollywood by 7:45.
“I want to hear the typewriter story,” Cruise insisted. “Give us a little bit, now that you’ve brought it up.”
Hier launched into a tale about the Wiesenthal Center’s investigation into the letter’s origins, and how Hitler, who in 1919 was an impoverished, failed artist, could afford a typewriter. An inquiry with the National Archives led to a further reveal, when a comparison between the Wiesenthal Center’s letter and a similar one at Stanford University revealed a discrepancy: the Stanford letter’s margins were different and contained an additional line.
“Theirs is a forgery!” Hier exclaimed, waving the letter in the air with his gloved hands. Turns out, he said, the German Workers Party was concerned that if Hitler didn’t win power they’d need to justify the loss: “So they put in the line ‘And the Jews own the media!’ And in order to do that, they needed an extra line, so they turned it upside down and started the letter this way…”
“Put it down!” Katzenberg half-nervously, half-jokingly shouted. “[That letter] has survived a lot of things. It won’t survive you!”
Next the museum’s director, Liebe Geft introduced the Anne Frank exhibition. The group proceeded into the galleries in a hush.
“I remember as a kid learning about her,” Cruise whispered to me. “Her story is something I used with my kids when they were younger to teach them about the Holocaust. Because they were young, they could identify with her.”
He was particularly moved by the pen-pal letters Anne and her sister, Margot, wrote in English to a pair of sisters in Danville, Iowa. “That’s so sweet. Oh my God,” he said. At another exhibit, showing the various film and fashion magazines and photographs Anne had posted over her bed, Rabbi May told Cruise, “That’s where you would have been.”
Streisand was taken with the 17, 528 articles of children’s clothing that serve as a wall which snakes through the exhibition, beginning in color and eventually turning dark. “Oh my God, look at these fabrics. Oh my God,” she said. “Does anyone know anything about these fabrics?”
Cruise fell behind the rest of the group, taking time to linger at each exhibit. Katzenberg strolled at the front, waiting for the others to catch up. Asked about his impressions of Anne Frank, Katzenberg was tongue-tied: “Go ask Streisand,” he said.
Of everyone in the group, Cruise seemed the most affected. “Look at what she contributed in the darkest condition of humanity,” he said. “She’s magical.”
Cruise told Rabbi Hier he plans to return with his kids.
When it was all over, Hier escorted mogul Meyer and his wife, Kelly, into the elevator. Kelly, who is not Jewish, was deeply moved.
“I knew that she told an amazing story,” she said of Frank. “But I was amazed at her optimism. Her spirit was very full of light and so connected to her faith, and to God. It’s inspiring.”
In the end, though, it was Meyer, whose own parents narrowly escaped the Holocaust, who offered the evening’s biggest twist.
“My mother was Edith Frank,” he said in the elevator.
Hier’s ears perked up: Could Ron Meyer, the longest-tenured movie studio chief in Hollywood history also be related to Anne Frank?
“That should be looked up by a genealogist!” he exclaimed.
“Yeah,” Meyer said. “I might be an important guy.”
© Copyright 2013 Tribe Media Corp.
BY DANIELLE BERRIN - JewishJournal.com
On the Monday evening before Kol Nidre, the Simon Wiesenthal Center’s Museum of Tolerance invited two dozen Hollywood VIPs to preview their new Anne Frank exhibit prior to its October public opening. The guest list, created by Dreamworks Animation CEO Jeffrey Katzenberg and vice chairman of NBCUniversal Ron Meyer, included both Barbra Streisand and Tom Cruise. Cruise was the first to arrive, solo, dressed elegantly in a suit and red tie. During cocktail hour, he mingled politely in the museum’s central rotunda while a lavish spread of kosher hors d’oeuvres languished coldly beside him.
“I made sure not to order anything from Doheny Meats,” Rabbi Marvin Hier, dean and founder of the Wiesenthal Center quipped about the now-defunct kosher butcher that was caught on tape circumventing supervision.
God forbid Tom Cruise should eat non-kosher meat, or, poo poo poo, leave a Jewish event hungry.
Tom Cruise watches a documentary about Anne Frank alongside Holocaust survivors and Simon Wiesenthal Center board members Fela and David Shapell
“I told Tom to eat something,” Hier’s wife, Marlene, gushed to a group of attendees. “I told him, ‘Tom, make yourself a plate.’ Because the thing I remember about his dinner” – the 2011 fundraiser at which the Wiesenthal center honored Cruise with a humanitarian award – “is that he talked to everyone. They’d bring him food, and he’d be talking, and then…” She gestures as if she were Cruise attempting to near his plate. “They’d bring another dish, and he’d have to turn around and start another conversation.”
She recounted a time Cruise and his then-wife, actress Katie Holmes joined her and the rabbi for Shabbat dinner. “Tom and Katie came to my house on Friday night and they loved the potato kugel. So we sent them home with kugel in a Ralph’s plastic bag and then we sent her the recipe. She kept saying, ‘This is so nice, Tom. It’s so peaceful.’ I said, ‘You can do it, too…’
“Then she divorced him.”
Streisand was the last to arrive, at half past six, wearing an off-the-shoulders black summer dress, with her dashing husband, actor James Brolin, on her arm. He carried her Chanel purse.
“Let’s see this exhibit,” she declared as she greeted the rabbi.
Hier invited her to have some hors d’oeuvres before the tour began.
“Let’s have some tapas,” Brolin said, but his wife didn’t seem interested.
“We just came from Amsterdam,” Streisand announced, referring to a visit she and Brolin made to the Anne Frank House earlier in the summer.
“We were allowed up into her attic,” she said.
“We read her letters in the dark,” Brolin added.
“This was a special visit,” Streisand explained, “a night where we were allowed to sit in her room, and the curator was reading from her book…”
The night following, Streisand performed in Germany – on what happened to be Anne Frank’s birthday. “I said to the audience, ‘Today is Anne Frank’s birthday,’” she recalled. “I dedicated the performance to her. I just told the audience, ‘you know, let’s celebrate Anne Frank.’”
Asked how the audience responded, Streisand added, without hesitation, “They were the most incredible audience in Europe.”
To set the tone for the tour, Hier invited the group into a special classroom where he announced that he was about to show them “the only existing evidence in the world linking Hitler to The Crime.”
Cruise hopped right to the front, taking a seat in the first row. Babs and Brolin sat in the center, giving Katzenberg, who leaned against the back wall, a bird’s eye view of Brolin giving Streisand a backrub.
Hier stood at the front and put on a pair of latex gloves. He introduced “The Hitler Letter,” an original document typed and signed by Adolf
Hitler in 1919, in which he lays the foundation for his political scapegoating of the Jews. “This is ordinarily kept in a safe,” Hier said, inviting the group to the front to see the letter up close.
“How did you get it? Did you have to buy it?” Streisand asked.
Hier replied that the Board of Trustees opted to purchase the letter for $150,000. Streisand gasped.
“Have you told them the typewriter story?” Rabbi Meyer May, executive director of the Wiesenthal Center prodded.
Hier hesitated, eager to move the evening forward since Streisand had announced she was due back at an editing suite in Hollywood by 7:45.
“I want to hear the typewriter story,” Cruise insisted. “Give us a little bit, now that you’ve brought it up.”
Hier launched into a tale about the Wiesenthal Center’s investigation into the letter’s origins, and how Hitler, who in 1919 was an impoverished, failed artist, could afford a typewriter. An inquiry with the National Archives led to a further reveal, when a comparison between the Wiesenthal Center’s letter and a similar one at Stanford University revealed a discrepancy: the Stanford letter’s margins were different and contained an additional line.
“Theirs is a forgery!” Hier exclaimed, waving the letter in the air with his gloved hands. Turns out, he said, the German Workers Party was concerned that if Hitler didn’t win power they’d need to justify the loss: “So they put in the line ‘And the Jews own the media!’ And in order to do that, they needed an extra line, so they turned it upside down and started the letter this way…”
“Put it down!” Katzenberg half-nervously, half-jokingly shouted. “[That letter] has survived a lot of things. It won’t survive you!”
Next the museum’s director, Liebe Geft introduced the Anne Frank exhibition. The group proceeded into the galleries in a hush.
“I remember as a kid learning about her,” Cruise whispered to me. “Her story is something I used with my kids when they were younger to teach them about the Holocaust. Because they were young, they could identify with her.”
He was particularly moved by the pen-pal letters Anne and her sister, Margot, wrote in English to a pair of sisters in Danville, Iowa. “That’s so sweet. Oh my God,” he said. At another exhibit, showing the various film and fashion magazines and photographs Anne had posted over her bed, Rabbi May told Cruise, “That’s where you would have been.”
Streisand was taken with the 17, 528 articles of children’s clothing that serve as a wall which snakes through the exhibition, beginning in color and eventually turning dark. “Oh my God, look at these fabrics. Oh my God,” she said. “Does anyone know anything about these fabrics?”
Cruise fell behind the rest of the group, taking time to linger at each exhibit. Katzenberg strolled at the front, waiting for the others to catch up. Asked about his impressions of Anne Frank, Katzenberg was tongue-tied: “Go ask Streisand,” he said.
Of everyone in the group, Cruise seemed the most affected. “Look at what she contributed in the darkest condition of humanity,” he said. “She’s magical.”
Cruise told Rabbi Hier he plans to return with his kids.
When it was all over, Hier escorted mogul Meyer and his wife, Kelly, into the elevator. Kelly, who is not Jewish, was deeply moved.
“I knew that she told an amazing story,” she said of Frank. “But I was amazed at her optimism. Her spirit was very full of light and so connected to her faith, and to God. It’s inspiring.”
In the end, though, it was Meyer, whose own parents narrowly escaped the Holocaust, who offered the evening’s biggest twist.
“My mother was Edith Frank,” he said in the elevator.
Hier’s ears perked up: Could Ron Meyer, the longest-tenured movie studio chief in Hollywood history also be related to Anne Frank?
“That should be looked up by a genealogist!” he exclaimed.
“Yeah,” Meyer said. “I might be an important guy.”
© Copyright 2013 Tribe Media Corp.
Wednesday, 4 September 2013
The Way We Were Coming To Blu-ray
Coming to Blu-ray on November 12th 2013. More information on extras coming soon. Pre-order link coming October.
Sunday, 1 September 2013
Remembering David Frost.
Special thanks to Matt Howe (Barbra-Archives.com) and Sal LaBarbera (BarbraTimeless.com).
Wednesday, 28 August 2013
The Classic Christmas Album coming October 2013.
Not much news to report on at the moment - and I know it's way too early to
talk about Christmas - but Sony Legacy announced "Barbra Streisand -
The Classic Christmas Album" this week - and I wanted to share it
with you all while the news was still fresh.
There's no new material on the album, however the album contains a great mix of songs taken from Barbra's two previously released Christmas albums. "A Christmas Album" which was released in 1967... and "Christmas Memories", released in 2001.
If I'm correct, the album cover features a gorgeous photo "outtake" from the Randee St. Nicholas photo session for Barbra's "Till I Loved You" album.
The album will be released on October 8th.
TRACK LISTING
1. Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas
2. The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting On An Open Fire)
3. I'll Be Home For Christmas
4. A Christmas Love Song
5. The Best Gift
6. It Must Have Been The Mistletoe
7. I Remember
8. I Wonder As I Wander
9. Sleep In Heavenly Peace (Silent Night)
10. Snowbound
11. Jingle Bells
12. My Favorite Things
13. Christmas Lullaby
14. O Little Town Of Bethlehem
15. Christmas Mem'ries
16. White Christmas.
Click here to pre-order.
There's no new material on the album, however the album contains a great mix of songs taken from Barbra's two previously released Christmas albums. "A Christmas Album" which was released in 1967... and "Christmas Memories", released in 2001.
If I'm correct, the album cover features a gorgeous photo "outtake" from the Randee St. Nicholas photo session for Barbra's "Till I Loved You" album.
The album will be released on October 8th.
TRACK LISTING
1. Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas
2. The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting On An Open Fire)
3. I'll Be Home For Christmas
4. A Christmas Love Song
5. The Best Gift
6. It Must Have Been The Mistletoe
7. I Remember
8. I Wonder As I Wander
9. Sleep In Heavenly Peace (Silent Night)
10. Snowbound
11. Jingle Bells
12. My Favorite Things
13. Christmas Lullaby
14. O Little Town Of Bethlehem
15. Christmas Mem'ries
16. White Christmas.
Click here to pre-order.
Saturday, 10 August 2013
Back to Brooklyn - PBS TV Special.
PBS: Friday, November 29th at 9:00pm ET
Superstar Barbra Streisand makes a historic homecoming at the new Barclays Center arena, with her first Brooklyn concert.
Joined by special guests Il Volo and Chris Botti, Streisand performs an extensive selection of songs from throughout her five-decade career, and duets with son Jason Gould on “How Deep is the Ocean.”
The seemingly endless collection of hits and fan favorites includes:
“Nice N Easy,” “Didn’t We,” “No More Tears (Enough is Enough),” “Rose’s Turn,” “My Funny Valentine,” “Some Other Time,” “Make Our Garden Grow,” along “Evergreen,” “The Way We Were,” “People,” and “Happy Days are Here Again.”
Reviewing her opening night, Stephen Holden of The New York Times wrote, “Like few singers of any age, she has the gift of conveying a primal human longing in a beautiful sound.”
Photo credits: BARWOOD FILMS.
Monday, 17 June 2013
Photos: Barbra Streisand receives honorary doctorate at Hebrew University of Jerusalem on Monday.
Alexi Rosenfeld, AJR Photography.
אלקסי רוזנפלד
צלם
AJR Photography
Barbra's tour coming to an end - 2 shows left!
Hi everyone:
I arrived back home today, after what can only be described as one of the GREATEST few weeks of my life. I was lucky enough to see Barbra LIVE in London, Amsterdam, Cologne and Berlin... and all three shows were OFF THE HOOK.
Here's a photo from London - Backstage with Barbra and my parents:
Barbra sounded perfect. There are really no words. Someone said to me "Like a fine wine", and that is so true. The show always seems to change as the tour develops... and it always seems to be for the BETTER. For instance, Barbra performed "SEND IN THE CLOWNS" in Berlin last night. She hadn't performed this song for 13 years.
Sadly there are only two shows left. Both of them will be in TEL AVIV on June 20/22. Barbra has NEVER performed LIVE in Israel before... so you can imagine how SPECIAL they will be. I have to be honest... GERMANY had the best, and most interactive audiences... so they will be hard to beat... but I'm sure the Israelis can show them just how it's done!
I will be writing a report on the final shows... along with an overview of the whole tour, but do check out Matt's fabulous website at www.barbra-archives.com for all the latest on the tour.
It was a pleasure to meet a lot of you in London, Amsterdam, Cologne and Berlin. I've had one of the best times of my life, no exaggeration.
Anyway, it's back to reality for me!
For those of you who are attending the final shows - ENJOY! Savour EVERY moment. These concerts are RARE... and so special.
Photo: BARBRA ARRIVES IN ISRAEL:
Alexi Rosenfeld, AJR Photography.
אלקסי רוזנפלד
צלם
AJR Photography.
I arrived back home today, after what can only be described as one of the GREATEST few weeks of my life. I was lucky enough to see Barbra LIVE in London, Amsterdam, Cologne and Berlin... and all three shows were OFF THE HOOK.
Here's a photo from London - Backstage with Barbra and my parents:
Barbra sounded perfect. There are really no words. Someone said to me "Like a fine wine", and that is so true. The show always seems to change as the tour develops... and it always seems to be for the BETTER. For instance, Barbra performed "SEND IN THE CLOWNS" in Berlin last night. She hadn't performed this song for 13 years.
Sadly there are only two shows left. Both of them will be in TEL AVIV on June 20/22. Barbra has NEVER performed LIVE in Israel before... so you can imagine how SPECIAL they will be. I have to be honest... GERMANY had the best, and most interactive audiences... so they will be hard to beat... but I'm sure the Israelis can show them just how it's done!
I will be writing a report on the final shows... along with an overview of the whole tour, but do check out Matt's fabulous website at www.barbra-archives.com for all the latest on the tour.
It was a pleasure to meet a lot of you in London, Amsterdam, Cologne and Berlin. I've had one of the best times of my life, no exaggeration.
Anyway, it's back to reality for me!
For those of you who are attending the final shows - ENJOY! Savour EVERY moment. These concerts are RARE... and so special.
Photo: BARBRA ARRIVES IN ISRAEL:
Alexi Rosenfeld, AJR Photography.
אלקסי רוזנפלד
צלם
AJR Photography.
Sunday, 2 June 2013
BARBRA KICKS OFF EUROPEAN TOUR IN LONDON!
Barbra's 5-city, 8-show "Micro-tour" (as she put it last night) kicked off at the O2 arena in London last night! I was there - and it's certainly a night I will never forget.
Barbra's voice... there are no words... She opened with ON A CLEAR DAY.. and the notes were something else!
For the record... she sang EVERGREEN like never before... She took it to another level... To say it was "spine-tingling" wouldn't do it justice.
The audience were also treated to live performance snippet of WOMAN IN LOVE (The FIRST time she has ever sang the song LIVE), which was great fun.
If you don't have tickets yet for the remaining 7 shows... and can make it.. do not hesitate.
The golden-notes she produced last night are invaluable. You can put no cost on the experience of hearing Barbra live. No recording device, YouTube video or DVD will capture quite the magic.
For those of you who couldn't be there...
Check out the photo gallery here: http://www.barbrastreisand.com/us/news/barbras-european-tour-kicks-london
Tuesday, 21 May 2013
Thursday, 2 May 2013
Tuesday, 30 April 2013
Funny Girl & The Guilt Trip on Blu-ray TODAY!
Consider today a Barbrathon!
Sony Home Entertainment have released FUNNY GIRL on Blu-ray, and Paramount have released THE GUILT TRIP!
I was lucky enough to get advanced copies on both of the above - and they are SPECTACULAR.
First of all, FUNNY GIRL. Wow. WHAT A TREAT! Sony have really done a fantastic job with the restoration. Lovingly restored from the original negative. Blu-ray.com summed it up nicely:
"The 2.35:1-framed print is meticulously clean, showing not a speckle, hair, or any sign of wear. Light grain beautifully floats over the image, giving it a desirable film-like texturing. It's ever-so-slightly soft on the whole
Details are exquisite; the many rich, lavish backdrops, as well as some of the more homely and worn down elements, reveal intimate textures that are beautifully clear and lifelike. Skin textures aren't often deeply intricate -- Streisand in particular takes on a very smooth, but naturally so appearance...
Colors are beautifully reproduced. The balance is striking, whether the film be showering the screen with a parade of bright hues or showcasing some plainer brown and other earthen tones. Black levels are deep and stable, while skin tones appear even.
This is everything a catalogue title should be, a miraculous presentation that's sure to please all comers. "
(The above review has been shortened for this newsletter).
I'd also like to add that the AUDIO on the Blu-ray is a treat. The first thing I did was turn on my surround sound... and went straight to "MY MAN" - and literally blasted it on full belt. Talk about goosebumps.
If you don't have a Blu-ray player, this film is the reason to go and BUY ONE!
There are two vintage featurettes included on the disc from the time of the movie. These were previously released on the DVD release from around a decade ago - but well worth a revisit.
Click here to order Funny Girl.
----------------
"The Guilt Trip" is still fresh in our minds from it's recent cinema release, but when have we ever needed an excuse to re-watch a Barbra movie?
The "extras" included on this release are great, and it's worth buying the disc just to watch them. There's a funny gag reel... alternate opening and closing scenes.... featurettes... behind the scenes footage... interviews with the cast... lots of deleted scenes... and more.
It's a pleasure to see so much behind-the-scenes footage of Barbra on this Blu-ray. It's always rare to see Barbra behind the scenes. Maybe because she hasn't made many movies in the past few decades... but it did strike me how great it was to see her having fun making this movie.
Click here to order The Guilt Trip.
----------------
In memory of Ally Waldman who would have loved today... and would have beautifully reviewed both movies in her own unique way.
Saturday, 27 April 2013
Barbra at the White House...
Barbra attended the White House Correspondent's dinner tonight in Washington. Here are some great pix from the event.
Monday, 15 April 2013
RIP Dear Allison Waldman.
Dear Friend:
It's with a very heavy heart that I tell you that dear Allison Waldman passed away this evening in Florida. She had battled cancer on and off for many years, but her latest battle was just too tough to conquer.
Most of you know Allison through the books she had written on Barbra over the years. She was the MOST loyal and faithful fan I had the pleasure of knowing for over 12 years. Barbra could do no wrong in Ally's eyes, and it was so refreshing to "talk Barbra" with Allison many times over the years.
Her one wish was to meet Barbra. She told me enough times! Luckily it happened on October 13th last year, backstage at Barbra's Brooklyn concert. I was with her... and dropped her off at her friend's apartment in Manhattan on the way home. She had the biggest grin all the way to the apartment... and couldn't quite believe her luck. I'll never forget that smile, and that night. For her, it was meant to be.
Here's a great shot, backstage at the Brooklyn Concert with myself, Richard Jay-Alexander and Matt Howe (L-R).
We also all loved her weekly "Sunday with Ally" YouTube videos which she had done over the last few years. She recorded her last video just over two weeks ago. You could tell Ally was struggling... but she didn't want to let us down. Maybe she knew the end was near? Just listen to the opening lines of her video "I'm thinking maybe, baby, I'll go away".
Watch her final video here from March 31: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ZR5j17GhVU
Thank you to everyone who donated to her "Nothing's Impossible" appeal over the years. It was a real struggle for Allison to pay for her cancer bills... but the Barbra fans really took the edge off, and came to her rescue. Barbra does have the most generous fans in the world.
RIP Allison. Your generosity will never be forgotten. What a MENSCH you were!
xoxo
Saturday, 30 March 2013
Barbra Streisand on the passing of her longtime record producer and sound engineer, Phil Ramone
I’m so saddened to learn of Phil’s passing.
We first worked together in 1967 when I did a free concert in Central Park. His brilliance at capturing sound was immediately evident.
Later we worked together on the film “A Star Is Born” where Phil was able to record me singing live, including “Evergreen”.
In the next decade we worked on the soundtrack to “Yentl” and many other recordings.
Phil had impeccable musical taste, great ears and the most gentle way of bringing out the best in all the artists he worked with. The monumental recordings he produced will endure for all time.
Barbra Streisand
We first worked together in 1967 when I did a free concert in Central Park. His brilliance at capturing sound was immediately evident.
Later we worked together on the film “A Star Is Born” where Phil was able to record me singing live, including “Evergreen”.
In the next decade we worked on the soundtrack to “Yentl” and many other recordings.
Phil had impeccable musical taste, great ears and the most gentle way of bringing out the best in all the artists he worked with. The monumental recordings he produced will endure for all time.
Barbra Streisand
Monday, 25 March 2013
Funny Girl Coming to Blu-ray.
Academy Award® and Golden Globe® Winner Barbra Streisand, in her First Starring Movie Role> FUNNY GIRL. Oscar® Nominees Omar Sharif, Kay Medford, Anne Francis and Walter Pidgeon Round out the Romantic Musical Drama.
Celebrating its 45th Anniversary by Debuting on Blu-ray™ April 30th Exclusively on Amazon.
Nominated for Eight Academy Awards®, Including Best Picture, and
Featuring Timeless Tunes, such as “My Man,” “People,” and “Don’t Rain on My Parade”.
Bonus Features Include Two Vintage Featurettes.
Click here to pre-order.
Saturday, 23 March 2013
Barbra adds Israel to Summer Tour!
For the first time in her illustrious career, Barbra will perform in Israel at the Bloomfield Stadium on June 20th.
Tickets will go on sale March 29th.
For links to ordering your tickets, visit www.barbrastreisand.com
Can't make the Israel show?
Barbra is also set to perform in Paris, Cologne and Berlin.
(London/Amsterdam sold out, although do keep checking TicketMaster for occasional resales).
See Barbra's website for all details. Best of luck to you all!
For links to ordering your tickets, visit www.barbrastreisand.com
Can't make the Israel show?
Barbra is also set to perform in Paris, Cologne and Berlin.
- Paris: June 10th (On sale March 27).
- Cologne: June 12th (On sale March 25).
- Berlin: June 15th (On sale March 25).
(London/Amsterdam sold out, although do keep checking TicketMaster for occasional resales).
See Barbra's website for all details. Best of luck to you all!
Thursday, 21 March 2013
Barbra announces European Tour.
Barbra to perform in:
Full details here: http://www.barbrastreisand.com/us/home
- London.
- Amsterdam.
- Paris.
- Cologne.
- Berlin.
- More venues to come soon.
Full details here: http://www.barbrastreisand.com/us/home
Sunday, 10 March 2013
Barbra Streisand Signs Directing Deal With Aldamisa International
Barbra Streisand has taken on a talent agency.
The legendary performer and social activist has signed with United Talent Agency, which will represent her as an actress, producer and director. She will continue to be represented by manager Marty Erlichman, who has guided her career -- including music -- for decades. Streisand has sold a whopping 71.5 million albums in the U.S. alone.
Streisand, 70, is a rare Oscar, Tony, Emmy and Grammy winner. She most recently was onscreen opposite Seth Rogen in the comedy The Guilt Trip, her first starring film role in nearly a decade. She also performed at the Oscars on Feb. 24 in a tribute to late composer Marvin Hamlisch, her longtime friend and collaborator.
UTA also will represent Streisand's film and television production company Barwood Films.
A longtime champion of Democratic political candidates and philanthropic causes, Streisand's foundation has given millions of dollars to more than 700 nonprofit organizations, including the Barbra Streisand Women’s Heart Center at Cedars-Sinai
The legendary performer and social activist has signed with United Talent Agency, which will represent her as an actress, producer and director. She will continue to be represented by manager Marty Erlichman, who has guided her career -- including music -- for decades. Streisand has sold a whopping 71.5 million albums in the U.S. alone.
Streisand, 70, is a rare Oscar, Tony, Emmy and Grammy winner. She most recently was onscreen opposite Seth Rogen in the comedy The Guilt Trip, her first starring film role in nearly a decade. She also performed at the Oscars on Feb. 24 in a tribute to late composer Marvin Hamlisch, her longtime friend and collaborator.
UTA also will represent Streisand's film and television production company Barwood Films.
A longtime champion of Democratic political candidates and philanthropic causes, Streisand's foundation has given millions of dollars to more than 700 nonprofit organizations, including the Barbra Streisand Women’s Heart Center at Cedars-Sinai
Monday, 25 February 2013
Barbra at the 85th Annual Academy Awards
For the first time in 36 years, Barbra's return to the Academy Awards was during the show's In Memoriam montage, which concluded with the image of The Way We Were composer Marvin Hamlisch.
This was Barbra's first Live-singing appearance on TV since 2001 (not including pre-recorded "live" TV appearances). 'Marvin Hamlisch was a composer of extraordinary depth and versatility,' said Barbra. 'He was also a very kind and generous friend who could always make me laugh. Over the years, we shared many adventures together.
'Marvin left us way too soon, but I'll always have those wonderful, wonderful memories.'
Barbra was trending on twitter during and after the performance... with some fantastic comments....
Oprah Winfrey @Oprah
Barbra Streisand standing O for being classic elegance in every way.#Oscars
Sandra Bernhard @SandraBernhard
Misty water colored memories a long nail a cleopatra eye classic streisand #oscars2013
Vera Wang @VeraWangGang T
he Way We Were....Barbra Streisand......still so amazing! XxVera
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This was Barbra's first Live-singing appearance on TV since 2001 (not including pre-recorded "live" TV appearances). 'Marvin Hamlisch was a composer of extraordinary depth and versatility,' said Barbra. 'He was also a very kind and generous friend who could always make me laugh. Over the years, we shared many adventures together.
'Marvin left us way too soon, but I'll always have those wonderful, wonderful memories.'
Barbra was trending on twitter during and after the performance... with some fantastic comments....
Oprah Winfrey @Oprah
Barbra Streisand standing O for being classic elegance in every way.#Oscars
Sandra Bernhard @SandraBernhard
Misty water colored memories a long nail a cleopatra eye classic streisand #oscars2013
Vera Wang @VeraWangGang T
he Way We Were....Barbra Streisand......still so amazing! XxVera
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