[Linda]

Liza's had a lot of adversity in her life, but she keeps coming back. I think she is an extraordinary lady.

Did anyone catch E! last night? The "True Hollywood Story" episode was dedicated to Liza. It was 2 hours long and contained many interviews with Liza's friends as well as Liza herself. It's a shame that someone as talented as she is has been cursed with so much heartache. It reminded me of what a magnificent talent she is. It also reminded me of what a strong person she is. I do wish her well in the new phase of her life. Anyways, great show. If you get a chance, I highly recommend it.

I wish her all the best, too. I saw her perform at the Royal Albert Hall in London in April, and she was an absolute smash. If this time she is able to keep it that way, she'll be as good as she last was in the late Eighties.

Bernhard.

As for "My Way", I couldn't disagree more. It is by itself a rather lousy song, that only came to live through Sinatra’s interpretative genius... and especially with this tune, it was getting much much better through the years. In my opinion, any “My Way” from 89/90 blows away the Reprise original.

As for Liza: Which one of the London shows did you attend? I saw her at opening night. Maybe she was less good during some of the later shows?

Bernhard.

[steffen]

my way isnt good without the powerfull loud notes that he delivered early on, but couldnt hold anymore later on.
the song was theatralic and biographical enough to keep it in the song list, but the arrangement shouel have been changed.

i attended opening night, and the second night.
the hall acustics were terrible in my opinion. too much echo, too loud; i couldn't tell it was a LIVE performance often. i prefer the sound of a live CD, but can not tell if the actual concert has to be that loud. even live videos sound totally different from what i saw live in concert....

as i said, she was good, but it is not comparable to carnegie hall, and she wasn't sure on her feet during dance numbers. and how ridiculous is the argument that she mimed to one of the songs because she had to dance much? was i the only one to observe that she didnt dance that much???

My way his way:
I've a different taste in this one - never mind some dangerous notes, it's the *lyrical* side of Sinatra's live interpretation alone that builds the song. And this did work up to the very end, evoking spontaneous applause after each of the five choruses. Whether or not one is fond of Sinatra's "high note ending" is a matter of taste, too... I like it. And I have to say, most of the time, he made that note. My favourite 'My Way' versions are Detroit 1988 and St-Louis 1994.

Liza's way your way:
Funny thing how different two pairs of ears can work I found the RAH acoustics to be excellent and don't share your impressions... It was, however, no comparison to the Sinatra concerts I have attended there - they were pure perfection, sound-wise.

Out of curiosity, did Liza do the same programme on the second night or did she switch? And was the second-night-audience as star-packed as the premiere? I was especially glad that Tony Bennett had shown up to support Liza.

I agree that some of the miming (it was more than one song, wasn't it) was some kind of faux-pas, while I can't see what should be wrong with the choreography and her dancing, unless you argue that someone with artifical hips should do no dancing at all.... which probably would be the best for her, health-wise.
Anyway, from the atmosphere she created at the RAH, I was reminded of the late Eighties, at least I haven't witnessed anything like it in the Nineties.

Bernhard.

[steffen]

i love the 'my way' he performs in 1970 and 1971.
the 1969 tv version is to eraly during the program, and the setting not much theatrical.
detroit 88? i didnt particularly prefer his voice during that engagement.

the programme was mainly the same, although she did 'losing my mind' live (but you could still here the recorded voice somewhere, which made for an odd echo effect, maybe because they had to use the record for the instrumental sound!?).
dunc said she did 'love pains' during the first night, not on the second night.
the cabaret medley was mimed too.

i was roaring so loud for tony bennett. but didnt see who else was at the hall.
i read pet shop boys and andrew lloyd webber, and shirley bassey?

the choreography was ok, but i could clearly see how she had to 'struggle' to stand firm sometimes.
i thinkn the acoustics were better in cologne.
and the best show was in 1993 in frankfurt, where she did perform the carnegie hall medley, with no difference to the record! i feared she would sound like radio city, but she was much better, although one year later.

bernhard, when you hear she performs germany, please post it here!

I’m somewhat addicted to Sinatra’s 88-89 sounds, although I agree that Detroit was not his best Ultimate Event appearance, Tokyo was much better. By far and large, it’s amazing how Sinatra’s voice recovered after his late-1986 life-or-death fight.

At the RAH, aside from great Tony Bennett I spotted Shirley Bassey, Kander & Ebb and Stephen Sondheim.

I loved what Liza did at the Ultimate Event (this was the first time I saw her perform), catching the 1989 show at the Paris Opera House. Then was Cologne, and the year after that, when she performed open-air in Munich. The concert was okay (if too short – just 45 minutes), but the surrounding appearances were purely horrible. I attended her press conferences at the Bayrischer Hof and she was so loaded with whatever drugs that she could hardly speak a proper sentence. In front of her she had a big box of Kleenex, and when asked a question, instead of replying anything she would start to laugh hysterically, throwing Kleenex on the floor and saying “Sorry, sorry”. That’s one of the reasons I had to go to the RAH this year, to erase that memory. Did you catch the WDR TV feature on the Cologne concert?

Pity I had to pass on Liza and all others in 1993, that year, all my money went to the five Sinatra concerts, first row. How did you get the tickets? You must have been pretty young then.

Latest info I have is that appearances in Germany “are pending”.

Bernhard.

[steffen]

i am sorry i didnt see othet celebrieties at the albert hall.
why didnt she introduce all the celebs?

i heard about the 1998 cologne show, but didnt have the guts to travel there. i saw the tv news clips. i also saw an interview part, and i think liza looked very good, without makeup, and she said the german audience was one of the best, because they say if something isnt good. she looked like at the end of the radio city video, same hair etc, and the close up looked very good for the 52 year old.
i remember they said she had a cold or something, this is the first time i hear about her beeing silly. maybe she was just silly , not under drugs.

well, i am curious how she will be in germany.

[steffen]

i think we got confused. as far as i remember , liza appeared in munich in 1996, she just turned 50. the last time she appeared in germany was in 1997 in cologne. could that be?

Oops, seems that it was me who confused the dates (now WHO has been taking those pills???) – Munich was in summer 1996 and Cologne in summer 1997. As for the Munich press conference, if Liza wasn’t loaded there, she never was. It was the saddest thing I have ever witnessed. Local TV München did broadcast the conference (I can send you a VHS if you like – but it’s hard to watch even on screen).

The show itself was open-air at the Königsplatz, and to some extent, although not Liza’s fault, it was quite desastrous. The first 90 minutes or so were supposed to be an orchestral tribute to George Gershwin and the likes, but the orchestra sounded flat and masterworks like Rhapsody In Blue went by almost unnoticeable. Then Liza did quite a performance (the highlight for me was ‘I Got Rhythm’) including the Kander & Ebb Medley, but it was over too soon, just about 45 minutes, and while she closed just as the audience was getting warmed up and yelled for more, she refused to do any encores. Even Fritz Wepper seemed to be taken aback. As if this wasn’t enough, for about 15 seconds during Liza’s act, the whole electricity broke down, including stage lights and sounds. The band played on and she didn’t stop singing, but it was a mess of course because nobody would hear her anymore. Maybe that’s why she decided to get it over as quickly as possible… Press reviews were cynical at best.

Bernhard

[steffen]

hi bvo,
sounds like a disappointment. i am glad that she did a long twp-act in cologne the year after. i was also lucky to see and hear the whole rehearsal, since i was early and it was an open air, as you remember.

the interview segment i saw had liza walking into the room (she just had a hip replacement) and a close up of hers, and she looked exactly like 4 years before at radio city, beautiful!

i found some pictures from lizas back show at albert hall, and found she wears a costume very much like her mother at a concert at the palace in 1967.

i hope liza comes back to germany soon.

I hope and pray so, too... while it seems that instead of going on touring, she is to waste some time for that Live-Watch-Camera Show. What do you think of it? I talked to a couple of my Judy friends and we're not sure what to make of it. Could be fun of course. But wouldn't a tour (of Germany in particular) and a new album be better...?

Bernhard.

[steffen]

hi, what is a live-watch-camera show?
i heard she will do that tv special with co-stars (they first said she would be honored in april, now they talk about a christmas thing!).
and i read she taped her NY beacon theatre shows for a live album, with bonus tracks from a las vegas engagement.

there is also gossip of the couple doing the dream couples tv series for VH-1.

didnt she want to record a new studio album too?

well, i guess she is planing to adopt now and live in paris during the winter months, so, either we get a european tour then, or we will have to wait until her children are grown up...

[steffen]

ok, it's official, there will be the vh-1 series live from lizas new york appartement!! october 2002

http://www.vh1.com/artists/news/1456...lli_liza.jhtml

the live album will be out october 2002, too.
producer clive davis signed liza on his label j-records 8reportetly on opening night at the beacon theatre).

<...Minnelli and Gest, who will serve as executive producers of the show, do have more to gain from the show than a good time. With Minnelli singing each week (the duets won't be rehearsed, she pointed out), "Liza and David" will be nice promotion for her new album. Liza's Back! is due in October on J Records.
This report is from MTV News....>

[Duncan]

Liza Minnelli was interviewed on Graham Norton (UK tv) last night, she looked superb! She sang 'Maybe This Time', accompanied by piano, bass and drums, her vioce sounds great!!

[steffen]

hey, what is this that she always gets interviewed in the UK but never in germany? is she staying in the UK? what was the news, dunc? did she talk about projects?

Hi Steffen,

I was referring to the VH-1 thing... sorry for my funny language, but as soon as temperatures rise above 30 C, my English tends to disappear . For me, the announcement sounds much like the whole thing being a waste of time. The Live Album is much better news for sure!

I much enjoyed her singing of Maybe This Time, and there was some interesting talk, too. A London friend sent me the audio via mail, and he promised to send a VHS, too. Do you receive some Dutch TV channels on the cable network in Berlin? Sometimes they repeat such UK programmes (if only in the wee small hours).

It’s really a pity when it comes to German TV interviewing entertainment stars when they come to Europe. All I’ve seen from German coverage of Liza’s London shows were some old clips from the archives. At least, WDR repeated the Liza in Cologne coverage, including a short interview with one my seat neighbours (so that at least my left foot may say once more, ‘hey I was on television last night’).

Wasn’t much better of course with Sinatra, either, but in Frank’s case, one could blaim the 1975 quarrel over the Main Event broadcast for it. But I liked the promo Sinatra did for SAT-1 in 1993 “Hello Germany we’ll see you soon”. Liza should just go after that, hopefully before she’s all alone, all the children grown, and like starlings flown away…

Bernhard.

[Duncan]

Steffen, I missed the first half of the show, so she probably spoke of her up-coming album and concerts projects then. The second half of the show was just general chat and then she sang.

Duncan.

Here's a photo from the show:

[steffen]

hi bvo, i dont watch much tv, so i would probably even miss interviews from germany. i never saw the 1993 sinatra ad, i knew from a local newspaper that he would come to stuttgart.

anyway, the best year concerning liza must have been in 1992 when i got my satellite receiver. there was the joan rivers show, the mercury concert, the dame edna experience and a 1974 marvin hamlish show with liza throughout.

we need an extra digital entertainment tv channel.

dunc, did you frame that picture?...
she looks slimmer now, does she? or is it just the camera focus?

i think the VH1 live show could be interesting. i'd like to see how their appartement looks, and i'd like to see those private sessions around the piano after dinner. if the music is the focus 8and thats what gest said), it will be a unique format!