James Spada's Blog, page 3
March 26, 2014
Funny Girl Opening Night on Broadway--50 years ago today!
50 Years Ago Today...
.... Funny Girl opened on Broadway!
Here is today's official press release about the new Funny Girl Broadway Cast Album, due April 29th:
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 recordingwill also be available for digital purchase, including 192k and 96k high definition audio on HDtracks.
[ Pre-Order FUNNY GIRL 50TH from Amazon.com here ]
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.
[ Pre-Order FUNNY GIRL 50TH from Amazon.com here ]
OvertureIf a Girl Isn't Pretty [Jean Stapleton, Kay Medford, Danny Meehan and Ensemble] I'm the Greatest Star [Barbra Streisand] Cornet Man [Barbra Streisand] Who Taught Her Everything? [Kay Medford and Danny Meehan] His Love Makes Me Beautiful [John Lankston, Barbra Streisand and Ensemble] I Want to Be Seen With You Tonight [Sydney Chaplin and Barbra Streisand] Henry Street [Ensemble] People [Barbra Streisand] You Are Woman [Sydney Chaplin and Barbra Streisand] Don't Rain on My Parade [Barbra Streisand] Sadie, Sadie [Barbra Streisand and Ensemble] Find Yourself a Man [Danny Meehan, Kay Medford and Jean Stapleton] Rat-Tat-Tat-Tat [Danny Meehan, Barbra Streisand and Ensemble] Who Are You Now? [Barbra Streisand] The Music That Makes Me Dance [Barbra Streisand] Don't Rain on My Parade (Reprise) [Barbra Streisand]
.... Funny Girl opened on Broadway!
Here is today's official press release about the new Funny Girl Broadway Cast Album, due April 29th:
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 recordingwill also be available for digital purchase, including 192k and 96k high definition audio on HDtracks.
[ Pre-Order FUNNY GIRL 50TH from Amazon.com here ]
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.
[ Pre-Order FUNNY GIRL 50TH from Amazon.com here ]
OvertureIf a Girl Isn't Pretty [Jean Stapleton, Kay Medford, Danny Meehan and Ensemble] I'm the Greatest Star [Barbra Streisand] Cornet Man [Barbra Streisand] Who Taught Her Everything? [Kay Medford and Danny Meehan] His Love Makes Me Beautiful [John Lankston, Barbra Streisand and Ensemble] I Want to Be Seen With You Tonight [Sydney Chaplin and Barbra Streisand] Henry Street [Ensemble] People [Barbra Streisand] You Are Woman [Sydney Chaplin and Barbra Streisand] Don't Rain on My Parade [Barbra Streisand] Sadie, Sadie [Barbra Streisand and Ensemble] Find Yourself a Man [Danny Meehan, Kay Medford and Jean Stapleton] Rat-Tat-Tat-Tat [Danny Meehan, Barbra Streisand and Ensemble] Who Are You Now? [Barbra Streisand] The Music That Makes Me Dance [Barbra Streisand] Don't Rain on My Parade (Reprise) [Barbra Streisand]
March 19, 2014
Will Organic Be the New Normal? It Can Be, Says Barbra Streisand
From BarbraStreisand.com
One Solution to Climate Change and Growing Healthier Food Is Right Under Our Feet MARCH 17, 2014, 6:28 pm By Barbra Streisand.
Imagine if we could quickly reduce the threat of climate change and grow healthier crops at the same time, without the sacrifice the coal and oil industry tells us are inevitable! Turns out we can, and the solution is literally right under our feet.
As we know now, too much carbon dioxide (CO2) in our atmosphere is disastrous for our planet. CO2 traps heat and results in the ice caps melting, more extreme weather, sea levels rising and a variety of consequences that will disrupt life as we know it.
Much of the CO2 in the atmosphere (as much as 30 percent) is leaked by industrial farming. Climate scientists tell us there should be no more than 350 parts per million of CO2 in the atmosphere and we are already at 400 ppm. What does this mean? We are racing against the carbon clock to combat climate change.
However... CO2 in the ground, where it naturally occurs, is in fact necessary for fertile soil, and results in healthier and more drought-resistant cropland. We can keep CO2 in the ground through a natural process that traps it in a "carbon sink." That process is organic or "carbon farming."
We all remember learning about photosynthesis in school. Plants manufacture much of their food from sunlight, water and CO2, turning those molecules into food. The CO2 is exchanged with the fungi and bacteria in the soil that need it to make richer soil and, in turn, healthier plants. In doing so, the CO2 is captured in the ground. In this natural ecological barter system, carbon is sequestered, helping plants grow while keeping the soil healthy. Industrial farming literally prevents this underground transaction from happening by releasing the CO2 into the atmosphere.
Organic farms, like the famous Rodale Farming System Trial in Pennsylvania, showed that building up soil carbon has other benefits too. It also acts like a water sponge and helps maintain crop yields when conventionally grown crops are dying of thirst during droughts. Unfortunately, extreme droughts may become the new normal as climate change alters our weather patterns, giving us yet another reason to implement organic farming on a large scale. According to the USDA-funded Marin Carbon Project, the overuse use of insecticides, herbicides and fertilizers also release what is normally sequestered carbon -- adding to the problems of climate change.
The good news is that if humans get out of the way, CO2 can be tucked back in the soil to do good, instead of being trapped in the atmosphere doing harm. A U.N. report noted using carbon sinks through natural farming methods could reduce the carbon in the atmosphere to pre-industrial levels in just 50 years!
The critics say we need industrial agriculture to feed the growing population of the world. We're told that we cannot go back to natural, regenerative, organic farming as the way we grow our food. In short, this isn't true.
The world has less of a food problem, than a food distribution problem, and studies show that yields are comparable between the two methods when done to scale. The United Nations Environment Program points out that "in the United States 30 percent of all food... is thrown away each year [and] about half of the water used to produce this food also goes to waste, since agriculture is the largest human use of water."
Propping soil up with increasing use of chemicals will lead to soil that can no longer produce as plants become immune to them. The ingestion of chemicals from pesticides and the introduction of GMOs from industrial farming both cause havoc to the natural ecosystem, and have uncertain and understudied health effects for us. Industrial farming is itself not viable for our future.
The scientific journal, Nature, sums up the benefits of carbon sinks. Organic farming and sustainable land management improve "soil structure and reduce erosion, leading to improved water quality in groundwater and surface waters, and ultimately to increased food security and decreased negative impacts to ecosystems."
And here's a bonus: we can do this right now. We don't need a technological breakthrough to solve the climate crisis. We are already learning this from farming and grazing system trials across the world -- from the U.S. to Costa Rica, Thailand, Egypt, and now China.
If enough farmland and grassland are converted back from industrial to natural farming, we can put huge amounts of carbon back where it belongs, maintain yields in times of drought, eat healthier food and reduce healthcare costs.
So while more research is being done, and should be, we already know enough to say, let's begin the transformation today. What you can do is spread the word. Shop at your local farmer's market and buy organic products when you can. The price should come down as more produce is grown organically. This means more people should be able to buy it, creating a virtuous circle of increased supply to meet increased demand. The sooner we have support for carbon sinks and organic farming, the sooner we can start to seriously combat climate change.
One Solution to Climate Change and Growing Healthier Food Is Right Under Our Feet MARCH 17, 2014, 6:28 pm By Barbra Streisand.
Imagine if we could quickly reduce the threat of climate change and grow healthier crops at the same time, without the sacrifice the coal and oil industry tells us are inevitable! Turns out we can, and the solution is literally right under our feet.
As we know now, too much carbon dioxide (CO2) in our atmosphere is disastrous for our planet. CO2 traps heat and results in the ice caps melting, more extreme weather, sea levels rising and a variety of consequences that will disrupt life as we know it.
Much of the CO2 in the atmosphere (as much as 30 percent) is leaked by industrial farming. Climate scientists tell us there should be no more than 350 parts per million of CO2 in the atmosphere and we are already at 400 ppm. What does this mean? We are racing against the carbon clock to combat climate change.
However... CO2 in the ground, where it naturally occurs, is in fact necessary for fertile soil, and results in healthier and more drought-resistant cropland. We can keep CO2 in the ground through a natural process that traps it in a "carbon sink." That process is organic or "carbon farming."
We all remember learning about photosynthesis in school. Plants manufacture much of their food from sunlight, water and CO2, turning those molecules into food. The CO2 is exchanged with the fungi and bacteria in the soil that need it to make richer soil and, in turn, healthier plants. In doing so, the CO2 is captured in the ground. In this natural ecological barter system, carbon is sequestered, helping plants grow while keeping the soil healthy. Industrial farming literally prevents this underground transaction from happening by releasing the CO2 into the atmosphere.
Organic farms, like the famous Rodale Farming System Trial in Pennsylvania, showed that building up soil carbon has other benefits too. It also acts like a water sponge and helps maintain crop yields when conventionally grown crops are dying of thirst during droughts. Unfortunately, extreme droughts may become the new normal as climate change alters our weather patterns, giving us yet another reason to implement organic farming on a large scale. According to the USDA-funded Marin Carbon Project, the overuse use of insecticides, herbicides and fertilizers also release what is normally sequestered carbon -- adding to the problems of climate change.
The good news is that if humans get out of the way, CO2 can be tucked back in the soil to do good, instead of being trapped in the atmosphere doing harm. A U.N. report noted using carbon sinks through natural farming methods could reduce the carbon in the atmosphere to pre-industrial levels in just 50 years!
The critics say we need industrial agriculture to feed the growing population of the world. We're told that we cannot go back to natural, regenerative, organic farming as the way we grow our food. In short, this isn't true.
The world has less of a food problem, than a food distribution problem, and studies show that yields are comparable between the two methods when done to scale. The United Nations Environment Program points out that "in the United States 30 percent of all food... is thrown away each year [and] about half of the water used to produce this food also goes to waste, since agriculture is the largest human use of water."
Propping soil up with increasing use of chemicals will lead to soil that can no longer produce as plants become immune to them. The ingestion of chemicals from pesticides and the introduction of GMOs from industrial farming both cause havoc to the natural ecosystem, and have uncertain and understudied health effects for us. Industrial farming is itself not viable for our future.
The scientific journal, Nature, sums up the benefits of carbon sinks. Organic farming and sustainable land management improve "soil structure and reduce erosion, leading to improved water quality in groundwater and surface waters, and ultimately to increased food security and decreased negative impacts to ecosystems."
And here's a bonus: we can do this right now. We don't need a technological breakthrough to solve the climate crisis. We are already learning this from farming and grazing system trials across the world -- from the U.S. to Costa Rica, Thailand, Egypt, and now China.
If enough farmland and grassland are converted back from industrial to natural farming, we can put huge amounts of carbon back where it belongs, maintain yields in times of drought, eat healthier food and reduce healthcare costs.
So while more research is being done, and should be, we already know enough to say, let's begin the transformation today. What you can do is spread the word. Shop at your local farmer's market and buy organic products when you can. The price should come down as more produce is grown organically. This means more people should be able to buy it, creating a virtuous circle of increased supply to meet increased demand. The sooner we have support for carbon sinks and organic farming, the sooner we can start to seriously combat climate change.
March 10, 2014
BARBRA AND THE PRIME MINISTER
Streisand and NetanyahuOn March 6, Barbra Streisand attended an event at the home of Hollywood producer Arnon Milchan (The Mirror Has Two Faces and this year's 12 Years a Slave) which honored Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his wife Mrs. Sarah Netanyahu.
March 3, 2014
THE OSCARS!
Last night's Oscar telecast was one of the more tasteful productions in recent years. There weren't any really embarrassing moments, and only a few that caused anxiety--such as Kim Novack's halting appearance during which I wondered if she knew where she was. Ellen DeGeneres was predictably Ellen. Her decision to mock many of the stars, take selfies with them, and order pizza then take up a collection for the bill, just skirted causing the viewer uneasiness. The stars, though, were mostly great sports about it, playing along with apparent enjoyment. (The all-star selfie caused Twitter to briefly crash when Ellen tweeted it.)
I was pleased with the winners, especially Matthew McConaughey and Jared Leto, both looking gorgeous in white tuxes; Leto's acceptance speech was one of the more eloquent in recent years. Bette Midler's performance--her first at the Oscars--was wonderful, as were most of the others--no cringe-worthy Rob Lowe and Snow White numbers for this show. And didn't Bette look and sound fantastic? She must have found the fountain of youth, because she hasn't aged in appearance for the last twenty years!
It would be fun to have Justin Timberlake or Neil Patrick Harris host next year's show. Either one, I think, would bring a breath of fresh air to the Oscars.
I was pleased with the winners, especially Matthew McConaughey and Jared Leto, both looking gorgeous in white tuxes; Leto's acceptance speech was one of the more eloquent in recent years. Bette Midler's performance--her first at the Oscars--was wonderful, as were most of the others--no cringe-worthy Rob Lowe and Snow White numbers for this show. And didn't Bette look and sound fantastic? She must have found the fountain of youth, because she hasn't aged in appearance for the last twenty years!
It would be fun to have Justin Timberlake or Neil Patrick Harris host next year's show. Either one, I think, would bring a breath of fresh air to the Oscars.
February 8, 2014
BARBRA REVEALS NEW TALENT
Who knew? During her appearance on the Today show yesterday, Barbra Streisand showed some sketches she had recently drawn, including one of her dog Samantha. She's not bad! So add artist to her other hyphenates: singer-actress-director-composer-screenwriter-photographer-fashion designer-interior decorator...am I leaving anything out?
February 6, 2014
Streisand on Today Show Friday, February 7
Streisand on Today Show Friday, February 7 Barbra Streisand will appear on NBC's Today Show tomorrow, Feb. 7th, during the 8am hour. She will speak with host Natalie Morales about
Go Red For Women Day
and the Barbra Streisand Heart Center.
January 30, 2014
BARBRA STREISAND'S PHILANTHROPY CONTINUES AND IS HONORED
Barbra at Cedars-Sinai
The Winter 2013-14 issue of Catalyst (a publication mailed to donors, philanthropists, and friends who support Cedars-Sinai’s medical research and programs) features a photo of a proud Streisand standing in front of the Barbra Streisand Women’s Heart Center. Last June, the Cedars-Sinai Advanced Health Sciences Pavilion formally opened its doors.
Thanks to Matt Howe's barbra-archives.com for this!
November 27, 2013
REVIEW OF STREISAND'S 'BACK TO BROOKLYN' CONCERT
Matt Howe, the site runner of Barbra-archives.com, wrote this review of the concert, which will air Friday night at 9 Eastern time on PBS's "Great Performances."
I was a very lucky person in 2012 (and March this year) to see this Streisand show six times! From the Dress Rehearsal in Philadelphia to her second show in Amsterdam, I was able to see the show grow, edit, and expand past the Brooklyn theme that is chronicled on Barbra's latest CD and DVD.
Back on October 11th and 13th, 2012, the excitement was palatable at the new Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York where Barbra sang her heart out for an enrapt audience of fans.
Barbra's repertoire in Back to Brooklyn is less quirky than the 2006 show. Here, Streisand sings several classic tunes at the top of the show that illustrate why she is the best. The three songs right after her opening set are just perfect, and, frankly, illustrative of her status as a legendary performer: “The Way He Makes Me Feel” is Michel Legrand sensuousness; “Bewitched” shows why Streisand is a master interpreter of musical theater songs and standards (“He was cold; so what of it?”); and “Didn't We” gives us “the actress who sings” performing this soaring and bitter-sweet ballad.
The only thing Streisand can do to top this trilogy of butterness is to introduce us to Il Volo—three tenors who join her on “Smile.” The CD omits “Smile” but Il Volo do appear in the DVD and PBS special. (Although their solo set from the tour is cut from this Columbia Records release.) Chris Botti and Jason Gould also duet with Streisand. Gould's solo song from the tour, “This Masquerade,” is a bonus on the DVD.
Barbra's tribute to Marvin Hamlisch never fails to elicit tears and it works on all versions of Back To Brooklyn. (It's very special that they include the video footage of Annie Leibovitz photographing Marvin and Barbra in the back of the truck with the set furniture from 1994's The Concert!)
The CD departs from the format of the TV special because it utilizes audio of Barbra's Brooklyn neighbors from the1980s documentary I Remember Barbra to introduce the show and make the bridge from the first to second act. The CD — which is 72 minutes in length—also edits down Streisand's patter. (The entire I Remember Barbra is included as a bonus feature on the DVD.)
The second act of the show features Barbra in her beautiful coral-colored Donna Karan gown. “Here's To Life” made me cry every time I saw Streisand sing it last year, and it does here, too.
Back to the CD: listening to this show in audio-only mode, the Bill Ross orchestrations really stand out. The orchestra sounds truly gorgeous, and you can hear a certain piano line or instrument in the stereo mix. The CD is sonically strong and pleasing to the ears.
It's curious that this is only one CD. Past Streisand concert recordings have been 2-CD sets (The Concert, Timeless, Live 2006). Fans aren't missing too much here, however. The only Streisand singing cut from the CD are the Q&A snippets, “Smile,” and “Happy Days.” These are all on the DVD, of course, so it's hard to complain about their omission from the CD. (One wonders why there's no Blu-ray of the concert, though.)
The PBS special differs slightly from the DVD sold in stores. PBS takes a blackout after the Hamlisch segment; the DVD includes some patter with the audience about Barbra and “buttah.” Mostly, the PBS special edits for time—and will include segments not on this DVD of co-director Richard Jay-Alexander speaking about the show when PBS takes pledge breaks. (Watch Back to Brooklyn on PBS Nov. 29th. Check local listings.)
DVD director Scott Lochmus rejects some of the previous Gary Smith techniques for editing Barbra Streisand concerts, so this show has its own unique feel. Gone are fan interviews—and most of the overture! (I miss those rare photos shown during the overture. Seeing that huge kabuki curtain drop right before the Funny Girl overture began was pretty cool, too, but not included in the DVD.) But Lochmus captures some great audience shots, all bathed in colored light.
For this diehard fan, I found Miss Streisand to be in excellent voice on this tour—better than the 2006 tour, in my opinion. She sounds lovely on this package. I even hear that beautiful vibrato that was present in her high register when she was just starting out almost 50 years ago. Several press reviews have characterized Streisand's voice—particularly the high notes—as diminished. I don't concentrate on that, so it's not a bother to me. Simply put: It is one of the joys of my life to see and hear Barbra Streisand in concert. First and foremost to me are her talents as an entertainer and song stylist and actress. That being said, Barbra is still in excellent voice. If the critics are saying that Barbra doesn't sound like she's 31-years-old any more .... well, what other artist is still singing this well and touring at Barbra's current age?
She has no precedent.
The Back to Brooklyn CD and DVD and PBS special are historic—in that show business/musical theater/Tin Pan Alley genre that Streisand occupies. This is Barbra Streisand's seventh live album, and like she says, “It's not over till the fat lady sings, and I ain't that fat!” Back to Brooklyn —her latest live show—is top notch and was captured here beautifully.
I was a very lucky person in 2012 (and March this year) to see this Streisand show six times! From the Dress Rehearsal in Philadelphia to her second show in Amsterdam, I was able to see the show grow, edit, and expand past the Brooklyn theme that is chronicled on Barbra's latest CD and DVD.
Back on October 11th and 13th, 2012, the excitement was palatable at the new Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York where Barbra sang her heart out for an enrapt audience of fans.
Barbra's repertoire in Back to Brooklyn is less quirky than the 2006 show. Here, Streisand sings several classic tunes at the top of the show that illustrate why she is the best. The three songs right after her opening set are just perfect, and, frankly, illustrative of her status as a legendary performer: “The Way He Makes Me Feel” is Michel Legrand sensuousness; “Bewitched” shows why Streisand is a master interpreter of musical theater songs and standards (“He was cold; so what of it?”); and “Didn't We” gives us “the actress who sings” performing this soaring and bitter-sweet ballad.
The only thing Streisand can do to top this trilogy of butterness is to introduce us to Il Volo—three tenors who join her on “Smile.” The CD omits “Smile” but Il Volo do appear in the DVD and PBS special. (Although their solo set from the tour is cut from this Columbia Records release.) Chris Botti and Jason Gould also duet with Streisand. Gould's solo song from the tour, “This Masquerade,” is a bonus on the DVD.
Barbra's tribute to Marvin Hamlisch never fails to elicit tears and it works on all versions of Back To Brooklyn. (It's very special that they include the video footage of Annie Leibovitz photographing Marvin and Barbra in the back of the truck with the set furniture from 1994's The Concert!)
The CD departs from the format of the TV special because it utilizes audio of Barbra's Brooklyn neighbors from the1980s documentary I Remember Barbra to introduce the show and make the bridge from the first to second act. The CD — which is 72 minutes in length—also edits down Streisand's patter. (The entire I Remember Barbra is included as a bonus feature on the DVD.)
The second act of the show features Barbra in her beautiful coral-colored Donna Karan gown. “Here's To Life” made me cry every time I saw Streisand sing it last year, and it does here, too.
Back to the CD: listening to this show in audio-only mode, the Bill Ross orchestrations really stand out. The orchestra sounds truly gorgeous, and you can hear a certain piano line or instrument in the stereo mix. The CD is sonically strong and pleasing to the ears.
It's curious that this is only one CD. Past Streisand concert recordings have been 2-CD sets (The Concert, Timeless, Live 2006). Fans aren't missing too much here, however. The only Streisand singing cut from the CD are the Q&A snippets, “Smile,” and “Happy Days.” These are all on the DVD, of course, so it's hard to complain about their omission from the CD. (One wonders why there's no Blu-ray of the concert, though.)
The PBS special differs slightly from the DVD sold in stores. PBS takes a blackout after the Hamlisch segment; the DVD includes some patter with the audience about Barbra and “buttah.” Mostly, the PBS special edits for time—and will include segments not on this DVD of co-director Richard Jay-Alexander speaking about the show when PBS takes pledge breaks. (Watch Back to Brooklyn on PBS Nov. 29th. Check local listings.)
DVD director Scott Lochmus rejects some of the previous Gary Smith techniques for editing Barbra Streisand concerts, so this show has its own unique feel. Gone are fan interviews—and most of the overture! (I miss those rare photos shown during the overture. Seeing that huge kabuki curtain drop right before the Funny Girl overture began was pretty cool, too, but not included in the DVD.) But Lochmus captures some great audience shots, all bathed in colored light.
For this diehard fan, I found Miss Streisand to be in excellent voice on this tour—better than the 2006 tour, in my opinion. She sounds lovely on this package. I even hear that beautiful vibrato that was present in her high register when she was just starting out almost 50 years ago. Several press reviews have characterized Streisand's voice—particularly the high notes—as diminished. I don't concentrate on that, so it's not a bother to me. Simply put: It is one of the joys of my life to see and hear Barbra Streisand in concert. First and foremost to me are her talents as an entertainer and song stylist and actress. That being said, Barbra is still in excellent voice. If the critics are saying that Barbra doesn't sound like she's 31-years-old any more .... well, what other artist is still singing this well and touring at Barbra's current age?
She has no precedent.
The Back to Brooklyn CD and DVD and PBS special are historic—in that show business/musical theater/Tin Pan Alley genre that Streisand occupies. This is Barbra Streisand's seventh live album, and like she says, “It's not over till the fat lady sings, and I ain't that fat!” Back to Brooklyn —her latest live show—is top notch and was captured here beautifully.
November 24, 2013
CHANEL NO. 5'S DREADFUL MARILYN MONROE AD
For Marilyn Monroe to be the face of Chanel No. 5, as was recently announced, seems inevitable. There are two lovely photographs of her with a bottle of the perfume, and she famously replied "Chanel No. 5" when asked what she wore to bed. An ad using Marilyn's voice and image recently debuted. I don't know who created this advertisement, but Chanel should fire the ad agency and whoever approved it.
Dior's spot featuring Marilyn (and Charlize Theron as Dietrich and Grace Kelly) is glamorous and exciting, shot in the Palace of Versailles' Hall of Mirrors and bathed in gold light. The CGI-created Marilyn wears the glittery gold dress from Gentlemen Prefer Blonds and looks gorgeous.
That's how an ad featuring one of history's most glamorous women should look. But what do we get from Chanel? The ad opens with her name in small, blocky white letters on a deep black background. It looks like a death notice. Then we hear a scratchy recording of Peter Lawford saying her name as he introduced her before she sang "Happy Birthday" to JFK. This is followed by a tape recording of her explaining why she gave the reply she did about Chanel No. 5 ("I didn't want to say 'nude'.") This is the best part of the ad; the audio is something I've never heard before.
But the rest of it! Just a series of brief, scratchy (again) B&W newsreel shots of her and some amateur color film shot by a fan on the streets of Manhattan in the early '50s. The images whiz by so quickly that the overall impression is a big blur. The lovely image of her dabbing some of the perfume on her bosom is used, but too briefly. The other image with the perfume bottle, in which she's lying languidly amid satin sheets, isn't used.
Chanel ought to admit the ad's a mistake and put together a new one, colorful and glamorous, perhaps with Marilyn singing. "I Wanna Be Loved By You" from Some Like It Hot would work nicely--because isn't that why we wear perfume, after all?
Dior's spot featuring Marilyn (and Charlize Theron as Dietrich and Grace Kelly) is glamorous and exciting, shot in the Palace of Versailles' Hall of Mirrors and bathed in gold light. The CGI-created Marilyn wears the glittery gold dress from Gentlemen Prefer Blonds and looks gorgeous.
That's how an ad featuring one of history's most glamorous women should look. But what do we get from Chanel? The ad opens with her name in small, blocky white letters on a deep black background. It looks like a death notice. Then we hear a scratchy recording of Peter Lawford saying her name as he introduced her before she sang "Happy Birthday" to JFK. This is followed by a tape recording of her explaining why she gave the reply she did about Chanel No. 5 ("I didn't want to say 'nude'.") This is the best part of the ad; the audio is something I've never heard before.
But the rest of it! Just a series of brief, scratchy (again) B&W newsreel shots of her and some amateur color film shot by a fan on the streets of Manhattan in the early '50s. The images whiz by so quickly that the overall impression is a big blur. The lovely image of her dabbing some of the perfume on her bosom is used, but too briefly. The other image with the perfume bottle, in which she's lying languidly amid satin sheets, isn't used.
Chanel ought to admit the ad's a mistake and put together a new one, colorful and glamorous, perhaps with Marilyn singing. "I Wanna Be Loved By You" from Some Like It Hot would work nicely--because isn't that why we wear perfume, after all?
November 20, 2013
Barbra Streisand Recalls The Day JFK Died.
Barbra's recollection of the day President Kennedy diedNOVEMBER 19, 2013, 8:48 pm"I had just gone to pick up the first serious piece of antique jewelry I ever bought-- a beautiful Edwardian choker. It was a lot of money for me to spend ($750,) but I was doing 'Funny Girl' on Broadway, so I could afford it. In the shop, we heard that the President was gone. I was so stunned and devastated that I got in a cab to go home. Driving through Central Park, I suddenly passed Elliott Gould.. my husband at the time.. sitting on a bench. How did he get there? It was like out of a dream. I stopped the cab, and we just held each other. I never could wear that necklace."
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