LIZA: A Truly Terrific Absolutely True Story

It aired April 1. I hope they run it again. It was mesmerizing.

Liza Minnelli documentary sheds light on those who helped shape a superstar

thanks OP Rex Reed reviewed it in January, and I wonder what happened to it

It was *exactly* what it should have been and it's perfect for American Masters. Very enjoyable.

I’ve never cared about her, although she was good in CABARET.

She’s just kind of overwrought (and PLAIN JANE!) for me.

My cousin texted me about this tonight. She watched it and loved it.

I watched it a year ago in its premiere at some film festival. Why were people like Michael Feinstein and Jim Caruso telling us about Liza’s life and motivations when Liza is still alive to tell us herself? I was disappointed.

Never got her. Not a great singer, not a great dancer, all flash. And she seems a bit obnoxious as a senior now.

It was featured at the Palm Springs Film Festival this past January. I enjoyed it. I think Liza was super talented. But her heyday was relatively short. I'd say 1965-1992 - something like that. Ccmpare that to the careers of other gay icons like Streisand or Cher, and it seems like a brief time as a top star.

I thought that what she brought that was special was very gutsy belting combined with a sort of vulnerability that communicated across the footlights. It was interesting in the documentary to see how much of her stage persona was planned and taught - especially by Kay Thompson.

I watched the first hour or so... I've never seen Michael Fienstien so lifelike! He seems to have relaxed the Botox usage, and that's a good thing. Is he really a good egg and now takes care of Liza?

Yikes, that Kay Thompson was a piece of work, wasn't she?

I had no idea that Mia Farrow would be so tuned in to Liza's life...

I didn't know Fred Ebb was such a queen...

I wonder why the marriage to Lahr didn't work out... she had a straight man in her life/bed, he was well-grounded, and he seemed to adore her and she him.

Lorna! But no Joey? Does he make an appearance later in the doc?

Jesus that Judy/Mama what a piece of work... and not in a good way.

I didn't watch it but recorded it for future viewing. PBS re-broadcasts the special at 3a on 4/3 and 6a on 4/6 - check your local listings.

[quote]r10 = I wonder why the marriage to Lahr didn't work out

The fact that they never made it to the altar might have something to do with it.

Is Michael Feinstein in it a lot? He is such a dull little man.

He likes to latch onto famous people so he can get his name in their will. He seems to control Liza these days. It is his twinks running all her social media. They make her sound like an idiot.

If you click on the link at OP, you can stream it whenever. I wouldn't wait too long, though. PBS yanks them off fairly quickly.

From what I read at the time, Kay Thompson's last years were atrocious, she was not well taken care of. Of course Liza was rarely around, touring etc. I didn't expect that info to be in the show. I did expect some of Liza's drug use to be in there. Some.

She reminds me of Mickey Rooney. Very talented, but over the top, cloying, affected and attention seeking. Can only take her in small doses.

Though the contemporary Liza is there a lot and she sort of talks a lot, she says very little that is revealing or self-enlightening. I think that's why there's so much of Feinstein but as much as he talks, he also sheds little new light. Mia is the best talking head.

I Googled PBS American Masters and found the full episode available for streaming until June 1st.

Liza was married to Jack Haley, Jr., not Burt Lahr’s son. And Haley, Jr. is not widely considered to have been straight.

Poor Liza.

Born too late to have the career she would have liked, terrible looks which consigned her to character roles and kooks in films because the camera absolutely did not love her, and she developed an unpleasantly eccentric singing style in order to distinguish herself from her far more talented mother, who really WAS a star of stsge, screen and television.

Poor Liza. Except for CABARET, her finest hour, there is nothing of her career that will last.

Did the lighting guy hate Mia Farrow?

Why do people always bring up Liza’s looks like she was some hideous beats or something. She looked like your typical Italian-American NYC girl, even cute when young. She was prettier than Meryl and G in youth.

Maybe it's my age, I don't know -- maybe Judy was too far ahead of my time.

But for me, it's always been Liza.

And Cabaret is my all-time-favorite movie.

Reply 16, BINGO! Also, I'd put Liza's fame frame as: latter '60s on the way up. The '70s Liza's glory years. Petered out by the early '80s. Coasting on living legend phase for 40 years.

Download it here. Just remove the spaces at the beginning.

h t t p s://ga.pbs-video.pbs.org/videos/american-masters/30b3240f-1abd-47c9-9d10-fa7fa51755f2/2000470237/hd-16x9-mezzanine-1080p/amms3801-mp4-720p-3000k.mp4

And all the other spaces. Oops. Sorry.

R10 Lahr! Lahr??

[quote] But her heyday was relatively short. I'd say 1965-1992

Wasn't she pretty much over by the end of the '70s, if not sooner?

R24 R25 I copied the URL, there are no extra spaces anywhere, I fixed the https part too, but all I get is an "access denied" error.

I am 30 minutes into it and there is already way too much Micheal Feinstein. He is such a ghoul.

R20 the lighting director was Patti LuPone

After all the bitching about Feinstein, I was surprised that he really isn't in it all that much.

MJ someone reinvented her career as profitable tabloid fodder.

R28 I don't know why but it messed up the web address. Sorry. Take the first part and add this. Hopefully it works.

videos/american-masters/30b3240f-1abd-47c9-9d10-fa7fa51755f2/2000470237/hd-16x9-mezzanine-1080p/amms3801-mp4-720p-3000k.mp4

R28 it did it again.

No Billy Stritch?

Minnelli comes off as emotionally needy as Garland was, but I can't imagine what it must have been like to be hounded by the press constantly.

Funny that there was no mention of the one film where Minnelli and Kay Thompson appeared together, the unfortunate TELL ME THAT YOU LOVE ME, JUNIE MOON, though Liza is pretty good in it. But I gather she hated Otto Preminger, but then, who didn't?

Feinstein talks about the 'iconic' New York, New York. I remember he hated that song and used to take the piss out of it. Then he became friends with Liza and saw her as a way to boost his fame so then he started liking the song.

MIA IS BITCH!!

Liza will also be remembered for ARTHUR and CHARLIE BUBBLES. And NEW YORK, NEW YORK is a big cult favorite.

[quote]And NEW YORK, NEW YORK is a big cult favorite.

LoL, r39, on what planet?

Dying and Crippled Liza Minnelli, 78, Being 'Controlled' by 'Creepy' Collaborator Michael Feinstein: 'To Get to Her, You Have to Put Up With Him'.

As if the cold and the rain weren’t enough to make this Friday in New York City dreary as hell, the tabloid gods have added insult to injury by providing little nourishment for my gossip-hungry soul this morning. So, I regretfully inform you that the best piece of gossip is about Liza Minnelli moving across the country to live with the piano player she’s fallen in love with. His name is Michael Feinstein, and he’s married to a man.

In a video for Radar Online, gossip maven (and friend of DirtCast) Rob Shuter reports that 71-year-old Minnelli has “left New York and all her friends behind after almost 70 years to be with a gay piano player” in Los Angeles. “Since she’s been gone, her friends in New York have seen little” of her,” Shuter claims. “In fact, they’re even wondering what magical powers does Michael have over the icon.”

This living legend who is an offspring of a legend is being robbed blind by those closest to her.

Liza Minnelli

R35 Billy Stritch is so lovely. I have emailed him in the past and he always replies.

“Address not found” is the usual reply, amirite?

Beauty and the Beats.

Liza is one of the greatest of all time. She is electrifying on stage and a lovely person.

A national--rather--an international treasure.

I was lucky enough to see this in a small theatre here in Los Angeles. Apart from the eldergay contingent slowly trying to navigate through the aisles, it was a pretty good turnout. I enjoyed it, but was a little disappointed that other films like Lucky Lady and Junie Moon were not highlighted. I wasn't really expecting a warts and all sort of documentary....it's fine for what it is.

[quote]Apart from the eldergay contingent slowly trying to navigate through the aisles, it was a pretty good turnout.

"Apart", r47? So the eldergays *weren't* part of the "pretty good turnout".

Got it.

r47, I was just going to mention LUCKY LADY and JUNIE MOON and also THE STERILE CUCKOO. How could they not mention or show a glimpse of any of them, especially as bookends of her film career? Also, no mention of that LITTLE RED RIDING HOOD musical TV special she did early on.

And shocked they didn't show little Liza's film debut in the closing credits of IN THE GOOD OLD SUMMERTIME! I wonder if the rights to all of that was inaccessible/too expensive.

And I also wish there'd been a better intro to Kay Thompson, showing more (and better) clips of her in film and TV stuff.

Did anyone else find it odd that Liza had nothing to say about Feinstein or Mia? It was as if she didn't know they'd be participating.

The older non-show biz couple was interesting, even if they really had nothing new to say about Liza. Nice to see she has some close, caring friends not in the business. I also enjoyed the comments from her long-time makeup lady. Halston's assistants, OTOH......

Sterile Cuckoo is one thing, but really, what is of interest about Junie Moon, Lucky Lady or Matter of Time? They weren't high points of her career. Liza was LIZA! only on stage. It made sense to put more focus on her concert appearances.

Leeza Minnelli

There were no drugs at Studio 54.

I forgive that, r53. The documentary isn't an exposé.

R54 It was still funny that she said that.

[quote][R54] It was still funny that she said that.

It was, r55. Plus the *way* she said it.

I worry that they couldn't show Liza standing up and moving around. Or even just standing up.

If she wanted so badly to be a mother, why didn’t she consider adoption?

She has mobility problems, r57, as do many seniors. Particularly seniors who were dancers.

And someone (Feinstein?) said she’d be a great mother. Yeah. She would have been exactly like Judy - loooves those kids, but unwilling and unable to nurture or take care of them in basic ways.

Kooky was very much in demand in Liza's day and she did it better than anybody. She would have been great in "On A Clear Day You Can See Forever."

"Hssssssssssssssssssss"

Yes, I think we can attribute most of Liza's health problems to smoking and being a dancer...(insert Lucille Bluth eyeroll here)

Because being a lifelong smoker has no bearing on a seventysomething’s health. And any claim to the contrary is textbook fake news.

[quote]Yes, I think we can attribute most of Liza's health problems to smoking and being a dancer.

Cute, r63, but I really don't think alcohol and drugs were directly responsible for her hip and knee replacements. Cigarettes can directly be attributed to her voice deterioration.

I was impressed that she was singing "But The World Goes Round" in the original key. Of course they cut away before the big ending, but it would have been interesting to hear if Liza still has those notes.

R63 Smoking is linked to rheumatoid arthritis and atherosclerosis as well as many other many other conditions and health problems

Liza...overflowing talent. Sensational. One of a kind.

I was molested.

The Kay Thompson stuff was interesting. They all but called her a nasty cunt. She was homely and ungainly and would never be a star and she was jealous of the people she mentored. She could be mean to Liza but Liza still took Kay in at the end of her life when she was broke.

Everytime anyone mentions any health problems the same people jump right to “THE SMOKING”

It’s like the people who blame the COVID vaccine for everything.

Is smoking healthy?

No.

Is it the cause to every problem, ever? No

Nobody has stated smoking is the cause to every problem, r71. You think smoking doesn't affect breath control and deteriorates a singing voice?

NepoLiza stole the Oscar from Diana Ross. Watch them again. Liza plays Liza. Ross blows her off the screen.

I believe r63 was being ironic about Liza's health problems being attributable to smoking.

Liza deserved the Oscar for Cabaret.

[quote]I believe [R63] was being ironic about Liza's health problems being attributable to smoking.

Do you often mistake sarcasm for irony, r74?

R76 Sarcasm is a form of irony and yes R63 was being sarcastic

I had no idea she was involved with Peter Sellers. I loved the documentary especially the way they broke it into chapters. But I did chuckle when Liza said she always showed up no matter how messed up she was. Uh, no. There were many cancelled performances and, in the case of Victor/Victoria, fucked up performances. But, she's Liza and we love her so it's ok if she remembers things differently.

r51, what would have been interesting about including those 3 films - Cuckoo, Junie Moon and Lucky Lady - would have been a 30 second clip and hearing Liza talk about the films. Especially interesting in hindsight.

But then IIRC she never talks in any detail about any of her films, except Cabaret.

I just finished watching the PBS documentary with tears in my eyes. Our generation will never know a talent like hers.

Queen + Liza Minnelli/Cast - We Are the Champions

Kooky was in when Liza became a star. Her timing was perfect. Trouble was the 80s when preppie pretty came back.

[quote] Our generation will never know a talent like hers.

She may be our last link to a long gone generation.

Yes, R70, and starved her and let her die with broken bones and dementia. Liza couldn’t deal with shit like that. Oh well.

[quote]I had no idea she was involved with Peter Sellers

She was not only involved with him, but held a press conference to announce that she was done with Desi Jr. and was now dating Peter Sellers.

[quote]loooves those kids, but unwilling and unable to nurture or take care of them in basic ways.

I think Liza would have been a better mother than Judy. For one thing, Liza never has had money issues. And I think having a child would have helped Liza more with maintaining sobriety and staying on the road to wellness. I think the fear of repeating Judy's mistakes would have been foremost in her mind.

[quote] Kooky was very much in demand in Liza's day and she did it better than anybody. She would have been great in "On A Clear Day You Can See Forever."

I agree she would have been great as Daisy Gamble, but it's hard to imagine her as Melinda.

As if parenthood was an intellectual exercise, R84.

The "LIZA: A Truly Terrific Absolutely True Story" is sadly really dull.

I love Liza, but watching this doc made me realize she's one of the most known, talked about and photographed people in America! We've known most of what there is to know about Liza since her BIRTH! Literally!

Liza appears and goes on about a bunch of things, but no one ever asks her "Why do you feel compelled to do this in the first place?", or "Do you ever just sit quietly?". The movie never gets us close to the real Liza making one wonder is there a real Liza at all?

[quote]The "LIZA: A Truly Terrific Absolutely True Story" is sadly really dull.

Wasn't to me, r87.

[quote]We've known most of what there is to know about Liza since her BIRTH! Literally!

How would we know it figuratively?

Well, r88 with LIZA everything is possible!

Kay Thompson taught her that!

[quote]R78 I did chuckle when Liza said she always showed up no matter how messed up she was.

Yeah. Ruby Wax would beg to differ.

R21: She was "cute" with the right stylist when she was young, but she wasn't a classic beauty. Mia really was lit poorly.

I'd forgotten how annoying Peter Allen was as a performer. I'd completely forgotten the third husband, but I'm not an intense fan---was he gay? They characterize him as solid--did she need someone who wasn't? I mean, next she went to went David Gest.

I was surprised her marriage to Mark Gero lasted as long as it did. But then I was surprised that her other (shorter) marriages lasted as long as they did, too.

I was also surprised that The Sterile Cuckoo was not mentioned. Perhaps they couldn't get rights to run a clip. That was the first time I became aware of Liza.

The strength of the production was in showing her as a normal person, at least in private. And her great devotion to her friends. That was paramount.

R84 these people put their career over family and children no matter whether there are money issues or not i.e. Shirley Maclaine, Michael Douglas, Marlon Brando . . .it was a good thing Liza never had children.

^^^Gene Hackman

I worked on a concert where Liza performed with our major symphony orchestra. We talked backstage for a considerable amount of time after the show. She was lovely, friendly, down-to-earth and funny. Liza is a pure delight. And she was also a extraordinarily cooperative regarding publicity needs weeks before the concert.

She is simply one of a kind. Lovely, sweet, polite and engaging. She is also pure show biz when she steps on stage. She knocks herself out and knocks out the audience in the process. Liza is electrifying.

Liza is the type of performer who we are not likely to see again. She is the end of an era. I have seen her in concert at least a half a dozen times. She never disappoints.

I just finished watching the documentary. No question about what a good and loyal friend she was and is to her friends, and no question that many people in her life loved and love her. And as an entertainer, she clearly gave her all. Which is a problem for me.

Seeing and hearing all that concert footage just reminded me of why I have never been a fan. Her voice was never pleasant to listen to, she was always too brassy, too shrill,, too all over the place. Also too needy. People said that about Garland too — that her emotionalism and neediness made some people uncomfortable. But Garland had excellent musicianship and phrasing, she knew how to build a song from a quiet beginning to a big finish, she was a disciplined singer with great technique. Her training in vaudeville and movies taught her to channel her emotionism, to shape it, refine it, control it. So often the footage of Liza shows her out of control, her voice wobbly and sloppy. And one gets the idea that this was encouraged in order for her to distinguish herself from her mother.

And some of Halston’s stage costumes for her — I’m especially thinking of a too-short deep flamingo pink minidress — were vulgar and garish and made her look fat and sluttish. And all her dancing, though energetic, was graceless and ungainly amd unattractive.

She was too much — too mushy, too all over the place with not enough refinement or modulation for my taste. Judy Garland was a very great artist. Liza Minnelli was a hard working, spirited entertainer who made up in volume what she lacked in true intuitive talent.

It’s a tribute to the loyalty she inspires that so many people came together to sing her praises in this documentary. But someone who sees it and who didn’t know much about her before, is just as likely to be put off by her as I generally am, rather than admiring her as a singer.

No mention of her hilarious stint on "Arrested Development"? No mention of "Arthur"? No mention of the Stroman "Stepping Out" show at Radio City? No mention of her triumph at Carnegie Hall after her first rehab? No mention of "Minnelli on Minnelli" at The Palace? No mention of Live Aid?

Why were we subjected to the mindless commentary of Ben Rimolower. I had to google him. He's accomplished nothing, and he wasn't a friend of hers. Why was he there?

This documentary is impressionistic not chronological. There might have been footage from some or all of the events you mention, R98, but it’s not a blow by blow biography, it is organized by quotes from people who were important to her and who helped shape her stage persona.

What does Liza with a Z spell? Was that a poke at Streisand?

Where is her Phaedra? Her Lady Macbeth?

Because it's NOT Lisa with an "S", r101!

[quote]And as an entertainer, she clearly gave her all. Which is a problem for me.

Well, r97, you do you. If you aren't a fan, why did you watch it?

Well, I would have preferred more biography and fewer testimonials to what a wonderful person she is (even if true). I wonder if any other American Masters fails to even mention one of its subject’s two Oscar-nominated performances?!

I agree R105 it was very very very repetitive

Liza's big scene' from The Sterile Cuckoo

A huge thanks to OP for posting the PBS link. It was a great watch. I didn't know about her and Ben Vereen.

I thought Ben Vereen had died.

r97: Thats an extremely astute observation about Liza. I was never a fan, but I saw her last show at the Palace and even though she was wobbly she had incredible stage charisma and knocked herself out to entertain.

r96: Friends at the Metropolitan Opera worked with her at a benefit and said exactly the same thing. Totally professional; and delightful to deal with.

r43: Billy is one of the nicest guys in the business. A true talent, and he was very protective and supportive of Liza when she lived in New York.

I dunno. If you lived thru it, and not much was secret, what’s there to watch?

No mention of "Rent A Cop". Or her bizarre appearance on HSN . Selling her line of cheap "closhe" and jewelry. HI GEORGIA. YOU'RE MY MENTOR TOO!.

R98 why Live Aid? Did she watch it?

I'm a huge Liza fan--singing, dancing and her knock 'em dead concert performances, but the documentary really should have included a little something about 'Arrested Development.' Liza was a figgin hoot. She was so goddamn funny, and it showed her command of the small screen while delivering a wonderful comedic performance.

Liza @17:00 Flora the Red Menace

I thought it was good with the exception of Darren Criss once again latching onto every opportunity to piggyback onto someone’s glory in order to appear greater than he is. Did Ryan Murphy produce this documentary???

R116 Darren Criss gets that from Micheal Feinstein.

There was no Katy Manning, Marisa Berenson or Billy Stritch.

My favorite was Jim Caruso, who clearly is on the outs with Liza as he had several bitchy observations.

I was told Stritch fell out around the time Feinstein really took over, which is sad because I think Billy Stritch was a better gay companion. (Though Liza did relapse and do the awful Victor Victoria during those years)

Not mentioned

Sterile Cuckoo Arthur The Rink Carnegie Hall Stepping Out Arrested Development Most of New York, New York movie (briefly touched on the song) Viral encephalitis Knee surgery HSN and working with clay Michael Jackson The other Tony awards Flora, the Red Menace Stepping Out Victor / Victoria Feud with Lorna and making up Joey Her dad’s death Her dad being gay, Peter having an affair with her mother’s husband, her mother’s father being gay, her last husband being gay.

r118: I'm sure Feinstein made sure there was no Billy Stritch.

And no Christine Pedi !

r119: Great minds think alike!

Absolutely right about Billy. He is a genuinely kind person.....and doesn't have a reputation of being a kryptkeeper.

r8 = Lorna Luft

Lorna backed off for a while but who can blame her. She had her own life and a family as well as her own issues to deal with. Love Liza but she seems exhausting to be around.

Why was so much time devoted to that wealthy elder couple who had nothing to offer but generic platitudes? They seemed like good people but who cares about their thoughts? I wonder if they contributed a lot of $$$$$$ to get the doc made.

Lorna, Liza said, was the best sister. But there was a long estrangement.

R97: You really summed it for me. The pathetic neediness and the old fashioned song-belting style. A little of all that goes a long way. I'm guessing that when she was relatively together, she was a delight but often she was a mess--that seems to be the subtle subtext here. The whole thing was too repetitive and it says something that they really just had a small number of talking heads.

Her Stepping Out show at Radio City was spectacular. Liza at her best. The Stepping Out movie has, pretty much, disappeared but it's a fun film and Liza really shines.

r127: The "Stepping Out" film is a real charmer. Liza has some lovely introspective bits, like her monologue about auditioning for Fosse. And its nice to see Jane Krakowski. Supposedly fewer than 50 prints were struck for its theatrical release.

R127 R128 Stepping Out is on some torrent sites. Ext. to has it.

“Well, [R97], you do you. If you aren't a fan, why did you watch it?”

Because whether I like it or not, Liza Minnelli is a star, friends of mine are fans of hers, and I’d heard good things about this documentary. I’d also seen her concert show at the Beacon theater in NY many years ago (not memorable) and met her twice quite casually. She was nice and exuded neediness.

But as I stated above, the documentary didn’t convince me that she was a world class talent, merely that she was a hard worker, a good friend and someone who inspires fanatical loyalty in some. But not me.

[quote]the documentary didn’t convince me that she was a world class talent

I don't understand why you thought it would, r130. You saw her in person and that didn't convince you. She's an EGOT (with a non-competitive Grammy) and for a period ranked with the other one-named divas. She's obviously not your cup of tea, but there's no reason to re-Simonize her.

Only a creep would shit talk Liza.

[quote]Only a creep would shit talk Liza.

Some people think it's cool to be cruel, r132.

R97/R130: your getting poked by someone I've blocked. You're right she's a notable figure, so you watch. That doesn't mean it has to be a great doc or t hat it present her in a sympathetic light. Instead she comes across as a bit much and it isn't a great doc.

[quote]Instead she comes across as a bit much and it isn't a great doc.

It's Liza, r134, she's always too much for non-fans. I think it's a very good doc and achieves what it sets out to do. One thing it isn't going to do is make fans out of people who weren't fans to begin with. It's the same as if the doc had been about Cher, Diana, Bette, or Tina.

Liza came of age in showbiz at the wrong time. If she were coming up today, what a star she would be. Well, she’d be Gaga but more Italian. But since everyone likes those quirky, nervous, loud theater gals now, I think Liza would do well.

Late 60s/70s were a grittier time. Cabaret was a smash and it was a gritty picture. Liza was old school showbiz though, doing her pop eyed emoting in other movies. Plus, her reputation as an over the top party girl didn’t help, even when it was chic. Can you imagine her hosting an original cast SNL? She just didn’t fit the mold with most of the performers of her generation and never really stretched after Cabaret.

Sad that Liza never got to play Mame or Rose or.......Sonia Walsk! I know this never would have happened but when the Mendes revival of Cabaret opened back in '98 I thought Liza and Joel Grey would make a fantastic Schneider and Schultz for a limited run.

R137 what was weird is she even sang “So What” in the Stepping out tour to tee up such an announcement that never happened.

[quote]R136 If she were coming up today, what a star she would be. Well, she’d be Gaga but more Italian.

Minnelli’s a singer/songwriter?

R136 The 60/ 70s were indeed a grittier time but movies like Oliver, Funny Girl, The Way We Were, The Poseidon Adventure, Grease. American Graffiti, Star Wars, Fiddler on the Roof, The Bad News Bears, Airport, Love Story, Yours Mine and Ours. That's Entertainment, Earthquake, What's Up Doc, Sounder, Close Encounters, The Goodbye Girl, The Turning Point, True Grit, The Love Bug, King Kong, The Towering Inferno, Superman, Heaven Can Wait, Oh, God! The Odd Couple. Camelot. . .were huge successes at the box office

in the 70s Liza made Lucky Lady, A Matter of Time and NY, NY after Cabaret

[quote]Well, she’d be Gaga but more Italian.

WTF is this even supposed to mean?

R124 I was distracted by the man's face. Obviously he suffered a stroke

I've said this before in other threads: she's on her own planet, but she seems as down-to-earth as possible. I imagine a cab driver or Starbucks worker could say, "Hi, Liza!" and she'd just start happily gabbing away while she took her ride or waited for her coffee.

[quote] Why was so much time devoted to that wealthy elder couple who had nothing to offer but generic platitudes? They seemed like good people but who cares about their thoughts? I wonder if they contributed a lot of $$$$$$ to get the doc made.

I got MAGA vibes from them.

[quote]r 140 In the 1970s Liza made Lucky Lady, A Matter of Time and NY, NY after Cabaret

All three of which bombed, I believe?

Sayonara, sweetheart!

No one thought to as Liza about Desi Arnaz Jr.

Lucy had a lot to say about Liza. While not being cruel, Lucy said in a early 70s interview clip, "Liza can not be domesticated". Boy, she got that one right.

Did Patty Duke precede Liza for Desi, Jr.?

R145 A Matter of Time was a critical and financial disaster. Apparently, the studio recut the film against the wishes of director Vincente Minnelli. NY ,NY grossed 13 million but was an expensive project and the reviews were decidedly mixed, and Lucky Lady was also an expensive project and received very negative reviews and no box office However Arthur in 1981 was a huge hit starring Liza and Dudley Moore,

R9, you added too many years. It’s more like 1972-1988. Cabaret to the concerts she did with Sinatra d Sammy Davis. That not bad at all.

As far as no clips from films, couldn’t they afford to show STILLS from them? Cuckoo, New York New York and Arthur’s definitely.

I only really liked Liza in the late 1960s when she was all over TV and recorded for Herb Alpert’s A&M label. It was before mega stardom, but she was quite different and interesting.

To the person who keeps alluding to Liza being Italian, I know she’s half Italian, but there’s absolutely nothing Italian about her.

R149 - do you know the name of the song Liza sings in that clip? I'd google "This Time," but that's going to give me Cabaret... thanks.

R151, two Jimmy Webb songs - part of After All the Loves of My Life, and Didn’t We.

Jimmy Webb was quite the composer, and he was only in his early twenties at the time. Liza would never sing songs like this after Cabaret.

R143 I can see that. She would be a fun aunt. But only to visit. Get her to buy you a Jaguar and get outta there.

R151 R152 The after all the loves of my life lyrics are from MacArthur Park. Here's a YouTube link.

It’s funny, they always label the song MacArthur Park, but clearly it’s a different song:

It is MacArthur Park.

Here is Donna Summer singing the lyrics.

Google MacArthur Park lyrics.

It’s a different verse inside the song MacArthur Park. Funny that some singers pull it out and sing it like it’s another song. I prefer that over all of that cake left in the rain shit.

I have the sheet music for MacArthur Park/Didn't We and sing it sometimes.

I nearly spit out my drink when Liza said there were no drugs at Studio 54. I couldn't believe it.

My favorite Liza performance.

R161 That whole album is so good.

They that have power to hurt and will do none, That do not do the thing they most do show, Who, moving others, are themselves as stone, Unmoved, cold, and to temptation slow: They rightly do inherit heaven's graces And husband nature's riches from expense; They are the lords and owners of their faces, Others but stewards of their excellence. The summer's flower is to the summer sweet Though to itself it only live and die, But if that flower with base infection meet, The basest weed outbraves his dignity: For sweetest things turn sourest by their deeds; Lilies that fester smell far worse than weeds.

[quote] Lorna, Liza said, was the best sister. But there was a long estrangement.

While Lorna was raising two kids on the west coast and Liza was drunkingly raising the roof off Studio 54 perhaps?

R150 REALLY!!!

Lorna also partied her ass off at Studio 54. She didn't settle down and have kids until years later.

R165 beat me to it. Lorna was quite the party girl in the 1970s. Her first husband was her drug dealer.

Two decades later, Lorna was settled down and having children. Liza was a spread out on top of a piano singing all night with whoever would play for her.

I loved the documentary, but I wish that Liza had owned up to her actual drug use. If you listen to her in the doc, she says her demons were alcohol and prescription drugs (downers, like valium). She also says that at Studio 54, none of her group used drugs. LOL

Well, we all know that her demon drug was coke and other uppers, and she used them heavily during her Studio 54 period. That's why she missed so many performances - day after coke syndrome. You'd think she could reveal the truth at this stage in life like she talks about her marriages. I'm guessing that she thinks it's only acceptable to admit to legal drugs and to downplay her extensive addiction and not to acknowledge the friends around her who were addicted as well and enabled her.

They weren't doing Valley of the Dolls, r167.

She also didn't own up to whatever neuromuscular disorder she has.

[quote]She also didn't own up to whatever neuromuscular disorder she has.

Big fucking deal.

Liza Minnelli 1980 Her Best Performance of 'Some People' from 'Gypsy'

She knocks 'em dead!

Liza singing The World Goes Round at Carnegie Hall in the late 80s. It's a shame this concert wasn't filmed.

Liza's defining live moment singing, belting...'New York, New York'

This is her song and no one else's (including Sinatra as much as I like him--but not on this song.)

Liza is electrifying.

And for those not old enough to understand, this is what a superstar looks like...

My mom is 88 and is a huge Judy Garland fan - I was only 6 but still remember how sad she was at the news of Garland’s death. About 20 years ago Liza was performing nearby and I offered to buy her tickets - she said she had seen Liza in concert a few years earlier and had no desire to see her again - she didn’t put it exactly the way R97 did, but that was essentially what she felt- Liza was too much.

I emailed someone that I had expected to see in the documentary and asked if they were too busy to be in it or just hadn't been asked. This is their reply.

'Nope I was not asked to participate which is a bit of a mystery to me although I have my suspicions as to why. I hope you enjoyed the Michael Feinstein — er, I mean the Liza documentary. Lots of great footage. Just none of me. '

The problem for me is that Liza never changed much. Like Judy, she was doing the same old shit for 99% of her career. Liza was the same loud manic singing/dancing dynamo - even when she’d lost it from age, medication, physical limitations - for 30 years, long after it was time to stop.

The documentary seemed to want to prove what a nice, genuine person she was rather than chronicling her career achievements on stage, TV and movies. Most people who know of her are already aware of that, her career milestones, not so much. Very odd.

Liza and Lorna singing Happy Days Are Here Again/Get Happy live.

Liza's character songs are a masterclass in song acting.

What Makes a Man a Man?

Another character song.

Sailor Boys.

A character song???

[quote] The problem for me is that Liza never changed much.

I submit her association with the Pet Shop Boys would tend to belie that.

One thing out of 1000, no deal.

Losing My Mind is great.

Liza Minnelli on The Joan Rivers show in 1991.

[quote] LIZA: A Truly Terrific Absolutely True Story

Ish terrif!

[quote] Lots of great footage. Just none of me. '

Maybe next time

I love Liza.

Cult following. It's pretty comical at this point.

This is the greatest moment of anything ever. The very non-sexual part of the ESSENCE of my gayness is when she goes for an unheard of THIRD ending. "THESE LITTLE TOWWWWN BLUUUUUES..."

I mean Jesus Christ. Cannot say enough about this performance. It makes me cry, remembering how things were that Liberty Weekend when I was 16. No one who didn't live it could ever understand what we had.

R189 = FAG!

That's all? : (

R189 some of the comments on that video are amazing. They talk about how she had the audience in the palm of her hand.

R189? Now, [bold]that's[/bold] what I'm talkin' about!

Still gives me chills.

I thought the documentary was a bore. I also didn’t like how it painted Judy as being competitive and jealous of Liza.

The only thing new it uncovered was that she had a relationship with Ben Vereen and her complicated friendship with Kay Thompson. I also expected more of her Hollywood peers to be part of the documentary, but then I realized a lot of them are no longer here, so that was an unfair expectation.

I’m still here.

R194, the Ben Vereen thing is common knowledge. Same with Kay Thompson.

I’m glad that others appreciate that Liberty Weekend performance of NY,NY. It is, unless anyone else can point to a better one, the greatest example of showmanship in the history of modern performance. She has the crowd in the palm of her hand and gets them more and more wound up with each chorus. That song is considered by many to be Sinatra’s but he doesn’t hold a candle to Liz.

[quote] It is, unless anyone else can point to a better one, the greatest example of showmanship in the history of modern performance.

R197 = F. Murray Abraham

R24 that url isn't working. Can.you please reup?

Thanks!

The world is divided into two kinds of people: Barbra people and Liza people.

R199 Try this one.

tinyurl.com/2sk8apjr

You need to put the link in website link space below, R201

R202 it wouldn't let me. Just copy and paste it.

Do I have to do EVERYONE'S job around here, you lazy whores?

Apparently someone needs to do yours, r204.

Hey, that was the link that was posted by r201, I just formatted it properly. Blame his lazy ass that it is stinky linky!

Well, when I paste r201's link it comes up just fine.

Mea culpa, it works if you paste it directly in your browser and don't try to use the DL web site link. Thank you for the link!

[quote] The world is divided into two kinds of people: Barbra people and Liza people.

Another divide - also mostly from the '70s - was between Woody Allen people & Mel Brooks people.

Still not clear why Ben Rimalower and Darren Criss were included; neither added a thing to the movie, other than the latter spent an evening singing showtunes at Liza's house. Yes, and...?

Once I realized it was a hagiography, I knew they wouldn't bring up the fact that Liza lipsynched parts of The Act on Broadway. It was a minor escandelo at the time.

R201 thank YOU!

I saw THE ACT when I was in high school. Her mic “stopped working” during “City Lights” and she stopped, chatted w the audience and then was handed a new one.

I found out later this happened at every performance.

[quote]I also didn’t like how it painted Judy as being competitive and jealous of Liza.

LoL, r194, It didn't paint it, it *showed* it.

R210 anyone that had tasted Michael Feinstein's balls was allowed to be in it. He is the one in control and in the will.

Didn't Liza refuse to return Judy's calls the last two or so years?

I've no doubt Judy loved Liza, but Judy was at her worst when Liza's career was taking off. I'm sure some shit went on, especially since Joey and Lorna were going through it as well.

These days she'd be attacked as a Nepo Baby.

Lorna was Judy's caretaker after Liza was on her own. Lorna had a nervous breakdown at age 16 and went to live with her father. Judy was impossible in the last years.

[quote] Lorna had a nervous breakdown at age 16 and went to live with her father.

I wonder what precipitated that?

Joey wasn't in it, was he? Nor was Liza's other (half-) sister Tina Nina.

It was odd how much of her work wasn't even mentioned or touched on. Yes, the start point was Judy's death, but there could have been a few minutes' recap of her early career from Best Foot Forward through the years she did stock and touring packages and recorded for Capitol, her mother's label, which didn't quite know what to do with a Judy Jr. in the Streisand era, much in the same way Columbia couldn't get Aretha Franklin right.

Then there are the half-rock, half-standards years of her recording career for Columbia and A&M.

Little talk about close friends who died, her many pets (Ocho!), and not really all that much about the years upon years that were tv specials, taped concerts, and tv movies and concertizing all over - a general wash, but not a lot of specifics. No archival interview with Pappy or guys who played in her band forever.

And the big mystery, why no follow up film to Cabaret till Lucky Lady, three years later? Any other Oscar winning Best Actress would've had something in the theatres within a year. Film is where stardom really lies.

r219 Liza was hard to cast in that era. Her real strength was musicals but by the early/mid 70s that genre was pretty much done, Cabaret being the exception.

[quote] Joey wasn't in it, was he?

Perhaps Lorna wouldn’t let him out?

It's hard to imagine Liza playing any of the roles that the big actresses of the 70s like Faye Dunaway and Jane Fonda played.

Liza decided to tour after her oscar win because she wanted to make big bucks. She also wanted to pay off Judy's debts and clear her name. Bob Fosse and her put together a new show and took it on the road and to Broadway where the legend was officially cemented of Liza being a first-rate performer. In hindsight, it was a smart decision as like others have said, she was hard to cast.

Both Diana Ross and her had such huge movies in 1972 but their film careers never lived up to the initial "Big as Streisand" hype they got.

[quote]She also wanted to pay off Judy's debts and clear her name.

Which some of the bitches on this thread need to be reminded of.

Here’s my gay card, because I don’t get the allure.

[quote]Didn't Liza refuse to return Judy's calls the last two or so years?

Yes. Not because of the bitchy "she was jealous" bullshit, but because Judy was an mental ill ADDICT.

It's really a shame to think at the opportunities she missed out on after Cabaret because she insisted on touring. Would love to see what she would have done with Dunaway's parts in The Towering Inferno, Network or The Eyes of Laura Mars.

R220, Lisa had no strength in musicals. She had no strength in movies.

Liza was brilliant in musicals.

Can someone explain her to me? What is it about her that people love?

Pat Benatar said it best:

[quote] Benatar wasn’t a big Liza Minnelli fan, but when her coworkers invited her to come with them to the concert in Richmond, she thought it might be a nice break from the monotony of her life. But it ended up being much more than that. “Something miraculous happened,” she writes. She wasn’t impressed with Minnelli‘a singing but by her showmanship, the way she performed and held the audience in her palm. Benatar was blown away, but at the same time knew she could do it, too. The next day, she quit her bank job and began seeking out singing gigs.

I think that’s what it is, Liza’s showmanship, the kind that no longer exits in Hollywood. Ethel Merman had it, too, despite her singing being an acquired taste. Same with Bette Midler.

This is the Liza I wish had been the face of this documentary. Parkinson is smart and handles her beautifully and we get real answers and insight form Liza. This is a great interview.

Liza in Network??? R227, no, not in ten million years.

Not even Liza’s medical insurance is in network

Liza as Diana Christensen? C'mon. I love Liza, but she would've been totally miscast in that role.

[quote]Not even Liza’s medical insurance is in network

I get all of my pillsh from Mexshico. Michael Feinshtein and I drive down there every two weeksh.

^ This shit is so played out, it's as bad as the "Sure, Jan" meme.

Say what you want - she survived them all.

What an accomplishment, R238.

[Quote] Liza was hard to cast in that era. Her real strength was musicals but by the early/mid 70s that genre was pretty much done, Cabaret being the exception.

R220 don't forget MAME! Actually, there were a number of musicals produced in the 70s and even though a lot of them were unsuccessful at the box office the point is that musicals were still being made after Cabaret including New York, New York, Tommy, Grease, Funny Lady, Bugsy Malone, A Star is Born, The Wiz, All That Jazz, Hair, Sparkle, Nashville, At Long Last Love, The Rose, Saturday Night Fever, Sgt. Pepper'`s . . .

R240 And of course, New York, New York, starring Liza.

You must mean Sgt PEPPER.

Abshow-lutely true!

I will never understand why Liza abandoned NYC to return to LA.

I wanted to be near the dreamsh of my father. (hic)

Because she thought she might die soon and wanted to be near family, R244.

Saw this yesterday and she got on my nerves, her demanding and OTT nature. She sure inherited that from her mother.

Liza is good with the right source material. She is larger than life and managed to make a career for herself, separate from her mother. Poor Judy was a mess in the last years.

Off stage, Judy was not “over the top.” When healthy, she liked quiet time, she liked to read. I don’t see Liza ever turning it off. Sleeping it off maybe.

The difference between Liza and Judy is that Judy grew up anonymously, Liza did not. I don't think Liza's ever been able to delineate public from private.

Judy was famous since she was a teenager, R249. Liza was photographed prior to teenhood, but she wasn’t in the news or well known at least until she was in her twenties.

R250Not true. She won a Tony when she was 19. Before that, as a teenager (or younger) she was on TV--her mother's TV show, A Gene Kelly TV special, Jack Parr, and a lot of other shows. She appeared on a network broadcast of The Wizard of Oz as a girl. She was the mystery guest on What's My Line at 19. She did the Palladium show with Judy (that was recorded for TV) when she was 18. Look up her appearances as "self" on IMDB.

R250^

[quote]The difference between Liza and Judy is that Judy grew up anonymously, Liza did not. I don't think Liza's ever been able to delineate public from private.

I was born and they took a picture. - Liza Minnelli

[quote]Liza is good with the right source material. She is larger than life...

Not everything has to be the national Anthem - Frank Sinatra's giant anaconda

[quote]I will never understand why Liza abandoned NYC to return to LA.

When you reach a certain age, the West Coast always wins over the East Coast.

I thought this was already answered.

[quote]r249 = Judy grew up anonymously

Gumm Sisters in 1929. Judy was born in 1922.

R255 Liza lives in the fabulous Shorham Towers where dear Diane Linkletter fell to her death.

I'd sure enjoy that lifestyle. LA rules. Sorry, it does.

LA is much easier for older people with mobility issues than NY is.

Lorna, Joey and Lorna's kids all live in LA so Liza wants to be close to them. I believe Liza's other half sister Tina Minnelli also lives in LA.

Why did the English often used to call her "Lisa" Minnelli?

Shoreham Towersh in Wesht Hollywood. It'sh jusht marveloush!

What a dump

(Or a bad angle.)

R260: Not really. You need a car in LA.

I doubt Liza even drives a car. She’d have to call car service/ Uber, same as NYC.

r266 you need a fucking car everywhere in the US except NY.

Wouldn't she have a driver?

[quote]Wouldn't she have a driver?

Or a gaggle of Gilded Age Gays fighting to drive her around? Yes...

I watched last night after reading this thread.

Liza should have done this earlier, probably around the time the Pet shop Boys dusted her off.

The "evil" queens that DL hisses about came off quite well. Liza was over-laughing and OTT in general but she always was. A little snappy and demanding too.

Mia Farrow was actually very kind and relatable. Kay Thompson came off as controlling and unhinged but thank goodness she was there to guide and teach.

I also think that Judys' death must have been a relief for her. That woman was so talented but nuts and completely exhausting.

Liza is/was a big talent whose career would have been bigger with better management, less drugs and fewer gay husbands.

The doc is free to watch on PBS. It's a train wreck in parts but very much worth a look.

[quote] It's a train wreck in parts but very much worth a look.

Much like its subject.

If Liza's most recent project has been this documetary about her life (on which she's credited as executive producer) wouldn't she have had to be in LA for the production of that film? (Maybe not. I don't know.) That, and the fact that, if she's going to work on anything, it would most likely not be on the stage, and she can't travel much, would make it practical to be in LA.

I think Liza was only 17 when Judy died, so Judy's death being a "relief" to a child of hers who was still a teenager is debatable.

She had to be in LA to be near Michael Feinstein as it is apparent he won't let her take a sh*t without being there to wipe.

[quote]Liza is/was a big talent whose career would have been bigger with better management, less drugs and fewer gay husbands.

As has been mentioned, she was tough to cast in 1970s Hollywood. No management would've been able to overcome that.

Seems like a lot of the Hollywood offspring end up back in LA or at least California, even if they try the east coast or are there for many years. They're still essentially California kids at heart--nad the weather is a lot better for old people, and the life is way more comfortable if they have enough money.

r274 she was 23 and had been on her own for years.

*and :/

R278 Oh, yeah. I ws thinking of Lorna, and I guess she was 16, not quite 17 yet.

R101 I think it was partly because, as I said somewhere on the thread, people tended to call her Lisa Minnelli, particularly the British, for some reason. I even used to have a record cover--not one of her records, but there was a photo of her from the film, Charlie Bubbles, on the back cover (I forget why) and the caption identified her as "Lisa Minnelli." An English record, from the late '60s.

"Liza" was not a common name at all when she was named that.

R276 I don't think it was entirely that she was tough to cast, it was also that the movies she did after Cabaret bombed. Lucky Lady was a notorious bomb, and A Matter of Time (directed by her father) was an even bigger bomb. So was New York, New York. Meanwhile, she was doing other things like concerts and Liza with a Z for TV.

Does this mean her memoir is OFF?

I think Liza's success in Cabaret would've been very disturbing to Judy. Of course outwardly she would've acted thrilled, but in reality. She'd have eaten her heart out. To watch Liza get an Oscar would've been too much for her.

R267: Getting in and out of cars, not easy for someone with a movement disorder like her who is basically wheelchair bound.

She apparently doesn't go out much anymore.

I loved this documentary. However, I also hate all the Barbara Howar clips. She was a truly vicious interviewer, and her attempts to evolve into Sally Quinn or Rona Barrett were spectacular failures.

But Liza's dig at Barbara was howl-inducing!

I'm kinda- not depressed but profoundly sad. To see someone who was so vivacious and full of life in the prison of her own body like that- and the only reason is time.

Also, the death of Mike Berry who played Mr. Spooner on Are You Being Served? Now that ENTIRE cast of funny, talented people is gone.

It sure is one thing to read about a person's entire life after they're gone (as in my case with Judy) and another to watch them grow old, as you do along with them, in real time.

Is Liza complaining?

No, r290, she is *not*.

I’m not at all convinced that Liza’s finances are healthy.

Nor am I

I didn't realize Barbara Howar died last August......

I thought the interview Liza gave to Barbara H was really very good.

BH is a reptile but Liza is funny, genuine and quite warm. And her response to BHs' dumb question was perfect.

It’s ugly getting old. Poor Liza and some of us here.

Getting old isn't bad if you're not in denial about it.

R297 are you trying to say there's nothing tragic about being 50 unless you're acting 25?

Bill's thirty-two. He looks thirty-two. He looked it five years ago, he'll look it twenty years from now. I hate men.

She's an exceptional singer but I prefer her mother's voice.

[quote]r222 It's hard to imagine Liza playing any of the roles that the big actresses of the 70s like Faye Dunaway and Jane Fonda played.

Right. Because she was A DOG.

[quote]Right. Because she was A DOG.

No, because Liza always played Liza.

R302 Oh yes, the great RANGE of Faye Dunaway and Jane Fonda!! But back to reality...

Liza was not a beauty and not a typical "star actress" or "romantic lead." Why would she play those roles? The comparison to stars like Jane Fonda is dumb. Fonda and Dunaway were beauties whose careers were based on them being beautiful. If they didn't have that they wouldn't have been cast in anything.

All Liza's original roles were offbeat. Junie Moon, Pookie in The Sterile Cuckoo, Sally Bowles (which was maybe her first musical role on screen). She had a lot of talent.

I don't think she was someone who appealed to the heartland a lot, with her short hair and those bizarre super-long eyelashes (top and bottom). But I would not call her a dog.

[quote]r227 Would love to see what she would have done with Dunaway's parts in The Towering Inferno, Network or The Eyes of Laura Mars.

The thought of her stumbling, blind and hysterical, through a parking garage as she’s chased by a killer is too funny. She’s always so amped up, anyway, I can just see her dithering and yowling, with that trademark slur.

[quote]R303 I would not call her a dog.

Mmmm… ?

[quote] —her face looks like she was beat up in the womb

Mama made sure I got good stuff in womb!

Elizabeth Taylor tribute at Golden Globes with Liza Minnelli

Liza Minnelli on Donahue (1991)

R303, Liza could have had a bigger film/TV career if she had embraced COMEDY. She's a natural:

And:

Didn't Liza wait tables when she was starting out? She didn't have an easy go in the beginning, and I believe she wound up having to sleep on the couches of friends in the city.

I've told this story before on Datalounge. I used to work in a women's shoe store up on Madison Avenue. It was French comfort shoe shop and every legendary celebrity over a certain age came through that tiny boutique. Liza Minelli was a regular. She lived around the corner and probably is still in the same place. She is very unguarded and open to the point I felt I needed to be protective of her. She would talk about the tabloids and this or that story about how they got it wrong. She would pull her lip back to show me her dental work she had just gotten done for the reason she was on pills. I could see how people could easily take advantage of her, because she seemed so trusting.

This one particular day, I'll never forget. She came in to look around and was telling me that she had just finished shooting Sex and the City 2(which I never did see). But in it, she told me, she dances to Beyoncés Single Ladies. She then starts singing the song with the hand choreography. Then she breaks into full on dancing. My coworker and I were standing there, in awe in the crazy NYC moment, as the legendary Liza Minelli performs Singles Ladies just for an audience of two in this tiny boutique. It was the coolest thing.

[quote]r309 Liza could have had a bigger film/TV career if she had embraced COMEDY.

Yes. She was great on Arrested Development.

She didn’t have the looks for most leading lady roles, but in comedies it doesn’t matter so much. You can look goofy.

Liza’s looks were greatly enhanced by an early nose job. She looked just like her dad in drag before.

Liza on Arsenio Hall 1991

She really looked great in the early 90s.

Sounds to me like she didn’t have friends, real friends, R312.

Or r317 she can't show us most of her non-famous friends as they would set off your gal-pal lesbo gaydar. She had secrets and is not yet willing to talk about them, although Michael Feinstein hints at it.

R314 Unfortunately she continued to have plastic surgery and ended up with weird stretched clown face.

Anyone know if PBS is repeating it for the second half of April ? I still haven't seen it. Any link to the PBS schedule?

R184. The Liza on Joan Rivers Show is interesting. Joan is amazingly non-snarky.

Loved her on 'Arrested Development'!

R314, that’s the nose, what the hell happened to Liza’s big teeth? The ones she gots now look like Minnie Pearl’s old dentures.

Denshturesh

Can't believe Liza was married to this. WTF?

(Even Judy had better taste in gay husbands.)

With all this talk about Liza's performance style, how about the anti-Liza's? Singing styles that were more inward than outward or something like that.

Two different singers describing it. NAME THEM:

1) I could never understand a performer getting all involved with his audience. When I sing, I go inside myself. I'm busy with my own reactions to my own thoughts. I get all involved with myself, and I let them have their own reactions.

2) The audience and I reversed roles. Usually the performer seeks the audience's approval, but in my performances they had to seek mine. I challenge them to break through the wall I create, challenge them to interpret what seems to be my self-absorption.

You didn't say there'd be a pop quiz.

LORNA: A Truly Horrific Absolutely False Story

I like the commentary by Liza and Feinstein on The Band Wagon DVD and blu ray. Liza is very savvy about her father's style as a director and she makes a great commentator for the disc. She's a great appreciator of other people in the entertainment business, and she's enthusiastic about the cast, the songwriters, the direction, the design, etc. I don't know if many people listen to the commentaries any more but I enjoy them if they're good.

ANSWERS:

1) Barbra Streisand

2) Lena Horne

Barbra sounds a dippy, but she was only 22 when she said it. Lena, on the other hand, around 46.

Liza is good in the cheesefest Rent a Cop. I watched it a while back and was surprised at her performance, compared to Burt's phoning it in for a paycheck routine. She can do neurotic and ordinary quite well. Like if Diane Keaton was from Brooklyn.

She’s a mess.

R332 Why Brooklyn? Liza is not from Brooklyn.

Liza is as Brooklyn as Ella May Clampett

I was struck by that one guy talking about being a part of a group hanging with her one night and they were singing and clowning around and out of the blue, Liza announced that: "This is the gang!" Like they were part of an exclusive society with Liza as the boss chicken and her little peeps.

The whole thing sounded so artificial and "show bizzy." Something that I would expect to come out of Michael Feinstein's off key mouth.

r336 - that was the point of Darren Criss' story - he suspected he was being manipulated by Liza and that she said that at every gathering to flatter new guests.

[quote]he suspected he was being manipulated by Liza

"Manipulated"? Oh, please. He didn't say he felt manipulated.

Did anyone see her truly bonkers RuPaul appearance?

Liza on Rupaul's Drag Race. I want to take whatever she's on.

R337 Liza really doesn't strike me as someone who's insincere. If anything she seems a little too sincere for her own good.

R340 I never noticed this before until I saw this video--she inherited the same unaligned two front teeth Judy had.

Those are removable, R342

R343 I don't quite get what you're saying. Are you saying she has imperfect false teeth?

(Even in the early photos at the beginning?)

I thought it was so funny that RuPaul renamed the award. It used to be The Bob Mackie Legendary Award, or something like that. Since Liza only wears Halston, they changed the name of the award!!! I was dying of laughter watching! And the addition of Joey who hasn't been seen since the Oscars 10 plus years ago! Data Lounge Legend!!!!

r341= Liza in between talking about her 2,456,899 "best friends ever"!!!

I am her 2,456,900 best friend ever because I believe in her. We also reheated and ate pasta together.

I don't know how many best friends Liza says she has. Is that something she says, a lot?

If, so, she has no friends

I just started watching this. Her shaking hands is a worry.

Meh.

That beret does her no favors.

Jeesh Kay Thompson looked like hell in her later years.

Liza made it crystal clear on national TV that her BFF is Georgia.

I wish they had gone into the insults Kay Thompson gave to poor Liza.

Oh baby thank you, you're my mentor too!

Drinking game - take a drink every time the word icon is used.

I'm definitely getting Baby Jane/Blanche vibes with her and Michael Feinstein.

“But you ARE in that chair, kiddo!”

R354 Kay's biographer makes it clear that Kay was one of those druggies who simultaneously espouses a "healthy" life. It also wouldn't be surprising given how much she hated her looks to find out she had issues around food.

What was that bit with Judy pushing the microphone closer to Liza at the concert? they say Judy was trying to humiliate Liza but I don't want to believe that.

Judy and Liza spotted Nancy Reagan in the audience while singing "Hello Dolly" and add-libbed :

"Golly Gee Mamma

Nacy´s on her knees ,Mamma

Hey she´s never gonna stop

Blowing hard to get a job..."

thus the shoving of the mic in Lizas face. (the daring lyrics were overdubbed for the Tv broadcast)

Oh, dear.