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In the 1970's, it was impossible to go to a drug store, book store, etc., and not find a magazine or book with a Streisand story (and frequently a cover). Times have changed. It is now uncommon to find a mainstream publication with Streisand stories -- even more rare to find a new story. As a result, I'd been reluctant to create a "news" page. 'Til Now. This year, Barbra is again planning to grace us with a live performance (that most of us can only afford to read about), and a new cd. And some reporters are even taking notice. Soooo, without further ado, the Irreverent Guide Presents...The New$ Page.
| Concert News | Music News | Movie News | Trivial News |
As if you can buy class... Many Barbra fans had purchased tickets to her 12/31/99 show, and stuck in Vegas for several nights, had settled for seeing the Divine Miss M (Bette Midler) on 1/1/2000. They were referring to it as going from an evening of class to an evening of trash (mind you, some are spending $500 for the trash). Well, Barbra has officially announced her second concert and placed her tickets on sale at TicketMaster. The second concert, of course, is scheduled for 1/1/2000. A number of these class/trash folk went ahead and purchased tickets to Barbra's second concert and are now trying to unload the Divine Miss M tickets. It appears some of these people are willing or will be forced to sell these tickets well below cost, given that the Divine Miss Millenium concert is not sold out. Well, gee, I wish I had this kind of money to throw away. Or is that it? You all figured if its trash I bought, let's treat it as such...
Maybe NOT. For those who don't know, SRO is short for "standing room only". As of 12/6/99, seven months after the 12/31/99 Millennium Concert tickets went on sale, there are still some $2,500 and $1,500 tickets desperately looking for owners. According to MGM, TicketMaster and Barbra's people, this night is "VIRTUALLY" sold out. In this case, "virtually" means almost (talk about putting a positive spin on everything). HOWEVER, the second concert (1/1) is another story. It appears sales have been dramatically slower, though no one will confirm or deny this. For that matter, neither will they virtually confirm or virtually deny this.
At this point, there is still a geniune concern that the 12/31 concert will mark a first for Barbra (IE, the first time she has played to a empty seats). There is also some concern that the second night (for which she is reportedly getting $10 million) may be cancelled. Doubly concerned are those who bought tickets hoping to resell them at higher prices (ie, scalpers) or that double-booked (ie, have tickets to Midler's concert -- see previous item). In any event, someone will be eating tickets this coming new year...
Actually, it is the millennium that will be gone, the rest will stay behind. As reported (or rumored), Streisand is planning to remain at the concert until it is MID-night in Las Vegas in order to bring in the New Year with the adoring and well-to-do fans who could afford these tickets. After that, she will get a few hours rest, go over everything that went wrong on the first night with the lighting, the sound effects, the carpets, the musicians, Marvin Hamlisch, etc., in order to be ready for ... (see next news item)...
Several reliable sources have reported that Streisand will be performing an additional Millennium Concert on January 1, 2000. This has taken many by surprise, since the December 31, 1999 concert still has not sold out. It appears MGM Grand is gambling on the belief that although everyone already has plans for December 31, many still don't have definite plans for the New Year. And, of course, most who are in Las Vegas at this time have 3-day stays (which were required in order to get a hotel room). I hope the MGM isn't counting on Streisand fans coming back for seconds (and yes, these seconds will cost as much as the first: $2500, $1500, $750 and $500). Not to mention, it appears that most Streisand fans who have tickets to the Millennium Concert also have tickets to the Divine Miss Millennium Concert (you know, Bette Midler) which is also scheduled for January 1, 2000 in Las Vegas. Interestingly, although Bette claims her show is so spectacular that it will take "a thousand years to recover", Bette's tickets are only a fraction of Barbra's (cheapest) tickets. I guess Bette's fans will be recovering from her concert, while Barbra's fans will be recovering from bankruptcy...
Maybe NOT. For those who don't know, SRO is short for "standing room only". As of 9/2/99, four months after the Millennium Concert tickets went on sale, there are still plenty of $2,500 and $1,500 tickets desparately looking for owners. At this point, there is geniune concern that this concert will mark a first for Barbra (IE, the first time she has played to a empty seats). Also concerned are those who bought tickets hoping to resell them at higher prices (ie, scalpers). Instead, they will have to either drop the prices or eat the tickets.
The announcement came on April 28, 1999, after months of speculation -- or should I suggest "carefully planned leaks to the press"? I dare say Ken Starr couldn't have done any better. The announcement: Barbra Streisand would appear at the MGM Grand Hotel in Las Vegas on December 31, 1999 at 9:00 PM. Big Surprise.
What's been hard for some to accept is the singer's reported fee: $15 million! What's been harder for even some of the "die-harder" fans is the range of ticket prices: from $500 to $2500. Not to mention, most who will attend will have to book a flight and find room and board for the night. And hotels that routinely charge for $100 dollars a night have been demanding (and getting) $300-$400 for stays including December 31, 1999; however, these prices are only available with a three night minimum stay. One of the few available hotels, in Boulder City (over 1 hour away from Vegas), is asking for $299 a night, but you can get a $30/night discount if you are a truck driver.
Given these prices and the fact that most Vegas hotels are booked, it is not a surprise that the tickets did not sell out. Still, Ticketmaster is reporting that Streisand's ticket sales for this concert have been the single largest money grossing event in Ticketmaster's history.
BTW, The MGM Grand, being ever so conscientious of her fans, had decided to solve at least the room problem: they were offering packages starting at $3099 for a 3 night stay. Of course, the $3099 included a pair of tickets to the Streisand event. At least they tried to use some foresight.
Did you all see the ad that appeared on April 30, 1999 in the USA Today? The full-page promotional spot described the Millennium Concert as "the biggest New Year's Eve of your life..." Honestly, I think I had the RIGHT to expect an ad suitable for such an occasion.
When I first looked at the ad, I couldn't help to think I'd seen it before. Sure enough. Sort of. The format (large photo left, info column right) is the same used for the London Concerts of 1994. What's more, the photo is copied from the insert of the 1997 Higher Ground CD. And the design used for her name? ... also copied from the London Concerts' Poster.
I guess that's why they call her...Second Hand Rose...
The strategy for this concert: Do what's "Tried and True."
Remember the 1993 Vegas New Year's Eve Concert? It was rumored it would be Barbra's last. It was rumored she might continue on and do a few cities. It took place at the...MGM Grand. The musical director was... Marvin Hamlisch. Are we caught in a time warp... or what? In any case, given that history is repeating itself to the seemingly most minute detail, it's probably safe to expect her to don the same two dresses, slurp tea, wear the page cut, sing the same songs (she always does), complain about her stage fright, sell concessions, sell champagne, record another concert cd, another HBO special...
As reported by one certain web page, there are still tickets available for the Millennium Concert (as of June 15, 1999). Hence, it is no surprise that the Diva is looking for a guest entertainer; presumably to help fill up those empty seats. According to several reports, Barbra has chosen "singer" John Travolta (and yes, I am using the term loosely). John's duties would include singing several songs with her and using his big name to sell a few more tickets. Now those of us who (painfully) remember John's singing career can only assume that, regardless of how badly she wants to sell those extra tickets, the Diva will not risk being outsung on that special evening. Hmmmmm, well, I guess that does make John the perfect choice.
Of course. For Barbra, Rosie can even find two whole hours--not to mention she drove all the way to the diva's home. Barbra's appearance on the show seems to have been an effort to address two issues: the poor sales of her most recent album, A Love Like Ours, and to help sell tickets for her two millenium concerts. Unfortunately, at this point, nothing seems to be able to save ALLO. The appearance on Rosie helped move the album from 63 only up to 54. Then, a week later, it's back down to #70.
Columbia records rushed to the RIAA and requested a gold and platinum certification for ALLO. RIAA, who bases these certifications on "units shipped" [to retailers, etc] has granted the gold and platinum certifications to ALLO. However, ALLO has not even come close to selling a half a million copies. To make matters worse, it has begun to plummet down the Billboard 200 after its suprisingly low debut at #6. At the time of this update, ALLO has already fallen to #37. What this means is that there are a lot of copies (approximately 700,000) out there searching for owners.
[12/99] The slide continues as ALLO descends to #70 on the BillBoard 200 for the week ending December 11, 1999. To date, the ALLO's [poor] performance on Billboard is as follows: 6-17-21-26-26-37-44-63-54-70.
It was the Battle of the Nails: Nine Inch VS The Queen of Manicures. The Outcome? Well, to quote E-Online, the ussually diplomatic entertainment site, "Nine Inch Nails Hammer Barbra". In its first week of release, A Love Like Ours (ALLO) sold only 145,000 copies and scored a very dissapointing No. 6 Debut on the Billboard Top 200. What makes it worse is that not only was she hammered by the Nails, 4 other acts (including an ex-mouseketeer) outsold her. For those who have read my review of A Love Like Ours, this should come as no surprise. However, this is Barbra's first studio album in the 90's NOT to debut at #1. Probable cause(s):
In a dramatic change of plans, ALLO's release date had been moved up from October 5 (as announced on the IDOY single) to September 21. The likely reason: to release it in time for Grammy nominations. Certainly, Columbia has hopes for a nomination for the Streisand/Gill duet (given Gill's popularity with the Grammy Academy). And since IYELM is not being released by itself, ALLO has to be released by 9/30 for the duet to be eligible. Some felt Columbia would stick with the October 5 date since it was printed on the IDOY single, but why bother to worry about that? Almost no one bought it.
A picture of the cover of ALLO is floating around on the internet and in emails. The picture is (very) similar to the one on the cover of IDOY (the one no one saw) and consists of a shadowy from behind shot of Barbra and presumably her husband. Several fans have pointed out the obvious: the cover is based on the cover of People, except that this time Barbra is not alone.
For those who read my review of I've Dreamed of You, this should come as no surprise. IDOY failed to land on the Billboard Hot 100 or any of the Billboard Adult Music charts. Basically, the silly song was too dull for radio stations to even consider and, consequently, it received no noticeable airplay (as evidenced by the fact that the single never made it to Billboard's Airplay Chart). To make matters worse, the single suffered from extremely poor sales (a rough estimate would be about 35,000 units solds over 9 weeks, 9000 of those in its first week.) These (lack of) sales figures are evidenced by the singles poor performance on Billboard's single sales chart (the single never broke the Top 20). In short, lack of airplay and abyssmal sales have made this the biggest single failure of Streisand's recording career.
If You Ever Leave Me, Streisand's Duet with Vince Gill, was not released as a single; instead, promos were made available to radio stations for airplay. Of course, there are those who believe the IDOY catastrophe is the reason for Columbia's decision. However, it should be noted that Columbia was very pleased with the results of not releasing Tell Him as a single 2 years ago. Many felt that this decision was largely responsible for the success of Higher Ground.
As announced, I've Dreamed of You will be released as a single on June 22, 1999. On the cover of the single will be the silhouette of Barbra (to be expected--she is the star) and Jim Brolin (not expected -- he is not the star). By the way, the single will be out in time for the anniversary of the Streisands (prompting speculation that the single is an anniversary gift to Jim).
The previews of the single on the Rosie O'Donnell Show revealed it to be yet another heavily orchestrated recording (a la Higher Ground, a la The Concert, a la Back to Broadway, etc...); without any hint of a contemporary or commercial sound to it. Which begs the question: Why are they bothering to promote it? It couldn't possibly be to remind the world that the Diva's marraige has actually lasted a year. Or could it? On the other hand, given the Diva's inability to identify potential hits, maybe she truly believes it will actually get some airplay (other than on the Rosie O'Donnell Show).
Am I the only one that hears My Man in my head as I witness all of this? Let's just hope A Love Like Ours doesn't turn into A Divorce Like Ours -- at least not before the the cds are released.
Click here for the Irreverent Guide's review of I've Dreamed of You.
Barbra's artistic work of late seems to always revolve around some facet of her life. Her upcoming album is no exception. Originally titled "Barbra...In Love", A Love Like Ours promises to focus on the Diva's feelings for her current husband James Brolin, and includes two songs she sang to him on the day of their wedding (I've Dreamed of You, Just One Lifetime).
A Love Like Ours is showing the Diva's husband's influence in other ways: the CD is expected to include Barbra performing several country songs. To date, Streisand has recorded a duet with country star Vince Gill (If You Ever Leave Me) and a remake of We Must Be Loving Right, sung in a prior life by George Strait. Let's just be glad Barbra is married to Jim Brolin, and not Vanilla Ice or Chumbawamba. Or who knows what she'd be singing.
Ted Casablanca has reported that Barbra has been passed over -- in more ways that one -- for the upcoming remake of The Women starring the 20th Century's Biggest Female Movie Star: Julia Roberts. It appears that Streisand wanted to direct this movie and was rejected. Subsequently, she tried to obtain a secondary role, and again -- was rejected. Ted's article does not say why she was passed over twice, other than "for obvious reasons". If you can't fathom what these reasons might be, well then you will just have to read the rest of these web pages...
The Mirror Has Two Faces appears to be destined to be Streisand's last film. Currently, there are no motion picture plans which include Streisand as the leading lady or as a secondary character.
Fans went wild recently when it was announced that Barbra would produce and perhaps star in the new TV production of Mame. Excuse me? Barbra starring in TV movies? I don't think so. As Barbra stated in the 60's, "To Me, being a star is being a movie star." More recently, her current husband, James Brolin-Streisand, noted that "Major Stars don't do TV."
At least not the movie studio executives, which were polled by The Hollywood Reporter (the tacky trade paper that actually charges for information on its web site). According to this poll, the most bankable female star is, of course, Julia Roberts (who by the way, with the success of Notting Hill, has confirmed her status as the undisputed top female movie star of the century). As reported by Reuters (which I guess could afford to buy the info from The Hollywood Reporter) on June 15, 1999, the few females in the male-dominated top 20 (in addition to Julia who was #8 overall) did not include Barbra Streisand.
And what do they mean by "bankable"? As I understand it, a star is deemed bankable when his/her name guarantees that banks or other entities will provide the funds to finance a project. It is no secret that names like Tom Hanks (currently #1) and Jim Carrey (#5), guarantee that banks, etc., will immediately provide money to make just about any movie they are signed for. In the 1970's, Streisand had achieved a similar status, especially when the projects were musicals and/or comedies. Today, after two decades without a blockbuster hit and over a decade without a musical, Streisand no longer commands the salary of other stars nor the interest of the studio executives. How times change.
This goes for both Barbra and Christie's (the world's biggest auction enterprise). Christie's has again auctioned more of the Streisand collectibles from yet another of the many homes she's sold (I believe these items come from her Holmby Hills Estate). Day one of the auction was highlighted by many antiques and noteworthy items owned by the singer and generated a hefty $3 million. Now Day Two is another story. This day was devoted to personal items (or castoffs, as one reader put it) of the singer, including monogrammed towels and her old gym equipment(!). This second day brought in slightly under $1 million (seems like a lot to me) but was a huge disappointment as many items sold under the expected price.
Excuse me, but before you auction your personal stuff, shouldn't you at least wait until you're 6 feet under the ground (or at least until you've run out of money)? And selling towels? OY! I guess the Salvation Army is beneath this Diva.
On a sad note, it has been reported that Streisand auctioned off even mementos that had been gifts to her. Which shows: money can buy "virtually" everything (even LOVE), but not class (I guess that is something you're born with -- or, in this case, without.)
Stunning many of her fans, EW named Streisand its 13th Greatest Star of the Century. Of course, the I-Love-Barbra crowd would have placed her at number 1; but given that EW over the last decade has basically ignored the Diva, this came as a huge surprise. Topping the list were The Beatles, Elvis Presley and Marilyn Monroe. Madonna, BTW, was #6.
E Online recently listed the most tiresome couples and, of course, topping the list were Babs and her escort, James Brolin. To quote, they compared the couple to cottage cheese. Actually, OLD cottage cheese. Need I say more?
The saga of Barbra's internet stock: she thinks she knows how to invest; the New York Post claims she does not. This saga has been the subject of Barbra's Truth Alerts, so I won't repeat the story. I will, however, reveal the actual "truth". Streisand appears to have done well on her internet stocks, but then, WHO HASN'T? As booming as the stock market has been over the last decade, who hasn't made a killing or two? Barbra, like every average Joe or Jane, obviously picked up on the dramatic increases of the internet stocks and invested accordingly. A pat on her back and on the backs of the other thousands of people who did the same. Now, like all stock, internet stocks do fluctuate in price (sometimes dramatically). One bad day does not mean an investor is clueless -- it is to be expected. Hence, it is obvious the NY Post was either uninformed as to how the stock market works, or simply making up a story that's supposed to capitalize on other people's ignorance of stock market matters. To summarize, (since you are trying to figure out whose side I'm taking), Streisand is neither a great investor nor a bad one. Both her camp and the Post are wrong in characterizing her investing prowess at either extreme.
It appears that the beauty in the family is Mr. Streisand's son, Josh Brolin, who was named one of the 50 most beautiful people of 1999 by People Magazine. This comes as a shock to most, given that no one even new Jim had a son until Jim's wedding to Streisand (Josh was the best man). What adds to the surprise is that Josh isn't exactly an Adonis or a Rock Hudson. Quite frankly, on a list that includes Michelle Pfiefer, Sandra Bullock, Freddie Prinze Jr., and Ben Affleck, Josh seems a little out of his league. People's issue dedicates a page to each of its chosen beauties; Josh's page of course, includes a mention to his much better known mother-in-law.
What's with Streisand and her houses? It seems she just gets tired of them after a while -- regardless of what coast there on. Recently (June 1999), it was reported that her Holmby Hills estate sold for $3.5 million (no where near what she asked for it), while her Central Park flat was almost purchased by Mariah Carey for $7.5 million. As reported, the purchase fell through because other owners of the coop felt Mariah was to rowdy. Now Streisand will probably be forced to lower the price again (she had originally asked for $10 million), and hope someone with a little more class makes an offer. Celine, can you hear me...
In other words, the Diva has finally unleashed her Web Page: OFFICIAL barbrastreisand.com (June 1999). After months of waiting (Barbra herself announced the site back in 1998), fans have been somewhat surprised to find that the site is pretty much in its embryonic phase. Except, of course, for the "Truth Alert" section. In this section, Barbra herself corrects the lies spread by the tabloids and by other more respectable media sources. So, if a tabloid is printed with (heaven forbid) a false statement about Ms. Streisand, the Diva will print a truthful response--within seven days. This, of course, is the feature we all were desperately waiting for.
Now, I wonder, will the "Truth Alert" ever try to spank the Irreverent Guide? Nah. Unfortunately, I'm in the sorry business of spreading the truth. Oh well.
A number of fans have expressed a concern that the Official Barbra Streisand.Com has become what we webmasters call a cobweb page. For over two months (as of 11/99), no one has bothered to update the Official Barbra Streisand.Com. Shockingly, not even the Truth Alert section (gasp!) has been updated. Or all we to assume that all the nasty things we've been reading lately about Barbra are actually true?
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