This page continues The Irreverent Guide to Barbra Streisand tradition of recounting recent news items. Items reported on this page reached the IG news desk during 2005. All items are listed in reverse chronological order (ie, newest first). For archived news, click on the year: 2004, 2003, 2002, 2001, 2000 OR 1999. In addition to news, you may click here for the BABS Blog. Thanks.
12/31/05
Jenny Craig
Word has it that Barbra, aware of her obesity, has signed up for for Jenny Craig. It is only appropriate when you consider the most talked about aspect of her career this year is her weight. Interviewers noticed it, fans noticed it, movie goers noticed... Well, it's not like she could hide it anymore. What's worse is that the extra weight seemed to be dragging her down (her career, I mean). It was the same thing that happened to Linda Ronstadt. Many fans left Linda as the pounds piled on. So sad.
12/8/05
GRAMMY Snub
It seems 2005 is going to end on a low note for Barbra Streisand. To add insult to injury, Streisand did not receive any Grammy nominations for Guilty Pleasures. The big story is Mariah Carey and her eight nominations. Not only was the Academy impressed with Mariah's Emancipation of Mimi, but sales in the US alone have passed 4 million. And is it just me, or is All I Want for Christmas the most played Christmas song so far this year? I have heard it more times than even the Christmas Shoes!
11/27/05
Barbra: Last of the 2% Tippers?
Some say I have a nasty website. Obviously they have not read or seen Bitterwaitress.com. This self-explanatory website denounces the cheapest tippers of the world. Needless to say, Barbra was bound to be featured on that website. And so she was. Here is the story:
*Tipper's Name: Barbra Streisand
11/19/05
Guilty Pleasures a Virtual Failure
Well, let me use the word "virtual" for a change (for those who remember the "virtual" sell-outs of Streisand's final concerts). On Billboard's 11/19/05 edition, GP is at No. 75 falling from No. 51 where it had been for two weeks. Although the CD is "certified" gold by the RIAA, the sales have really not been there. For those who keep forgetting, the RIAA tracks sales to retailers and the like, not the sales to actual consumers. Until they start tracking sales to consumers, the RIAA's figures will always be inflated, and in cases like Streisand's, significantly so.
10/31/05
Guilty Pleasures Reviewed
At last my review of GP is posted. Click here if you dare.
10/24/05
Chart Woes for Guilty Pleasures
Sales of Guilty Pleasures are truly a disaster. On Billboard's October 29 chart, GP drops another 9 notches to 39. The first single has failed to chart on airplay or sales charts. However, on the Club Play chart, Night of My Life moves up to No. 9. This latter chart represents what is playing in the Clubs and does not reflect sales. Needless to say, GP is the biggest disappointment in Streisand's music career since Emotions failed to hit the Top 10.
9/26/05
Disappointing 2nd Week for Guilty Pleasures
In its second week out, Guilty Pleasures plunges from 5 to 12. Meanwhile, Stranger in a Strange Land remains very much a stranger to the CD single charts (both sales and airplay). In case you didn't know, Stranger was released as a single. The only somewhat good news is that Night of My Life has moved from 18 to 15 on the Club Play chart. Like I said before, her future lies in dance music.
9/26/05
Disappointing Debut for Guilty Pleasures
It's official. Not even Barry Gibb, her return to pop music, the free singles at Borders, or the free publicity at Amazon could help Barbra Streisand. Billboard's numbers are out and Barbra was clearly KO'd by Disturbed's FISTS and by Bon Jovi's latest, who took the No. 1 and No. 2 spots, respectively, on Billboard. Barbra had to settle for No. 5 with very disappointing sales of 101,000 units (less than half of the sales of Disturbed and Bon Jovi's new cds). The 101,000 is not an impressive week for what some had called the "highly anticipated" cd. Not to mention the psychofans who were sending me emails saying that Guilty Pleasures was going to debut at No. 1 and shut me up for good. Why anyone thinks I care about the sales of this cd is a mystery to me. If they had been good, I would have reported it. It so happens that they are quite abysmal, so that is what I am reporting instead. While it remains to be seen how Guilty Pleasures performs in the long run, it is clearly starting well below expectations. In addition, the first single (Stranger in a Strange Land) has yet to be heard on radio.
9/26/05
Guilty, Too at Number 3 In London
As we well know, reteaming with Barry Gibb was the most commercial move Diva Streisand could have made, given that Guilty was the biggest success of her recording career. Any hopes for Guilty Pleasures (called Guilty Too in England) to be anywhere as big a success depends on three countries: USA, UK, and Australia (the countries where she is still remembered). Numbers are in for the UK and so is disappointment. Guilty reached No. 1 back in 1980; however, Guilty Too is having to settle at No. 3, with Bon Jovi taking the highest debut honors at No. 2.
9/25/05
Babs: "I've earned the right to be fat"
Several sources are claiming that Barbra has declared her right to be fat. She also claimed she has earned that right. So, she eats what she wants. (And it shows...)
9/7/05
Disco Granny Cuts Loose!
What happened to artistic integrity? What happened to "I sang funk and it stunk?" What happened? Well, I don't know but something did. As all of you know, Barbra has reteamed with Barry Gibb. Those who remember their first pairing will recall that the closest she came to disco music on that effort was "Promises". This time, however, she is including a disco/techno/dance track called "The Night of My Life." Not only is there Barry's overly disco arrangement and lyrics (Rollercoaster...merry-go-round...I'm under the radar--or is it "gaydar"?), but there appear to be several remixes targeting the dance clubs. Don't get me wrong; I always thought she should do a dance album. But still, seeing her toss artistic integrity aside is nonetheless too bizarre for words.
9/6/05
Jessica Simpson, the next Barbra Streisand
According to one source, Jessica's manager thinks she will be the next Barbra Streisand. He feels her "success" in Dukes of Hazzard and her music career justify his claim. Somehow, I think he is forgetting that Barbra built her career around a multi-octave, pitch-perfect voice. While Jessica has had some success in music, it doesn't appear to be due to her vocal ability, which is not that remarkable. Furthermore, playing Daisy Duke isn't exactly the role that immortalizes a screen star. Perhaps it would be more realistic for her to try to be the next JLo. Well, on second thought, that might not work either since JLo has built her career around her abundant bottom. For that matter, JLo is probably the only star in the world that sits on her fame. I guess that leaves Jessica without any realistic goals at this time except to stretch every last second out of her soon expiring 15 minutes of fame.
9/5/05
Barnes and Noble Promo CD
In case you don't already have it, Barnes and Noble has a free promo "Stranger in a Strange Land" CD and a bookmarker featuring the two Guilty CDs. (Also, they are carrying a promo CD for Linda Eder who will soon be releasing a CD containing her rendition of several Judy Garland songs--watch for this!)
8/19/05
Not So Ready For Danger
In her Night of My Life song, Barbra proclaims she is READY FOR DANGER. This was obviously not the case when recording the video of Stranger in a Strange Land. For the upteenth time, she refuses to leave the recording studio to record a video. Has anyone counted the number of videos where she appears in a recording studio? Even poor Celine, when she recorded the video for Tell Him, ended up in a recording studio with Barbra. From a big picture standpoint, this just points to Barbra's biggest problem: lack of originality and inventiveness. Years ago, she was something of a pioneer. Today, she is content doing the same thing over and over.
8/16/05
Guilty Pleasures All Over The Press
It seems Guilty Pleasures is everywhere. Amazon has released three songs for listening (you have to buy the CD). In addition, if you log onto Amazon, you may get a video preview of Stranger in a Strange Land.
So far I've heard four songs. Barry's music is interesting, if not a la par with his earlier work. Barbra's voice is at the weakest I have ever heard. The high notes are extremely thin, the few runs are forced, and the vibrato is uneven. To everyone's surprise, there is an upbeat song (Night of My Life). It is refreshing to hear her sing a lively song for a change. Barry seems like his old self with this song (which is reminiscent of The Bee Gees' heyday in the late 1970s). Though I expect the critics to pounce on this song which has lyrics like "I fight to the end for the night of my life/And nothin' can get in my way...I'm under the radar!...Ready for danger!" Oy vey.
8/12/05
CD Title Back to GUILTY PLEASURES
Back in July, I originally reported that the new CD was referred to as Guilty Pleasures. At some point the name changed to Guilty Pleasure (only one pleasure as opposed to many). The cover art appeared on several websites with the singular "pleasure". In the midst of all this, the title changed to Letting Go, and now has returned to the original "Guilty Pleasures" --with the plural pleasures. The revised cover art has been released with the plural spelling and even more airbrushing (just compare it with the pic shown earlier--see below):
Track listing is as follows:
A Dual Disc version will also contain the following, presumably in video format:
8/8/05
New CD Has New Title
Letting Go. Yup, that's it. Reportedly, this is now the official title of Barbra Streisand's and Barry Gibb's new CD. Granted, "Guilty Pleasure" was a ridiculous title, but it at least acknowledged it's predecessor, Guilty. This new title reminds me of Run Wild, one of the songs of Guilty. While it is not a catchy title, it remains to be seen if the title is fitting to the joint effort of Barbra and Barry. In any event, is it really that difficult to come up with a title and stick with it? Letting Go may not have a ring to it, but I would advise against changing it again or the CD may never gain name recognition. I know they haven't been able to come up with a perfect title, but sometimes you have to let go.
7/27/05
Upcoming CD Releases: Guilty & Guilty Pleasures
It's all about marketing (and profits). Sony has announced the "re-release" of a remastered Guilty on August 30, roughly a month before Barbra and Barry Gibb release their newest effort, which is being referred to as Guilty Pleasures. (BTW, how many remasters do we need?) Reportedly, Barbra and Barry are nearly finished with their new collaboration. Obviously, they are hoping that Guilty Pleasures, which releases on September 20, will come close to its predecessor in terms of success. The original Guilty and related singles represent Barbra's most successful music project.
7/19/05
MSN Movies: ASIB Among Worst Remakes
MSN Movies named the worst remakes ever. Psycho (the Vince Vaughn version) topped the list which also included Nicole Kidman's The Stepford Wives. The only musical on the list was Streisand's critically unacclaimed A Star is Born. Referring to it as laughable, MSN Movies stressed the lack of chemistry between Kris Kristofferson and Barbra. Ironically, A Star is Born was Barbra's most successful project. BTW, the DVD is out later this year.
7/14/05
BABS featured in New Book
Somehow I doubt Barbra's loyal following will be running to the store to buy this one:
7/14/05
Glenn Close Lands Sunset Boulevard
Many a Streisand fan were hoping the Diva would return to the big screen in a lead role. The obvious vehicle was Andrew Lloyd Weber's musical version of the film classic Sunset Boulevard (SB). Barbra had performed two of Weber's SB songs on her Back to Broadway album. Today, the sighs of disappointment could be heard all the way from London to LA. The British press announced that Glenn Close had landed the lead role in the movie version of SB. The article further noted that Barbra had expressed her interest in the part; however, Weber's team claimed that Glenn was the "obvious" choice. Ouch!
6/14/05
A Star Is Born on DVD Soon
Warner Home Video has announced that A Star Is Born, Barbra's most successful movie as a lead actress, will be released on September 20, 2005. According to the press release, the DVD "is timed to coincide with the September release of Streisand's 61st album and includes audio commentary from Streisand, a remastered Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack, additional scenes and wardrobe tests, also with Streisand commentary."
ASIB, though very successful in its time, is viewed by many of her fans as her worst film. Rest assured, I will review this one as soon as it hits the street.
4/24/05
Barbra Turns 63!
How time flies! Barbra turned 63 today. I almost forgot, since the news was not exactly featured under the "top stories" section. It is not known how the Diva spent her birthday, but we do know she is working with Barry Gibb on a new album. She also might be relishing her recent acquisition of the dwarf movie.
4/17/05
A Dwarf is Born
This came out last week, but I had to double and triple check before reporting it as news. It seems Barbra has acquired the rights to a film called Mendel's Dwarf about a scientist trying to understand the cause of Dwarfism and the problems of his love life. It remains to be seen if she will turn it into a musical.
Following her qualified success in Meet the Fockers, this is quite honestly an unexpected turn. Asked to explain the inexplicable, the Diva replied, "[this movie] explores the future of humanity, eugenics, the existence of God as well as the meaning of true love and acceptance." I think we have another Up the Sandbox on our hands.
4/1/05
Barbra & Barry Gibb: New Album Due in September
What kind of fool dreamed this one up? True, Guilty is arguably Barbra's most successful album with 5 million copies sold, one No. 1 single, and two more Top 10 singles. According to one source, Guilty and its singles sold over 20 million units worldwide. Still, that was 25 years ago and a lot has changed. Barry Gibb is no longer as successful as he was back then. For that matter, Guilty coincided with the beginning of the decline of the Bee Gees (Barry's group). It was also Barbra's last Pop supersmash. Since Guilty, she has not had a No. 1 pop album.
It's reported that Barry will compose 12 songs; however, the point of all this is unknown. Remember, his goal for Guilty was to "create the great Streisand album that she never made". BTW, Barry's melodies tend to be very demanding. Streisand clearly cannot sing like she did back then when she did Guilty. For that matter, she could not do Guilty with her current vocal limitaions. Well, let's see what Barry comes up with and let's see if Babs gives him the artistic freedom she gave him 25 years ago. I doubt the Diva will sing whatever he writes for her (like she did on Guiltly). I personally can't wait until September, when this album will be released, to see if she can still sing AND if she can restrain herself from meddling with Barry's creative process.
3/28/05
MTF on DVD in April
Meet the Fockers
will be released on DVD on April 19, 2005. Two separate packages will be available: widescreen and full-screen. The DVD will include an both extended and theatrical releases; 65 bloopers; 20 deleted scenes and more. This is not your typical Streisand release which is usually devoid of any significant extras.
3/26/05
Barbra & Her Broken Furniture
Had you forgotten about Babs selling all her old things at Christie's auction house? I had. But someone else has not. It turns out this person bought a Stickley side board (a what?) for $600,000. It further turns out that this furniture was damaged and repaired by Streisand before placed on auction in November of 1999. The damage appears to have been so severe that the item is not worth what this poor person paid for it. The lawsuit failed for several reasons, the principal being that the person waited more than
the four years stipulated by the statute of limitations that governed this transaction. A word to the wise: always check what you buy before you buy, especially when there are no warranties.
3/24/05
South Park Discovers Wing
Last night, South Park aired an episode featuring WING, the Chinese Barbra Streisand. The South Park creators, who publicly hate and ridicule Barbra, designed an entire episode devoted to Wing Han Tsang (her full name) who is nothing more than the Chinese incarnation of La Streisand. Wing, who goes by her first name only, was born in Hong Kong. She emigrated to New Zealand where she developed her unbelievable singing talents. The episode airs again tonight on Comedy Central at 10PM EST. If you must know more about Wing, please click on the photo below:
3/14/05
BUZZ: An England Tour in the Works
It was buzzing all over the British media. Purportedly, Barbra was going to again come out of retirement to perform live in London and then head to England. And I thought London WAS in England. Silly me. Is it possible? Who knows. After all, I never thought she would work again with Barry Gibb. However, the two are currently working on an album.
2/26/05
Dustin and Barbra Present Best Movie Oscar
Dustin Hoffman and a plump Barbra Streisand presented the Best Movie Oscar to Clint Eastwood and his team for Million Dollar Baby. Though a little better dressed than usual, the tired Diva is still a far cry from the fashion icon that she used to be. Speaking of tired, she really needs a new hairdo. She wears the same old limp page cut all over town whether to buy toilets or to present Oscars.
2/25/05
Barbra To Present at OSCARS
Barbra will be presenting at tomorrow's 2005 Oscars extravaganza. It is unknown at this time what category she will be presenting. May I suggest Best Animated Feature?
2/25/05
ON A CLEAR DAY on DVD, At Last!
I almost forgot it would be out this year, but I ran across it at Tower Records for $9.99. How can you go wrong under $10? Not easily. And definitely not with On A Clear Day. I have now seen the DVD twice and must say it really looks good. The colors are great and the soundtrack has been remixed, relatively well, into DD 5.1. It is clearly a better presentation than the one used for Laserdisc years ago.
2/24/05
Barbra Featured on Stars Without Make-up
Fox aired it. Star Magazine was behind it. An hour special that featured celebrities without make-up. Of course, our nefarious Diva had to be part of the show. The show, which aired at 9PM EST, featured a photo of Barbra without her make-up. Scary with make-up, you can imagine what she looked like without it. Now to be fair, she is a 60+ year old woman. And that is exactly what she looks like. BTW, there is nothing wrong with being over 60 and looking your age. What amazes me is the blind fans who look at her and see a woman that looks "decades younger than her age" (and this is truly a quote from some deranged fan). I have heard of deranged people who can't face their own age, but those that cannot face the age of another person (whom they have never met) is something I've never heard of before. Leave it to the Streisand fans to invent a new form of psychosis.
2/20/05
MTF Drops out of US Top 10
Finally, after 9 weeks, Meet the Fockers drops out of the US Top 10 Box Office. During this time, MTF performed remarkably grossing over $273 million in the US and becoming the second most successful comedy and 25th most successful movie in the US. Not bad for De Niro and Stiller, the stars of this movie. Not bad for Hoffman and Streisand, either, the two key supporting characters.
2/07/05
MTF Hot at the Foreign Box Office
Here in America we refer to all movie ticket sales in all countries other than ours as the "foreign box office". Meet the Fockers is not only at the top of foreign box office, but is doing extremely well ($85 million so far). If you add the $85 million to the $265 million grossed domestically, that's $350 million worldwide. WOW!
2/06/05
Musto and his favorite cartoon characters
The following was sent to me by a good friend. It's from the Village Voice's Michael Musto and it speaks for itself: "Moving on to my favorite real life cartoon character, gay icon Barbra Streisand has been on a new career high thanks to the massive success of Meet The Fockers, and the church of second-wind Jews is extendng an extravagant welcome. I'M thrilled too! Babs had languished for way too many years, turning down offers because they weren't "important" enough, dawdling around on never-launched projects like her Normal Heart flick, and stewing over not getting enough recognition as the female Kurosawa. I always thought she should seize any available light, zany role (like her old ones in What's Up Doc? and For Peter's Sake) and just have a romp with it, to remind people she's around and can poke fun at herself, rather than treat her every filmed utterance as a monumental life changer. Astonishingly enough, she listened to me (though I hear she put up a fight) and even got her old perm back—and her old career too. Hello again, gorgeous!"
Michael is really on target. Please see the Village Voice and its website for Musto's columns.
2/06/05
Meet the Fockers Surpasses $250 million
As predicted by me a month ago, Meet the Fockers has passed the $250 million mark in the US Box Office (I predicted this in my BABS Blog on January 3. MTF hit this mark about a week ago and is now at $265 million. I also predicted its domestic (US) gross would not exceed $300 million. I still think this will be the case.
1/23/05
Meet the Fockers at No. 3
Meet the Fockers grossed another #10 million over the weekend to bring its total gross up to $248 million. MTF has now passed up Bruce Almighty as the 2nd most successful comedy of all time in the US. The No. 1 comedy is Home Alone with a $285 million US gross.
1/21/05
Too Proud to Lose
The Big Show: High Times + Dirty Dealings at the Academy Awards, a new book, claims that Diva Streisand sat backstage by herself at the 1973 Oscars Ceremony. The Diva did not want anyone to know she was there in case she lost. Some people amaze me. Of course, we all know that Glenda Jackson (who?) took the Best Actress Oscar for A Touch of Class. At least the cameras didn't catch Barbra's look as she discovered her loss. That would have been priceless.
1/20/05
MTF Back at Top (Mid Week Box Office)
Coach Carter didn't last long at the top of the US Box Office. Yesterday's box office receipts are showing that Meet the Fockers is back at No. 1 and is grossing about a million per day during the week. Its total $236 million gross places it at No. 40 in the list of all time most successful movies in the US Box Office. Quite an achievement for a movie dismissed by most critics. BTW, it is possible that MTF will return to No. 1 in the upcoming Weekend Box Office.
1/16/05
MTF Drops to No. 2, but passes $230 Million Mark
After 3 weeks at the top of the North American Box Office, Meet the Fockers drops to No. 2. Still, the movie grossed approximately $19 million dollars, bringing it to an estimated total of $230.8 million in just four weeks. MTF is now one of the top grossing movies of all time. The more interesting news of the week is the disastrous opening of Elektra, starring Jennifer Garner. The sorry movie opened at about $12 million (even less than Catwoman). I guess Ben Affleck ruins everything he touches.
1/11/05
Driver Tells Truth About Relationship with Streisand
Minnie Driver, La Carlotta of Weber's Phantom of the Opera, was once engaged to Josh Brolin, son-in-law of Streisand. Amidst wedding plans and all, Driver and Brolin called it quits. The press immediately blamed Streisand for the split noting the difficult relationship between the actresses and Streisand's meddling in the wedding preparations. At the time, Minnie denied any problems with Streisand. Contactmusic.com is now reporting that Minnie has admitted that there was indeed a tense relationship between the two.
As most of you know, Minnie has wowed critics and audiences with her brilliant portrayal of La Carlotta, the nasty Primadonna of the Phantom of the Opera. Perhaps Minnie had a role model to study to develop her characterization of La Carlotta. Guess who.
1/11/05
Dustin Hoffman Spills the Beans
Gruesome. According to contactmusic.com, Dustin Hoffman has exposed a dirty secret on Streisand. Dustin claims that Barbra told him that she and her husband have sex six times a week. Gruesome, again. Is there a reason to talk about this? Is there a reason I should know about this? Is there a reason America and the world should have to visualize this? Barbra, please post a Truth Alert and tell us it is NOT true!
1/9/05
MTF Passes $200 Million Mark in US Box Office
Meet the Fockers remains in the #1 spot of the US Box Office for the third week. Grossing $28 million over the weekend, based on early estimates, the comedy's total now stands at $204 million. Indeed, it can now be called a "blockbuster". Meet the Parents, the prequel, grossed a total of $166 million in the US.
1/6/05
MTF Demolishing the Competition
Meet the Fockers (MTF) continues its box office dominance in 2005. Grossing over $2 million a day, MTF has now reached a gross in North America of $173 million (as of 1/5/05). No other movie is even coming close.
*Where it happened: New York
*Total bill/Tip amount/Percentage: $457.00/$10.00/ 2%
*What happened?
*She demanded the best table, acting rude to everyone and then barely tipped.
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