RIP, Nicky Arnstein and Dr Zhivago

May he forever walk in peace through that great sunflower garden in the sky. Academy Award nominated and three-time Golden Globe winning actor Omar Sharif has died of a heart attack at age 83. He also suffered, late in life, from Alzheimer's Disease.

The suave, debonair actor was swept to success by his combination of talent and sex appeal. Born to a well-to-do Catholic family in Egypt as Michel Dimitri Chalhoub, he later converted to Islam to marry actress Faten Hamama.

He began his career in Egyptian films before making his breakthrough role in David Lean's Lawrence of Arabia. He went on to star opposite Barbra Streisand in Funny Girl and Julie Andrews in The Tamarind Seed. Lean cast him again in the titular role in Dr. Zhivago. In '60s Hollywood, who cared if you were Egyptian or Eastern European as long as you had an accent.

Many Arab countries banned Funny Girl because  of Shatif's playing a Jewish character. Said Streisand at the time, "You think Cairo was upset? You should see the letter I got from my Aunt Rose!" She told the press today:

“Omar was my first leading man in the movies. He was handsome, sophisticated and charming. He was a proud Egyptian and in some people’s eyes, the idea of casting him in Funny Girl was considered controversial. Yet somehow, under the direction of William Wyler, the romantic chemistry between Nicky Arnstein and Fanny Brice transcended stereotypes and prejudice. I feel lucky to have had the opportunity to work with Omar, and I’m profoundly sad to hear of his passing.”

Of his co-star, Mr Sharif had said, "I was madly in love with her. I thought she was the most gorgeous girl I'd ever seen in my life.... I was lusting after her."

Audio Beaverhausen: Barbra Recycles with Partners

I've gotten sick and tired at this point of Barbra Streisand's narcissistic masturbation, her cannibalizing herself, and her endless tributes to her own career. Barbra, would it kill you to record some original material again?  I mean, it wasn't even a year ago that your dvd/cd live concert in Brooklyn at Barclay's Center was released and that was mostly a tribute to your long career. We get it! You're a legend! Get over yourself and move on. What's next? Another Greatest Hits album? Or, better yet, an album of you re-recording and covering your Greatest Hits albums?

Babs recycles her songs once more on Partners (sort of a follow-up to 2002's Duets). Yes, it's a duets album (not titled Duets II because Duets was a disappointment commercially) but duets are very en vogue now. The problem with this album is the very concept is tacky, self-aggrandizing and... the duet with dead Elvis? Oh, please, Babs, you need to stop! That is karaoke with an orchestra. Karaoke on crack!

"Love Me Tender" is the 12th and final cut on the album and it's so incredibly, blindly self-absorbed, I could only laugh at this duo with the deceased. Talk about bad taste, people! Must be heard to be believed. Of course, Babs' voice is the one to open the song.

The album opens with "It Had to Be You," nicely arranged to a boffo finale. This duet is with Michael Buble. "People," with Stevie Wonder, is indeed very pleasant. Though one of the dangers of doing songs from one's youth late in a career is the unfavorable comparison that can be drawn. In Streisand's case, the vibrato that has replaced the strength and control in her voice is noticeable. While it's only natural and to be expected, why showcase it?

As this vanity project of standards continues, the rewards diminish and it feels tiresome and repetitive. "Evergreen," sung with co-producer Babyface, is a big misfire that only made me nostalgic for the original version. Call this one "A Bore Is Starred." Make that two bores, actually.

It's a mystery why singing "New York State of  Mind" with Billy Joel is a bombastic bummer and "The Way We Were," co-starring Lionel Ritchie, is so badly arranged.

Other Partners in crime include Blake Shelton, Andrea Boccelli (Streisand is no match here, belt as she does), John Legend, Josh Groban (actually, their strong "Somewhere" boasts the best vocals on the album). And, once more, Jason Gould (her son, singing "How Deep Is the Ocean" in Oedipal rapture) is featured.

In my interviews with recording artists, I frequently ask who their idols and inspirations were when they were growing up. Streisand's name frequently comes up. Streisand would likely answer the same way.

As far as I'm concerned, Partners is a big flop despite some rich orchestrations. Hopefully, La Streisand will return soon with an album on which she stops recycling, and returns to us refreshed.

EXTRA! EXTRA! Exclusive Q&A with Bob Esty About Barbra & Cher

Bob Esty Blabs It to Beaverhausen about Barbra & Cher ~ Part One

 
It was a true pleasure for me to have the joy of interviewing Bob Esty again. I love hearing his "backstage" stories because they're always full of good humor and he's so vivid and forthcoming. The legendary producer has talked with me before http://blabittobeaverhausen.blogspot.com/2013/09/links-to-parts-1-through-4-of-my.html, but that four-part interview went on quite long and we had to postpone focusing on his work with Barbra Streisand and Cher because that would require further, serious Q&A. Can we talk? Well, now, several months later we can, and it was worth the wait! The original interview took place before the holiday season settled in on us. I hope you enjoy reading this as much as I enjoyed conducting the interview with this iconic dance-music producer. Bob lives in L.A. and is still very active as a songwriter/producer/arranger. His birthday is on Easter Sunday this year and we wish him a happy one!

Artwork courtesy of Dj Jandry

Dj Buddy Beaverhausen: Bob, so good to talk to you again. Happy holidays!
Bob Esty: Thank you. To you, too!

DBB: Let's start with a hypothetical question. Barbra and Cher each call you to produce their next album. Due to conflicting time constraints, you can only do one and both are offering the same money. Whom would you work with?
BE: I think Barbra. I know her better because I worked with her at least three or four other times after "Main Event." And I really haven't seen Cher in years. You know, she's autographed things for me. [We both laugh.] If she wants to do the type of music she does, I could be a producer, though Barbra is doing the types of things I'm producing now. I've been doing non-disco music for many years. But I love both of them.

DBB: Have you heard Cher's new album?
BE: I haven't yet. I saw her on BBC America's Graham Norton Show. She did a ballad and, of course, brought the house down. And I've heard her new dance single, "It's a Woman's World" and I thought it was great. And I never saw the Barbra Brooklyn concert. Even though people say she doesn't have the same kind of energy, obviously....
DBB: Who does?
BE: Right. And not the same kind of attitude. I loved Motown growing up, and I loved Bette Midler more than Barbra at the time. I mean, I liked [Barbra's] singing but I wasn't that into it.
DBB: From my point of view, I think Barbra has the better voice by a traditional standard but Bette's gritty; Bette's real.
BE: I almost produced her.
DBB: Aww, Bob! Aww!
BE: Yeah. Ah, well...!

DBB: Have you heard the Donna Summer remix album they recently released?
BE: I didn't like what I heard of it. "Last Dance" did not have the energy of the original production I did for Paul [Jabara]. It was sort of a Donna Summer watered-down energy. And Universal didn't have the tapes. They couldn't do anything else! Universal LOST the tapes; they can't find the tapes!
DBB: That is really amazing.
BE: Yeah!

DBB: Let me ask you what brought you to produce Barbra Streisand's "The Main Event" and do you recall your first encounter with her and what it was like?
BE: Yes! Paul Jabara and Bruce Roberts wrote this song, though Barbra initially was against it because she didn't want to sing a song in this movie. But Jason [Gould, Barbra's son] liked "Last Dance" and "Take Me Home" and talked her into doing the song with me and Paul.
DBB: How old was Jason at the time?
BE: Fourteen, I think. But, basically, at first, I didn't want to do this because I just finished producing disco songs for Andy Williams and the Beach Boys and I didn't feel "Main Event" lent itself to a disco arrangement. But I worked with Paul in his apartment and came up with ideas and the format of the song. I worked on it on piano and did the chord changes and everything else. And Paul really wanted to work with Barbra because that was his goal in life! He wrote a Broadway musical about her: Rachael Lily Rosenblum. That's when Paul and I met because of Ellen Green, who starred after Bette Midler turned the part down. I went to the audition with Ellen because we had the same manager in New York. Robert Stigwood produced the show and ~ oh, God! ~ it was overblown to the nth degree. I felt it would have done better off-Broadway....
DBB: You're right! Your instincts were right. I think if it was produced off-Broadway, it could have been a smash.
BE: So that's where I met Paul who moved to California, where I was living since January 1975. Anyhow, "The Main Event"! We met Barbra on the hottest day of August at her Malibu ranch, dripping wet with sweat. Paul, Bruce Roberts and I in a convertible. So, I was the Baltimore boy with sunburn while the other guys were tanned. I really didn't want to go. For another thing, I had worked with Lesley Ann Warren, who had been married to Jon Peters, and he was going to be there with Barbra. I was arranging a song for Lesley on The Tonight Show where I saw her shaking, crying and just not being her usual self. Later, in the parking lot, she was scolded by Jon Peters for not wearing the right dress. And now I was meeting him with Barbra.
The first thing I saw when we got to the ranch was Barbra in a schmatta and no make-up. But looking great and so friendly and gracious! And Jon Peters was there, standing off to the side and not saying anything. Anyhow, Barbra wanted to show me the art deco house she had built with art deco motifs. So she took me through this and it was quite, you know, a display. I loved it but I didn't know she was so into this. The other thing: I noticed the garden and it was full of corn. And she said: "I planted that!" And I thought, "With those nails?!"
DBB: Maybe she dug the holes for the seeds with her fingers.
BE: [laughs] Well, she served corn later! And I remember the house was painted yellow. It had a grand piano inside. And Jason was there, so I met him. And Bruce Roberts sat behind me when I was asked to play the piano. Paul Jabara was drinking, slouching and leaning on the piano. Barbra was also standing at the piano as I played the arrangement [for "Main Event"]. She loved it, except, she said to me, "There's nothing about 'fight'." "Uh-oh-oh," I thought and Paul looked at me like "Ooo!" But he reminded me of a song we wrote for The Village People with sort of a corny hook:"Fight, fight, fight, fight, fight! For what you want!"
DBB: Did that ever get released?
BE: No. I figured out the bass line of that unreleased song and I played and sang it to Barbra. "That's it!" she cried out. But then she said, "But I'm not doing 'The Main Event.'" I thought Bruce Roberts would be mad and I talked her into doing it as a medley of "The Main Event/Fight." Barbra said "I don't like "Main Event' and I don't like that 'Extra! Extra!' It sounds like a newspaper song." I said, "No, no, you have to sing it like this [demonstrates what Barbra was later to record], then she said, "Oh. I'll try that." I sang the guide vocal for her later and I sang the whole fucking song and she was flabbergasted, sitting on a couch there, looking at me cross-eyed.
At the recording session, Bruce played piano of my arrangement and I conducted the strings. Barbra sang it live and when it came through the headphones, it just sounded brilliant and thrilling. But Paul Jabara hated it because the arrangement was too simple for him. When we eventually did the vocal session, Barbra really appreciated being directed. She appreciated whatever I did for her, really.

DBB: Well, that's a producer's job, right?
BE: Yeah, of course. But, Cher, on the other hand, when we did "Take Me Home," didn't want me at the first vocal session.

[Stay tuned for Part 2 coming in May]

Bob Esty Blabs It to Beaverhausen about Barbra & Cher ~ Part One

It was a true pleasure for me to have the joy of interviewing Bob Esty again. I love hearing his "backstage" stories because they're always full of good humor and he's so vivid and forthcoming. The legendary producer has talked with me before http://blabittobeaverhausen.blogspot.com/2013/09/links-to-parts-1-through-4-of-my.html, but that four-part interview went on quite long and we had to postpone focusing on his work with Barbra Streisand and Cher because that would require further, serious Q&A. Can we talk? Well, now, eight months later we can, and it was worth the wait! The original interview took place before the holiday season settled in on us. I hope you enjoy reading this as much as I enjoyed conducting the interview with this iconic dance-music producer. Bob lives in L.A. and is still very active as a songwriter/producer/arranger.

Artwork courtesy of Dj Jandry

Dj Buddy Beaverhausen: Bob, so good to talk to you again. Happy holidays!
Bob Esty: Thank you. To you, too!

DBB: Let's start with a hypothetical question. Barbra and Cher each call you to produce their next album. Due to conflicting time constraints, you can only do one and both are offering the same money. Whom would you work with?
BE: I think Barbra. I know her better because I worked with her at least three or four other times after "Main Event." And I really haven't seen Cher in years. You know, she's autographed things for me. [We both laugh.] If she wants to do the type of music she does, I could be a producer, though Barbra is doing the types of things I'm producing now. I've been doing non-disco music for many years. But I love both of them.

DBB: Have you heard Cher's new album?
BE: I haven't yet. I saw her on BBC America's Graham Norton Show. She did a ballad and, of course, brought the house down. And I've heard her new dance single, "It's a Woman's World" and I thought it was great. And I never saw the Barbra Brooklyn concert. Even though people say she doesn't have the same kind of energy, obviously....
DBB: Who does?
BE: Right. And not the same kind of attitude. I loved Motown growing up, and I loved Bette Midler more than Barbra at the time. I mean, I liked [Barbra's] singing but I wasn't that into it.
DBB: From my point of view, I think Barbra has the better voice by a traditional standard but Bette's gritty; Bette's real.
BE: I almost produced her.
DBB: Aww, Bob! Aww!
BE: Yeah. Ah, well...!

DBB: Have you heard the Donna Summer remix album they recently released?
BE: I didn't like what I heard of it. "Last Dance" did not have the energy of the original production I did for Paul [Jabara]. It was sort of a Donna Summer watered-down energy. And Universal didn't have the tapes. They couldn't do anything else! Universal LOST the tapes; they can't find the tapes!
DBB: That is really amazing.
BE: Yeah!

DBB: Let me ask you what brought you to produce Barbra Streisand's "The Main Event" and do you recall your first encounter with her and what it was like?
BE: Yes! Paul Jabara and Bruce Roberts wrote this song, though Barbra initially was against it because she didn't want to sing a song in this movie. But Jason [Gould, Barbra's son] liked "Last Dance" and "Take Me Home" and talked her into doing the song with me and Paul.
DBB: How old was Jason at the time?
BE: Fourteen, I think. But, basically, at first, I didn't want to do this because I just finished producing disco songs for Andy Williams and the Beach Boys and I didn't feel "Main Event" lent itself to a disco arrangement. But I worked with Paul in his apartment and came up with ideas and the format of the song. I worked on it on piano and did the chord changes and everything else. And Paul really wanted to work with Barbra because that was his goal in life! He wrote a Broadway musical about her: Rachael Lily Rosenblum. That's when Paul and I met because of Ellen Green, who starred after Bette Midler turned the part down. I went to the audition with Ellen because we had the same manager in New York. Robert Stigwood produced the show and ~ oh, God! ~ it was overblown to the nth degree. I felt it would have done better off-Broadway....
DBB: You're right! Your instincts were right. I think if it was produced off-Broadway, it could have been a smash.
BE: So that's where I met Paul who moved to California, where I was living since January 1975. Anyhow, "The Main Event"! We met Barbra on the hottest day of August at her Malibu ranch, dripping wet with sweat. Paul, Bruce Roberts and I in a convertible. So, I was the Baltimore boy with sunburn while the other guys were tanned. I really didn't want to go. For another thing, I had worked with Lesley Ann Warren, who had been married to Jon Peters, and he was going to be there with Barbra. I was arranging a song for Lesley on The Tonight Show where I saw her shaking, crying and just not being her usual self. Later, in the parking lot, she was scolded by Jon Peters for not wearing the right dress. And now I was meeting him with Barbra.
The first thing I saw when we got to the ranch was Barbra in a schmatta and no make-up. But looking great and so friendly and gracious! And Jon Peters was there, standing off to the side and not saying anything. Anyhow, Barbra wanted to show me the art deco house she had built with art deco motifs. So she took me through this and it was quite, you know, a display. I loved it but I didn't know she was so into this. The other thing: I noticed the garden and it was full of corn. And she said: "I planted that!" And I thought, "With those nails?!"
DBB: Maybe she dug the holes for the seeds with her fingers.
BE: [laughs] Well, she served corn later! And I remember the house was painted yellow. It had a grand piano inside. And Jason was there, so I met him. And Bruce Roberts sat behind me when I was asked to play the piano. Paul Jabara was drinking, slouching and leaning on the piano. Barbra was also standing at the piano as I played the arrangement [for "Main Event"]. She loved it, except, she said to me, "There's nothing about 'fight'." "Uh-oh-oh," I thought and Paul looked at me like "Ooo!" But he reminded me of a song we wrote for The Village People with sort of a corny hook:"Fight, fight, fight, fight, fight! For what you want!"
DBB: Did that ever get released?
BE: No. I figured out the bass line of that unreleased song and I played and sang it to Barbra. "That's it!" she cried out. But then she said, "But I'm not doing 'The Main Event.'" I thought Bruce Roberts would be mad and I talked her into doing it as a medley of "The Main Event/Fight." Barbra said "I don't like "Main Event' and I don't like that 'Extra! Extra!' It sounds like a newspaper song." I said, "No, no, you have to sing it like this [demonstrates what Barbra was later to record], then she said, "Oh. I'll try that." I sang the guide vocal for her later and I sang the whole fucking song and she was flabbergasted, sitting on a couch there, looking at me cross-eyed.
At the recording session, Bruce played piano of my arrangement and I conducted the strings. Barbra sang it live and when it came through the headphones, it just sounded brilliant and thrilling. But Paul Jabara hated it because the arrangement was too simple for him. When we eventually did the vocal session, Barbra really appreciated being directed. She appreciated whatever I did for her, really.

DBB: Well, that's a producer's job, right?
BE: Yeah, of course. But, Cher, on the other hand, when we did "Take Me Home," didn't want me at the first vocal session.

[Stay tuned for Part 2]

Barbra Back in Brooklyn: the DVD

People who love Barbra can now purchase her Back to Brooklyn dvd/cd deluxe set for the holidays and feel like the luckiest people in the world. Doesn't make such a bad gift, either.

Until the opening of Barclay's Center, the borough of Brooklyn didn't really have a venue big enough for a name like hers. But here she is, filmed earlier this year, at this landmark homecoming event. And it is an event (don't say it ain't!) because vintage images over Barbra singing "You'll Never Know (Just How Much I Love You" are intent to drive that home. Literally and figuratively.

"Talk amongst yourselves, I'm getting verklempt," Barbra offers knowingly as she finishes her opening number before launching into a Sondheim tune.

She does have an Act II costume change into vibrant red, flaunting quite a bit of cleavage. I love Babs because she thinks she's like buttah when she's frequently like brass, juggling classy versus tacky in her choice of material. "I love Brooklyn cuz we tell it like it is," she says honestly. "Maybe because we have no manners."

Though, at 71, her voice is perhaps not just quite as lustrous as it once was, it is still an incredible force of nature beautifully controlled.

She does turn out her disco hit, "No More Tears," originally recorded with Donna Summer, plus sings with guests Il Divo and nepotistically with her son, Jason Gould. (See what I mean by "tacky"?)

She gives us "The Way We Were," touchingly, and saves "People" until late in the show, followed by a lovely "Here's to Life" (a holiday fave), and caps it all off with her classic arrangement of "Happy Days Are Here Again."

Well, here's to Barbra, one of our generation's finest divas, on her triumphant return to Brooklyn!

Available at Barnes & Noble and Amazon.com, and wherever fine music is sold.

Giving Thanks for Divas on Thanksgiving 2013

Posted on a fan's Facebook Page

Thanksgiving has arrived, my turkeys, gobble gobble! Of course, Buddy B has so much to be thankful for this year, especially not having to cook for guests! (Ain't nobody got time for that.) I'm thankful for going to Bay Ridge's Lighthouse Diner, Thanksgiving afternoon, two blocks away, with my friend who called in the rezzies. Give me a bloody mary and a plate of lasagne and I'll be grateful, pilgrim! And, hey, Plymouth rocks! But also, I am thankful to the harvest of contemporary divas who keep us dancing and inspire us with their awesome voices.

Martha Wash has been our divine diva for five decades now, as a solo artist and as the voice of Two Tons of Fun, The Weather Girls, Black Box and C&C Music Factory. I am truly thankful for Miss Martha! And I adore her current album, Something Good, which is a perfect ~ and very inspirational ~ gift for the holidays. Available at Amazon.com.

I'm thankful for Cher! What a legend, icon, superstar diva, with an outstanding six-decade career. Her new album, Closer to the Truth, is marvelous and I highly recommend it for the holiday season and beyond!

La La Brooks, Darlene Love, Ronnie Spector. 1960s girl-group divas who survived Phil Spector and continue to have vibrant careers today! All have albums available on Amazon; Darlene and Ronnie having Christmas cds. Our Ms Brooks has a new album this season on the indy Norton label.

Cyndi Lauper! What more do I have to say? One of the outstanding pop vocalists of our lifetime. And she even recorded a Christmas album. Guess where you can get it!

Madonna and Lady Gaga continue to impress, tantalize and titillate. (Though neither has yet done a holiday cd; get on it, girls!)

Bette Midler, Barbra Streisand -- both boasting Christmas cds no holiday collection should ever be without.

Dj Buddy Beaverhausen and Our City Radio are grateful for our enduring divas and give thanks unto them. Not a turkey amongst them.

Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours, and may God bless us all this holiday season! Stay safe, stay warm, stay tuned into Queens Our City Radio.

Beaverhausen's Gossip Galore from The National Enquirer !

"The tragic death of John F. Kennedy Jr. was marked by deep sorrow — and intense family bickering over the funerals before the bodies were even recovered, according to Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s secret diary," reports the New York Post.

The tabloid takes its information from Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s secret diaries, apparently. "The journal’s entries in the aftermath of the July 16, 1999, plane crash that killed Kennedy, 38, wife Carolyn Bessette, 33, and sister-in-law Lauren Bessette, 34, provide a rare eyewitness account of the intensely private scene at the Kennedy compound and the petty, tense squabbling over whether Carolyn deserved the royal Kennedy treatment."

Meanwhile,  I just read some juicy stuff from the National Enquirer that I purchased mid-week. Katy Curic's wedding is on hold because she's fighting over the pre-nup! Dolly Parton collapses "after rumored lesbian lover is injured in car wreck"! Priscilla Presley's boyfriend leaves her for Raquel Welch!

But the best gossip is about Barbra! According to that publication, 73-year-old husband James Brolin declared, "I want out!" after 15 years of marriage. He is reportedly "tired of his diva wife's controlling way, bossing him around, treating him like 'a second-rate citizen.'" Really? Barbra? I'm shocked!

Brolin complained that, "when she's not ordering him about, Barbra treats him like he doesn't exist," according to a family member. (Jason, is that you?)

Meanwhile, Brolin seems to be focusing on his acting career again, though "pals" say this contention could lead to a $390 million divorce.

As enquiring minds need to know, the paper also contained info on John Travolta's custody battle. According to The National Enquirer, his secret $220 million divorce from Kelly Preston now "explodes!" And it's about Travolta demanding custody of portly childen, Ella and Benjamin. According to The National Enquirer, the tension has erupted in the marriage as the 5-year anniversary of their son, Jett's, death approaches.

Kelly's trying to revive her career with an internet series co-starring Scientology friend, Michelle Stafford, from The Young and the Restless.

John got pretty restless about his ex's ignoring the children at the expense of reviving her moribund career. Hence the custody issue according to the Enquirer.

Doug Goterba, Travolta's former pilot, previously claimed he was the star's lover for six years and there are photos to support that allegation. In a recent trip to Dubai, Travolta "gushed over the local women, saying they 'are very beautiful and exotic in the best way.... And I like women who like men like me.'"

Fag hags, John?

Bob Esty Interview Part 4: Dusty, Lesley, Cher, Barbra

Bob Esty is truly a legend in his own time. A producer, songwriter and arranger who worked with Casablanca Records from 1977 to 1980, he has collaborated alongside major divas like Donna Summer, Cher, Barbra Streisand, Martha Wash, Raquel Welch and many more. It is my sincerest pleasure to have spoken with Bob over the phone when he generously consented to give me the following, exclusive interview. I have divided it into parts for easier reader consumption and digestion because it is such a delicious treat. 

In the 4th and final part of this interview which, again, it was a great privilege for me to conduct, our discussion involves Billy Preston, Whitney Houston, The Weather Girls, Paul Jabara, The Day of the Locusts, Dusty Springfield, Lesley Gore, Cher, Barbra, Michelle Aller, Sally Kellerman, Scott Snapp and more.

Check out Mr Esty's Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Disco-Citizens-The-Work-of-Bob-Esty/428987683811992?fref=ts

***

Bob Esty: We [Bob and Paul Jabara] wrote a song for The Weather Girls called "Success" about the fact that even though "It's Raining Men" is a success, it's not really. We used every trick in the book when we did this song and I did the track along with "Hope" [for the 1982 album, Success, that also includes the disco classics, "Dear Santa (Send Me a Man for Christmas)," "I'm Gonna Wash That Man Right Outta My Hair" and "Hungry for Love"], a song I previously did with Billy Preston.

In 1981, Paul put out"Hope" and "It's Raining Men" by The Weather Girls on the Paul Jabara & Friends album. It also had Whitney Houston's breakthrough track on that album ["Eternal Love"].

Dj Buddy Beaverhausen: And to think, throughout the '80s and '90s, people were declaring Disco was dead!

BE: Ha! Exactly! When Paul's album was being made, I also told him that record stores would put it in a "Compilations" bin and nobody would notice "Hope" was on it.

DJBB: I read that, in 1977, you and writing partner Michelle Aller wrote "I Found Love with You" for Dusty Springfield, and that you opened at The Troubadour for Lesley Gore.

BE: Yes, Michelle and I opened for Lesley and we had a band. I don't know how we got that gig! I never saw Lesley Gore perform live before, but I loved her. I didn't know Dusty Springfield was in the audience. Anyhow, her producer of the It Begins Again album, Roy Thomas Baker, contacted us and said, "Dusty really loved your song. Do you want to record it with her?" I got to arrange and orchestrate the whole thing. And I just loved working with Dusty! And Michelle and I sang in the backgrounds with Dusty. And that was the first time we had one of our original songs recorded.

DJBB: The rumors are that Dusty Springfield was often difficult to work with. Not just rumors but it's been reported by others who have worked with her and was dramatized in the play I saw last year in New York, Forever Dusty.

BE: Dusty? Well, not for me. For me, she was great. Incidentally, Michael Childers did the photography for It Begins Again, and was the lover of [director] John Schlesinger. And that's when I met Schlesinger because I did an arrangement of "Hot Voodoo" for the movie, The Day of the Locusts. And that number was performed by Paul Jabara in drag.

DJBB: I love that moment in the movie! And what a great, underrated movie that is!

BE: Right? Yeah, it was, and I went to the filming of Paul's sequence.

DJBB: And sequins?

[Bob laughs.]

BE: Michael Childers now does a self-tribute photography show in Palm Springs called "One Night Only" with many artists from LA and NYC, and this year it included the music of Michael's friends including Paul Jabara. Unfortunately, I couldn't make it.

DJBB: Bob, when Donna Summer died, was that just as much a shock to you as to the general public? Or did you know she was ill at the time?

BE: No, I had no idea. Patti Brooks knew from the nurses in the hospital Donna was in. But it was a shock. It happened so fast! And she kept it secret from everyone.

DJBB: Cher is our new Pier Dance Diva for NYC Pride. You were the one who set her on her disco path, making her the dance diva she is today once you produced her ultra-successful and legendary "Take Me Home." How did that all come about?  Up to that time, she was really not a Disco girl.

BE: I met her in a bungalo with my leg in a cast.  I'd just broke my leg at the New York Disco Convention that year. She was just the "regular" Cher; no make-up. But to really talk about Cher, we'd have to do another blog piece.

DJBB: Streisand. What was it like making the disco smash "The Main Event" with her, and was it intimidating to work with her?

BE: Well, that would be something we'd need to devote another blog piece to, also. I can't go into that quickly.

DJBB: Bob, just one more question before we wrap this up: What would we find on Bob Esty's turntable, iPod or cd player today? What are the songs you most recently listen to?

BE: When you produce and do recordings, there's a tendency to not want to listen to anyone else. And now, especially because of Facebook, in order to post things, I have to re-listen to so many things I've done. Glenn Rivera and Jandry: these guys do such a great job of remixing! And I've helped Jandry on some of his medleys. Also love Jandry's artwork and posters.

DJBB: I love what those guys have done, too, all around.

BE: Yeah, amazing! And now I'm working with Sally Kellerman and Scott Snapp. Sally's been performing in L.A. and Palm Springs and has her book out now, Read My Lips. Plus, I'm working on a remastering of Ava Cherry's Streetcar Named Desire album.

DJBB: Bob, all good things must come to an end, and I just want to thank you a lot for your time and participation. Thanks so much for this interview. It meant so much to me to be able to ask you the questions about your career I've always wanted to know. I'm sure it means a lot to the readers of my blog and others on the Internet.

BE: Yes, certainly. Thank you.

DJBB: And thank you for commenting on my blog and Facebook. Most appreciate it.

BE: Sometimes I can't comment on the blog when I want. Don't know why, but....

DJBB: Believe me, they don't make it user-friendly. Bob, thanks ever so much for everything! And have a good night.

BE: Ah, a night off! Thank you, and to you, too.

***

Below, the disco classic disco hit written by Bob and Michelle Aller takes this interview home. But we'll be hearing more about Cher -- and Babs -- soon. Exclusively from Bob Esty!

Video Beaverhausen: Barbra and Bette, Guilt and Guidance

Back in January, the ever-fabulous gossip maven, Janet Charlton, wrote:

Barbra Streisand can’t be thrilled that her holiday release movie “The Guilt Trip” (with Seth Rogan) has been pretty much a flop while Bette Midler’s movie, “Parental Guidance,” with Billy Crystal is a hit. “The Guilt Trip” cost 40 million to make and has only taken in around 31 million. “Parental Guidance” was made for 25 million and is expected to take in 70 million plus. Both movies obviously appeal to the older generation, but Seth Rogan halfheartedly promoted “The Guilt Trip” to HIS generation. Billy Crystal tirelessly promoted “Guidance” to an older generation and it even landed on an AARP cover. Bingo. We figure that icons Barbra Streisand and Bette Midler are more than a teensy bit competitive and Bette couldn’t be happier.

I missed out on these films theatrically, released for the year-end holiday season, mainly because of being laid low with the flu during that time. Both films were recently released on dvd and it was the opportunity to catch up.

It's no mystery why Bette beat Babs in this round of their professional feud, however. Parental Guidance is an exuberant, lighthearted comedy while The Guilt Trip is a much darker, more complicated dramedy.

Part of the box-office problem with the Streisand flick from Paramount is that it was marketed as a cutesy comedy but is actually not one by any means.  In fact, clueless Paramount has released the same, warm-and-fuzzy image of Seth Rogan and Babs on the cover of the dvd.

My problems with The Guilt Trip are its stereotyping and, largely, its lack of likeable characters. A shrill yenta of a mother with a putz of a son are not exactly people I want to spend time with. Less than charming to be sure. I couldn't wait to get out of their car, in fact! I think it would be fair to say I wasn't very invested in the destination of this movie.

On a personal footnote, I want to add that, on 9/11, I flew out of Newark but was stranded in North Carolina when the attacks occurred. We had to get out of air space. I was headed to see my family in Florida, getting off in Sarasota, where President Bush was famously in the grade school there. Continental Airlines put me up at a nice hotel in N.C., however. My brother drove up to get me from Florida. He brought his hateful, obnoxious girlfriend and my mother. Driving back was a nightmare with my Mom and Shirley carping at one another all the way to Venice, FL just when a hurricane hit. One day, I'll write a screenplay about that!

Parental Guidance, on the other hand, is a lighthearted romp as promised. Directed by Andy Fickman, who did the delicious You Again in 2010 (with Sigourney Weaver and Jamie Lee Curtis), it's another campy, feel-good comedy focused on the interrelationships between generations.

The ensemble work by a great cast adds to the pleasure of this comedy starring Billy Crystal, Bette Midler, Marisa Tomei and Tom Everett Scott (who I'd do in a nanosecond).

Artie and Diane agree to look after their three grandkids when their type-A helicopter parents need to leave town for work. Problems arise when the kids' 21st-century behavior collides with Artie and Diane's old-school methods is how IMDB sums up this movie, fairly accurately.

Of course, Miss Midler gets the best lines:

Marisa:"Mom, I'd like to think that you're listening to me."
Bette: "Oh, I'm sorry, honey! Did you just say something?"
(God, that was so my mom!)

Marisa (angrily): This entirely sums up your approach to parenting!
Bette: We had an approach?

And Bette's response to her granddaughter's haughty Russian violin instructor is priceless.

Highly recommended for laughter with a light touch even if it's obvious, early on, how it's going to wind up.

Happy Birthday, Bob Esty!

Mod Mr Esty

Cheers! As our salute to Bob Esty concludes, we wish the awesome and influential producer/ songwriter/ arranger a very happy birthday today -- and hope he has many more!

Bob Esty originally made his mark with disco classics on the Casablanca label in the '70s, including such time-honored productions such as Donna Summers' "Last Dance," Cher's "Take Me Home," and Barbra Streisand's "The Main Event." (Incidentally, Bob told me, "People think I did 'Enough is Enough' too!! I say, 'Enough, already'!!!")

Bob's private "guide vocals" for his artists are truly outstanding works of art in and of themselves, showcasing his singing and chameleon-like ability to mimic each singer, giving a sense of what the finished product might sound like. Cher commented on how uncanny Bob's guide vocals can be. Carol Channing said Bob Esty basically did her job and she needn't actually record the disco version of "Is That All There Is?" (It was recorded but, unfortunately, unreleased, though Bob's uncanny guide might give you an idea of what it would have sounded like.)
https://soundcloud.com/bobesty/is-that-all-there-is-guide

Here, at the following link, you can hear the ever-amazing Dj Jandry remix of Streisand's King and I medley from her Broadway Album with Bob's guide vocals:
https://jandrymix2013.opendrive.com/files?Ml8xMjM0Mzc5M19PblNWWA

So, Happy Birthday, Bob Esty! Lots of love and thanks for the music that has enriched our lives all this time.

It's a brand new year for you! Enjoy. I end with this beautiully done Bob Esty guide vocal, below, for "Brand New Day":

Bob Esty and Barbra Streisand: The King and I

In 1985, Bob Esty produced and arranged the King and I medley (along with Paul Jabara) on Barbra Streisand's The Broadway Album. On the vinyl release, the beautifully done, sensitively rendered and romantic medley of Rodgers and Hammerstein's "I Have Dreamed/We Kiss In A Shadow/Something Wonderful" exquisitely closed side one. Like butter.

"Shall We Dance" was also set to a disco beat for an exciting extended dance floor mix but ultimately (and unfortunately) not released. A missed opportunity in my humble opinion.

This album has sold over 8 million copies worldwide and was a critical and commercial success upon its release. Bob's King and I medley, in particular, was very well received and spotlighted by the press.

Buddy Beaverhausen's salute to Bob Esty continues this month as his birthday draws near (April 20). We wish him a very happy one and thank him for all the musical joy he's brought to our lives!

Listen via the YouTube clip below:

Broadway Beaverhausen: You'll Eat Bette Midler Up

Entering the Booth Theatre, where Bette Midler is appearing on previews in I'll Eat You Last (opening April 24), the first thing you'll see is this notice on the stage curtain:  WARNING This play contains profanity, smoking, alcohol consumption, drug use, & gossip. You'll not be disappointed in that promise.

What happened to matinees' blue-haired old ladies? Our sold-out Sunday afternoon crowd was pretty hep, smartly dressed and not too unlike the evening crowd, without a blue rinse in sight.

And what was not to love once Bette Midler took to the stage as Sue Mengers? It was the perfect play for her to tackle, in my opinion, and she was clearly having fun with this 90-minute, no-intermission,  no-holds-barred, one-woman show.

Mengers was the high-powered Hollywood super-agent who died in 2011 due to complications from a series of strokes and pneumonia at age 79, after ruling the Hollywood roost of the '60s and '70s. I'll Eat You Last (the title derived from a throw-away line in the show) is set in her living room in 1981. Playwright Josh Logan (Tony winner for Red, a drama about artist Mark Rothko) certainly supplies Ms Midler with delicious dialogue that she sinks her teeth into with great relish. Gossip? Oh, my dears! This is dish on a grand scale! "Trash with flash" as the Divine Miss M might put it. It's a thrill ride for fans.

The play's Miss M(engers) has much to share with us about Julie Harris, Gene Hackman, Ali McGraw, Faye Dunaway, who were clients, as well as Sissy Spacek, Diana Ross, Jane Fonda and Steve McQueen as she remains on her couch, holding court. The anecdotes (which I will not spoil by divulging here) are boldly delivered in high style and Bette is at her outrageous best, making them work with trademark delivery. There are times when her Ms Mengers merges with Ms Midler's Divine Miss M and Sophie Tucker!

Buddy B and friend Tracey (photo by Merv)

There's a special irony when Bette Midler, in character, discusses Sue's friendship with Barbra Streisand. There's a twinkle of mischief in her eyes during these moments. Sue recalls seeing Streisand for the first time when her gay friends brought her to the bar, The Lion's Den, on 9th Street in the West Village. (Streisand was discovered when she then moved to the Bon Soir on 8th Street. I lived around the corner from both these landmarks for many years.) The two women bonded, were friends for many years, but eventually parted ways via events well detailed in the play.

The super-sedentary Sue Mengers is like the Caterpillar from Alice in Wonderland, referenced in the play. Instead of a hookah, she has her roach clip and joint in hand, and never rises from her couch until the show's finale. In fact, she commands an audience member to come onstage to fetch things for her (joints, wine). She treats him grandly with charm and, alternately, scorn. But it is a brilliant and golden moment of interaction with the audience. Be careful where you sit.

I'll Eat You Last was in every way a total delight and Bette's delivery and facial gestures priceless. The packed house frequently responded with applause and laughter. Bette ad-libbed brilliantly when necessary but delivered a most disciplined performance that was hilarious yet poignant in a style all her own.

In the end, Sue Mengers gives some final advice to her audience, then stumbles off, stoned, to the sound of Barbra's "Stony End."  "I knew her when she was Bar-ba-ra," Bette's Mengers says.

Directed by Joe Mantello (Other Desert Cities) with great pinache. Lighting Design by Hugh Vanstone is especially expressive and noteworthy.

Highly recommended and on a limited run until June 30 (Gay Pride Day in NYC).

Results: the Bob Esty Poll!

The Bob Esty poll on this blog has just closed and here are the results!

Cher's "Take Me Home" is the winner by one vote (16 total votes), just edging out Barbra's "The Main Event" (15 votes). There were 26 participants on the poll in all, and it was possible to vote for more than one song.

Donna Summer's "Last Dance" came in third place with 11 votes tallied. 

Cher's roller-disco classic, "Hell on Wheels," was tied with The Weather Girl's "It's Raining Men" at 10 votes each. D.C. LaRue's disco classic "Don't Be Afraid of the Dark" follows with 7 votes cast.

Raquel Welch's camp classic, "This Girl's Back in Town" received 6 votes while the late Andy Williams' "Love Story" theme (disco version) was favored with 5 votes. Ava Cherry's "Streetcar Named Desire" garnished 4 votes.

Thanks to everyone who voted, and to Bob Esty! Bob Esty Month continues, meanwhile, on this blog through April until Bob's birthday (April 20)! Stay tuned!

The Main Event: Bob Esty Month Extended

Our Bob Esty poll has one day to go before all votes are in and polling ends. So, get your votes in now if you haven't already! However, "MacArthur Park" is NOT a valid candidate. DO NOT waste your vote by clicking for that song. It's my egregious error (mia culpas) as that is NOT a Bob Esty-produced song.  Bob told me, "Everyone also thinks I produced 'Enough Is Enough' [Streisand/Summer -- two of the divine disco divas Bob is associated with]. I say, 'Enough already!'" Suffice to say that votes for "MP" will NOT be tallied. (Enough already!)

EXTRA EXTRA: Bob Esty Month at Leave It to Beaverhausen will be extended until Bob's birthday in April! This main event brings us to the Barbra Streisand number Bob Esty did do: the hugely popular and classic disco anthem, "The Main Event"! Theme song to the movie of that name, on the Columbia label. This song was so omnipresent in 1979, on the radio and in the clubs, and Barbra's hair sparked a trend for perms in that style amongst young women. My sister-in-law's sister, Karen, got the 'do and actually started talking like Streisand!

Anyhoo, here it is: "The Main Event," as Bob Esty Month continues!

The Seth MacFarlane Show!

The venue: My friend Kevin's apartment downstairs. The menu: Champagne, fresh guacamole and baked, unsalted chips (to make it seem more West Coast), fresh jumbo shrimp with cocktail sauce, cheese and salami slices, M&Ms . Yes, once again, last night was Oscar night in New York (a/k/a The Gay Man's Superbowl)!

Well, there was an awfully long red carpet time from 6:30, when we started watching on tv. We switched from Piers Morgan (who I have a thing for) on CNN to pygmy hosts, Kristin Chenoweth and Jess Cagle, on ABC.  I'm not quite 5'6" myself, so I say that with fondness. When the petite Chenoweth stood next to Adele (again looking oddly like an overstuffed chair, this time black with deco sparkles), I prayed Britain's big gal wouldn't topple over on our vivacious munchkin.

Then there was the Oscars' own official 1/2-hour red carpet presentation. Red carpets are like foreplay. But red carpet time is also the time we all become fashionistas as we ogle the gowns, always a fetishistic point of glamor at the Academy Awards.

I liked a lot of last night's frocks: Reese, Jennifer Lawrence (winner for Best Actress), Amy Adams all looked smashing. Jane Fonda was yummy in yellow. Sally Field not so much in red.  Jennifer Aniston arrived with the same look, different boyfriend.

Anne Hathaway was given short shrift by Piers on CNN for someone more interesting. Her gown & necklace? Ewwwww! She did, however, snag the Best Supporting Actress Award by night's end. Dustin Hoffman arrived with hair that appeared to be made up of laundry lint while Daniel Day-Lewis, who walked away with the Best Actor Oscar (presented by Meryl Streep in a tin-foil gown), deserved a Best Hair Style award as well.

Renee Zelweger was a mess in her dress, but nothing looks good on someone who squints more than a pirate! 

Once host Seth MacFarlane came onstage, inside the (Friends of) Dorothy Chandler Pavilion  to officially introduce the Academy Awards, I surrendered to his charms; tall, dark and clean-cut good looks; humor and talent. He was truly the star of the evening and a revelation. His dialogue with William Shatner as Cpt James T. Kirk may have run on a bit too long but I forgave him his indulgences as he proved to be a wonderful song and dance man as well as a comic. Who knew? He was Hollywood's secret weapon, and he even had L.A.'s Gay Men's Chorus backing him up!

I had sweet dreams after last night's Oscars. Piers, Seth,  Daniel Day-Lewis' hair and Channing Tatum!

But, in a night where musicals were a big focus, the divas truly ruled! Shirley Bassey -- introduced by Bond Girl Halle Berry -- was magnificent in a taut face and golden gown, as she belted out "Goldfinger" as if she were singing for her life. Adele sang "Skyfall" wonderfully, and was such a sweetie-pie, tearful while receiving the Best Original Song award. Jennifer Hudson was also sensational, singing "And I Am Telling You" from Dreamgirls in the musicals tribute portion of the show.

And then there was Barbra. In the I-See-Dead-People portion of the show (that egregiously left out Phyllis Diller) hosted by George Clooney, Babs sang "The Way We Were," honoring Marvin Hamlisch. She appeared to be wearing Adele's gown, which perhaps explains why it was falling from her shoulders as she tried to top Dame Bassey's performance. She did not quite succeed.

"Cher Sex Cult Horror!"

While we wait for her new album, single (duet with Lady Gaga) and tour, Cher positively explodes onto the most recent cover of National Enquirer.  This rag is a Tea Party favorite, I'm sure, absolutely hostile to the idea of fact checkers. The ethos of the Tea Party is, indeed, partly inspired by this gossip-ridden, sensationalistic, American supermarket tabloid that has been around since 1926.

Since the Enquirer pays its sources (a no-no for legitimate press), you can be sure it's full of half-truths, quasi-truths and blatant lies. Once in a while, however, a gossipy little article will, after some fact-checking, end up as news, even appearing on the pages of The New York Times.

The latest cover has, as its banner headline: "Jessica Simpson's Dad Confesses He's Gay!" (Honeys, that asshole's been on my gaydar so long, he's past his expiration date!) "Pastor Joe has a boy toy half his age! Jess and Ashlee devastated! Mom files for DIVORCE!" (Duh!) Well, you can skip that article because the headline punches across every point to be made regarding that drama.

The Cher cover story is the main one, just beneath the logo. "CHER SEX CULT SCANDAL!" screams the headline for this one, next to an unflattering image of the star. Subheads add: "HER AGONY -- what she's hiding from fans" and "Torture! Brainwashing! Abuse!" and "Shocking Secrets Ripping Her Family Apart."

I bought the paper and went directly to the Cher article, licking my lips, only to find the front-page headlines had thoroughly misrepresented the story. Turns out that Cher's son, Elijah, is dating a young woman whose parents once belonged to a free-love cult. That's the Cher Sex Cult Scandal, everybody! Go home, show's over. "Cher's world is collapsing around her!" blares the first sentence of "Cher Sex Cult Horror!" Somehow, I seriously doubt that.

What I found far more interesting and believable was the article on the opposite page. "Streisand Success Has Liza Singing the Blues." Now this is a reason to buy the Enquirer.  After all, enquiring minds want to know!

Audio Beaverhausen: Barbra Streisand, "Release Me"

Archival material is wonderful because it already comes with a sense of adoration of its subject and of nostalgia. Barbra Streisand's Release Me releases some of the singer's archival material unheard by the general public before this album, available Tuesday, October 9.

Babs recently told Katie Curic, in essence, that she has mellowed with age and is not as much of a control freak, regarding her recordings, as she used to be.  This sentiment is echoed in the cd's liner notes. Of course, being supported by, next to, and under James Brolin probably has loosened the old girl up, I can only imagine. I'm sure Barbra was a pain in the ass to work with for many producers (as are most perfectionists; Dusty Springfield being a classic example). Yet, the results of working with Ms S = priceless.

And, so, here we are with 11 previously unreleased tracks, covering four decades, on Release Me. All right already, you're released! So what, exactly, do we have here?

Fans and casual listeners alike surely will enjoy the strong coloratura voice; one of the last essential, pure pop voices out there from an era that knew and appreciated authentic talent. All songs collected on this album are solid but vary in quality based on production and arrangement. For example, we were disappointed in Babs' rendition of "I Think It's Going to Rain Today." Very spare, with its songwriter, Randy Newman, on piano, it seems Streisand doesn't quite plant herself solidly in this number. We still prefer the versions by Judy Collins and Bette Midler.

The album opens and closes with its strongest productions, "Being Good Isn't Good Enough" (slyly referential to Barbra's motive for putting the kibosh on these tunes) and "Home," from the Broadway show, The Wiz, which thrills with its big build up to a glorious vocal and orchestral crescendo. (Hear it at the link provided below.) And Barbra is indeed coming home this month to perform in Brooklyn!

Betwixed and between are the 1964 "Willow Weep for Me," showcasing Barbra's earlier, instinctive phrasing of a song; "With One More Look At You," cut from the soundtrack of "A Star Is Born;" Jimmy Webb's "Didn't We" (unbelievable this ever got the axe); "Try to Win a Friend," country-flavored and penned by Larry Gatlin; and the beautifully sung and arranged "How Are Things in Glocca Morra?/Heather on the Hill" from Finnian's Rainbow/Brigadoon.

The only mess on this miscellany of music is the badly conceived and executed bossa nova number,  "Lost in Wonderland." "Girl from Ipanema" it ain't, if you know what I'm sayin'!

These songs could have stayed in a vault, but thank Babs, they're collected on this album for us to appreciate. Overall, a winning kit and caboodle from the grand dame of pop, who, thankfully, got over her OCD so she could deliver these goods. Thank God for the way she was.

Barbra Streisand Returns to Brooklyn

Brooklyn now has its own first-class entertainment and sports venue, Barclays Center, with the subway at Atlantic-Pacific recently bearing the Barclays name. Of course, once Dj Buddy Beaverhausen moved to Brooklyn, there would just have to be this sort of top-tier, arena-style theater in the borough after all. If Beaverhausen can't get to the concerts, let the concerts come to Beaverhausen, it has been said! Talking about "top tier," that may very well be where yours truly will be seated, on his beer-and-Beaverhausen budget.

And so, it would only be natural, now that I'm part of the hood, that Barbra Streisand would be returning, big time, to Brooklyn! For someone having done a Farewell Tour, I'm not sure she hasn't outdone Cher on the encore engagements. I'm waiting for Tina Turner to do her Farewell Tour: The Encore's Encore next, even if it's from a motorized wheel chair. See http://djbuddybeaverhausen.blogspot.com/2011/07/blog-post.html

Roll that down the river!

But enough about Nutbush and back to Flatbush, where Barbra was born and raised. Babs does Barclays on October 11 and 13 (latter date sold out). It's her first Brooklyn performance since auditorium at Erasmus High. Ok, Brooklynites, now get this: primo seating for the event is $650 with an added $66.65 in "fees"! Grand total: $716.65. Nosebleed seating: $90 a ticket with $14.05 in fees. Hey, Barbra, this is Brooklyn! Remember the memories like the corners of your ego? Sheesh!

Better I should wait for Leonard Cohen maybe, Dec. 20 at Barclays, Nosebleed seats: $37.20, including fees. Hallelujah! (And he's only from Quebec!)

Killer Diller

I was just a boy when I discovered Phyllis Diller guest-starring on prime-time tv variety shows. The first moment I laid eyes on her campy, mad housewife persona, I was in love with her! I loved her great one-liners, her look, her wit, her trademark cackle and her overall fabulousness. And my mother and grandmother loved her, too. I think, for them, Phyllis spoke to their pre-feminism consciences about the woman's place in the home and the absurdity of domestic life. She was the anti-Donna Reed of that era.

Without Phyllis Diller, there would be no domestic goddess known as Roseanne Barr. In fact, generations of great female stand-up comics are in this great trailblazer's debt and they have acknowledged as much.

My personal favorite Phyllis Diller joke that has actually served as a motto for me over the years is: "The problem with housework is that, a year later, you've got to do it all over again!"

As for me, a child unaware of my sexuality, something was awakened by Phyllis Diller's comedy and persona. She appealed to a nascent sensibility deep down in my soul. Little did I know then that the comedian started at the cabarets of Greenwich Village to much fanfare and acclaim. I wouldn't have understood any significance regarding that fact, anyhow, at the time.

"My first audience were gay people because they have a great sense of humor," she once said. "They love comedy and they love to laugh. How do you think they got the word gay put on them?"

Barbra Streisand was Ms Diller's opening act at the Bon Soir on West Eighth Street in Manhattan, where gay audiences lifted both women to initial mainstream fame. Phyllis was the first to suggest Barbra not have rhinoplasty. Tonight, Streisand tweeted, "I adored her she was a wondrous spirit who was great to me."

I loved Phyllis, too, but from afar; on the family's tv set in our New Jersey living room. I even loved "The Pruitts of Southampton" flop ABC tv series. And Phyllis loved me back at about 8 pm tonight. The Facebook Friend request I sent her months ago was accepted, ironically. She may not have been the person who clicked to accept me, but I feel she was guiding that action.

Farewell, Phyllis, gone but not forgotten after a wonderfully long life and career. You are missed.

"Burt Reynolds asked me out. I was in his room!"

Hello, Gorgeous! Barbra Streisand Turns 70

Rosie O'Donnell's  appearance on today's "Today" show was her first TV appearance since the Oprah Winfrey Network cancelled her ill-begotten series. After getting into an argument with "Today's Professionals" fellow panelist, Donny Deutsch(bag), Rosie, just before the segment wrapped up, interrupted  to wish Barbra Streisand a happy birthday. "Can I just say it's Barbra Streisand's 70th birthday today?" O'Donnell asked. A relieved Matt Lauer laughed and said ok. "Happy Birthday, Barbra Streisand!" O'Donnell yelled excitedly.

And so it is. Barbra's birthday. Not any birthday. 70th fucking birthday! Can you believe?

Per Huffington Post, "The singer and actress has two Academy Awards, five Emmys, eight Grammys, a Special Tony and a Peabody.... She went on to record an astounding 33 studio albums and appeared in 20 films. She has been featured on 47 soundtracks"

For 70, she doesn't look bad by any standard. But, as my mother used to remind us, "Neither would I if I had her money." First, she was a Funny Girl, then she was a Funny Lady, now she's a Funny Alta Caca! Still, I gotta say, "Hello, gorgeous!" as I celebrate, tonight, with some Streisand music and maybe some Manischewitz wine!

When I lived at 12 Fifth Ave. in the Village, I'd give friends the Babs tour. The Lion's Den on West 9th St. (off 6th Ave.), where she got her start, was the first stop. It's now a restaurant called The Lion, but was a very popular, largely gay cabaret. Then, we'd go to the site of the old Bon Soir on 8th St., now shuttered down. Here, at this once chic location, Streisand was famously discovered. She was an opening act for Phyllis Diller.

"We shared a dressing room at the Bon Soir club in Greenwich Village. It was the size of a pea pod and usually you could smell fear in there. But she wasn’t a bit nervous – at least not that I noticed," Ms Diller once told US magazine. "I admit, I was unimpressed when I first met her. She was so young. She said hello, and that was it. She told me her shoes were antique and they cost her 35 cents. But then she went out and did her numbers and when she hit about the third note, every hair on my body stood up. It was unbelievable. She opened with ‘Who’s Afraid of the Big Bad Wolf,’ and I thought, Oh, my God, what a fabulous choice. She also sang Harold Arlen’s ‘A Sleepin’ Bee,’ which really showed off that voice. It was scary. I knew she was going places. At the end of the week, I said to her, “I know it’s bold to say this but don’t you ever cut your nose.” I knew lousy, insensitive agents would come along and say, ‘Hey, baby, do this, do that.’ Now everyone takes credit for telling her not to get a nose job, but I had her first."

Here's a dance-music video to help you celebrate Babs' 70th: