Manilow Married

Was Mandy a man's name?

It was announced this week that Barry Manilow married. A whole year ago in a closet ceremony.

Mr Manilow's husband is his longtime manager and longtime partner, Barry Kief. Publicly, Barry Manilow is the new Liberace, tickling the keys and putting out hit music, though -- of course -- Lib never wrote pop tunes that got the kind of airplay and Billboard attention Manilow got.

It was made public a couple of days ago that Manilow married last year in a very private ceremony with relatively few guests and absolutely no fanfare.

How did this escape the press? Or were they not too hepped-up about the affair? This was Manilow's coming out party in a big way, after all!

Barry Manilow's career took off when he was accompanist/ arranger for Bette Midler at the Continental Baths. The two are friends today, though it was not always so after their bathhouse days. Mr M went on to have his own hits, on the radio and the charts internationally. Those hits include "Can't Smile," "Copacabana" and many more.

Manilow was born in the Williamsbugh section of Brooklyn but currently resides in Los Angeles He was previously married (and divorced) from a woman. He is a major influence over pop music and we are thankful to him today for his contributions to the canon of the great American songbook!

Wedding congratulations, the Divine Mr M from Buddy B!

Bette Midler, Birthday Girl!

The Divine Miss M just had her 68th birthday on December 1. The diva thanked her fans for their best wishes today on Twitter. Can you imagine? Sixty-eight?! But what a legend, what a career! And she looks damned good and is going strong, though she allowed, also on Twitter, "It annoys me when people call me lazy. Just because my only ambition in life is to continue breathing." I know just how she feels!

Ms Midler's career has lasted nearly a half century, garnering three Grammys, three Emmys, four Golden Globes, two Oscar nominations and a special Tony Award. She was indeed divine on Broadway this past Spring in I'll Eat You Last. http://djbuddybeaverhausen.blogspot.com/2013/04/broadway-beaverhausen-youll-eat-bette.html 

That she was denied a Tony nomination for her sly and nuanced performance as Sue Mengers in that one-woman Broadway show is considered a snub by many fans and industry people.

Born in Honolulu after her parents moved from Paterson, NJ (where I was born and raised), she majored in Drama at the University of Hawaii but dropped out after her third year after she earned money as an extra in the 1966 movie saga, Hawaii.

Before her famed appearances at the gay men's bathhouse, the Continental Baths, which ultimately led to her recording career and subsequent fame, she was in both the Broadway casts of Fiddler on the Roof and the Hair-wannabe musical, Salvation. She then starred in Tom Eyen's off-off-Broadway play at the East Village's La Mama theater in Miss Nefertiti Regrets.

Said Miss M of her Continental Baths days, where she was accompanied on piano by her arranger, the then-unknown Barry Manilow, "I'm still proud of those days. I feel like I was at the forefront of the gay liberation movement, and I hope I did my part to help it move forward. So, I kind of wear the label of 'Bathhouse Betty' with pride."

In New York City, the bi-coastal Bette is also known for her charity work, having founded the New York Restoration Project in 1995, a non-profit organization that revitalizes neglected neighborhood parks in our city.

Today, we wish the ever-divine diva, an entertainment legend in her own time and in ours, a very Happy Birthday and we wish her many more!

Magic! Donna Summer & Barry Manilow Duet

Donna Summer guest appears at this 2004 Barry Manilow concert in Nevada to duet on "Could It Be Magic," which he wrote and originally recorded as a ballad, and she turned into a disco smash-hit with Giorgio Moroder & Pete Bellotte. I love this and hope you will, too. Happy holidays! We miss you, Donna.

Bette on Broadway? Joan & Mario on TV.

Now that Barry Manilow's coming to Broadway, can Bette Midler be far behind? The producer of Priscilla is considering coming to the Great White Way in a drama.

Says Broadway.com: "The divine Bette Midler hasn’t been on Broadway since 1979, but all that could change if one Tony Award-winning playwright gets his way.

"John Logan, who won the 2010 Tony for Best Play for his drama Red, is reportedly hoping that Midler will star in his upcoming one-woman show about Hollywood talent agent Sue Mengers....

"Mengers, who died last year, was a major power player in Hollywood at the height of her career. Between the ‘60s and the early ‘80s, Mengers represented a number of A-list clients, including Bob Fosse, Barbra Streisand, Candice Bergen, Michael Caine, Joan Collins, Faye Dunaway, Burt Reynolds, Gore Vidal, Mike Nichols, Steve McQueen and Cher.

"Sources close to Midler say that she has expressed interest in the play, primarily because 'a one-person show isn’t as risky as shouldering a big musical.' Midler last appeared on Broadway in 1979’s Bette! Divine Madness...."

Bette will soon be hosting her now-legendary, annual Halloween costume party in New York City, benefiting  The New York Restoration Project for city parks.

And can anything be gayer than the new Old Navy tv ads featuring Joan Rivers and Mario Cantone, now being shown in the US? Seems the clothing chain knows its demographics very well. In case you haven't seen it, I'm posting it below:

Bette at the Continental Baths

Here's a Christmas gift I think many of my blog watchers will enjoy. (Do I know you guys or what?) It's a super rarity off Youtube, and thanks & Christmas blessings to Berlin Dirk who uploaded this. Now, this is a very crude video, I warn you, probably captured on super-8 at The Continental Baths, but it's like the rarest of time capsules. The Divine Miss M was just starting out, as was her accompanist in this transfer to video, Mr Barry Manilow. I personally love her personal, off-the-cuff patter; this was prior to her having scripting (though by brilliant people like Bruce Vilanch). (Bette and Bruce and I were all born in Paterson, NJ!) So, enjoy this journey back in time and Happy Holidays to all!

Imbedding disabled; merely click on "watch on Youtube." The poster understandably wants the hits for this.

A Danorama Christmas with the Crawfords & Barry Manilow

Something special for tonight's pre-Christmas stocking stuffer on my countdown. This is one of the ingenious videos created by VJ DanoRama, who started showcasing his videos at the dance club, Splash, in NYC. I think it's brilliant how synched-up the images are with the Barry Manilow song. Plus, it's just a lot of fun to watch. Hoping you all get as much joy out of this as I do. Goes well with spiked egg nog, by the way. For best effect, go full screen with this vid.