http://www.justjared.com/2013/02/24/barbra-streisand-the-way-we-were-at-oscars-2013-video/
Lainie- Hello, Gorgeous. Barbra looked fabulous.
- A nice. personal rendition.
- She looked great, and performed well. But JUST well. Which is great by usual standards - but this is Barbra. Her voice has definitely gotten deeper as she has aged and she struggles with some notes. But she has said on numerous occasions that she typically doesn't do vocal training or exercises, so she's lucky that she even has a voice at all at 70.
- Loved the dress, the gold chains, and the gold slave bracelet. My favorite of the evening.
- She was flatter than a Kansas prairie!
- The song has a whole different meaning sung by an old lady with a quavering voice.
- I find Barbra half-speaking to herself during songs to be kind of hilarious. Can you imagine if lesser divas attempted it?
- Not impressed
- I'm sorry, but they dressed her as Jeremy Irons in The Time Machine.
http://saveordie.info/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/jeremy-irons-morlock.jpg
- He appearance (and voice!) last night will surely put the kibosh on her Momma Rose.
The studios will never risk the money now.
- I think The Guilt Trip sealed the fate of Gypsy. I would love it to happen, maybe even have her direct, but not star.
- [quote]I find Barbra half-speaking to herself during songs to be kind of hilarious. Can you imagine if lesser divas attempted it?
I would buy a Barbra Streisand single for the first time in my life just to hear her do the speaking part at the end of "I've Never Been to Me."
- I love it, R12
[quote] Hey, you know what paradise is?
It's a lie, a fantasy we create about people and places as we'd like them to be
But you know what truth is?
It's that little baby you're holding, it's that man you fought with this morning
The same one you're going to make love with tonight
That's truth, that's love.....
I can imagine Barbra doing it now, and doing her half laugh thing that she does.
- She should have done GYPSY right after CHICAGO won best picture. She would have been sensational, but it's too late for her now.
Only Broadway fans care about GYPSY. Hollywood doesn't give a shit about the property.
- [quote] find Barbra half-speaking to herself during songs
She didn't half-speak through the whole song. If I recall, she only "half-spoke" a few words when she spoke "of course we would" in response to the rhetorical question asked in the song, "The Way We Were."
- Sings: I'll plant my own tree, and I'll make it grow
Speaks softly: Yes, I would. I'd get some seeds, and water them. That's what I'd do.
- Barbra Streisand looked lovely and sang well - that's more than you can say for Dame Shirley Bassey, who looked lovely and did not sing well.
- More than ever - do "Sunset Bld." perfect at this point. She can even use the pre- recorded versions from those Broadway albums, of "As If We Never Said Goodbye", and "With One Look".
The camera angle on the song was not flattering for her nose. She was nervous. Dress / set looked beautiful.
Malibu is sunny and beautiful today !
J.B.
- She should not have sung last night. She could not hit the right notes. That is the end of discussion.
- Her voice is nearly gone, but she sold the song anyway - like a diva should!
Time to think about directing, not starring in more screen musicals. She's even too old for "Sunset Blvd.".
- She did look nice
- [quote]The camera angle on the song was not flattering for her nose.
Or to put it another way: she's still homely.
The%20Truth%20Fairy
- I knew Marvin Hamlisch. Marvin was a friend of mine. Senator, Marvin Hamlisch would have been quite pleased with Barbra.
- It was great to see Shirley Bassey again. She doesn't have the voice she once had, but it brought back good memories.
- I agree with you R24. Barbra's performance was ok. She is not a young woman and , as Bassey proved, your voice is not meant to last your whole life. But her singing on screen days- those days are gone.
Anonymous
- I'm glad the outfit survived storage so well.
http://ximo.files.wordpress.com/2008/05/norma12.jpg
- Oh, for GOD'S SAKE JUST DIE ALREADY!!!
Patsy%20Stone
- She needed to stand still...she was figiting and bobbing and weaving all over the place before the song started.
- She sounded like shit.
Like she ate a few sheets of sandpaper right before she went on.
- I love Barbra. But she probably needed to trim the length of her hair a bit. It looked good, but was probably just a bit too long for a woman of 70.
- I love you r9!
Giggles
- RE 30 - My hair looks exactly as it did on the cover of ' Lazy Afternoon'. That was only 38 years ago. I'm Timeless......also another album of mine.
BS
- Barbra and I are the same age. I will never hum in public again. I thought the old broad looked like Morticia on her few close ups.
I hate ragging on Barbra. She's almost always her harshest critic. I know the powers that be badgered her mercilessly to perform. I'm convinced she would have never considered doing this performance unless she was harassed to do it for her friend Hamlisch. I'd love to see her lip sync to some of her great performances of the 60's and 70's.
- [quote]Time to think about directing, not starring in more screen musicals. She's even too old for "Sunset Blvd.".
Nothing's wrong with being 70, unless you're acting fifty acting twenty.
Joe%20Gillis%2C%20rolling%20over%20in%20his%20pool
- Has she lost the power to demand the lighting and camera angles she once did?
Of course the logical answer is no, she's 70 years old and that's what 70 year olds look like no matter how you light and photograph them.
- The Way You Were, Barbra, The Way You Were....
Della, wistful
- Trust me r35, but I don't know why you would, Barbra would have been happiest singing in total darkness if given the choice.
- I thought it was interesting that the camera cut away to a commercial after she sang.
I assume she got a standing ovation, right?
- Well...we'll always have DOLLY.
- I was relieved at that moment!
- It seemed like the camera dwelled on the audience long enough for us to see they weren't standing.
- With all the excess, flabby, crepe-papery skin flapping among the shadows of her neckal region, the must have pulled both up AND down to get her face so tight.
- I love her, I really do but I had the feeling we're getting into Mae West "Sextette" area here.
You don't have to go gray and wear cardigans but the long straight hair from how many decades ago?
It just looked silly.
- I thought she looked fine. Certainly better than 75-year old Jane Fonda who no longer looks like Jane Fonda.
Barbra's still Barbra. Except for the voice.
- I have to disagree with you, R44. Fonda looked amazing. And yet still age appropriate. More than I can say for Streisand.
- Speaking of Fonda - her presenting partner, Michael Douglas, looked a hell of a lot better than I expected.
I know he's been having work done on his face for years and I'm sure that helps but wasn't he at death's door not that long ago? The last photos I saw of him, he looked like he was going to die any minute.
- Jane Fonda was a knockout. She looked sensational. The dress was Wow. I love Barbra; loved her dress, but I wish she had worn her hair up. She would have looked simply gorgeous. The long hair parted in the middle was very nice--but borderline not so flattering.
- At the end of the day, she sounded fucking terrible.
- R48. Your criticism is far too harsh. Barbra sounded quite good, maybe not great as she did in her heyday, but certainly not terrible.
- How could anyone say that Jane Fonda looks age appropriate? Jane is 75-years old; yet she looks like she's 50 or younger. I am not a big Barbra Streisand fan, but she looked and sounded like a 70-year old woman last night when singing "The Way We Were." That's my definition of age appropriate. Good for her.
- She gave a labored spoken intro that everyone could tell was just building up to that one word, the word that people use to describe recalled feelings, like when you think about Marvin Hamlisch and all the happy times you had together, all those warm, wonderful, cherished and never-to-be-forgotten . . .
Memories%20.%20.%20.
- I'm old enough to have seen her on t.v.since the beginning and last night she looked the best she has looked in decades. Nobody can look like a fresh young beauty forever, and her looks were always very unusual, to say the least. But she looked terrific and sang better than any other 70 year old around. Remember, your voice gains an exaggerated vibrato when you age. And jesus christo, someone should have told Norah JOnes how to swing, for goddsakes!
- I wonder if she was wearing a Poise pad, for maximum absorbency? I'm sure her bladder, much like her voice, ain't what it used to be.
Tinkletown
- Jane looked great.
She may have had work, but not a lot, and it's good. She still looks like herself.
http://www.redcarpet-fashionawards.com/2013/02/25/jane-fonda-in-atelier-versace-2013-oscars/
- Jane had an age appropriate hair style, too. Babs is too old to pull off that Jennifer Amniston do.
Vidal%20Sassoon
- Babs needed cameras that were used to film Lucy for "Mame." And her hair was a horror.
- Barbra did the same introduction, word for word, in concert all year.
- Barbra WISHES she sang as well as Dame Shirley last night. But she didn't. She was embarrassing. She never sings, so her voice is shot. It's her own fault for not taking care of it.
A movie musical with her now would be a disaster.
-
First of all, that's a difficult song to sing. What singers today could even think of singing it?
Streisand's voice his husky now, it's lower, but still, that was a touching performance. Nothing embarrassing about it at all.
- I'd still do her
Gia%20-%20looking%20for%20the%20slave%20cock%20ring
- [quote]What singers today could even think of singing it?
Taylor Swift
- I don't understand all this criticism of people for ageing. What, are you people foolish enough to think you won't age? Are you even more foolish to think you're going to do something about it, combat age? Life happens.
There was something incredibly poignant listening to Streisand sing that song, a sadness even that the woman who for so long has been considered one of the greatest vocalists on the planet would have lost her once poweful voice. But she still had impeccable delivery and phrasing, underneath it all, she's still Barbra. For some of us, the world seems a different place without the full power of her vocal instrument.
Criticising older people is tiresome. That stage of life is not going to pass you by unless you die young. They don't deserve your ridicule just for being old. Jane Fonda looked fantastic, Shirley Bassey was incredible. Part of it is that you're no longer used to hearing unprocessed voices. There's nothing wrong with being human. I'd rather see a display of humanity any day over a cold, processed soulless vocal that some dances around to.
If you don't respect and admire people when they're old how do you expect to be treated when you're old? Keep creating this environment of ridicule and disposal of the elderly - it's only going to come back and bite you in a few decades, much sooner than you can possibly imagine.
Not to mention, they used to wheel out the elderly on gurneys during these shows followed by an IV drip and an oxygen tank. This generation looks fantastic comparatively.
- [quote] But she still had impeccable delivery and phrasing, underneath it all, she's still Barbra. For some of us, the world seems a different place without the full power of her vocal instrument.
MARY!
- What was most disturbing about her performance was the presentation. Unlike Shitley Bassey, Barbra emerged in the darkness and seemed to be singing in a coccon of filtered light so that there was no spontaneity. It may as well have been taped 2 weeks ago on a dark soundstage with no audience.
And then she still didn't sound and look perfect. Hair and fingernails, adted and utterly un-age appropriate! Worst camera angles ever, like the lens was right up her shnozz. I t truly was like the final shots of Norma DEsmond descending the staircase at the end of Sunset Boulevard.
At least with Dame Shirley it felt as live and real and spine-tingling as it was, warts and all.
After Barbra sees herself in this she will never sing in public again. Maybe never even appear in public again.
Didn't Joan Crawford have a similar trauma after seeing a paparrazzi photo of herself when she was about 70?
- WOW! She lost her voice! Sorry, but she was bad. She should really retire.
- Bassey may be past her vocal prime, but she still sounded thrilling. Streisand? Not so much. And Her spoken bits were beyond corny.
- R41 and others, they didn't cut the feed in the UK broadcast and, of course, Streisand received a standing ovation.
First your crappy coverage of the Olympics, now this.
- We saw the standing ovation too in Australia.
What was with the crappy audio all night? That did NOT help.
I agree with r62 about unprocessed vocals (coupled with the shitty audio mixing).
She's still got it. There were a few moments where she opened up vocally and nailed those notes - but we didn't get it all. I think we need to remember (as mentioned earlier) that Barbra's 'good' is everyone else's 'best'.
Good performance, hair could be better and let down by the production.
- R64 wrote:
"After Barbra sees herself in this she will never sing in public again. Maybe never even appear in public again.
Didn't Joan Crawford have a similar trauma after seeing a paparrazzi photo of herself when she was about 70?"
How ridiculous. R70 reads minds and knows the future.
- Love Babs but as usual, show should be on the worst dressed list and Donna Karan should be ashamed.
- It was a tragic performance. Bassey was thrilling.
- I should have wrote: "How ridiculous. [R64] reads minds and knows the future."
R69
- Was Bassey vocally flawless? No. She was a bit off at the start and sang around notes here and there. But she got better the longer she sang and seemed to conserve herself for her big, thrilling finish. She walked onstage, she was a pro and she delivered. She had a warts-and-all vitality and confidence Streisand lacked.
It didn't help that Streisand was presented immoble like a precious, perfectly lit waxen doll. She looked like she was just wheeled out on stage.
Streisand has always been about perfection and for much of her career she delivered thrillingly. But eventually that veneer will crack as it did on Oscar night.
Bassey trumped what was supposed to be Barbra's Big Return To The Oscars.
Realistic Barbra Fan
- I've a friend who saw it live...his twitter...
Bassy Thrilling!
Poor Streisand, need to stand so she doesn't cry, wsh Id gone to broom.
- [quote]Barbra WISHES she sang as well as Dame Shirley last night.
Perhaps. I think what we saw was the result of Bassey singing more often over the course of her career, and being better able to judge what is and isn't possible with diminishing resources as time passed, keeping closer tabs on it than simply brushing up when it was time to do a tour. What she did was very impressive and smart--husbanded the resources for most of the song, selling diva attitude and drama, and finally unleashing some big notes at the end because she didn't need to save anything for another number. Very smart.
I was kind of shocked at how frail Streisand sounded, but I don't follow her career so haven't heard her sing anything live in forever.
- [quote] wsh Id gone to broom
WTF?
- I agree completely with R76. In the last minute or so of "Goldfinger," Bassey was wonderful. She was one of the few who deserved a standing ovation.
- [quote]I don't understand all this criticism of people for ageing.
Your first three words are correct. You don't understand. Nobody is being criticized for growing old.
The problem is that too many singers don't know when to stop. Barbra belongs in the club that once featured Frank Sinatra and Rosemary Clooney -- too old to perform the work properly.
Frank played to sold-out venues in his final concert tour. He sat on a stool on stage because he couldn't stand through a concert. He couldn't sing on pitch. He didn't know the lyrics to his hits. They held up cue cards with his lyrics and his patter between songs.
Rosie had a voice that was clear as a bell through middle age. On her final concert tours, she croaked like a frog and lumbered on stage like an elephant.
For many people, their memories of a fabulous Barbra Streisand have now been replaced with am image of an old lady's failed attempt to recapture the magic that is long gone.
- I'm an actress who sings
-Barbra Streisand
- We ALL wish we'd gone to broom!
- broom = bathroom.
Took me a few seconds.
- "Criticising older people is tiresome."
Are you trying to be funny????
- "Barbra Streisand's The Way We Were bringing Ann Hathaway to tears and drawing raves from the stars when asked for their highlight of the night...Amanda Seyfried ("Barbra Streisand"), John Travolta ("the Barbra Streisand moment"), and Sally Field exuberantly ("Oh my God, Barbra Streisand")."
Adele also said that Barbra Streisand was her idol and was seated at her table at the Governor's Ball.
Here's THE photo of Oscars. Barbra, Adele and Shirley together....
http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/showbiz/film/oscars/4812319/adele-joins-barbara-streisand-and-shirley-bassey-at-the-oscars.html
- [quote]John Travolta ("the Barbra Streisand moment")
That's so gay!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
- We saw her Vancouver concert in October, and she was way better than this. In fact, I was astounded at how good she sounded then. Perhaps she was feeling emotional?
- For those of you who think Barbra can't sing anymore, this was her back in October singing better than ever:
http://www.youtube.com/watch%3Fv%3DsqMlhkKujPU%26list%3DFLp4srByrY6uj6RWK_0PgRRQ%26index%3D7
- "HOW often do you see the three biggest divas in music in the same room at the same time?"
I beg your pardon?!
Mariah
- A gay son will help you stay away from backlighting and chiffon..
Karen Walker
- Singing at the Oscars was not one of the highlights of Babs career. She had a bad night.
- Your hearing must be gone, r86, if you think that's Babs singing better than ever.
- For a woman of seventy, Barbra's voice is holding up better than can be expected. Her vibrato is still generally even and, most importantly, her middle range is still sure, strong and beautiful. That's a good sign that the voice is still healthy. I think she's just out of practice, symptoms of which include the same issues she had last night -- flatness and rough high notes. She may have been performing more this past year, but in general she hasn't sung live regularly for about a hundred years. And she has said herself, she never practices or warms up or sings for fun around the house. As you get older, you can't just summon it up at will any more -- you have to work more consistently to keep the voice in shape, just like any other aging muscle.
I honestly never thought she was that great (after about 1968, at least) and I still don't -- but that voice is still there and still pretty impressive. It's just a pity she seems not to care.
- She looked like Lily Munster.
- excuses, excuses, R91.
Is charlie posting here anonymously?
- [quote]but that voice is still there and still pretty impressive.
Then why didn't she bring it out that Sunday night? All I heard was a breathy mannered voice that couldn't hit sustained notes.
Don%27t%20piss%20on%20us%20and%20tell%20us%20it%27s%20raining
- R86, that's amazing. Streisand does indeed sound excellent in that clip -- maybe not "better than ever," but definitely a hundred times better than she sounded on the Oscars.
- Bette Midler's tweets from Sunday night:
"Yikes, Dame Shirley Bassey!! Bra-vo!!!"
"Aaaaaadddddeeeeeeelllllllleeeee!!!!!!"
"There are no spotlights on any of these wonderful performers. I am stunned."
"Barbra got a spotlight! AND sang the heck outta that tribute to Marvin."
- When I was in college 35 years ago I used to go the student union building and listen to her albums in a sound booth. Her early albums were amazing. No one could tell a story through song or sustain a note like Barbra. I remember reading a news clipping about Frank Sinatra sending her a "fan" letter. But as it's been said all ready the voice ain't what it used to be. I guess I don't have the same affection for her that I used to after hearing what a bitch she was too.
Meh%20fan
- For a 70 year old woman whose voice is probably showing the signs of all her powerful singing over the years, I t hink Babs was wonderful. I will always love Babs!
- It's really sad when old gay men project their terror of aging onto one of their once much-beloved icons.
- E! Online:
As Adele sat with her new Oscar in hand, it was Streisand's performance of "The Way We Were" that she was kvelling over. "I was dying," she said. "I was crying." (PS: Sources report that Streisand is thinking about touring again this year!)
Adele also told me she'll probably create a special place in her home for her many "Skyfall" honors.
Also at Streisand's table? Her hubby James Brolin, Dame Shirley Bassey, John Travolta, Kelly Preston and Donna Karan.
- Jane Fonda has had gobs of work over the years - but in pieces - and it has settled well. Remember when she had her chin re-done a few years ago and it was tight as a drum? Looks fine now.
- Barbra and Jane have aged a lot better than Faye Dunaway, both physically and mentally.
Here are photos of Faye at Sunday's Vanity Fair Oscars party. Is she wearing Playtex dish washing gloves?
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-2284070/Oscars-2013-Faye-Dunaway-wears-odd-yellow-leather-gloves-Vanity-Fair-Oscar-Party.html
- [quote]It's really sad when old gay men project their terror of aging onto one of their once much-beloved icons.
Their terror is that, like Barbra, there will be nobody to tell them to sit down; they're not good enough anymore. They would rather go out with some dignity.
After this performance, people will no longer remember the way she was when she was on top. Their memories will be clouded an old lady who should have stayed in the audience and just waved to her friends and fans.
- [quote]Also at Streisand's table? Her hubby James Brolin, Dame Shirley Bassey, John Travolta, Kelly Preston and Donna Karan.
You start out at the children's table and you wind up at the wrinklies table.
Charlie%20Darwin
- Man! Barbra Streisand's core fan base, the fags, go to outrageous delusional worship extremes. If she had her vocal cords surgically removed, these queens would claim her singing was astounding and she never sang better!
- The fierce devotion does kind of mystify me. I have often questioned my sexuality due to a lack of need to venerate Judy and Barbra and divas. But then I find myself sucking a dick again and there ya go.
- R102& R104 = LOL! You two are great! I was laughing so hard.
- R102, neither Babs nor Jane drink and drug the way Faye has.
- I thought Barbara looked fine. She loves the adoration from her fans, so I doubt she'll be retiring just yet. Its not realistic to expect her to sing & look like the Uber Diva she was in the 60's. When I saw Miss Ross two years ago in concert, I kept regretting I'd taken the time to attend. I remembered The Great Miss Diana Ross from the 70's. I finally settled in and accepted she was giving the best she could with her current skills, etc. La Striesand gave the best she could (and she was a bit emotional as well.) Her voice has held up well considering she's admitted to not being a disciplined singer away from the stage. Age takes a toll on all bodies & voices. Even opera great, Miss Jessye Norman, no longer can sing as grandly & supreme as she once did. Voices & bodies age. I was moved by Barbara's charisma. Sadly, I feel Barbara will not know when to stop singing in public (for her own good.)
P.S. I hope Jason (her son), doesn't read Datalounge threads!
How lucky can you get...
- What perplexes me is that I heard her at the Hollywood Bowl in November and she really sounded good. But I suppose she had been touring and her voice was in good shape. She also seems to get extremely nervous when she sings on award shows, probably because she's performing for her peers and on a live broadcast of a zillion people. In any case, Barbra is still singing far better than Sunday's Oscar broadcast would have you believe. She actually belted quite a bit at the Bowl and it was terrific. I was rather sad at this tremulous, breathy rendition of TWWW because I know she is capable of much more, even now.
- Julie Andrews gave up on her singing when her voice was shot. Barbra should do the same--just act and write children's books, like Julie.
- [quote]It's really sad when old gay men project their terror of aging onto one of their once much-beloved icons.
You mean, by ignoring reality and pretending she can still sing well? Yes, I agree that's incredibly sad.
- Ok, so I just went back and watched the video. She seemed very nervous but it wasn't bad.
The touching thing about her singing TWWW on the Oscars, besides it being a tribute to Marvin, is that when Barbra was nominated for a Best Actress award for the movie, they asked her to sing TWWW on the broadcast. Barbra refused, so the producers got Peggy Lee to do it. In the meantime, Barbra changed her mind and said yes, she'd sing it, but the producer (who happened to be future Liza husband Jack Haley, Jr) told her no, that he'd gotten someone else. So it comes full circle. Marvin is dead and Barbra finally sings TWWW on the Oscar telecast.
- Barbra and Dame Shirley both looked good and didn't sing all that well. They're older, the voices don't hold up, that's normal. It was more about who they are than how they sing now. Both were good choices for the show.
The musical number that really sucked was that "Chicago" debacle. CZJ was obviously terrified and her lip-syncing left a lot to be desired.
The best singer on the night was not Adele, although she was fine, it was Jennifer Hudson. I was shocked by how good she was, I've never thought she was all that great. Good - but not great. At the Oscars she was fucking phenomenal. I'm convinced she's had some vocal coaching and/or training since the last time I heard her sing that song.
- I doubt that Peggy Lee ever sang TWWW, but she was a good temporary choice. Lee didn't have Streisand's voice, but she was a very good actress & would have made the words count.
Knowing when to get off the stage is an excellent topic for everyone in their 70s, including people who are not in show business.
Shirley Bassey may have thought of retiring after the Oscars. While her voice is not great, she brought much passion to her song. I thought she was the only singer who truly deserved a standing ovation.
- As someone who hasn't heard Adele before I was waiting to be overwhelmed but I wasn't. She was fine, wasn't a train wreck but she didn't seize the stage like Hudson did.
You could see Dame Shirley marshalling her forces expertly. She was a superb example of how to make the most of what you have left. She also had the advantage of being the only true star in the Bond segment. A Bond tribute with no Bonds, whatever the reason?
I could have lived with Babs' singing because I know her age and her vocal limits. But that dress! All that money for that atrocity? She needs to watch a few RuPaul episodes. YOu think jason could have tipper her off on that one.
- I saw Liza a couple of years ago at the Hollywood Bowl . I had seen her in '74, at the Greek Theater, still basking in the "Cabaret" glow, and Oscar. It was incredible. She was a powerhouse singer, she danced like a pro, and it was an amazing evening. At the Bowl, she could hardly sing a note, though God love her, she tried. She sat in a chair, for 60 % of the night, talking about 'hip replacement surgery' - didn't complain, just mentioned it . GIVE THESE BROADS A BREAK.They are DIVAS. They have worked hard, and aged - but who else could hit that last note like Bassey, at almost 80, and though it was a weak performance by Barbra ( she was extremely nervous), she did it , for a friend. She's 71 fucking years old. You try just walking up stairs when your that age. It's 1 thing that drives me crazy about us (US). Other cultures venerate their elders - Asians, the French, Latin countries. There is a respect and appreciation for them. Here, we just see them as 'old' . Let's see Adele get up and sing on the Oscars 47 YEARS FROM NOW - when she'll be Barbra's age. Give these old broad's a break !
Marvin%20Hamlisch%20-%20tinkling%20the%20ivories%20in%20Heaven
- GIVE THESE BROADS A BREAK.They are DIVAS. They have worked hard, and aged - but who else could hit that last note like Bassey, at almost 80, and though it was a weak performance by Barbra ( she was extremely nervous), she did it , for a friend. She's 71 fucking years old. You try just walking up stairs when your that age.
Then she shpuldn;t have to do it.
There are tons of younger singers who would love to sing on the Oscars. Let THEM sing it.
You act as if Barbra were [italic]forced[/italic] to do this... as if she had been somehow cursed. She could just do when many performers do and say, "I can't produce the high quality of music I used to, so I'm going to let someone else have her chance now." Same with Liza, Shirley, etc.
- Oh yeah - let's see the same anticipation & excitement happen for Taylor Swift, BeYAWNce, Rhianna. It wouldn't happen .......unless you are a 13 year old girl. Get real
13%20year%20old%20girl
- I sang too, bitches.
Norah%20Jones%2C%20wobbling%20from%20side%20to%20side.
- Oh, Nora/120, we were just trying to be polite by ignoring your, uh, "presence."
-
I have never been a Streisand fan, but listen to her voice on old recordings and it is an incredible instrument. Most of us know that.
But she has never been an engaged live performer, and does not connect with an audience. She did it all in reverse and I am cynical as to why.
She never wanted to sing in the years of all her hit records, stating that she was most interested in being an actress and director.
She did have legitimate stage fright, but not so crippling when her movie career ended? She has only performed a few over one hundred live concerts ever, even now. Twenty years of very special and expensive appearances.
So yeah, it is now a shock to some that her voice is depleted but the shock has always been that she does not like to sing, never practices, does not listen to music and has never sung a spontaneous note in her life in concert. Her patter, the nails, the hair and the vocal inflections are all timed to the second.
I understand that she was insecure and a perfectionist, but she is also not very aware. She thought that people would always adore her to sing, even when the incredible voice is but, a.....memory.
Gladys Knight singing "The Way We Were"
(in the dancing with the stars shitbox)
Gladys Knight probably has sung 250 nights a year for about fifty years, and yes her voice is older too, but she gets this schmaltzy song somewhere.
Soul.
http://youtu.be/aBCThvzBsew
musician
- There is a difference between a fan & a fanatic, only a fanatic could defend Streisand's performance & say it was amazing !!
- She was nice of her to class up the joint, but the broad is 70. She's had multiple facelifts and is getting scary.
- Speaking of old, Meryl looked a tired 63. Something is off with her - depression or illness or family crisis.
Jessica%20Fletcher
- Is there any musical that Streisand could still credibly film? She's too old for Gypsy and even for Sunset Boulevard now. Perhaps a musical version of The Gin Game?
- Are there any people on this board who aren't binary thinkers?
It's either she was UNBELIEVABLE, PHENOMENAL or SHE SHOULD JUST GO HOME UNTIL IT'S TIME FOR HER TO LAY DOWN IN A BOX.
The truth is on any level she looked and sounded perfectly fine...no better or no worse than Adele or Norah Jones. Factor in the reality she is 40 years older than these performers who are in their prime and Barbra was MORE than fine...she looked and sounded GOOD. And during her performance she hit notes where the Streisand magic was still very evident...which is more than I can say for the other artists mentioned..who had NO magic in their respective performances.
- SHE SHOULD JUST GO HOME UNTIL IT'S TIME FOR HER TO LAY DOWN IN A BOX. Agree
Joan%20Rivers
- [quote] Is there any musical that Streisand could still credibly film? She's too old for Gypsy and even for Sunset Boulevard now. Perhaps a musical version of The Gin Game?
70, Girls,70
JK
- [quote]Speaking of old, Meryl looked a tired 63. Something is off with her - depression or illness or family crisis.
Yes, the poor thing looks just awful.
http://photos.laineygossip.com/articles/meryl%20oscars%2025feb13%2001.jpg
- I bet now she wishes she had done some more of those lucrative concert$, but I don't think it's wise of her to try to catch-up and cash in on the public's gullibility. She's heading into Liza/Sinatra territory now, where people show up expecting "New York, New York" and get New Jersey. Nobody wants to see a worn out old singer stand there and warble off-key.
- The only video on youtube of Streisand's Oscar performance is linked below.
Unfortunately the quality of the video is bad...it is a video from a TV screen.
But no matter: Streisand is wonderful and she looks good. She saves herself for the big finish... and the Streisand we've always known comes through.
Adele and Norah Jones are nothing compared to her....yes, even at 70.
So much of good singing is interpretation, getting behind the lyrics and telling the story.
Do you really think an Adele or Noral Jones could ever deliver a lyric this well?
You think Adele's wobbly, mush-mouthed Skyfall is a better performance?
And the songs those girls have to sing ...it's garbage... they'll never, but never, have a song with melody and lyrics of this calibre.
http://www.youtube.com/watch%3Fv%3DB-3T0JdAC2Q
- Yes, I know Adele's masterful Skyfall is a better performance.
- This is what passes for good singing today: see the link below for Adele's hokey mush-mouthed amature-hour Oscar performance of Skyfall.
http://www.youtube.com/watch%3Fv%3DPm6d7WH1w4k
- Those of you coming to Streisand recently may very well not understand why she is still beloved. We who lived through her glory days and still adore to hear her sing understand why.
- I ran into Barbra once 30 years ago at an art event (my work was on display) and before I realized who she was I was rivited by her great beauty. Gorgeous curly hair, piercing eyes, flawless skin. She has truly a unique beauty.
As she walked towards me our eyes met. Then my friend whispered in my ear, "that's Streisand!" and my expression must of changed because she turned and walked away.
Come back!
- great story, r137. I wonder if she liked your work?
- [quote]I doubt that Peggy Lee ever sang TWWW, but she was a good temporary choice. Lee didn't have Streisand's voice, but she was a very good actress & would have made the words count.
Huh?!? This wasn't someone claiming they saw her singing it when no one else was around. It was on TV, Peggy Lee did actually sing it at the Oscars. What is there to "doubt"?
- Webmaster - pls do some thing about R136.
DO NOT OPEN IT.
- #37, she didn't get close enough to see it. It was at a large arts fair in Malibu. There were many other artists there as well.
#36
- I've heard that Adele will soon be recording "The Weigh We Were."
