Posted on Fri, May. 09, 2008
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Coast welcomes visit from pop royalty
By PETE TATTERSALL
ptattersall@sunherald.com
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In an era when the term icon is perhaps bandied about a bit too freely, it's helpful to remember what the word means from a pop culture standpoint.
To whit - somebody or something widely and uncritically admired, especially somebody or something symbolizing a movement or field of activity.
Granted, through the decades Liza Minnelli has received a fair amount of criticism, whether justified or not (she's one of only three actresses, including Faye Dunaway and Halle Berry, to win both the Academy Award for Best Actress and the Razzie Award for Worst Actress). But for many, it's safe to say Minnelli, who performs 8 p.m. today in the Beau Rivage Theatre, symbolizes the old guard of showbusiness.
This is just scratching the surface, but...Minnelli, daughter of legendary actress Judy Garland and acclaimed director Vincent Minnelli, won her first Tony award at age 19 and was nominated for her first Academy Award four years later. As a newborn, the first person to visit her in in the hospital was Frank Sinatra. The only child of two Oscar winners to also win one herself (for 1972's "Cabaret"), Minnelli, who has her own star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, is one of a select few to win the Triple Crown of Acting: three Tonys, an Oscar and an Emmy (not to mention two Golden Globes).
She dated Peter Sellers, was friends with Marilyn Monroe and was briefly engaged to Desi Arnaz Jr. Named after a song written by one of her godparents, Ira Gershwin, Minnelli's other godparent, Kay Thompson, reportedly used Minnelli, who spent much of her childhood in hotels, as the inspiration for the character of "Eloise" in the series of beloved children's books penned by Thompson.
And, Elizabeth Taylor was a matron of honor at Minnelli's ill-fated 2002 wedding to David Guest, while Michael Jackson (along with brother Tito) served as best man.
Get the picture?
An upbeat and, frankly, charming Minnelli recently spoke with the Sun Herald by telephone. Here are excerpts of that conversation. (For more, visit sunherald.com. It's worth it.)
Minnelli: "I'm doing this new show about my godmother, Kay Thompson, and I'm bringing part of it to you!"
Tell us about the show. What can audiences expect?
"Well, my godmother was an extraordinary woman. Her name was Kay Thompson, and she was probably single-handedly the biggest musical influence in Hollywood history, as far as harmonies and vocals go... .She wrote all these incredible, incredible arrangements. First for herself on radio, then MGM hired her to come out and be the vocal director, a woman, in her late 20s, for all of MGM. That's unheard of! And she probably revolutionized movie musicals because of the way she used voices. She became great friends with my parents, and they made her my godmother and it was the greatest gift they ever gave me!"
