Special Appearances & Events - 2003

Barry Manilow at Evening Under The Stars Benefit in Palm Springs (April 26, 2003)





above photos by Jane Mangano

Barry Manilow on the Today Show with Bette Midler (October 1, 2003)
in New York City: 2003 Today Show Concert Series



above photo by Liz Boynes

When
Where
Don't Ya Love It?
Monday,
April 21, 2003
(5:00-10:00 AM)
California/
Los Angeles
(KOST 103.5)
Manilow Monday Mania at KOST 103.5!

Barry called in during the Mark & Kim Morning Show for a live interview.

On Here at the Mayflower and the Past Year:

Mark: With everything that's been going on in the world and with the POW's coming back this weekend, you just hear "Welcome Home" (from Here at the Mayflower) and it just brings SO much more to it.
Barry: I think so too. I wrote this song as an ending to the concept album, Here at the Mayflower, which was done a year, a year and a half ago, just welcoming somebody home from a long time away, but now when I listen to the lyric, it feels so appropriate and emotional now.
Kim: It really does, and you've had quite a year with the Ultimate Manilow CD out and you did a concert tour. How are you feeling?
Barry: I'm feeling great, as long as I'm not on the road, 'cause that last road, we all hit the wall on that last tour. Because it was like a never ending tour. I mean, who would say No to the kind of things that were being tossed my way ... the Ultimate Manilow thing came out, Here at the Mayflower, a Christmas album, concert specials on TV, and Live Specials. I just said Yes to everything. But there's a point where you hit the wall, and I Hit The Wall!
Mark: Before we get going more with Barry Manilow, who's our honored guest, I cannot encourage you enough if you have never purchased a Barry Manilow CD, go buy Here at the Mayflower! ... The concept of this CD is wonderful as you basically step into a New York City apartment building, and imagine all these different apartments with all there different stories of all these different lives going on, and then as Barry mentioned that you Welcome Home, you come back at the end of the day to that cozy place that you call home. It's really great and I really urge you to go out and pick it up because it's THAT wonderful!
Barry: Thank you.

On Harmony Going to Ft. Lauderdale and Broadway:

Kim: Barry, I've heard you are working on musicals.
Barry: I'm working on a project as I've told you before called Harmony, which finally goes up in October in Ft. Lauderdale and then comes into New York in January, one of these 10-11 million dollar shows. They take a little longer to get up on the stage than your typical concert.
Mark: Is that [what] it costs to get something on Broadway?
Barry: Yeah.
Kim: And Harmony has an interesting story too, doesn't it?
Barry: Yeah, Bruce -- my songwriting partner/collaborator -- and I based the story on the true story of a group called the Comedian Harmonists. They were like the Backstreet Boys of Germany. They were like the Marx-Brothers-meets-the-Manhattan-Transfer. Very complicated harmonies and very funny slapstick comedy. They were like any boy group that we know right now. Their work was totally destroyed including their families because a few of them were Jews. And in those days, that was illegal. No one knows of their work. We have decided to tell their story in an original musical. It's really been a very profound experience.
Mark: Well, I think that what we need to do is get some Mark & Kim listeners and we need to plan a trip to New York in January to help kick this off!
Barry: Let's all go!

On Co-producing Diane Schuur's next album, Midnight:

Mark: Since your tour got over, I think the last time we talked to you was just around the holidays. What have you been doing for the last four months? You've just been relaxing?
Barry: I've been producing an album -- co-producing an album -- with my friend Eddie Arkin for a girl named Diane Schuur. Have you all heard of Diane Schuur?
Kim: Oh yeah, I LOVE Diane Schuur!
Mark: Her CD where they set up at the A&M recording studios and with the Count Basie Orchestra is still one of the greatest Big Band recordings. Her vocals were incredible.
Barry: I think Diane Schuur is this generation's Ella Fitz-Gerald.
Kim: Absolutely!
Barry: I think that for some reason her career quieted down. She was on the road a lot. So I called her since she's a part of Concord -- the label I'm on -- and I said, how would [you] like to do a record together? And she loved it. We had done a duet on my Swing Street album ("Summertime" along with Stan Getz) and so Eddie Arkin and I spent a year with my lyricists creating a totally original album for her that could've come out of 1955.
Mark: No kidding. Tell us about the instrumentation, the background stuff.
Barry: It's small except for a couple of washy string sessions which are gorgeous. But most of all, it's at midnight. It's called Midnight. It's as if you are going into a club at midnight on 56th Street in Manhattan.
Mark: And this is something you are producing and will be available when?
Barry: July.

On Being Presented the ELLA Award by the Society of Singers:

Mark: It's interesting because one of the reasons that we're talking to you is that you are receiving a very, very exciting and wonderful award. It's the ELLA Award named after Ella Fitz-Gerald.
Barry: That's right.
Mark: And I'm looking on the program, Diane Schuur is actually going to be performing!
Barry: Yes, I asked her if she would do one and she said "absolutely" so she's going to do the title cut as the song that she does. Yes, I'm getting a singer's award! It's such an oddball thing for me, because in my heart, as you know, I've known you guys for so long, I don't consider myself a singer. I consider myself a musician. And to get the ultimate singer's award from the Society of Singers is kind of a humbling thing. I don't even know how to say thank you.

Kim: Well, you really started as a musician, and the producer. I know when I hear your music it's Big Production. That's what I love about it. But 'the singer', you kind of came through the back door as a singer.
Barry: I did. The singer thing was the last thing on my mind. Always is, by the way. The first thing on my mind is the production, the composing, then the producing. Then the musicianship. And the last thing on my mind, I always have to remind myself... oh yeah, you've gotta go in and sing this! (laughs)
Mark: However, your voice is internationally recognizable. Your vocal styling is, you know, you can just identify 'Barry Manilow', so you really have stepped out in the front and created a wonderful place that so many millions of people love... your voice, I'm talking about specifically, so it's really not a surprise that you would be getting a Singer award.
Barry: Well, I've tried to get better at it, I mean, I saw that this was not an accident, something was going on here. So I started to work on that part, for the last 20 years, and I'm comfortable with what I sound like now. I still think Luther Vandross is the great singer. I still think Sting is the greatest singer that we've got. I still think there's a handful out there that are the Real Deal. I don't think I'm one of them.
Mark: Well, here's what you do - you say "I got the ELLA Award first!" Before any of those people you're talking about! And of course, we're sure thinking about Luther Vandross, with his getting a stroke.
Barry: Yeah, we are.

Mark: Now, listen, here's some of the other performers that are going to be there a week from tonight (Monday, April 28). Somebody that we have become friends with recently, Linda Eder, is going to be there according to the schedule. Michael Feinstein?! Hello??!!
Kim: Brian McKnight. Your old friend Suzanne Somers is there; she's just delightful.
Mark: It's another award to add to the list. Barry, where do you keep your Grammy and your Tonys and your Emmy?
Barry: There's a little shelf collecting lots of dust, since the last time I got an award was... 1754! This will be my first award in many, many decades. But you know, honestly, I look at them and I smile because it really represents a very confusing time for me. You don't do it for awards. I don't do it for money. I don't do it for awards. It's easy to say it when you have it. But I don't. I never have. Never will. When I think of the music I've made, I think of the stuff that I love and that's about it.
Kim: That's great, Barry, you see, you are so grounded. We appreciate that about you.

Saturday,
April 26, 2003
California/
Palm Springs
Barry Manilow performed at
"Evening Under the Stars X"
to benefit the
AIDS Assistance Program

Highlights: Looks Like We Made It / Can't Smile Without You / Bandstand Boogie / Mandy / All I Need Is The Girl / I Was A Fool (To Let You Go) (Suzanne Somers) / Baby It's Cold Outside (with Suzanne Somers) / Carolina in the Morning (with Lorna Luft) / All The Time / Weekend In New England / Copacabana (At The Copa) / Let Freedom Ring / It's A Miracle (Reprise)

[ Manilow Archives Episode #49 aired November 2013 ]

Monday,
April 28, 2003
California/
Beverly Hills
(Beverly Hilton Hotel)
Society of Singers presented Barry Manilow with
the 12th Annual ELLA Award

[ Photos of event at WireImage.com ]

Barry Manilow has been selected to receive the 12th Annual ELLA Award at a star-studded dinner and show. The event arrival is 6:00 PM, with cocktails at 6:30 PM, and the dinner and show beginning promptly at 7:30 PM. The announcement was made by Society of Singers president and CEO Jerry F. Sharell. Clive Davis, Chairman of RCA Music Group and founder of J Records, and songwriter/singer Carole Bayer Sager will serve as Dinner Co-Chairpersons. Scheduled to perform at this star-studded gala event are Wayne Brady, Debra Byrd, Linda Eder, Michael Feinstein, Dave Koz, Monica Mancini, Brian McKnight, Suzanne Somers, Dianne Schuur, Curtis Stigers and Barry Manilow. Presenters for the event will be Leeza Gibbons, Mary Hart and Ryan Seacrest. The ELLA Award, named after its first recipient Ella Fitzgerald, is given to singers whose contribution to the music world is equaled by his/her dedication to humanitarian causes and community support. "We are thrilled to honor Barry Manilow for his accomplishments as a performer, composer, arranger, producer and musician," stated Jerry F. Sharell. "He has also been actively involved with charities and humanitarian efforts around the world. There is no better person who typifies what the ELLA Award stands for than Barry Manilow."

Highlights: I Write The Songs - Society of Singers Choir / Jump Shout Boogie - Wayne Brady / Meet Me, Midnight - Diane Schuur / Even Now - Brian McKnight / Centerpiece - Curtis Stigers / When October Goes - Monica Mancini / Sweet Life/I Am Your Child - Debra Byrd / Daybreak - S.O.S. Choir / I Was A Fool (To Let You Go) Suzanne Somers / Soon - Michael Feinstein / Weekend In New England - Linda Eder / Performance by Barry Manilow (Beautiful Music, Could It Be Magic, Brooklyn Blues (with Curtis Stigers and Dave Koz), Mandy, Copacabana (At The Copa), Let Freedom Ring, It's A Miracle (Reprise)

[ Manilow.TV Episode #23 aired August 2011 ]

Barry Manilow at Society of Singers' Presentation of
the 12th Annual ELLA Award in Beverly Hills (April 28, 2003)



photo by Jane Mangano

When
Where
Don't Ya Love It?
Thursday,
June 12, 2003
New York/
New York City
(Marriott Marquis Hotel)
For the second year in a row, Barry is performing at the Songwriters Hall of Fame (SHOF) in New York.

As you may remember, he was inducted into the SHOF last year. This time, he'll be singing a hits medley for his friend and one of tonight's honorees, Clive Davis. Access Hollywood interviewed Barry in the Big Apple... and it will air either today or tomorrow. Check your local listings for times!

[ Photos of event at WireImage.com ]

Thursday,
June 26, 2003
England/Windsor
(Elton John Residence)
5th Annual White Tie & Tiara Ball to Benefit the Elton John AIDS Foundation, in association with Chopard

Since the first ball in 1999, Sir Elton John has opened his England home to house this spectacular event. The evening will host performances by Barry Manilow, Donna Summer and the Elton John Band.

[ Photos of event at WireImage.com ]

The stars at Sir Elton John's annual party were in their element as they dressed for the Eighties. The White Tie and Tiara Ball had an Imperial Russia theme, complete with a giant marquee covered in real gold leaf in the style of a traditional Russian Orthodox church, while areas of the singer's 38-acre Old Windsor estate were transformed into ice rinks with waiters on skates serving cocktails. [Guests] paid 1,000 each to attend the ball in aid of the singer's charity, the Elton John Aids Foundation. Now in its fifth year, it has established itself as a highlight of the showbusiness calendar ... Entertainment included Sir Elton belting out a song with the help [of] Barry Manilow. ("Diamonds and divas" by Andre Paine, Evening Standard/This is London, 06/27/2003)

This year's annual White Tie and Tiara Ball thrown by Elton John was the most spectacular yet, notching up an incredible 10-million price tag. The theme for the bash, which marked the tenth anniversary of the singer's AIDS Foundation, was Imperial Russia. Under a vast marquee decorated with real gold to resemble the onion domes of traditional Russian churches, a six-course banquet was served to celebrity guests who had jetted in from around the world ... they were entertained by Donna Summer, Barry Manilow and Elton himself. (Hello Magazine, 06/27/2003)

Around 500 VIPs were invited to Elton's mansion near Windsor, Berks. Centrepiece of the White Tie And Tiara Ball, to mark the 10th anniversary of Elton's AIDS Foundation, was a giant marquee covered with real gold leaf to look like a Russian church ... Elton entertained and also flew in Barry Manilow and disco diva Donna Summer to sing a duet ... Elton's fundraising director Simon Prytherch said last night: "We are hoping to raise 1.5million for a very worthy cause. Our guests paid for tickets and also donated generous amounts to the charity. Elton wanted to make sure this was the party to upstage all parties." (The Sun, 06/27/2003)

[ Photos of Barry (Heathrow Airport, London, Britain, 06/27/2003), after attending Elton John's Party ]

[ Chopard and Elton John - The White Tie and Tiara Ball 2003 (www.chopard.com, 6/27/2003) ]

Wednesday,
July 9, 2003
BRAVO-TV
Barry performs at the 34th Annual
Songwriters Hall of Fame Awards Show in New York


Performances include a very special medley honoring Clive Davis by Barry. Check your local listings for show times and details. (taped from June 12, 2003)

[ BravoTV.com - About The Show ]
[ Photos of event at WireImage.com ]

(rebroadcasts: 7/10, 7/19, 8/22)

Wednesday,
September 24, 2003
California/
Beverly Hills
(Beverly Hilton Hotel)
Barry appeared at the 2003 Operation Smile
West Coast Gala

[ Photos of event at WireImage.com ]

Wednesday,
October 1, 2003
Today Show
Barry joined Bette Midler on the Today Show!

Bette performed "Come On-A My House," the duet with Barry, "On A Slow Boat To China," from her album "Bette Midler Sings The Rosemary Clooney Songbook," and "Wind Beneath My Wings."

Singer Bette Midler performs live on the Plaza as part of the "Today" 2003 Concert Series [Also, "Today" talks to Bette Midler on 9/30/2003 ] (RockOnTV.com).

[ Bette's Tribute to Rosemary Clooney: The 'Divine Miss M' re-visits songs of the past to celebrate the music of one of the greatest pop and jazz singers of the 20th century (MSNBC.com story and interview, 9/30/2003) ]

[ Bette Midler performs with Special Guest Barry Manilow at the 2003 Today Show Concert Series, New York City, 10/1/2003 (WireImage.com) ]

Thursday, November 6, 2003
(taping)
The Wayne Brady Show
Guests include Barry Manilow and Diane Schuur

Diane Schuur performed "Meet Me, Midnight" from her album Midnight. Barry then joined Diane for the duet, "Anytime."

The Wayne Brady Show (syndicated) - Monday, November 10, 2003 - "Mark Harmon, Wayne works at a nail salon, musical guests Barry Manilow with Diane Schuur." (RockOnTV.com)

Monday, November 10, 2003
(air date)
Thursday,
December 4, 2003
Good Morning America
(ABC-TV)
Barry performs a holiday classic and chats about his upcoming A&E episode, "A Barry Manilow Christmas: Live By Request." Check your local listings for show times.
Friday,
December 5, 2003
Inside Edition
Sneak Preview of Barry's rehearsals for the A&E special, "A Barry Manilow Christmas: Live By Request." Check your local listings for show times.
Friday,
December 5, 2003
(8:00-10:00 PM ET)

rebroadcast:
12/06 (12 AM ET)
12/14 (10 AM ET)
12/25/2004
12/26/2004

A&E's
Live By Request
(New York/
New York City)
A Barry Manilow Christmas


The internationally renowned superstar Barry Manilow takes requests for Christmas songs and performs live with a band, an orchestra, and special guests including Cyndi Lauper. And in a rare holiday treat, old friends Barry and Bette Midler join together, via media magic, in a duet that each taped separately. Mr. Manilow also hosts this 2-hour festive songfest. (RockOnTV.com)


[ rebroadcast: Saturday, December 6, 2003 (12:00 AM ET) ]
[ rebroadcast: Sunday, December 14, 2003 (10:00 AM ET) ]
Thursday,
December 11, 2003
(9:00-9:30 PM ET)

rebroadcast:
12/23/2004

Will & Grace
(NBC-TV)
Episode "Fanilow"


WHAT A MAN WILL DO TO SEE BARRY! LEGENDARY BARRY MANILOW MAKES A RARE GUEST-STAR APPEARANCE ALONG WITH DEBBIE REYNOLDS

Opting out of the annual Adler Design Christmas party, ultimate "Fanilow" Will (Eric McCormack) spends the night waiting in line for tickets to a special Barry Manilow (as himself) concert, only to have his weak bladder force him to make a quick pit stop and entrust Grace (Debra Messing) to hold his place. However, Will's snubbing of an overweight man in the bathroom line leaves his chances of meeting his idol in doubt. Meanwhile, a distraught Grace discovers her mother (guest star Debbie Reynolds, "Singing in the Rain") has cancelled on their annual Hanukkah shopping spree to have dinner with Jack (Sean Hayes) and Karen (Megan Mullally) as they embrace the inspiring music of Manilow. (RockOnTV.com)



[ Will & Grace NBC.com Photos of Barry: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 ]

Barry Manilow on the Today Show with Bette Midler (October 1, 2003)
in New York City: 2003 Today Show Concert Series





above two photos by Liz Boynes









above four photos by Karen Mersch

This Page Created October 6, 2003 (Last Updated December 10, 2023)

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