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| March 29, 2006 | Press Release
(SOURCE: ARISTA RECORDS) | Could It Be Magic... The Blockbuster Success of Manilow's Platinum "Greatest Songs of the Fifties" Continues!: "Greatest Songs of the Fifties" Climbs the Billboard Chart to #4; Two "American Idol" Appearances Last Week |
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| NEW YORK, NY -- The phenomenon of Barry Manilow is astounding and undeniable. His new platinum album "GREATEST SONGS OF THE FIFTIES" (Arista), which debuted at #1 upon its release in January, enjoyed a tremendous sales peak this week having sold 77,730 units and climbing to the #4 position on the chart. The chart jump is attributed to the lasting power of Manilow, his two successful appearances on "American Idol" on Tuesday and Wednesday of last week, and the strength of the wonderfully classic pop songs on this collection. The theme for the "American Idol" performance show on Tuesday (March 21) was "Music from the Fifties" in celebration of Manilow's album with the 11 finalists performing songs from that decade with Barry coaching them along the way. On Wednesday (March 22), Manilow performed the new single "Love Is A Many Splendored Thing" from his album. Additionally, both "Entertainment Tonight" and "The Insider" ran coverage of his Idol appearances three evenings in a row. |
| March 28, 2006 | The Desert Sun | "Can't make it to Vegas? Barry's got the show on DVD for you" by Bruce Fessier |
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| Palm Springs resident Barry Manilow's DVD of his Las Vegas show, "Manilow: Music and Passion," hits national stores today, featuring live versions of the songs that made his recent CD, "The Greatest Songs of the Fifties," debut at No. 1 on the Billboard charts. The Manilow fan club Web site says the No. 1 reason for buying the two-disc DVD is to, "Help Barry get the #1 chart position - again!" The 2.5-hour DVD comes with bloopers, back stage footage, interviews with Manilow and footage of the making of his special that aired this month on PBS. The "Live From Las Vegas" DVD captures Manilow's 100th performance at the Las Vegas Hilton Resort. It is selling locally for $24.99. Manilow recently signed a contract extension at the Hilton to continue performing his "Music and Passion" show through 2008. He began his record-breaking engagement on Feb. 23, 2005. Manilow, who flies to work from his Palm Springs home, performs at 9 p.m. Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays, and 7:30 p.m. and 10 p.m. on Saturdays in the 1,700-seat Hilton Theater about two weeks every month. Tickets to Manilow's Las Vegas show are $95- $225 plus tax and service charge. Information to that: (702) 732-5755 or (800) 222-5361. He's also scheduled to perform a benefit for the AIDS Assistance Program May 6 at the O'Donnell Golf Club in Palm Springs titled "An Evening Under the Stars." Tickets for that black tie event, including dinner and auctions, is $325, which will raise funds for food vouchers and other services for HIV/AIDs community. Information: 325-8481. |
| March 26, 2006 | UPI.com | Barry Manilow extends Las Vegas stay |
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| The Las Vegas Hilton has extended Barry Manilow's exclusive engagement at the resort through 2008. Resorts International President and Chief Executive Officer Nicholas L. Ribis presented Manilow with a ceremonial key to the Hilton in announcing the extension to a packed house Friday night, Resorts International said in a news release Sunday. Manilow's latest album, "The Greatest Songs of the Fifties" recently achieved platinum status. His Vegas show, "Manilow: Music and Passion" opened Feb. 23, 2005. |
| March 26, 2006 | Las Vegas Sun | Barry Manilow extends gig at Las Vegas Hilton through 2008 |
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| Barry Manilow's loyal fans, known as "Fanilows," have something to cheer about. The legendary singer will keep crooning at the Las Vegas Hilton through 2008, the hotel announced Sunday. "The shows at the Hilton are the most exciting shows I've ever done," Manilow said in a release. "The stage is huge, but the theater is intimate, so we can have a magnificent production and still connect with the audience." Manilow opened his "Music and Passion" show at the Hilton on Feb. 23, 2005 after his "One Night Live! One Last Time!" tour in 2004 was thought to signal the end of his concert career. But the artist got a boost when his "The Greatest Songs of the Fifties," debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart on Jan. 31 and then went platinum, selling over a million copies. Manilow's four-nights a week show changes nightly and features a cast of 14 in a 1,700-seat theater. Tickets cost from $95 to $225. (Associated Press) |
| March 26, 2006 | Press Release
(SOURCE: THE LAS VEGAS HILTON) | Las Vegas Hilton and Barry Manilow Celebrate Chart Success by Announcing Extension of Manilow's Successful Long-Term Engagement: Superstar Receives 'Key' to the Hilton, His Exclusive Home Through 2008 |
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| LAS VEGAS� The Las Vegas Hilton has joined Barry Manilow in celebrating the recent "platinum" certification of "The Greatest Songs of the Fifties" (with sales in excess of 1,000,000 units) and his one-year anniversary at the classic resort by extending his exclusive long-term engagement at the Las Vegas Hilton through 2008, it was announced on stage at the Hilton Theater Friday. In a special ceremony during Manilow's performance, Nicholas L. Ribis, president & CEO of Resorts International and co-owner of the Las Vegas Hilton, announced the extension to a packed showroom. Ribis presented the superstar with a ceremonial "key" to the Las Vegas Hilton, which has been the exclusive home of Manilow's show "Manilow: Music and Passion" since it opened in February 2005. "Barry is a superstar of international appeal who has made the Las Vegas Hilton his exclusive home," said Rudy Prieto, CEO and general manager of the classic property. "Our strong relationship with this entertainment phenomenon, along with other performers we have signed to grace our stage, continues to make this property a key entertainment stop for visitors from around the world." "Barry, while leading the charts, also is leading the entertainment charge, not only at the Las Vegas Hilton, but throughout Las Vegas as well," said Ken Ciancimino executive vice president. "We're delighted to share and extend that success with this extraordinary performer." "Manilow: Music and Passion" is an exciting, multi-faceted production that features contemporary hi-tech music and effects mixed with the classic entertainment values of Las Vegas legends such as Sinatra, Presley, Davis, and Martin. It stars Manilow and a cast and band of 14, offers not only a full scale production but also the intimacy of a state-of-the-art 1,700-seat theater, unique "on-stage" seating, incredible songs and a concert that changes on a nightly basis. "The shows at the Hilton are the most exciting shows I've ever done. The stage is huge, but the theater is intimate, so we can have a magnificent production and still connect with the audience. We change the show each night. It keeps it fresh for the audience and for all of us," Manilow said. Manilow opened "Music and Passion" at the Las Vegas Hilton on February 23rd, 2005. The show and the Las Vegas Hilton was a perfect next step for Manilow since his sold-out 2004 "One Night Live! One Last Time!" tour was thought to signal the end of his concert career. "One Last Time" played to more than 250,000 fans in 23 arenas throughout the U.S. and the U.K. The Las Vegas Hilton ranks among the world's most famous and popular resort destinations, located blocks from the Las Vegas Strip and adjacent to the Las Vegas Convention Center, offering 3,000 luxurious rooms and suites situated on 59 acres. The property is one of the largest hotels in the world and features top-name entertainment, 15 distinctive restaurants, a full-service health club and spa, Star Trek: The Experience� and much more. Resorts International Holdings is a diversified gaming company operating six unique and dynamic casinos in key gaming markets that comprises the Las Vegas Hilton (Nevada), Atlantic City Hilton and Resorts Atlantic City (New Jersey), Resorts East Chicago (Indiana), Resorts Tunica and Bally's Tunica (Mississippi). "Manilow: Music and Passion" performs Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays at 9:00 p.m., and 7:30 p.m. and 10:00 p.m. on Saturday in the legendary Hilton Theater. Stage seat tickets are $225 (plus tax and service charge). Main orchestra tickets are $165 (plus tax and service charge); rear orchestra tickets $115 (plus tax and service charge); and balcony tickets are $95 (plus tax and service charge) can be purchased at the Las Vegas Hilton box office. Visit www.lvhilton.com or phone 702-732-5755 or 1-800-222-5361. |
| March 22, 2006 | Richmond Times-Dispatch | "Schmaltz shop rules: Say what you must, Manilow knows how to work a show" by Melissa Ruggieri |
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| When you want to take that cheap shot at Barry Manilow for being schmaltzy or sappy or whatever antithesis of cool you can think of, remember this, "American Idol" fans: The man turned the show around on Tuesday. Just a couple of weeks ago, Kevin Covais was anesthetizing viewers with a cringing rendition of a ridiculous song for a 16-year-old dweeb -- "Starry, Starry Night" -- and even Richmond's own Elliott Yamin made us yawn with his blah choice, Bryan Adams' "Heaven." For last week's Stevie Wonder-a-thon, hardly any of the contestants got it right, bypassing fantastic hits instantly recognizable by viewers for obscure album cuts such as "Blame It on the Sun" and "All I Do". Enter Mr. Las Vegas Hilton, one of America's supreme song crafters, an expert at orchestration and a guy who genuinely adores everything about music. Sure, Manilow's appearance contained plenty of self-serving elements, but the time and tutoring he provided to these contestants were exactly the shepherding they needed. This week, music from the'50s was the focus, and while it's obviously more liberating to choose from an entire decade rather than one artist's catalog, the potential for train wrecks was still very real. The contestants are free to choose their songs, provided they fit the theme and the music rights have been cleared, so as much as I like to credit Manilow for anything, he isn't responsible for Tuesday's consistently good picks. Paris' take on Peggy Lee's "Fever" was so powerful and fabulous. Four of these finalists are teens. How can they possibly explore the emotions in a song such as "Walkin' After Midnight" or the aforementioned "Fever"? They can't, which is where Manilow proved invaluable, even to those ancient contestants in the 20s. Once he explained to Kellie that Patsy Cline's "Walkin'" was actually a sad song, [she] found something to cling to and turned out an assured performance. Since confidence has been Elliott's Achilles heel, Manilow's expertise and arrangement advice may have benefited him most. "He's got to stop singing the words and crawl into the story of the lyrics," Manilow said in a pre-taped segment on Tuesday's show. "He sings great. I just had to keep reminding him of the story of the song." Elliott's song choices have been the most interesting and unconventional of the bunch since the beginning. But Manilow is right. For all of his technical proficiency, Elliott rarely conveys the emotion of a song, just its lyrics. After taking Manilow's advice to slow his phrasing and ease into "Teach Me Tonight," Elliott, who has apparently adopted Chris Daughtry's leftover facial hair, turned out his strongest performance since the first week of competition. "He's a genius!" Elliott enthused about Manilow. Yeah, you think that might have something to do with the 35-year career? Meanwhile Chris, the other "Idol" name attached to Virginia, always seems to pick the right songs... this week, a recast, build-to-a-pounding-climax "Walk the Line." Manilow commented that "out of all of them, Chris seems to have a real good handle on who he is." |
| March 22, 2006 | The Desert Sun | "Barry Manilow on 'Idol' tonight" by Bruce Fessier |
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| Palm Springs resident Barry Manilow is showing a national audience the greatness of the songs of the 1950s this week on "American Idol." The singer-composer, whose recent CD "The Greatest Songs of the Fifties" debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard charts, will perform a song from his album on the popular reality show at 8 p.m. today on the Fox Network, Channel 11 in the Coachella Valley. He rehearsed the contestants to perform songs from the '50s on the Tuesday night episode. The winners will be announced on tonight's show as Manilow, who has called himself a big fan of the show, stands by. Manilow, who was unavailable for comment Tuesday, served as a judge on "American Idol" two years ago and worked with contestants as they sang Barry Manilow songs. It was the highest-rated "American Idol" episode at that time... |
| March 21, 2006 | Press Release
(Source: Arista) | He Writes the Songs -- Barry Manilow to Appear on "American Idol" Tuesday March 21 and Wednesday March 22: New Arista Album "Greatest Songs of the Fifties" Goes Platinum -- Crosses the 1 Million Sales Mark This Week |
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| NEW YORK, NY -- Barry Manilow, whose career has spanned over 30 years and over 75 million albums sold worldwide, will be appearing on "American Idol" on Tuesday and Wednesday, March 21st and 22nd. The theme for the performance show on Tuesday will be "Music from the Fifties" in celebration of Manilow's new release, "GREATEST SONGS OF THE FIFTIES," with the 11 finalists performing songs from that decade. On Wednesday, Manilow will be performing the new single "Love Is A Many Splendored Thing" from his hit album, which debuted on the Billboard Charts at Number One upon its release last month. "GREATEST SONGS OF THE FIFTIES" was certified platinum this week, having crossed the 1 million sales mark. "GREATEST SONGS OF THE FIFTIES" is a veritable jukebox of 13 Number One hits from one of the most beloved periods of popular song. Some of the timeless tracks on the album include "All I Have To Do Is Dream" made famous by the Everly Brothers, Bobby Darin's "Beyond The Sea," "Love Is A Many Splendored Thing" from the motion picture, Sinatra's "Young At Heart," "Unchained Melody," and Elvis Presley's hit "Are You Lonesome Tonight." The album is available as a CD and DualDisc release, featuring behind-the-scenes footage of the making of the record. |
| March 21, 2006 | ET! Online | Barry Manilow's 'Idol' Fever! |
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| "American Idol" catches '50s fever this week as the hit reality competition welcomes a very special guest -- music legend BARRY MANILOW! And Barry brings "Idol" fever to the ET set as he sits down with our own JANN CARL for the inside scoop! "I'm going to be singing 'Love Is a Many Splendored Thing,'" he says of his Wednesday "Idol" performance, "which is from my '50s tribute album." The top 11 finalists -- ACE YOUNG, KELLIE PICKLER, ELLIOTT YAMIN, MANDISA, BUCKY COVINGTON, LISA TUCKER, KEVIN COVAIS, KATHARINE McPHEE, TAYLOR HICKS, PARIS BENNETT and CHRIS DAUGHTRY -- will tackle songs from the first decade of rock 'n' roll tonight and Barry reveals how he helped mentor the finalists. "I worked with them for a full day in Vegas, I worked with each for an hour," he says. "These kids are so young -- they're much more talented than I thought!" Then, on Wednesday, America will have voted, and one more "Idol" hopeful will have their dreams dashed. Barry says he gives all the contestants credit for doing what they're doing. "I would never have done it," he says. "I would have been thrown out of that hotel room." The '50s theme is perfect for Barry, whose new CD, The Greatest Songs of the Fifties, entered the Billboard charts at number one, and was just certified platinum. Barry broke the good news to Jann, telling her that she was the first living person he told! "I just found out an hour ago that it just went platinum!" he gushes to Jann. "Here I am 95-years-old with a platinum album. It just goes to prove if you love what you do it can happen to you too!" For diehard Barry fans, a new double-disc DVD, Manilow: Music and Passion, hits stores March 28. And Barry is already at work on his next album, The Greatest Songs of the Sixties, which he plans to release this fall. "The '60s is when I began to listen to the BEATLES and BURT BACHARACH to the MAMAS AND THE PAPAS," he says. "I'm having a lot of fun with that." |
| March 21, 2006 | About.com | Bumper Crop of Barry Manilow on the Way |
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| In the wake of his recent #1 hit album The Greatest Songs of the Fifties, both new and re-issued Barry Manilow releases will be flooding into stores over the next few months. First in line is Rhino's Barry Manilow: Music and Passion DVD due in stores on March 28, 2006. It brings together Barry's recent PBS concert show based on his Las Vegas production as well as behind the scenes footage and outtakes. On May 9, Arista will release expanded versions of 3 of Barry Manilow's early hit albums. The albums are: Manilow II featuring additional cut: "Star Children" written as a tribute to Janis Joplin, Jimi Hendrix and Jim Morrison. Tryin' to Get the Feeling featuring additional cuts: "Good News" co-written with Melissa Manchester, and "One Hundred Women Later". Even Nowfeaturing additional cuts: "I'm Comin' Home Again" co-written with Carole Bayer Sager, and "Make You Music" co-written with Adrienne Anderson. |
| March 20, 2006 | Billboard.com | "Early Manilow Albums Expanded For Reissue" by Jonathan Cohen, N.Y. |
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| Three of Barry Manilow's early hit albums will be reissued in expanded form May 9 via Legacy/Arista. 1974's "Manilow II," 1975's "Tryin' To Get the Feeling" and 1978's "Even Now" will each feature two previously unreleased bonus tracks. "Manilow II" launched the artist into the pop music stratosphere, thanks to the singles "Mandy," which hit No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, and "It's a Miracle," which reached No. 12. The new edition features an early version of album track "Home Again" dubbed "Into Lovin' You" and the unreleased "Star Children," which Manilow wrote in 1971 in tribute to fallen rock heroes Janis Joplin, Jimi Hendrix and Jim Morrison. "Tryin' To Get the Feeling" was Manilow's first top 5 album chart entry and spawned the No. 1 smash "I Write the Songs" and the No. 10 title track. It is expanded here with the previously unreleased Melissa Manchester co-write "Good News," as well as "One Hundred Women Later." By "Even Now," Manilow was one of the most popular artists in the world, a stature he cemented with the iconic disco-themed single "Copacabana (At the Copa)." The new edition's bonus tracks are co-writes with Carole Bayer Sager on "I'm Comin' Home Again" and Adrienne Anderson on "Make You Music." Manilow is enjoying a banner 2006 thanks to his latest Arista studio album, "The Greatest Songs of the Fifties." The set has sold more than 568,000 copies in the United States since its January release, according to Nielsen SoundScan. Look for the artist to appear on this week's episode of "American Idol" and in May on NBC's "Today" summer concert series. |
| March 20, 2006 | Playbill.com | "Harmony Composer Barry Manilow Featured on 'American Idol,' March 22" by Ernio Hernandez |
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| Harmony and pop composer Barry Manilow will perform on Fox's "American Idol," March 22 (www.idolonfox.com). The show airs on the Fox network Tuesdays at 8 PM and Wednesdays at 9 PM (ET). After narrowing down thousands of wannabe singers from auditions across the country, the audience votes upon who will make it through the next round each week. Music industry folk including singer-choreographer Paula Abdul, producer Randy Jackson and the infamous record exec Simon Cowell � who is known for his honest, at times brutal, comments � critique the contestants. In the final weeks of the show, contestants are tested in different genres of music � country, Motown, etc. Manilow's own oeuvre was previously used as a theme on the show. The eleven current finalists in the popular making-a-pop-star reality series will each sing a song from the '50s this week. Recording artist and songwriter Manilow collaborated with Bruce Sussman � who penned book and lyrics � on the musical Harmony. The work about a singing group in nazi-era Germany was originally staged at La Jolla Playhouse and slated for a pre-Broadway run in Philadelphia, but fell apart due to lack of funding. The work is featured on the album "Manilow Scores" with his previous score (with Sussman and Jack Feldman) Copacabana. Manilow, the one-time accompanist to songstress Bette Midler, is known for such pop hits such as "Copacabana," "I Made It Through The Rain," "Can't Smile Without You," "Somewhere Down The Road," "Mandy" and "I Write the Songs." |
| March 17, 2006 | The Desert Sun | "[Barry helps] Suzanne Somers [back] on the stage" - Bruce Fessier |
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| Suzanne Somers has always refused to be a victim. She's rebounded from struggles with an alcoholic father, a teenage pregnancy, a divorce, a contract negotiation that soured her sweet image as a '70s TV star of "Three's Company," and health issues from a difficult menopause to cancer. But after the devastating closure of her one-woman Broadway musical last summer ("Blonde in the Thunderbird"), it took Barry Manilow, her friend and neighbor in Palm Springs and the Malibu area, to assemble those messages into a new show playing tonight and Saturday at the McCallum Theatre. "I know Barry has been trying to get me back out on stage," Somers said Tuesday before a rehearsal in Malibu. "I think this is his way of putting his foot on my butt and kicking me back out." Manilow, who arranged some songs for "Blonde in the Thunderbird," had predicted the New York critics would destroy the show. He calls it "an unbelievable story with songs and dialogue." But he grew up in New York. He told his California pal they'd pan her show because, "You're not one of them. They killed me and I am one of them." Manilow recruited Somers to sing at his benefit for the McCallum Dec. 1, and at one of his Las Vegas shows in January. He came to Somers' rehearsal with his Las Vegas choreographer Tuesday and took it over - getting the music director to musically underscore Somers' talk, getting the drummer to try a new beat, and getting Somers to add a new opening song. But Manilow said he didn't do all that just to kick her back on stage. He said it started out of curiosity over what she was planning to do at the McCallum. "She has a nightclub act she used to do and she said, 'I'll probably dig out that old nightclub act.' After two years of bathing in great writing and great material, I just posed the question, 'Are you sure you want to do that? You want to go back and sing "Strangers in the Night"?' And she looked at me. So I said, 'Why don't I give you a hand?'" Manilow wanted her to dazzle her McCallum audience. So he came to her house with an idea already laid out. "He goes, 'I kind of wove things together between what you had in your old act and a couple pieces from your musical. I think it's kind of good.' I looked it over and said, 'Wow. This is great. Great!'" Manilow became more involved in Somers' new show despite the national media demands over the Jan. 31 No. 1 debut of his CD, "The Greatest Songs of the Fifties," and the March debut of his PBS TV special. "I started getting e-mails from him like, 'I'd take out the word please in this part because they don't know you well enough to use the word please,'" Somers said. "I realize, he's micro-writing and getting into the details. The reason he is so good is nothing is left to chance. He knows where he's going at all times." Somers "expanded on the writing and fattened up the story" after seeing Manilow's layout. They ran through it two weeks ago and discovered the 90-minute show was one hour. "Sure enough, three days later (Manilow says), 'I wrote a little something and I put a little something there.' So now we have this 90-minute show. And as late as (Tuesday) morning, he's e-mailing with, 'Maybe you should say, bluh, bluh, bluh...'" Manilow says easing his friend's return to the stage was only part of his inspiration for becoming so involved at such a busy time in his life. "I love her so much I didn't want her to get up there and just throw it away because emotionally she wasn't ready," he says. "If she was going to commit to doing it, then I only know how to do the best work I can do. But, I do believe she's got something to say. God knows she's got the personality to pull this off if she does this right. And what I figured out was, this could really, really be a fun and exciting and rewarding project for my friend, Suzanne." Manilow knows the impact of Somers' books on her life issues such as changing careers, combating cancer and fighting menopause with natural hormones. He saw it when he was in New York fighting for the rights to his Broadway musical, "Harmony," just before the opening of Somers' show. "Whenever I mentioned her name, these women would fall to their knees about how much she helped them with her books," he said. "I called her and said, 'Suzanne, I know your Broadway musical is about your crazy father and alcoholism, but I'm telling you these people are waiting for you to talk to them about hormones because it's obviously changed their lives!'" Manilow told her she could reach even more people by elaborating on that and her cancer battle in an entertaining way. Somers recalled how painful it was to relive her fears of her abusive father and her struggles with low self-esteem in her Broadway show. But this new show has a happy ending that Manilow says warrants a national tour of concert halls. "In the end, she does talk about how she felt the lump and was terrified and doctors told her to go toward the Western medicine, filling your body with poison, and she said, 'No.' I kept encouraging her to go further, so she's put a couple paragraphs in and I'll bet you it's going to be riveting because these paragraphs that talk about what she did end with, 'And today, there is no evidence of disease in my body.' That is going to get a huge reaction and it is what they've all come to hear." Suzanne on Barry Manilow: "He always says we were separated at birth. But, lucky me. I'd do anything for him." Somers in concert -- Where: McCallum Theatre, 73-000 Fred Waring Drive, Palm Desert; When: 8 p.m. today and Saturday; Tickets: $55, $65, $75 and $85; Information: (760) 340-ARTS.
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| March 17, 2006 | The Desert Sun | "How Barry and Suzanne met" - Bruce Fessier |
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| Suzanne Somers and Barry Manilow aren't just close friends - they're neighbors in both Palm Springs and the Malibu beach area. They met 30 years ago while Manilow was on top of the musical charts and Somers was starring in "Three's Company." They were both drawn to the desert by their love of the climate and the canyons. Somers and her husband, Alan Hamel, moved to the desert in the late 1970s, and Manilow arrived in the early '80s. Somers says they may have been destined to become friends. Some 30 years ago, while writing her first book, "Keeping Secrets," a friend convinced Somers to see a psychic just for the fun of it. During the session, the psychic told her, "Barry Manilow is going to be a force in your life," and mentioned the book "Lilies of the Field." Somers didn't know Manilow and hadn't read "Lilies of the Field." So she read the book and noted it ended with, "Out of the ashes, the Phoenix will rise." She met Manilow a year later and bonded with him. "He looks at me and says, 'Hmm, you're the other one they make fun of,' because I was Chrissie Snow and he was the guy in the Copa shirt." The friendship grew to the point where they now go on vacations and spend Thanksgiving together. Manilow even helped Somers on her Broadway show last summer. That's when the psychic's "prophecy" hit her. "This show is a show about 'Out of the ashes, the Phoenix will rise,'" she thought on opening night, "and Barry Manilow is a force in my life." "It's the funniest thing, this friendship with him. It's a very important friendship for me, especially to have someone who understands my life from an inside-out place." |
| March 12, 2006 | KESQ NewsChannel 3 Palm Springs | Singer Barry Manilow commutes by jet to Vegas |
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| PALM SPRINGS, Calif. - Barry Manilow soars high above the traffic on his commute to his five-days-a-week job at the Las Vegas Hilton. From his home in Palm Springs, the singer travels by jet to Sin City. The 59-year-old tells the L.A. Times that he embraces the five-shows-a-week gig, where his loyal fans - "Fanilows" - make up the bulk of his nightly audience. He's also flying high on the success of his latest album, "The Greatest Songs of the Fifties," which debuted at number one on the U.S. pop charts. Not even "Copacabana" did that. Manilow calls the number one ranking "unreal, absolutely unreal." |
| March 12, 2006 | Los Angeles Times - Calendar | "Barry, going the distance: Defying critical barbs, cruelties of age and showbiz odds, Barry Manilow is still in the game -- even if he doesn't always get to play by his rules" by Geoff Boucher |
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| Three weeks ago, "The Greatest Songs of the Fifties," Barry Manilow's new album, debuted at No. 1 on the U.S. pop charts, a feat he had never accomplished, not even in the days of "Mandy," "Copacabana (At the Copa)," or all the other 1970s hits that made him a star. No one was more surprised by this than Manilow. "I was floored. It's unreal, absolutely unreal." In one-on-one conversation, Manilow is far less melodramatic. "I'm good, not great. I know the difference. Sinatra is great. Judy [Garland] is great. Tony Bennett is great. I'm pretty good. But you can go far on pretty good if you work hard and pay attention." The singer is well aware of the perception of him, which ranks somewhere between Wayne Newton and "Riverdance" for cool-factor rating. "Ask the general guy out in the public about me, he doesn't get it and the critics, well, they've never gotten it," Manilow said. "That's OK. The fans get it. And I've never been part of what's going on. I've always been on the outside." Manilow was at a loss when asked if he knew the music of any of the other artists on the album charts today. He looked to his personal assistant. "Do I? Wait, Mary J. Blige, I know her music, but not the new stuff." He shrugged at the rest of the names mentioned. "The music I love, the things I care about, it's Gershwin and show tunes and standards ... I've always been separate from what was going on, even when I was getting radio hits. Even when I've been No. 1, I was somewhere else." This time, with the new album, the somewhere else is five decades ago, singing "Unchained Melody," "Venus," "Beyond the Sea" and other jukebox selections from the Eisenhower administration. For the record, Manilow had no desire to do this album, none at all: "What on Earth are you going to do different with songs that everybody has heard a million times?" But the idea for the album came from Clive Davis, the music impresario who has been a guiding hand in the career resurrections of Carlos Santana and Rod Stewart... Davis has been at Manilow's back since the very beginning. It was at Davis' urging that Manilow recorded "Mandy," a song the singer wasn't particularly enthused about at the time. "When he talks, I listen," Manilow said. "Clive understands what will work, what people want, what will be successful in the market." That is not the case with Manilow ... He is wary when he speaks and plainly mystified by pop culture, circa 2006. "Television is just � ugh � I can't bear watching anything anymore since 'Laverne & Shirley' went off the air." The shows he enjoys most these days are archival collections of old variety shows, some on kinescope. Davis has him working now on a list of 1960s songs for the logical follow-up to "Greatest Songs of the Fifties." Don't expect to hear anthems of the counterculture. Woodstock doesn't echo in Manilow's ears. "When it comes to the music of the 1960s, it's Andy Williams," he said without a trace of irony. "Andy Williams was the 1960s." Manilow has been beaten up by critics for so long it'd be easy for him to turn severe or go reclusive. Instead he sports the same strategy as William Shatner � mock yourself before the other guy does. "I don't take myself seriously, and I haven't for a long time. But maybe in the early days, in the 1970s; back then, after 'Mandy,' there were these reviews that were really, really brutal. I didn't understand the whole thing, how these people could say something so cruel and personal to someone they didn't know. I didn't do anything to them or to their mother, but they were tearing me up for what I did, the way I dressed, my hair, everything. And I thought I was doing great. I still do. I'm proud. But you do have to stop taking yourself seriously or it will just tear you up." "Dean Martin is so underrated," he said during a long discussion of Vegas performers. He began dissecting Martin's stage shtick, the banter and the false appearance of effortlessness. The next topic was Liberace, a performer Manilow thought very little of until he recently viewed some old performances. "Man, he could play the piano; I gained a lot more respect for him," Manilow said. He held his hands up and began to describe Liberace's deftness by playing the air in front of him. "Forget all of the rest of the stuff � the costumes, the candelabra on stage, all of it � he was an amazing pianist. He was playing this complicated Chopin piece and there was not a single clam, he killed it." In Las Vegas, Manilow stands at a rear entrance to the Hilton, the same building where Elvis Presley famously performed during his strange career twilight in the city of casinos. "This, this is my life here, walking in with the garbage," Manilow said. He was passing by a loading dock behind the hotel's huge kitchen and the stench from the dumpsters was overpowering. The unfinished cocktails and discarded mounds from the buffet had been putrefying in the desert heat all day. As some Hilton security people watched with unease, Manilow stopped, strolled over to the trash bins and asked for his picture to be taken. "It'll be great! If you don't use it you can send it to me." He gave a wan smile and stuffed his hands in his jacket pockets. After the flashes stopped, he walked toward backstage in silence.It's hard to fathom the highs and lows Manilow must feel when he looks out on his image reflected in pop culture. He's a bright man, so it cannot escape him when he is mocked ... But the only thing worse than bad press is no press. The publicity material he sends out contains a line from Rolling Stone magazine from two decades ago that acknowledged that "most probably he's the showman of our generation," but the latest edition of the Rolling Stone Album Guide ignores Manilow completely. "Barry has absolutely been underrated and not recognized often enough as being one of the truly timeless voices and artists," Davis said. The music executive said that through the years he often counseled Manilow and told him to try to ignore the critical barbs. "Most of the critics are of rock background and that's an insular view ... they don't appreciate people of pure pop style," Davis said. "But the pop songs define a time." Things have changed for Manilow with the success of the new album and the Vegas show, "Music and Passion," which debuted in February 2005. "Music and Passion" also spawned a special with the same title that aired March 9 on PBS, which will certainly push his album further up the charts this week. "What this new album allowed me to do is get made fun of on all of the television talk shows I couldn't get on last year," Manilow said. "And that feels great. It means I'm back on their radar." Davis, the record executive, had told Manilow that the way to hammer away on the album's sales would be to run through every television appearance possible. And Manilow did just that, even if it meant singing "Copacabana" on "Dancing With the Stars" and immersing himself in the foreign trappings of "American Idol." It would seem logical to presume that Manilow seems made for these television times, but the singer says the new-model shows are a mystery to him. "I don't get this stuff, it's oddball stuff, but it's what you have to do now," he said. "There are no variety shows now, and with most of the talk shows if you get on, you're relegated to the last three minutes of the show. On [The Tonight Show with Johnny] Carson I used to come over and sit down on the couch for half the show. It was the same with [Jay] Leno in the early days. That's gone for music now." Manilow's most surreal adventure of late was a visit to Martha Stewart's show. He diligently showed up as his record label had asked, but he tried to beg out when Stewart's people said the show would have him spend a good deal of the broadcast in the set's kitchen. "How strange is it that now on television you have to sing 'Unchained Melody' in a kitchen? Honestly, that is just bizarre. And look, I don't even go into a kitchen. I was raised by people that didn't go into kitchens. My mom and stepfather were out all of the time getting drunk. They would tell me to pop a frozen dinner into the oven. So I go on the show and I'm terrified that I'm going to make an idiot of myself. I walk out and I see this big thing in the corner with a window. I ask, 'Well, what's that?' They tell me, 'That's a refrigerator.' And I'm thinking to myself, 'This is not going to go well. It didn't look like a refrigerator; it had a window on the front. What do I know?'" Manilow has been tuning in to "Idol" more lately, and there is talk that he might have a special appearance on the show that, considering its gargantuan influence these days, is something he is excited about. How would he have done as an "American Idol" contestant? "Are you kidding? I never would have made it, not for a minute. Can you imagine me winning? I can't." A few hours before call time at the Hilton, Manilow meandered to the middle of the hotel's theater, crossed his arms and made a face. On stage, his band and singers were hammering away at the dense crescendo of a medley of songs from Manilow's album "Here at the Mayflower." The swirl of music and cross-lyric vocals is intended to create the energy of a street party, but at that moment it sounded more like a riot of conflicting musical ideas. "It's a mess," Manilow announced. The players and singers on stage run through again ... and again and again. Manilow peels away layers, subtracting from the arrangement. He tells one player: "That long note you're playing, if I wrote that long note, I didn't mean to. I hate it." By the end, after a dozen tries, the section of the song is far crisper and more powerful to the ear. "That's it, that'll do," Manilow said. A New York girl of Irish heritage named Edna Manilow married Harold Pincus, who was of Russian Jewish lineage, but they divorced not long after the birth of their son, Barry, who would legally take his mother's name in his teen years. She and her ex-husband's parents raised the boy and eked out a living in a neighborhood that Manilow has described as streets of laundry lines and hardscrabble lives. The boy loved music and took up the accordion. His grandfather took a profound interest in the youngster's budding musicality. During his shows at the Hilton, Manilow weaves this family lore into the act by telling how his grandfather spent his hard-earned quarters dropping them into a novelty recording booth and coaxing the child to sing. Manilow even pauses during the show, and some of those early recordings are piped in for the crowd. There's an expected sentimental rush among the audience. Many have been seeing him for years; the "Fanilows," as his most devout followers call themselves, are sort of like Deadheads but with AARP cards and a penchant for sequins and late-model Cadillac sedans. Despite the ardor of the audience (which lets out a mildly lusty cheer when Manilow sways his hips or doffs his shiny jacket), Manilow said the shows at the Hilton have been the hardest work he's had in decades. The crowd is watered down by high rollers, camp guests and tourists who, unlike the Fanilows, aren't screaming from the first notes. "I really have to dig most nights, so it is different. But they leave happy, and it's a great challenge." Manilow does a show-stopping duet of "Mandy" � which he happens to perform with himself. The song is set up by a 1975 video of Davis on the old "Midnight Special" music show introducing his great new find, Manilow, who performs with those same doe eyes and a shimmering mane of hair. The video pauses and Manilow, behind a piano that floats to center stage, begins swapping verses with himself. The crowd, of course, goes wild. If there is a song that defines Manilow it's probably "I Write the Songs" with its over-the-top opening lines: "I've been alive forever / And I wrote the very first song / I put the words and the melodies together / I am music / And I write the songs." It's a funny twist that Manilow didn't actually write "I Write the Songs" (it was Bruce Johnston of the Beach Boys, in tribute to Brian Wilson), but its sweeping music and soft-focus earnestness make it an anthem for the singer and his fans, who sing along at the Hilton with moist eyes. Fanilows love their idol's unabashed sentimentalism, and plenty of songs have a melancholy theme. His songs make the young girls cry, as the song goes, but he said he gets through life without too many tears. "If I had one thing I could change, it would be the fact that I don't really have conversations and get to meet and know people," he said. He paused and chose his words carefully. "I walk into a room, or an elevator or a party or whatever, and I can't have real conversations. People can't get past this star-guy thing. It's not lonely, but if I could get anything back, it would be that � to talk to people, you know, not just sing to them. But I've got no complaints." At the Las Vegas Hilton, you can visit the Manilow store to buy a "Copacabana" bobble head, "Mandy" T-shirts, back issues of the singer's slick fan magazine, Manilow-approved jewelry that runs as pricey as $950 for a necklace or a bottle of Manilow's own brand of Cabernet Sauvignon from a vineyard in Northern California. For $10, you can join the BMIFC (that would be the Barry Manilow International Fan Club), and for $1,000, you can attend the club's August convention in Vegas and maybe even meet the man. Manilow is hardly the only veteran artist who has branded himself and his music, but there may be no one who does more of it. "The main thing is not to embarrass yourself," Manilow said of the revenue streams. His fans, though, are encouraged to embarrass themselves � the Manilow Store has an elaborate recording booth where, for $20, customers can record themselves as they belt out the old hits.Barry Manilow had a successful career as a jingle writer and became a star with a run of 1970s hits. "The Greatest Songs of the Fifties" is the first Manilow collection to hit No. 1 on the album chart since "Barry Manilow Live" in 1977 and the only one to debut in the top spot. The singer has recorded 17 singles that broke the Top 20 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, [including] "Mandy" (1), "It's a Miracle" (12), "Could It Be Magic" (6), "I Write the Songs" (1), "Tryin' to Get the Feeling Again" (10), "Weekend in New England" (10), "Looks Like We Made It" (1), "Can't Smile Without You" (3), "Even Now" (19), "Copacabana (At the Copa)" (8), "Ready to Take a Chance Again" (11), "Somewhere in the Night" (9), "When I Wanted You" (20), "I Made It Through the Rain" (10), "The Old Songs" (15), "Read 'Em and Weep" (18). |
| March 9, 2006 | The Palladium-Item (Richmond, IN) | "Fired to inspired: The Richmond stop that fueled Barry Manilow's music and passion" by Steve Martin |
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| On May 2, 1928, Fred Wiggins of Starr-Gennett threw out the second take of Hoagy Carmichael's timeless classic "Star Dust" with the infamous notation: "Reject. Already on Gennett. Poor seller." Jazz enthusiasts forever lament the loss, and Wiggins for decades was remembered as the man who threw away a classic. In 1966, another equally landmark pronouncement made another inexperienced musician performing at the Richmond Holiday Inn feel badly. The piano player was fired two days into his first professional engagement. Richmond has many things to be proud of, but it also has the distinction of being the place where Barry Alan Pincus was fired. Barry Alan Pincus' stage name is Barry Manilow. Today, the internationally successful musician is soaking in success. His new album, "The Greatest Songs of the Fifties," debuted in February at No. 1 on Billboard's Top 200 chart and remains sixth on the chart ahead of Eminem. He's packing in the crowds in Las Vegas and his PBS special is airing repeatedly, including tonight. Manilow's autobiography, "Sweet Life: Adventures On The Way To Paradise," acknowledges that the lesson he learned in Richmond secured his place in the popular musical pantheon. Manilow was born Barry Alan Pincus in Brooklyn, N.Y., in 1946. He was, as he put it, "the kid (other children) always beat up." He took piano lessons when he was seven, and then again at 13. In a short time, he was an accomplished pianist. After graduating from high school, he considered a musical career, and attended the New York College of Music, but his money ran out. Manilow supported himself with a job in the CBS mailroom and attended evening classes at the prestigious Juilliard School of Music. He was hired by aspiring singer Jeanne Lucas to do piano arrangements while he worked at CBS. This was in 1965. "We were working small clubs around town... very unprofessional. Although I loved playing piano, I was uncomfortable when the spotlight landed on me..." Manilow wrote in his autobiography. "We included songs that had been dropped from shows before they reached Broadway, or songs that never it made to the hit parade. I arranged fast songs slowly, and slow songs up-tempo." A booking agent called Manilow with an out-of-town offer. According to his autobiography, he and Lucas "breathlessly waited in the outer office... We were very excited and squeezed each other's hands." The agent said he had a professional opening in a lounge. "Lounge? Well, that sounds good," Manilow said. "Our act is a perfect lounge act. At which hotel? The Waldorf?" Not exactly. It's the Holiday Inn... in Richmond, Indiana." The booking agent wanted an answer in a week. Manilow sought advice from everyone. His friends said, "Take the job." But he couldn't. "I was so desperate, I actually wrote a letter to the 'Playboy Adviser' in 'Playboy' magazine... They sent me a personal reply within a week and advised me to take the music job in Richmond." "Playboy" published the advice months later. It said, "Go Midwest, young man, and sow your wild notes." Manilow was at a crossroads. "I loved working at CBS. But music was my obsession. I didn't want to give up the security that CBS offered, but music was coming out my ears." CBS executive Dick Rector told him, "Everybody thinks you're gifted. I think you should take the job. If it doesn't work out, you'll always have a job at CBS." That was "the last kick... I needed... I felt somewhat secure knowing I could always come back... Either I was real brave or real stupid, but I called Jeanne and said, "Baby, start packing. We're going to Richmond, Indiana." It was Manilow's first professional gig... According to Manilow, "Jeannie and I didn't sleep well that evening... When we opened the next night, we began with a duet of 'Georgy Girl.' Then Jeanne sang her whole act, and we closed with our duet of 'Something Stupid.' There were about 20 people in the place when we started. We emptied the room in 15 minutes... The manager fired us two days later." And, it set his course for superstardom. |
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