November 14, 2007
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My Best Birthday Present for Decades……
Nobody kneow me better than myself, this year I bought myself a ticket to Liza Minnelli’s Concert which’s held last night 13NOV in Richmond BC Canada as a treat for myself which turns out to be the best present…..
Yes it’s not cheap CAD145 plus tax….more or less HKD1160……..
I started to aware of her in 1977 from the Movie New York New York cos I fell in love with the tunes instantly. Then I asked my father( who was a musician), what kind of music Liza’s in even he couldn’t give me the correct answer, all I know were a mixture of Hollywood movies tunes from the golden era, broadways, and big bands. In 1981 I participated in a singing contest in HKG in the mid of Dec and NY NY was the tune I chosen to perform , eventually Liza’s was having her world tour and in the beginning of Dec HKG was one of the places therefore I got a ticket and went for the show, she sang and danced well during the show though not the most perfect, the stage presence attracted me and the way she delivered the lyrics touches my heart, and that gave lots of impacts and influences for my own performance at the contest and I was the champion at the age of 15. But I didn’t get into the show business in HKG, since the style of Liza is not appreciated in Asia specially the Chinese community…..
Anyway after 26 years, Liza live performance again is a Thrill!! By the time she stepped onto the stage I had tears in my eyes with joy. At age 61 after couple of surgery with her voice, hip replacements( too much choreography?), several times into the rehab of drug and alcohol problem and finally a deadly disease which affected her speech in 2000, tonight she’s back to where she belongs to The Stage, she had also brought back her strong voice, dynamic choreography and of course the way she touches your heart with the songs……
sorry only a very short clip for memory, I need to concentrate to listen……this was an encore without music…..
Liza a well known stage performer mostly in the western countries, is the daughter of a Hollywood couple : movie/stage director Vincent Minnelli and movie star Judy Garland. Her career started at age 17 in a 1963 off broadway musical ‘Best Foot Forward’, at age 19 had her first Tony Award for the musical ‘Flora the Red Menace’. In 1967 her first movie was Charlie Bubbles, in 1972 got an Oscar and a Golen Globe Award for best actress in the movie Cabaret an Emmy Award for a special TV cencert ’Liza with a Z’, 2nd Tony Award for a concert engagement in New York Winter Garden in 1974, a 3rd Tony Award for the musical ‘The Act’ in 1978, in 1977 starred in the movie New York New York, and gave her the best know signature tune theme from ‘New York New York’ In 1985 another Golden Globe Award for a TV movie ‘A Time to Live’ and in 1989 a Grammy Legend Award ..She’s such a awards collector throughtout her career.
