Showbiz legend Liza Minnelli is ‘too unwell’ to make the journey from her home in Beverly Hills to New York to appear at the Tribeca Film Festival, where a new documentary about her life and legacy is screening next week.
She was personally asked to attend by festival founder Robert De Niro, an old friend, who co-starred with her in Martin Scorsese’s New York, New York in 1977.
The documentary — Liza: A Truly Terrific Absolutely True Story — is much anticipated, and features footage from her own private archive and interviews with friends. It begins by reflecting on the death of her mother, Judy Garland.
But I’m told that Minnelli, 78, has had to demur, as her many health conditions would make the journey to the premiere on Wednesday too difficult. In April, she was pictured in California in a wheelchair.
She remains active on social media, and recently revealed she was working on ‘multiple spectacular new projects’, including starting to record again.
Of the documentary, she said: ‘I’ve been working quietly with a brilliant director, Bruce David Klein . . . to bring the real story of how my career in films and more began. And I’m not talking about my baby debut at MGM with Mama . . . that was pure nepotism.’
Liza Minnelli with Robert De Niro in 1979 in New York City
American actress Liza Minnelli with her first husband, Australian born actor Peter Allen at their wedding in 1967
American actress and singer Liza Minnelli with her mother Judy Garland in 1965
Lady Gaga and Liza Minnelli speak onstage during the 94th Annual Academy Awards in 2022
She had been looking forward to attending Tribeca for the premiere of her ‘fabulous documentary’. ‘I’m so excited, I can’t stand it!’ she had exclaimed.
Director Klein was excited, too. He said of the film: ‘When we started talking to the Liza people, they had just found about 25 hours of old footage that had never been seen before . . . in Liza’s closet! And our jaws dropped. We realised that there was a story in here about this magical time in the 1970s when she transformed.
‘Her mother died, and in three to five years she was winning a Tony, an Oscar and on and on: a mind-blowing accomplishment.’
In 2022 Minnelli appeared at the Oscars in a wheelchair, and there was concern about her confused state.
The star, who won a Best Actress Oscar for Cabaret in 1972, was greeted with a standing ovation when she reached the stage to present the Best Picture award. But she appeared to struggle with the paper she was holding, and told Lady Gaga, who came on with her: ‘I don’t understand.’
Her close friend Michael Feinstein (once Ira Gershwin’s assistant) attributed the episode to the fact that she’d been ‘ambushed’ — told at the last minute she would be appearing in a wheelchair rather than sitting in a director’s chair, which was her preference.
In March, she was too frail to attend the funeral of another close friend, producer Allan Lazare. A source said at the time: ‘Liza is in bad shape. For her to miss Allan’s funeral underscores the toll her health issues have taken.’
Minnelli has had numerous stints in rehab for substance abuse, but has been sober since 2015. She’s had hip and knee replacements, and a jaw reconstruction after a fall on stage. She’s also broken her wrists, and once contracted viral encephalitis, which can affect movement, sight and hearing.
Nobody sees the funny side when comedy flops
Film-maker Matthew Vaughn is still smarting from the reception given to his mega flop Argylle, which took $96 million on a $200 million budget and appeared to squander the talents of Henry Cavill, Sam Rockwell and Bryce Dallas Howard on a script which was preposterous — but not in a good way.
‘I thought it was a fun, feel-good movie,’ Vaughn lamented.
‘We didn’t make Citizen Kane, but f***ing hell! The reviews came out and I’m like: “Wait, what have I done to offend these people?” They were vitriolic. It did rattle me. It wasn’t like a few bad reviews. It is what it is. You learn from these things.’
Bryce Dallas Howard is Elly Conway in ARGYLLE, directed by Matthew Vaughn
Hat trick productions boss Jimmy Mulville can sympathise. He thinks the public, and critics, are particularly vicious when it comes to judging sitcoms and scripted comedies.
‘If you deliver a so-so drama, viewers say: “I thought she was good in it,” or “The lighting was nice.” But if you deliver a comedy that doesn’t land, it’s like you’ve taken a s**t in their living room. They are appalled.’
Rising star Bethany Antonia says she got in the mood to play feisty Baela Targaryen in House Of The Dragon by listening to Beyonce’s My Power.
‘I made a whole playlist this season,’ she said. ‘And it always began with My Power, which is a really good way to start the day.’
The second series starts streaming from June 16 on HBO, and from June 17 on Sky Atlantic.
Rising star Bethany Antonia says she got in the mood to play feisty Baela Targaryen in House Of The Dragon by listening to Beyonce’s My Power
The Heart Of Invictus documentary by Prince Harry may have been well received by critics — but despite its high-profile launch, data from Netflix shows that it was one of the least-watched shows of the year.
Only 300,000 have seen it since it streamed last August. By contrast, the hit film Leave The World Behind, produced by the Obamas and starring Julia Roberts, generated 121 million views in its first three weeks.
Introducing Jackal’s chic secret weapon
Ursula Corbero is known as the most chic woman in Spain — and the rest of the world is about to find out why.
She plays a femme fatale in the glamorous reworking of The Day Of The Jackal, to be screened later this year on SkyShowtime.
The ten-part series is based on Frederick Forsyth’s novel, which was later made into the classic 1973 film starring Edward Fox, though the plot will be updated. Eddie Redmayne stars as the Jackal, a lone assassin with a famous target in his sights.
Ursula Corbero is known as the most chic woman in Spain — and the rest of the world is about to find out why
And Lashana Lynch, of Bond fame, will be the MI6 agent in hot pursuit. Corbero, who is a style icon in her native Spain, is an ambassador for Bulgari and the cosmetics giant Shiseido.
Her role in The Day Of The Jackal was played by French actress Olga Georges-Picot in the classic film. Sadly, she died by suicide in 1997, aged 57.
Cleese coins it, as a new audience falls for Fawlty
Fawlty Towers — The Play has been such a hit that its run is being extended until at least Christmas.
The show, which opened last month at London’s Apollo Theatre, is already booking up until September.
But sources say that Cleese, who is an executive producer but does not appear on stage, has been swayed into extending the run further by the exceedingly strong demand, with ticket sales per performance at an astonishing 95 per cent and many shows sold out.
A source said: ‘We were surprised by how many of the audience were young people, rather than those a bit older who remember the show being on TV [in 1975 and 1979].
There’s clearly more demand out there than we thought, and perhaps enough to keep the show going even longer as word spreads about how good it is. There’s even talk it could permanently run in London, like The Lion King or Harry Potter stage plays.’
Fawlty Towers — The Play has been such a hit that its run is being extended until at least Christmas
Cleese, 84, who has spoken previously about his ‘tsunami of debt’ after three divorce settlements — including one costing him $20 million — has told friends he is delighted to be raking in serious cash from his comedy creation, in which he originated the role of madcap, moustachioed, branch-wielding hotelier Basil Fawlty.
A source said: ‘The Fawlty Towers television show is hugely well-loved, but that’s not the same as it bringing in a lot of money. Repeats only earn you so much.’
The play combines the plots of three half-hour episodes of the TV show — including The Germans, with its famous line ‘Don’t mention the war!’ — into a show lasting just under two hours, with an interval.
Last week, Cleese made a surprise visit to see it, and laughed uproariously. Afterwards, he congratulated the cast, commenting that Adam Jackson-Smith — who plays Basil — performed the role ‘better than I ever did’.
Singer Dua Lipa has hit the headlines after taking a tumble on stage. She blamed the slip on sweat . . . not hers, but the puddles of perspiration left by her dancers. ‘I’ve fallen over quite a few times,’ she admitted.
‘I fell over on my tour — once in Barcelona, once in Milan (pictured far right) — on the same spot. It was the hottest week in Europe, so some of my dancers were sweating a bit extra, and I slipped on a little sweat puddle.
‘We had to change the choreography so I don’t get a little puddle right where I’m about to start dancing.
‘It’s all part of the experience. You’ve got to get a little bruised.’
Dua Lipa performs on stage during her concert held on the occasion of the ‘Future Nostalgia World Tour’ in 2022
Singer Dua Lipa has hit the headlines after taking a tumble on stage
Q: What’s worse than a joker?
A: A joker you are going to spend six months trapped in space with.
While sitting on the launchpad waiting for take-off, it’s traditional for astronauts to listen to music to calm nerves. On a trip to the International Space Station in 2015, Brit Tim Peake’s U.S. colleague Tim Kopra left it to him to pick the playlist.
‘I knew Tim didn’t like Lady Gaga, so I threw Poker Face in there,’ said Peake. ‘I took delight in seeing Tim’s face.’
After Sacha split, Isla goes house hunting
Actress Isla Fisher — who had been living in her native Australia with British husband Sacha Baron Cohen — is house-hunting in Hampstead, North London.
I hear she has a budget of £13 million, give or take, and is searching for a forever family home for her and their three children.
The planned move is an indication that the couple’s split is being handled with an exemplary lack of animosity. Sacha is believed to be in the process of buying a London house of his own.
A friend said: ‘It’s all about the kids and what is best for them; there seems to be no drama at all. Judging by the size of the budget, the family will now be based in London. But Isla is going to keep her place in Australia.’
Actress Isla Fisher — who had been living in her native Australia with British husband Sacha Baron Cohen — is house-hunting in Hampstead, North London
Fisher, 48, is currently in the UK, as she is playing a single friend of the heroine in new film Bridget Jones: Mad About The Boy. (Renee Zellweger is reprising her role as the unlucky-in-love Bridget, who this time dallies with a toyboy, played by One Day’s Leo Woodall).
Isla and Sacha, 52, announced in April that they had quietly separated last year.
The couple first met in 2001 and tied the knot in 2010. They are parents to daughters Olive, 16, and Elula, 13, and son Montgomery, nine.
Insiders claim the marriage had been ‘shaky’ for years, with Sacha reportedly struggling after making the ‘sacrifice’ to relocate their family to Australia in 2020.
They moved from Los Angeles to Sydney, then on to Perth — where Isla’s family live — in September 2021, to escape Sydney’s strict Covid lockdown rules.
It is thought Sacha will keep a house in Los Angeles for work.
The split announcement came shortly after actress Rebel Wilson made claims about Sacha in her memoir, Rebel Rising, which he has denied.
