Ovation: Barbra Streisand To Sing On Academy Awards Telecast.
I love Barbra Streisand. In high school, a friend and I were on a perpetual quest to be the first to own every one of her albums. I lost. But, I was fortunate enough to receive cassette recordings of all the albums that we collected and I memorized every word of every song that she had ever recorded. For a while, I even had a poster of Barbra on my bedroom wall (beside Debby Boone). Needless to say, I wasn’t the coolest kid in school. But I recognized quality. And Streisand has always been a superb performer.
Academy Award producers Craig Zadan and Neil Meron also recognize quality and have invited Streisand to perform on this year’s live Oscars telecast. Adele was already booked to sing the first live performance of the nominated theme from the James Bond movie, Skyfall. Norah Jones will be singing the nominated “Everybody Needs A Best Friend” from the movie Ted. And now they’ve announced that the telecast will included a “very special performance” from Streisand. Here’s the press release:
BEVERLY HILLS, CA – Two-time Academy Award® winner Barbra Streisand, who has sung on the Oscars only once before, will perform on the upcoming Oscar® telecast on February 24. Streisand last sang the love theme from “A Star Is Born” on the March 28, 1977 show, winning the Best Original Song Oscar for “Evergreen” that same night.
“In an evening that celebrates the artistry of movies and music,” said producers Craig Zadan and Neil Meron, “how could the telecast be complete without Barbra Streisand? We are honored that she has agreed to do a very special performance on this year’s Oscars, her first time singing on the show in 36 years.”
Streisand won her first Oscar for Best Actress in “Funny Girl” (1968), and was nominated again in 1973 for her lead performance in “The Way We Were.” She was also nominated for producing the Best Picture nominee “The Prince of Tides” (1991), which she also directed, and for co-writing the original song “I Finally Found Someone” from “The Mirror Has Two Faces” (1996).
Oscars for outstanding film achievements of 2012 will be presented on Oscar Sunday, February 24, at the Dolby Theatre™ at Hollywood & Highland Center®, and will be hosted by Seth MacFarlane live on the ABC Television Network. The Oscar presentation also will be televised live in more than 225 countries worldwide.
The other nominated songs are “Before My Time” from Chasing Ice, “Pi’s Lullaby” from Life of Pi and “Suddenly” from Les Misérables. Details of Streisand’s performance have not yet been released. My guess is that she simply hasn’t decided what she wants to do.
She can do that. Her name is Barbra.
Will Streisand’s inclusion in the telecast increase the likelihood that you’ll be watching?
——————————————————————————-
Like this post? Follow the blog and get involved in discussions! Find “Follow via Email” on the right side of the page and click “Follow.” Buttons for Twitter, Pinterest and Facebook are there, too!
I am an Awards Show Whore™ so of course I’ll watch, but I really wanna see, and hear, Adele!
Me, too!
I can deal with Barbra on your wall, but am having a little trouble with the Debby Boone. I may watch to see Babs, an extremely talented performer. Yet, “you light up my life”…….I would need to pass on watching her. Did Debby have any other hit songs? Of course, I liked some performers that would make me less cool – how about England Dan and John Ford Coley?
ROFL. Boone had a follow-up album, and at least one with her sisters, that were almost moderately successful, but then there was a turn to the weird that i think scared a lot of fans away.
Now she is doing necklift commercials. I guess that is what you call it. Maybe that could be a great post – what performers are you embarassed you liked way back when?
Fun idea!
The only way I would watch the Oscars is if Barbra is performing, so I guess I’ll be watching now! I also liked Debby Boone for her one song, but then I also liked the Partridge family (I’m cringing now).