Barbra Archives has been on the internet since May 2003 ... Even in the early days of this website, Barbra Archives was reporting important news about Barbra Streisand.
The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) on January 16, 2015 certified Barbra’s latest album, Partners—which has sold 1 million units—as a Platinum Album.
Mill Creek Entertainment released a double DVD of Streisand movies For Pete’s Sake and The Owl and the Pussycat. Unfortunately, this was a low-quality product and the print of Owl and the Pussycat is censored — Streisand’s cursing scene is still missing.
Columbia Records upgrades Barbra’s iTunes store — several of her classic albums now carry the label “Mastered for iTunes” which gives them better fidelity.
Barbra Streisand appeared at the 67th Director's Guild Awards this weekend and presented director Glenn Weiss with the Outstanding Directorial Achievement for Variety / Talk / News / Sports award for his work on the 68th Annual Tony Awards.
“I was really so lucky because I got to work with some of the best cinematographers in the world,” Barbra said as she accepted the American Society of Cinematographers’ Board of Governors Award. Cinematographer Andrzej Bartkowiak (Nuts, Mirror Has Two Faces) presented her the award.
“When I arrived in Hollywood, I didn’t have the usual qualifications for a movie star,” she said. “I have a strange face, very different from each side. People who are easy to photograph typically have very symmetrical faces, big heads, big eyes. I have a small head, a very odd nose, my mouth is too big, and my eyes are too small. But Harry enjoyed the challenge and we became fast friends. We spent hours experimenting with the light, hard lights, eye lights… Harry even rigged up what he called a ‘Strei-light’ held by a best boy who followed me around when I moved. It was fantastic.”
From the stage, Barbra shared anecdotes about her collaborations with cinematographers Harry Stradling Sr., Laszlo Kovacs, Gordon Willis, Robert Surtees and James Wong Howe, as well as David Watkin, BSC, who shot her directing debut, Yentl.
Streisand fans mobilized online and voted their idol as the #1 Most Iconic New York Celebrity over at 1010Wins/CBS New York. Barbra participated in a 15-minute telephone interview, which you can hear over at the 1010Wins website. She speaks about being a New Yorker, her Partners album, and women’s heart health.
Barbra Streisand and Jim Brolin attended the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) 50th Anniversary Gala sponsored by Christie's at LACMA.
“Women still think: ‘You better not talk about heart disease because it’s an old man’s disease,’” said Barbra Streisand during a discussion at the Women in the World Summit in New York. “I think women are still viewed as second-class citizens. It’s still a kind of old boy’s club, and whether it’s politics or in the workplace, it’s also there in medical research. For the last 50 years, most of the research has been done on men,” she said.
Streisand was joined by Dr. Holly Andersen, Attending Cardiologist and Director of Education and Outreach, Ronald O. Perelman Heart Institute New York-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical College, and Vanessa Noel, a CEO, hotelier, and women’s shoe designer, in a panel moderated by ABC News Senior Medical Contributor Dr. Jennifer Ashton.
Barbra presented Robert Redford with the prestigious Chaplin Award at Lincoln Center. She brushed a lock of his blond hair from his forehead, just as she did in their 1973 movie The Way We Were – leaving the audience cheering and teary-eyed.
“Tonight, some 40 years after we first met on that soundstage, I'd like to say, ‘Dear Bob, it was such fun being married to you for a while. Too bad it didn't work out. But we made something that will last much longer than many real marriages. I am so proud of the work we did together. I was thrilled to be your leading lady then, and I am honored to present this award to you now.’”
Barbra Streisand, co-founder of the Women’s Heart Alliance (WHA), hosted a diverse group of celebrities, including Academy Award winner Helen Hunt, Emmy Award winner Jane Lynch, Golden Globe nominee Virginia Madsen, Ginnifer Goodwin, Sarah Chalke, Fran Drescher, Amanda Crew, Josh Brener, Danielle Panabaker, Carly Pope and Jimmy O. Yang, at an intimate celebrity tea at the Montage Hotel in Beverly Hills Monday to encourage Hollywood elites to lend their strong voices to the fight against women’s heart disease.
Viking announced it had bought Streisand’s autobiography, which will cover her entire life and career. In an announcement of the deal, Brian Tart, the president and publisher of Viking, said the many previous books about Ms. Streisand are “full of myths and inaccuracies, and she is finally going to tell her own story.” Reports said the book would be released in 2017.
The L.A. Times reports that Barbra will be donating a John Singer Sargent painting (“Mrs. Cazalet and Her Children Edward and Victor”) from her private collection to the Los Angeles County Museum of Art in recognition of the organization's 50th anniversary.
“It is a piece that needs breadth and space,” she told the newspaper. “It needs to be displayed on a museum wall, and LACMA fits the bill.”
Streisand is giving the painting as a bequest and the change of hands hasn't taken effect yet. “I hope not for a while. It will belong to the museum after I leave this earth,” she said.
“Barbra really loves this painting,” museum director Michael Govan said. “It was her initiative, and it has engendered so much generosity.” Govan said that Streisand is also donating a Tiffany lamp to the museum.
Omar Sharif died of a heart attack in a Cairo hospital. The actor had been suffering from Alzheimer's. Sharif portrayed Nicky Arnstein in the 1968 film version of Funny Girl, and repeated the role in the 1975 sequel Funny Lady.
Barbra’s statement: “Omar was my first leading man in the movies. He was handsome, sophisticated and charming. He was a proud Egyptian and in some people's eyes, the idea of casting him in ‘Funny Girl’ was considered controversial. Yet somehow, under the direction of William Wyler, the romantic chemistry between Nicky Arnstein and Fanny Brice transcended stereotypes and prejudice. I feel lucky to have had the opportunity to work with Omar, and I'm profoundly sad to hear of his passing.”
Seth Rudetsky was at Largo in Los Angeles performing his show Deconstructing Broadway, and Barbra attended. She posed for photos with director Judd Apatow that evening, too. Rudetsky wrote: “I really wasn't nervous throughout, even though I was deconstructing Barbra’s song in front of Barbra. I opened with ‘Any Place I Hang My Hat Is Home,’ did a section in the middle on two different versions of ‘He Touched Me’ and ended by pointing out how she takes the word ‘apart’ and changes the last T to a D and in ‘Cornet Man,’ she puts an L at the end of the word ‘mute.’”
Designer Arnold Scaasi passed away at age 85. Streisand’s statement: “I was very saddened to hear of Arnold Scaasi's passing. Arnold was a wonderful designer who knew how to combine fantasy and craftsmanship. He made many fabulous outfits for me over the years and unfortunately, only one of them stole the headlines. I had no idea when I wore it to receive the Academy Award that the outfit would become see-through under the lights! I was embarrassed but it sure was original at the time.”
Barbra and Lady Gaga posted photos taken at Barbra's home. Barbra hosted Ryan Murphy (Glee, The Normal Heart), Gaga (currently filming Murphy’s American Horror Story), pal John Travolta (in Murphy’s American Crime Story) and his wife Kelly Preston, Barbra’s dog, Sammy, and Jim Brolin. The internets exploded and Streisand fans speculated what, if anything, it all meant.
Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS proudly announced that incomparable superstar Barbra Streisand will be the 2015 addition to its Broadway Legends holiday ornament collection. The six-inch-tall glass Barbra ornament was designed exclusively for Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS by artist Glen Hanson with the Christopher Radko Company. All proceeds from the sale of the ornament benefit BC/EFA.
Deadline reported exclusively that Universal took a pass on Barbra's film version of Gypsy, which means it goes into “turnaround” — Universal can declare a loss with the IRS, and the rights may be sold to another studio in exchange for reimbursement for costs to date plus interest.
Barbra Streisand and Jim Brolin hosted the West Coast launch of Donna Karan's memoir, My Journey — Barbra wrote the foreword for the book. Also attending the launch: Carole Bayer Sager & Bob Daly, Eric Buterbaugh and Richard Baskin, Quincy Jones, Sherry Lansing, Jason Gould, and Roslyn Kind.
Barbra moved talent agencies — from UTA (United Talent Agency) to CAA (Creative Artists Agency). Barbra was repped by UTA from March 2013. Deadline noted: “The reps move comes two weeks after her film project Gypsy, in which she was to play the iconic Rose role, was put into turnaround at Universal.”
Steven Spielberg, Barbra Streisand, Stephen Sondheim, Gloria Estefan and James Taylor received the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Obama at the White House.
It’s announced that Streisand will direct Catherine the Great from a screenplay by Kristina Lauren Anderson, with Gil Netter producing.
Robert Redford presented Barbra with the Sherry Lansing Leadership Award at a Women in Entertainment event.
“What a pleasure this is to give this award to somebody who, I think, didn't revolutionize but instigated a new kind of beauty,” Redford said.
“A lot has been written recently about how few women get the opportunity to direct,” Streisand said in her speech. “Believe it or not, we were doing better in 1916, when 12 women were working as directors in Hollywood. I learned this when my company, Barwood Films, made a documentary in 2000 about the first women filmmakers. But in 2014, almost 100 years later, only 5 of the 150 top-grossing films were directed by women.”
“Gender discrimination drives me crazy,” she said. “Women are still treated as second-class citizens when it comes to equal pay in the workplace and equal representation in Congress.”
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