I've been a fan for 30 years and I'm happy to be one of the folks editing this page! Barry has an amazing legacy and I'm delighted I could share in a tiny portion of it.
Barry Manilow returns to Vegas with 20% off
If you go to the link, it says the tickets are already sold out. Thanks for the non-existent hotline on this, BMIFC. (Aug 17, 2008 | post #1)
Homophobic Blog by Bank Exec Gets Him Fired
Thanks, Jeannine ... and thanks be to God for Pepto Bismal! It's just so sad that there is so much tolerance for this sort of viciousness we see on the 'net. It's one thing to not like someone or disagree with someone. It's quite another to express glee over another's illness (real or imaginary) and/or death. Forget good manners ... whatever happened to simple human decency? Brenda (Aug 15, 2008 | post #3)
Homophobic Blog by Bank Exec Gets Him Fired
I'm so glad Citigroup fired that a**hole. He deserves to rot in a vat of his own acidic, putrid perspiration. Something's coming up, and I believe it's my dinner. (Aug 13, 2008 | post #1)
Neil Diamond to be Barry Manilows Mentor
I respect your opinion and that you were so civil in giving it. :-) I think Barry's singing has held up remarkably well, but I do think his rigorous Vegas schedule has beaten him up a bit. I think, if Neil's work weeks were as challenging as Barry's, he might not be perceived as "having more energy" than Barry. Barry is hurting. He is still limping from hip pain and, while I don't think he's wasting away to nothing, it's obvious he HAS lost weight lately. Still, he's the Energizer Bunny ... I doubt he'll stop before life stops him altogether (a long, long time from now!) I've seen Neil in concert several times. He's amazing. I also think it's hard to compare Barry and Neil because their styles are so different. Both are incredible songwriters and seasoned entertainers, but comparing them - to me - is like comparing steak sauce to ketchup. One isn't better than the other - they're just different, and just as enjoyable. Cheers! Brenda (Aug 10, 2008 | post #6)
Neil Diamond to be Barry Manilows Mentor
Barry doesn't need to HAVE a mentor ... but he is certainly more than qualified to be anyone else's! (Aug 7, 2008 | post #2)
Where does Barry live in Palm Springs, doe anyone know?
I have seen fans - in public - treat Barry like a zoo animal. And act like zoo animals themselves (my apologies to the lions and tigers and bears, oh my). That having been said ... If the devil came up to Barry and said, "Hey - have I got a deal for you! With just one snap of my fingers I can give you all your privacy back! Nobody will know who you are! You can be just another unknown gifted musician who can earn a respectable living just doing what he loves without all the celebrity bullshit. Ya just gotta give up all the big money that comes with the fame. Deal?" No way he'd ever go for it. Brenda (Aug 2, 2008 | post #186)
Gretchen Rubin: The Happiness Lesson I Learned From A Barry Man...
What a cool article! Here's to enthusiasm and courage! Brenda (Aug 1, 2008 | post #1)
Manilow among honorees at 2009 Steve Chase Awards
You bring up a really good point and I'm not trying to sugar-coat anything. You're not going to see Barry hanging out with fans doing ANYTHING because, to be frank, we (the collective "we) scare the shit out of him. I've seen him TRY to relate to his fans in an informal manner again and again and again and he ALWAYS gets burned. There will always be fans behaving madly, mobbing him and hurting other fans (I once almost had my eye put out by an umbrella-flailing moron who, in her slobbery frenzy, couldn't rush him fast enough). Now, another guy (who doesn't scare as easily) might have a thick enough skin to deal with the nut jobs and still show up for the benefit of the fans who DON'T act like morons around him. But Barry ISN'T thick-skinned. He might like to claim he is, but he takes criticism - or any perceived negative action - very personally and very defensively. I don't think he shuns the fans at fundraising events because he's a selfish jerk who just wants to write checks for the write-offs. I honestly think he WANTS to a good person but has a really low tolerance for unpredictable human behavior. And ESPECIALLY when it comes from women (his main audience). I honestly believe he's always been more comfortable dealing with men. I think most women scare the crap out of him anyway. So, I don't disagree with you. I wish he COULD live up to your vision of how he should behave. I just think he does the best he can with how he's wired, you know? Thanks for the interesting debate. Brenda (Jul 27, 2008 | post #5)
Manilow among honorees at 2009 Steve Chase Awards
Lookit ... Barry's not a "get your hands dirty" kinda person. Don't look for him to work in a soup kitchen or help build a house. It's just not in him. But he can write checks, and act as a cheerleader for his many supporters, so that's what he does. And that has its value too. We all have different gifts and different ways we can each contribute to the common good, right? Brenda (Jul 25, 2008 | post #2)
Fears grow for Barry Manilow as he drops to Seven Stone
Why oh why .... Do I try and try and try ... (heavy sigh) Good-bye. Brenda (Jul 24, 2008 | post #13)
Fears grow for Barry Manilow as he drops to Seven Stone
Either you have terrible reading comprehension or you're deliberately reading something that isn't there so that you can flame me. I didn't say I BELIEVED it ... I merely suggested that is is POSSIBLE anyone within any celebrity's camp can plant a story to a) drum up attention for that celebrity (followed by the same party debunking it), or b) divert attention from something else. This is a common practice in public relations. Now put away the knife. I'm not out to "get" Barry. You need to calm down and, next time, try to actually comprehend what is actually SAID. Brenda (Jul 23, 2008 | post #11)
Fears grow for Barry Manilow as he drops to Seven Stone
How do you know someone from Barry's own camp didn't plant the story? Any PR is good PR, they say .... (Not saying this is what I believe, just raising the possibility.) (Jul 17, 2008 | post #8)
I agree with pretty much everything you said, but wanted to focus on one comment you made in particular. You said that you found the word "fan" to be "devaluing. " I am not judging what you said at all - just find it interesting. I do think "fan" is a label that Barry and his people have used to negatively classify too many people. It seems to imply that we're something sub-human. And that's too bad. I don't think Barry or Garry or their employees are unkind people by nature - I just think they've gotten so used to applying the "F" word they can no longer see the harm in doing it. In the real world, we're all created equal ... but in their world, we're still herded to the back of the bus. That pretty much speaks for itself. (Jun 24, 2008 | post #26)
I always chuckle when I see fans who want to blame everybody but the man at the top of the pyramid. He's still the one driving the bus, folks. And he didn't reach the heights he's reached by ignoring what his employees do. Brenda (Jun 20, 2008 | post #24)
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