Jan. 18 - Barbra was spotted in Indian Wells, California yesterday, attending a conference called "Health Matters." The event, part of the Clinton Global Initiative was hosted by former president Clinton and moderated by his daughter, Chelsea.

The objective of the conference was to identify strategies for personal health and the health of others. The epidemics of obesity, diabetes and heart disease in America were focal points of the event.

Barbra, who is active in raising the overall awareness of a healthy heart lifestyle, was not among the speakers. However, there was no shortage of other luminaries to take the stage as advocates of a healthy lifestyle.

On-stage participants included former House Majority Leader Dick Gephardt, former U.S. Surgeon General David Satcher, and Presidential Medal of Freedom winner and tennis star Billie Jean King.

King, Satcher, Gephardt and President Clinton lead the opening session titled "Achieving Lifelong Health & Well Being."

Jan. 17 - Lerner and Lane's profound lyrics seem to sum up the latest breaking news from Broadway:
"Why is the sequel never the equal? Why is there no encore?"

Alas, the much anticipated Broadway stage revival of "On A Clear Day You Can See Forever" will close its doors and shutter its windows on January 29.

"Clear Day" was to have been a highlight of the current New York theatrical season. But a great score (that included all the songs Barbra Streisand sang exclusively in the 1970 film), an intriguing rewrite and a marquee star (Harry Connick, Jr.) just weren't enough to save a show that the New York Times called "a case of clinical depression."

But there was a silver lining to be found amid "Clear Day's" cloud of negative reviews. Jessie Mueller's portrayal of Melinda (left) managed to be the break-out moment of the show. Her performance was noticed and hailed by some of those same critics who otherwise panned this new production.

The same phenomenon happened to Barbara Harris in the 1965 production. Harris' performance as Daisy/Melinda actually helped launch her career despite the original show's lackluster reviews. More

Jan. 15 - The folks over at Paramount celebrated their 100th anniversary on January 13 with a lavish bash on the back lot. Barbra, whose comedy My Mother's Curse will be released by Paramount later this year was on hand to enjoy the festivities and to sit with an incredible list of stars for a studio class picture. The official photo has not been released as of yet.

Jane Fonda was the first to provide a look inside the festivities by tweeting photos (left) and details from the evening. Fonda noted the attendance of George Clooney, Eva Marie Saint, Leonardo DiCaprio, Martin Scorsese, John Travolta, Mickey Rooney, Sharon Stone, Robert DeNiro, among others. More

 

Paramount iPhone App Comes Up Short To celebrate its 100th anniversary, Paramount has just released an iPhone/iPad app containing information and photos from hundreds of their films.  Movie buffs will enjoy combing the app's extensive data base. But if you're a Barbra fan, forget it. Paramount has chosen not to include On A Clear Day You Can See Forever among the many films featured in their app. Perhaps the oversight will be corrected once someone remembers that Barbra is back on Paramount's payroll.

Dec. 14 - AARP has released their "Top 10 Albums for Grownups" list and, it's no surprise to see Barbra Streisand's latest recording among their favorites.

AARP employed the services of music critics and artists to come up with a list that also includes albums by Tony Bennett, Paul Simon and Adele (whose AARP card won't be arriving anytime soon). The criteria to earn a spot in the Top 10 is that an album must be a quality recording, unique and of relevance to AARP members.

Barbra's "What Matter's Most" certainly qualifies. According to AARP, "... 'What Matters Most' is a master class in song craft and vocal interpretation. Here, Streisand is a model of self-restraint. The entire album is a love letter written by well-read friends who share the same fascination for sophisticated melodies and songs that play like stories — not slogans."

Read more about AARP's Top-10 at aarp.org.

"Heart disease kills more women than all cancers combined ... Even though heart disease has been called a man's disease, since 1984, more women have died annually from heart disease than men ... For 50 years, women have been treated based on diagnostics created for men. So what is wrong with this picture? What's wrong with this picture is the outrageous gender inequality that women face in the treatment of heart disease."

More here. You can also watch a replay of Barbra's speech at Livestream.com.