Feature: Looking Back at 2005
December 2005
January
"Meet the
Fockers" |
September
"Guilty Pleasures" |
October
Barbra on "Ellen" |
November
"The
Streisand Specials" |
December
"My Name is Barbra" |
(Dec 31, 2005)
- Another exciting year has come to an end. Film, music and
television: Barbra did it all in '05, and she was on the
promotion circuit to make sure everyone knew it. In one of the
busiest years is recent memory for Barbra, we look back at
some of the key events of 2005:
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January: |
"Meet the
Fockers" was in theatres coast to coast, breaking house
records and firmly reasserting Barbra's status as a top
box-office draw.
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August: |
To celebrate
its 25th anniversary and with much fanfare, Columbia records
re-released the Barbra Streisand-Barry Gibb mega album,
"Guilty." The newly re-mastered release of this 1975 classic
heralded the brand new sequel album, "Guilty Pleasures,"
scheduled to hit record stores in September.
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September: |
"Guilty
Pleasures" was released, and Barbra began promoting the new
album. Her first stop was an interview with Diane Sawyer on
ABC's Primetime Live.
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October: |
Barbra's second
big promotional appearance for "Guilty Pleasures" was a
daytime television sit-down with talk show host, Ellen
Degeneres. The interview was insightful, fun and a little
bit off-beat.
Barbra also made a rare singing appearance at the MGM Garden
in Las Vegas in late October. The occasion was a fundraiser
for the Andre Agassi charitable foundation. Barbra performed
three of her well known songs: "The Way We Were," Evergreen"
and "Smile." The event raised over $10 million.
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November: |
November proved
to be a delight for fans of Barbra's early years. The
complete 5 episode box-set of Barbra's earliest television
specials was finally released on DVD. Included were the
releases of "Belle of 14th Street" and "Musical Instruments"
for the first time in any video format.
A surprising Streisand single from 1967 showed up on a
holiday compilation album. The song was "Ave Maria," sung by
Barbra in English, a version of the song many fans never
even knew existed.
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December: |
PBS broadcast
"My Name Is Barbra" over its syndicated stations around the
country. This was the first time the award winning Streisand
special had been seen on television since its original CBS
broadcasts in the '60s. Marvin Hamlisch was on hand for the
occasion at the PBS studio in New York, and during the live
pledge breaks, he spoke candidly about Barbra and the many
projects they worked on throughout the years. |
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Sadly, we lost three
notable Streisand collaborators along the way. Vincent
Schiavelli, who portrayed the scene-stealing supermarket
clerk in "For Pete's Sake" passed away in December. Sheree
North, who shared the stage with Barbra in "I Can Get If For
You Wholesale" left us in November. And "Hello, Dolly!"
producer Ernest Lehman died in July.
We wish
Barbra, and all of our website visitors a happy, healthy,
and productive 2006. |
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