Liza Minnelli's Latest Comeback

Originally published on www.sosogay.co.uk

With an Oscar, an Emmy, multiple Tony Awards and a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award under her belt and over 50 years in the business that is show, Liza Minnelli is the definition of the term ‘living legend’.

Not content with sitting out her later years on a vast yacht in the baking sun telling stories about all the other greats she’s known – such as her mother, her father, Frank Sinatra or Sammy Davies Jr. – Liza continues to keep busy, and this year is no exception as she brings her celebrated gifts to the London stage for a one-night-only performance on March 1^.

Minnelli will be performing at the Royal Festival Hall in London as part of the Southbank Centre’s ‘Berlin in the 20s and 30s’ weekend, where she will perform songs from the legendary Cabaret, jazz standards and Broadway tunes. However, as she mentioned in The Telegraph, she’s still re-writing the show, so who knows what could happen.

The performance at the Royal Festival Hall will be her first performance at the venue since 1973, when she performed her renowned Emmy Award winning show Liza with a Z there.

The weekend will also see a screening of Cabaret, which celebrates its 41^st birthday this year and marks the 40^th anniversary of Minnelli’s Oscar win for her performance of Sally Bowles.

Aside from her one night engagement in London, this year appears to mark another comeback in the life of the legendary performer. With scheduled performances at the New York City Town Hall alongside Alan Cumming, a performance at the State Theatre’s 25^th annual benefit gala in May, a return to acting with a guest appearance as herself in TV shows Smash and Arrested Development and even, according to an interview with The Huffington Post, a new album in the works, it looks like Liza may be doing a few more appearances this year. Well here’s hoping she does.

More Films News ...

Originally posted on www.thefancarpet.com

Brit Marling is Hot Property

New girl on the block Brit Marling is becoming one to watch in Hollywood.

After making a huge impact at the Sundance Film Festival with indie flicks Another Earth and Sound of My Voice, the woman of multiple talents (she’s also a writer and a producer) has caught the eye of Robert Redford, who wants her to star in The Company You Keep.

The actress is currently in talks to take the film’s female lead.

The film finds Redford, a former militant who has been hiding from the FBI for years. But after years of hiding a young journalist (Shia LaBeouf) uncovers his identity forcing Redford’s character to go on the run again.

Marling however hasn’t made any decisions yet and the word on the street is that she is also considering a film offer from Steven Soderbergh, where she would star in stripper film Magic Mike. Christopher McQuarrie also wants the actress to star opposite Tom Cruise in Jack Reacher adaptation One Shot.

With this many offer who knows what she will do next.

Even if she doesn’t sign on, filming for the Redford flick will begin next month.

McAvoy, Cumming and Bell To Unite

Actors James McAvoy, Alan Cumming and Jamie Bell are set to join forces on the cast of the film Filth, an adaptation of the Irvine Welsh novel of the same name.

This fourth Irvine Welsh novel to get a film adaptation, following Trainspotting, The Acid House and the forth coming feature Ecstasy.

Filth is about the immoral police officer Bruce Robertson, who is investigating a racial murder, trying to gain promotion and lots of overtime, makes sexually harassing phone calls to his friend’s wife in another person’s voice, ploughs through a drug fuelled bender in Amsterdam and to top it all off is afflicted by a tapeworm who also acts as his conscience. Yes it does sound complicated but enthralling all the same.

McAvoy will be playing Robertson, with Bell portraying his younger partner Lennox (who subsequently got his own follow up story in the 2008 novel Crime). Finally Cumming will be playing the role of Robertson’s boss, Bob Toal.

Welsh, who wrote the novel will be acting as the film’s producer and John S Baird will be directing.

The film will begin filming in January of next year.