When he burst onto the music scene with "Mandy" in '74, Barry Manilow invented the power ballad and in the process changed prom songs forever. The rest of the Me Decade would prove the singer unstoppable (even by critics) as he produced a string of hits and created a loyal following of fans who found in his lush music an escape from the hard rock of the times. These days the Brooklyn boy is still making good, with a new CD for the holidays, In the Swing of Christmas (available at Hallmark stores), and a TV special, Barry Manilow: Songs from the Seventies (premiering Dec. 3 on PBS, check TV Guide listings), proving that much like the power ballad, Manilow will never go out of style.
TVGuide.com: It seem like you're busier than ever.Barry Manilow: Just when I think I'm done it explodes again, I'm just amazed. I g
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by guest blogger Katie BottnerEpisode Recap: "Elimination Number Six"I am speechless! I think I can still hear the boos resonating from the TV as we just learned Sabrina Bryan is going home. She was pegged to be one of the final two in this competition. What happened? I didn't think her latest dance was enough reason for her to go home this week. The rest of the dancers better stay on their game. Sidenote: after reading your comments about a possible romance between her and dance partner Mark, I have to say I agree. Did you catch the "baby" and "I love you"? Hmm...I was also shocked — shocked — that Jane Seymour was announced safe second. Now, we did not get to see Jane tonight as she was absent due to a bout with food poisoning. I'll bet she is feeling better now!Did everyone catch Marie mouth, "I am going to faint" when the judges made her wait through a commercial break to find out her fate? It was a surprise that she was not in the bottom two, but that Cameron fo...
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by Katie BottnerWill the women knock another man out of the competition tonight or will Helio Castroneves and Cameron Mathison hold their own? I think it is safe to say one of the women will be saying goodbye. But who? Will Marie Osmond get more sympathy votes? Will Jane Seymour find herself in the bottom two again this week? In just a few minutes, Mr. I Write the Songs that Make the Whole World Sing, Barry Manilow will be on stage to sing to the remaining six, and we also get a sneak preview into Carrie Ann and Bruno’s new show Dance War. Who do you think will be in the bottom two? Leave your comments and don’t forget to check back after the show for the full recap.
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Maybe Barry Manilow should retitle his old hit "I Rewrite the Songs." Despite Barry's blog brag about "bowing out" of his Tuesday visit to The View when the chat show refused to bar conservative Elisabeth Hasselbeck from his segment, a source close to the show says that executive producer Bill Geddie canceled the crooner rather than accede to his out-of-left-field demand.Manilow's booking had been firm since July, we're told, making his sudden objection to what he told TMZ were Hasselbeck's "dangerous views" somewhat inexplicable. We also remember Manilow's two happy singalongs in 2006, in which the cast, including Hasselbeck, were in on the fun. "This came as a complete shock to Elisabeth, who's a consummate professional," says the insider. On her Monday-night Sirius radio show, View creator Barbara Walters deemed Manilow's decision "too bad." Why'd the aging popster do it? "He's a huge friend of Rosie's, so make of that what you will," sums up our source. — Reporting by Ilean...
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If you were planning to catch the "Mandy" singer on The View today, your plans have just changed. In a message posted on his website yesterday, he announced that he'd canceled his appearance. "I had made a request," he writes, "that I be interviewed by Joy [Behar], Barbara [Walters] or Whoopi [Goldberg] but not Elisabeth," whom TMZ has quoted him as calling "dangerous" and "offensive." "Unfortunately," he continues on his blog, "the show was not willing to accommodate this simple request, so I bowed out." Score another one for Team Rosie.
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