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| From Up The Sandbox, 1972 |
You don’t even want to know how much I love Barbra Streisand.
It’s sort of a weird thing.
Not as weird as my Mandy Patinkin thing, but it’s pretty weird.
One time I saw Mandy Patinkin and Patti Lupone in concert and I pretended the whole time that it was Barbra singing instead of Patti.
Sorry, Patti.
And Barbara surpasses all.
Because today is her 70th birthday, and because it occurred to me that I never shared my love for her with you before, I thought today would be a great day for this post.
Top Ten Reasons Why Barbra Streisand Is Better Than All Of Us
1. She is beautiful without being pretty. In fact, I’ll take it further: Barbra Streisand taught me to hate the word pretty. It is the sort of word you slap on something or someone who conforms to something expected. Something convenient. Something pretty. Newsflash: Who gives a crap? Let’s have something beautiful. Something messy. Something flawed. Let’s have something we have never seen before. If you are one of those people who think a person needs to possess a certain sort of face shape, or hair color, or body type to be considered gorgeous, you need to spend more time with Barbra. (I suggest you start with Color Me Barbra.)
2. She hates waste. She even got rid of the extra A in her name, turning Barbara to Barbra. The Lady runs a tight ship!
3. Talented much? Babs was the first person ever to receive a Grammy, an Emmy, an Oscar and a Tony. Her Tony was a non-competitive award for Star of the Decade, which is why many people attribute this first to others (such as Rita Moreno). So lets set the record straight: Barbra came first.
4. She is stepmother to Josh Brolin, who is arguably The Cutest Professional Bad Guy Ever. He also hosted Saturday Night Live last weekend. You should watch it.
5. She went to high school with Neil Diamond. I can’t even talk about this. You know how I feel about Neil Diamond.
6. She had a fling with Elvis. Actually, that’s only a rumor. Although, it is widely reported that she wanted Elvis to star with her in A Star Is Born, which, if you have seen the movie, is hard to imagine.
7. She makes long fingernails look good. The story is that Dolly Parton composed Nine to Five by running her acrylic nails together like a comb on a washboard, and I’m pretty sure Barbra composes her music the same way: talon tapping. No proof on my part, I just know these things.
8. She can cook. In fact, she likes to cook. And she used to have a kitchen wallpapered in RED PATENT LEATHER. And her White Bean Chilli Recipe will knock your socks off. No seriously, it’s good.
9. She gets stage fright. She has performed in front of millions of people and still gets scared. This makes me feel better about my inability to ask strangers for directions. Yes, it’s not really the same thing, but it makes me feel better.
10. She is a badass philanthropist. I’m pretty sure most celebrities can site their charitable endeavors, but most of them pale in comparison the time, money and devotion Barbra has invested in a variety of charitable causes. Alone, the Streisand Foundation has given millions of dollars through thousands of grants to nonprofit organizations and she has raised many millions more through her performances.
Side note: I have a friend who used to work for a non-profit organization in LA, where, reportedly, Barbra would occasionally call to ask for lists of names and phone #s of people who recently donated. She would just call them. Thank them and stuff. No biggie, just, Hey is Barbra! Thanks for making a difference. Have a great day!One lucky lady got a song on her answering machine. My friend said it was Evergreen but he might have been making that up because he knows I’ll start singing it upon mention. I don’t care. Still, every time I write a check or drop a dime in a bucket for a good cause, I do it because 1. It is the right thing to do, and because 2. What goes around comes around and if I have a fantasy voice mail from Barbra coming, it’s going to sound just like this:
Streisand is my middle name – my mom is a huge fan.
my my middle name is Jone like Barbras im a huge fan like my granda
She is a good actress. I didn’t see Yentl, but I saw the boxing picture What’s up Doc? with Ryan O’Neal, and she was great in The Way We Were with Robert Redford. Is that the right name? She has GREAT HAIR. and a beautiful complexion. She’s a perfectionist, but I guess she has a right to be. They painted Oprah’s microphone white for her when she was on the show. She must be embarrassed to be seventy, because she is vain. Ann
i watched Yentl last night with my dad he was confussed but i loved it evenb though ive watched it 83 times and counting, im going crazy
The only thing I have in common with Barbra is that I have a beaded necklace like that. I bought it at an estate sale at the old folks home in Florida last winter for $5.
I’ve always liked her. I respect her alot because she refused to have ner nose “fixed” for Hollywood! They just don’t make that any more!! Happy birthday Babbs!!
and she needs to make sure she keeps her singing voice for busness coz getting her nose fixed could change it
Fabulous post. Seventy? No way!
yeah she looks 40-50
Now I KNOW why I am a follower of your blog. Wasn’t quite sure until today, but now there is NO doubt. BS would be a star even if she wasn’t the best crooner ever. She is the epitome of the word “class.” Happy B’day Babs, you look amazing!
she is absolutely mesmerizing. i watched Funny Girl for the first time last year and it’s like being hypnotized.
Best. Post. Ever. 70 and no work done??? Seriously the most talented lady ever, my hero.
I like the way the African woman is looking askance at Barbra.
Aunt Peaches, I love you but I have to draw the line. Maybe you can explain this to me, does it make you love her even more? Is it just a creative way to deal with mementos? Because I don’t get it.
http://www.harpersbazaar.com/fashion/fashion-articles/barbra-streisand-house-photos#slide-1
Seventy?! No way!
And what about The Way We Were?
Bravo, I completely agree. Love her music, love her style and I agree that she is beautiful.
You make me laugh! Love your comments about Babs! She sings lovely. And is absolutely beautiful.
Barbra IS my world! This article and pix was extra nice to see, thank you.
she also fired Dudley Moore when he was getting sick. I hate her for that reason. Cold cold cold. sorry.