January 2006 Streisand News
Thursday, 15-Dec-2005 7:40 AM

'Barbra Streisand Album' Inducted into Grammy Hall of Fame ...

Congratulations to Barbra and the late Peter Matz! Her first album, The Barbra Streisand Album, has been inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame. Released in 1963, the album also won Barbra her first Grammy Awards for Album of the Year, Best Female Vocal Performance, and Album Cover (non-classical). Make sure to check out The Barbra Streisand Music Guide Album Directory for more information.

Also interesting to note is the fact that The Barbra Streisand Album was released after Columbia Records decided to abandon the live show they recorded and hoped to release as Streisand's first album. Read more about that here >>

The official press release is below ...

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SANTA MONICA, Calif. (Jan. 12, 2006) — The Recording Academy® announced the newest additions to its GRAMMY Hall Of Fame®, adding 25 recordings to a timeless list that now includes 684 titles. The Hall Of Fame serves as a celebration and reminder of the triumphs and achievements of the recording arts. Selections are drawn from all major categories of music, acknowledging the diversity of musical expression for which The Recording Academy has become renowned.

"This year's inductees represent an array of genres, including folk, blues, R&B, and country as well as musical shows," said Recording Academy President Neil Portnow. "The GRAMMY Hall of Fame is one of the Academy's most prized endeavors and it represents the most significant recorded musical masterpieces that have had a profound impact on our culture. They all greatly deserve to be commemorated."

GRAMMY Hall Of Fame selections include original cast recordings from musical shows Camelot and Hair, as well as show recordings of "Fascinating Rhythm" by Fred and Adele Astaire, "Ol' Man River" by Paul Robeson and "Yankee Doodle Boy" by Billy Murray. Recordings also chosen this year include B.B. King's Live At The Regal, the O'Jays' "Love Train," the Carter Family's "Keep On The Sunny Side," Bob Dylan's Bringing It All Back Home, Bob Marley and the Wailers' Exodus,and Barbra Streisand's The Barbra Streisand Album. Other artists with selections include Jimmy Forrest, the Miracles, Anton Karas, Doc Watson, Bessie Smith, and the Jimi Hendrix Experience.

The Recording Academy's National Trustees established the GRAMMY Hall Of Fame in 1973 to honor recordings of lasting qualitative or historical significance that are at least 25 years old. Hall Of Fame recordings are reviewed annually by a special member committee of eminent and knowledgeable professionals from all branches of the recording arts and final approval is made by Recording Academy Trustees. For more information about the Hall Of Fame or the 48th Annual GRAMMY Awards (to be broadcast live on Feb. 8 at 8 p.m. ET/PT on the CBS Television Network), please visit www.grammy.com.

Barbra and James Spotted in Palm Springs ...

Barbra and husband James Brolin were spotted at Palm Springs' El Mirasol restaurant. Other celebrity columns report that she shopped on Palm Canyon Drive while visiting Palm Springs.

Local Barbra Events in the U.S. ...

BARBRA STREISAND: THE LEGACY COLLECTION: The Hollywood Museum, Los Angeles, CA [Open until January 31, 2006]

HELLO, DOLLY! 70mm Print [Jan. 13-15] at American Film Institute, Silver Theatre, Silver Spring, MD. *

* Matt will be there watching Barbra on the Silver Screen!

ALL ABOUT BARBRA Back Issues On Sale ...

ALL ABOUT BARBRA magazine is having a back issue sale. If you need to add to your collection, or have never bought an issue of this excellent Streisand-themed magazine (published in the UK since the mid-1980's), the back issue sale is exactly what you need! Here's where to find out more >>

Barbra TV Shows On PBS + Collectibles ...

Streisand fans may have caught "My Name is Barbra" on PBS during the Holiday pledge drives. Marvin Hamlisch, who played piano in the FUNNY GIRL Broadway orchestra pit, and later conducted Barbra's big concerts, appeared on camera and spoke about Streisand. PBS also auctioned a single-DVD (i.e. not one of the box sets) of "My Name is Barbra" for the $150 pledge level. The single-DVD came in a regular DVD case with black & white artwork on the cover. The following PBS link contains a 4-page article on the 1965 special, with photos (and links to "Barbra-Archives" and "Barbra Streisand Music Guide"!)

http://www.pbs.org/wnet/gperf/shows/streisandspecials/index.html

The Barbra Bulletin would also like to bring some handsome collectibles to the attention of Streisand collectors out there: A set of eight 4" x 6" 'Promotional Only' postcards for the DVD release of the Barbra Streisand Television Specials. The postcards repeat images contained in the art deco-styled booklet that accompanies the DVD set. The postcards are "framed" in the same burgundy/black deco circles utilized in the booklet design. The Barbra Bulletin has seen these items for sale on ebay.

The Ultimate DVD Box From the Ultimate Entertainer Goes 5 Times Platinum in Just Over One Month! ...

BURBANK, CA -- (MARKET WIRE) -- 01/04/2006 -- The five Barbra Streisand early career TV specials, which confirmed for critics and the public alike that she would be the music world's most legendary female entertainer for decades to come, have just gone five times platinum -- in just over one month after their release prior to Thanksgiving.

Streisand & Brolin Inspire Songwriter ...

Songwriter Diane Warren told the press that the theme song to the movie "Armageddon" ("I Don't Want To Miss A Thing"), which was a hit for the group Aerosmith was inspired by Barbra Streisand! Ms. Warren said: "I saw some of the scenes, especially in the end where Bruce Willis' character dies. It was very touching. So I wrote 'I Don't Want To Miss A Thing.' I'd had the idea because I heard something that James Brolin said about Barbara Streisand, that he didn't want to go to sleep because he'd miss her. I kept that idea in my mind."