The Mirror Has Two Faces- Page 2

[feinstein9]

Posted: 6/4/07 at 3:47pm

Common sense glasses are nice. I suposse mine are really rose-coloured, I just love her work a lot, and I think she's a gift to music and film. You're right, people do bash her without merit, and what's worse is that it's not just this site! You'd think the woman would be safe on a Broadway message board. I can only imagine what else people get wrong. I think a lot of the animosity in the press initially started because it was threatening to have a woman in power in Hollywood. Hince the lyric "They say songwrting, acting producing/What makes her think that she can?/Oh baby, and songwriting, acting producing/What does she think she's a man?" And I think that even though now people are begining to be more comfortable with it, seeing that people like Oprah and Martha Stewart are business people to be reckoned with, there's still some of that hostility left over.
Btw, I didn't really care for A Star is Born, either, I forgot to mention that. The fro just wasn't working. A lot of people don't like The Main Event but I find it a very interesting portait of 1979. The theme is so catchy! And back to Mirror, "I Finally Found Someone" wasn't that bad a of song, by '90's shmaltz standards. At least she sounded really good, and still does, regardless of her age. Neal, you have left me intrigued... could you tell us when your paths crossed again in 2000/2001? Perhpas the Timeless tour? There was someone else on here that met her after the most recent NY show, and it sounded very lovely. Maybe one day...

[nealb1]

Posted: 6/4/07 at 7:34pm

Feinstein9.........I'm so glad that we share COMMON SENSE...Love it!!! Ha,ha...

I sang in Barbra's choir for her "Timeless" concerts in LA & NYC in 2000. Before doing that, I sang in her choir for her concert that she gave to Al Gore the night that he won The Democratic Presidential Nomination, here in Los Angeles. It was an unbelievable experience!!! For "Timeless" we were in the bowels of The Staples Center and Madison Square Garden, singing into mics. And, we came out and sang with her for "Happy Days." To stand there on the floor of SC and MSG, right next to the stage, and to my left....less than 3 feet......is Barbra......it was surreal.........awesome.......and, we are singing together.........!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Never in a million years!!!

For the Al Gore concert, we were on stage with her during her set, in the concert. She couldn't have been kinder, nicer, and was so complimentary to us...the choir. She commented time and time again on how she liked being "backed up"...in other words, everything wasn't resting on her.

During our rehearsals with her for "Timeless," she was very, very nervous and said quite a few times that performing live isn't something that she likes to do. She doesn't want to disappoint anyone.

On her "Christmas Memories" cd, I was in her choir for 2 songs that were ultimately cut. But, a thrilling experience, none the less.

I met her again in 2004, she said I looked familiar....maybe, she was being polite...who knows?? But, again, she was very, very nice.

When people bash her,,,they take something completely out of context......that is hear say.........my friend, who's Mom, told me that the florist knows someone, who.........blah, blah, blah.....



Updated On: 6/4/07 at 07:34 PM

[baddadnpa]

Posted: 6/4/07 at 10:08pm

I Finally Found Someone was the second song put into the film for the end credits. It originally had a solo song, sung by Babs, called It Doesn't Get Better Than This which was far superior. It was in a preview showing of the film in Pasadena that I went to and was amazing. Too bad it was replaced with I Finally Found Someone.

I enjoyed the movie - very entertaining. Not a classic, but a fine way to spend two hours. It didn't deserve the mediocre reviews it received.

[BigFatBlonde]

Posted: 6/4/07 at 10:45pm

My sister meet her at a performance of Angel in America in Los Angeles. My sister introduced herself and was surprised at how gracious she was... my sis said.. he held herself like a the queen of of England, but she was still gracious.

[Dark_Angel]

Posted: 6/4/07 at 11:35pm

Thanks for all the responses to this thread guys. I've been reading all of them. You guys have pretty great points of view regarding this film.
It's funny that when I saw this movie for the first time I was 28 years old and I found it to be a little on the sappy side.

Now that I've seen this movie for the first time in 11 years my attitude toward the film has changed. I agree with the majority that Lauren Bacall was absolutely magnificent in this. I also agree that Streisand surrounded herself with a superlative supporting cast: Mimi Rogers, Pierce Brosnan, George Segal and Brenda Vaccaro.

It's interesting to note that although this was an ugly-duckling story the Jeff Bridges character although a major nerd and ultimate bore is actually quite a strikingly handsome man. After they get married she's on a mission to change his personality and the way he thinks. While he's content that she's frumpy and dumpy because that way he won't give into her sexually to prove his point of having a relationship that's not all about sex.

I got the message more this time. It's not a bad message at all. Everyone of us at one time has been dumped. Everyone of us at one time has had bouts of self doubt. And who here wouldn't have killed to have a moment like the one Rose has with Pierce Brosnan's character after her transformation. He wants her all of a sudden but she realizes that he wasn't all that she fantasized about to begin with and winds up dumping him in the process.

I'm not saying it's a perfect film. I'm not saying it's worthy of a million Oscars but I watched this movie and I laughed and at some points related to what was going on. It was a feel good movie. The only part that had me wincing a bit was the ending but like I've said it's not a perfect film.

On a side note I'm not that "schooled" on Streisand to know or even get where all the comments about her "self indulgence" come into play here but it didn't feel to me like it was an ego trip at all.

Just my 2 cents.

[feinstein9]

Posted: 6/5/07 at 12:02am

NealB- That is amazing!!!!! Only a handfull of people can say they back Babs up not one, but three times! You are very very lucky, and must have quite the voice! I'm using way too many exclamation marks. I wish I'd gotton to see the Timeless tour, but I was 14 and didn't have the cash (did get to go to NY '06 though!). The album is lovely. What a thrill! Also I think the Christmas Memories album is truly one of her best of recent (Higher Ground was good too) and it really radiated warmth. It would've been so cool to be on that record. Were the cut songs originals, or traditonal tunes we might know? Bummer when things are cut. Speaking of which, BadDad I hope there's a bootleg of that song from Mirror somewhere. Maybe another Just For the Record?
Angel- thanks for creating the thread. It's really interesting to hear everyone's opinion. It is funny how ones views of a film (or most forms of art) change as they age. Ah, the wisdom we aquire! Okay not so much wisdom, but, you know. Insights.

[baddadnpa]

Posted: 6/5/07 at 7:42am

The whole point of the film is that the Jeff Bridges character IS attracted to frumpy Streisand. That is made perfectly clear in the restaurant scene where she gets salad dressing on her dress and he rubs it off. When she goes to the bathroom to rinse it out, he fumbles and collapses due to the sexual tension, something Streisand doesn't see. Her transformation at the end is entirely unnecessary because he is attracted to her prior to it, he just can't/doesn't want to admit it. He sees the beauty within, but won't admit it.

[Bettyboy72]

Posted: 6/5/07 at 11:26am

Yes and the Streisand transformation is important b/c prior to that, the character never liked herself enough to take care of herself. All of her life she believed the myths that her family taught her-she's ugly, fat, unloveable, the "smart dependable" sister. It is not as simple as "she got thin to get the guy." She never invested any time or attention to herself because she didnt feel worthy. She them experiments with the power of loving herself and knowing her worth (by dumping Brosnan) and realizes she loves Bridges all along with whom she was friends with (not just hot for, like Brosnan).

The characters both come together at the end when they have a better understanding of themselves, not because they are hot for each other and that is what made it refreshing.

[Dark_Angel]

Posted: 6/5/07 at 4:15pm

That's what I got out of it Bettyboy.