According to Miss M Productions, a live CD from Bette Midler’s highly acclaimed Las Vegas show, “The Showgirl Must Go On” has been scrapped. No reason was given.
As far as rumors go on the Wikipedia site of a new album entitled “Leaving Las Vegas” which was to come out in March 2010…well, that is false.
The only good news I seem to have is….
All my love,
Mister D
booooooooooooooooooooooooooo
Should we worry?
Love & greetings Linda.
I don’t think so…
Perhaps the “Jackpot” CD didn’t sell well… Anyway, once more, it seems, Miss M will not document an artistic endeavor. It bothers me that we only have “Divine Madness” and “Diva Las Vegas”. Streisand fans have all her TV specials on DVD and I’m not even asking for Bette’s older ones! I’m talking about “The Divine Miss Millennium” and the newer shows!!
If The Divine One goes to Europe she can boost her income even more with the strong Euro and the even stronger British Pound. Dolly Parton went on 2 European tours the last few years and was awarded for a best selling compilation released with her tour.
Marcos…you’re always comparing. Maybe Bette’s goals are not the same as Bab’s, Dolly’s, or Cher’s. I’m sure she is fully aware of their careers, but has chosen a different path for whatever reason. I quit asking “why” a long time ago and it really helped with my frustration. I suggest everybody try it. She’s going to live her life the way she wants. End of story….”but why?” Stop it!!!! LOL
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!! Why doesn’t Bette want a Grammy?
Or film it and win an Emmy…
This news is horrible, but thanks for the love… haha
You’re welcome for the love bit….
Call me paranoid, but there’s something bad going on in Betteland. Let’s keep our fingers crossed for good news.
I tend to agree with you….
O poor Mr. D. Your just the bearer of bad news lately aren’t you…
It seems to be that way Danielle. Thanks for thinking about me…. 🙂 I don’t like this one bit….
I can’t believe I’m saying this but Bette is NOT an A-List celebrity. 20 years ago with the success of her films, and studio recordings she was on top of the world. But with the change in both music and the industry Bette is now considered to be AC, or Adult Contemporary. She hasn’t had a chart single on the Top 100 in years, her albums still sell well in America, but globally not so much. After 40 years in the music industry she has only managed to sell 15 million albums. Cher, Babs, and Dolly, have sold millions more, Babs and Cher have probably sold anywhere between 100-200million copies of their recordings and still manage to produce major hit singles. But ultimately over the years Bette has been viewed as an entertainer more than a musican or an actress. Like she said, it’s hard to get a job in Hollywood because the only Blockbuster hits are action flicks, and can you imagine Bette as a James Bond girl? Well, you could, but that’s not the point.
Did I earn my PhD in Divinity yet?
No…I’m docking you merits for being cocky… 😉
I would just disagree on the A lister thing….as an entertainer she is in a league of her own and has proved that over the years playing to sell out crowds even when she couldn’t sell a record or a movie ticket. She was a major movie star in the 80’s and brought Disney I don’t know how many millions in….the records she has had hits with may be few but they have turned out to be classics whether we find them cheesy or not. And she still is going just as strong in comparison to her peers in one way or another….even if it’s only by perception. That keeps you on the A list just as well… Cher, Babs, and Dolly haven’t done much in movies lately, some not in concerts, some not in recordings….but it was only a couple of years ago that Bette has almost a 3 year streak of being nominated for Grammys for Best Album Traditional. All I’m saying is that in comparison today she is still considered an icon just as much as the others even though she might have done less, so to speak. In her case, the old adage, less is more applies…to me. That’s just my opinion. I’m not going by numbers or anything….that’s not how I judge an A-lister….to me it’s all perception and the media helps a lot with that.
And speaking of perception and A list…let’s not forget all of her nominations from Oscars to Emmys to Tonys to global like Bafta and Golden Globes. Also 2 ShoWest Awards as Favorite Actress of the Year….(might have been 1….those are based on revenue) And the legend goes on….money alone does not make an A-lister….although Miss M has done quite well from what I can tell…
She is driving me crazy. She’s so indecisive!!! Going from not retiring, to probably retiring. From Live CD, to no CD. But I think that if she does another CD it should be new material. We all know her hits and I’m honestly getting a little sick of hearing the same stuff over and over again. Don’t get me wrong tho, it’s great stuff but how many CDs are you going to release of the same songs? BUT!!! She should do a DVD release for those fans who couldn’t see it!
AND SHE IS STILL AN A LISTER!!
That may be one of the reasons they scrapped the live CD….it was too much like Jackpot without Delores and Soph, but still she does do great live…or they could release all this stuff just to make me look bad.
i also want to say, “Leaving Las Vegas” is prob the worst title ever. happy it’s just a rumor (=
But if she sang the Sheryl Crow song…I would have loved that…
I didn’t say she WASN’T an A-Lister, but People Magazine or the National Enquirer won’t put her face on the cover just because she plants a tree in Central Park. I think she is beyond A-List like other celebrities. Like most people who have endured a career for 40+ years Bette has become an icon, someone people look to. Something like Cyndi Lauper who has been performing for 33 years now, hasn’t had a hit album or single in years, but made a slight comeback in 2003 with her At Last album, much like Bette in 2003 with Rose Mary Clooney, and in 2005 with Peggy Lee, which was not much of a success compared to her previous tribute album.
Also, the mention of Awards. You’re contradicting yourself. Saying that the album sales or the millions grossed in ticket stubs from films and concerts are not important, there are artists who have won very little along their journey, ie, Tina Turner, and have a much higher status in the music industry. Tina has won 7 Grammy Awards, grossed millions in ticket sales, has only recieved one number 1 hit during a 50 year long career. Cher has won countless awards, I counted 39, she too has not had a chart hit in nearly a decade. It’s been 8 years since her last album, 3 years since her last tour, I’m counting the time between Vegas, and the Farewell tour, and it has been 6 years since she was in a movie, which she played herself. But Bette has grossed more in movies than Cher. And when Bette first started playing concerts in the US, and later for a brief period in Canada, Europe, and OZ, she was playing to much smaller venues and crowds than people her age. Bette has never played in a stadium of considerable size, nor will she. Her shows are too intimate even her Las Vegas show is too small in my opinion. She really is the people’s Diva. And Bette has never been an A-List star because she never was with the times, she was, for the most part, ahead of the times. She has made hundreds of bad decisions along the way, but when she made a good one, which there aren’t much of, she was a hit, or a flash in the pan. She was in and then out the following year. And that’s what, I think, most people like about her. She’s not about the fame, maybe the fortune, but she has placed herself on a pedastal that other artists could only dream of. She is very much like Susan Boyle, this unlikely character that will be a hit at first but will always be remembered for her achievements, be the butts of many jokes, mostly done by herself, and she will earn the respect of all the daydreamers who one day dream of being a star.
Wow, think I’m ready to write a Bette Midler biography. 🙂
I will agree that she is beyond the A-list crap. Icon is a better decription to me. You sound like me when I was young…go for your book 🙂
Must be contractual or something—I keep thinking she moves the show to another venue. I also smell a book soon.
Actually, I would love some kind of book….her tell all…LOL
Your right Crystal, too literal and depressing. lol And I don’t know why but I just have this feeling that Bette will release one more cd. I don’t know I just can’t bring myself to think that after Vegas we will never get anymore new Bette material, ever! But as much as she says she is going to retire, people like her don’t ever retire. They work until they can’t work anymore (if you know what I mean : (.) and your right Amanda, if she does make a new cd, it should be new material. I think that is why her last cd might not have done so well. Now with itunes and things, you don’t need to release a top hits cd because you can get whatever songs you want on the internet. Plus it wasn’t even live! We definitely need something new. : )
Don’t put her out to pasture yet….maybe she doesn’t have a CD coming out in March….maybe it will be Sept….we don’t know. Let’s let her finish her Vegas run and see what happens….
I’m disagreeing with a lot of what I’m reading here…
Speak your mind Brandon….
I agree Brandon…….I’m getting verklempt.
Brandon and Amanda….I’d like to hear what you have to say. Don’t keep it bottled up. And you can say whatever without being ugly….
Or write me…
I have a lot of friends that criticize movies that I like because they weren’t big box office hits. But, who cares? Does the amount of money that a movie takes in make it great?
Maybe Bette has only sold 15 million albums, but how many albums does she have? maybe 20? Those are pretty impressive numbers. I know Dolly Parton has a TON of albums… so, she is bound to have bigger numbers.
Like you mentioned Don, Bette was one of the biggest starts of the 80’s as far as film goes. What makes Bette an A-list celebrity is that she has staying power… and people still care. Her name is recognizable. I’m sure that projects are decided on by Bette. No studio heads that say “That won’t sell…” Look at the critical acclaim that Diva Las Vegas got… Bette even won an Emmy for that show. The DVD was never released in the US though… hmmm.
Sorry for the rant, my point is that numbers don’t mean much to me. Bette Midler is a star… always has been… always will be. And in my opinion, anything that she does is gold.
Nicely said Brandon…and I agree. I contradict myself, I know, especially when it comes to numbers, but with Bette I never really cared as long as she kept putting stuff out…..and you’re right…she’s had staying power. And more power to her.
Bette has been in show business for over 40 years. Everyone I speak to knows who she is, and yes, how to pronounce her first name. I recently went to Vegas, and when I told people, the first thing they said was, “oh, my gosh, I want to go so I can see Bette Midler”. And honestly, honestly, these are people that I’ve never had a Bette discussion with–they didn’t even know if I knew who she was (yes, I need better friends!)
Bette is just as relevant today as she was in 1972. People know her for all of her accomplishments: music, film, stage/concert, television appearances, comedy, and most of all–her personality. She hasn’t retired and she’s still in demand.
She is a timeless Diva that is beyond the A-List. Ok, so she’s not on the cover of the Enquirer every week–who cares? She doesn’t live a tabloid lifestyle, and for that she is to be congratulated.
However, to go back to Amanda’s earlier comment, I am not the least upset the CD has been scrapped. Another chronicle of Bette’s career hits on CD is really unnecessary. I would love new material from Bette which we’ve haven’t heard from in quite a while (excluding the tribute albums to Rosemary and Peggy, it seems even longer). There are a lot of gems that Bette has sung over the years that never made it to CD (thank you Don, for keeping many of those brilliant memories alive for us to hear!). I would love to hear a disc of those!
In any event, the comparisons between Bette and La Diva Babs and Cher already put her in the superstar category. Bette has a legacy that will live on forever. As far as I’m concerned, she can’t be pigeon-holed because she’s the most multi-talented
entertainer alive, and she’s good at everything she does.
Amen!!!!
I must say I’m deeply dissapointed to hear no live cd, and prob no DVD either. But all this not an a-lister stuff is just wrong!! Kathy griffin must have said how many times?? LOL bette may not have had the album sales like babs and celine, but when I tell people who are my idols I say bette and prob celine, to which people say they adore bette, but cannot stand celine!
Celine dion is one of the most famous voices in modern music and is the biggest selling female artist in the world. But other than her fans most people despise her. Bette midler on the other hand I would say is one of the most beloved superstars in the world. She’s timeless and has done movies and songs which appeal to different generations.
All in all bette is the greatest showgirl on earth. Her shows are the biggest and best of any if her contemporaries!
Nicely said Jonathan…
Bette is more of a cult-icon. She has a loyal cult following, mostly of Jews, and gay men. Something like Marilyn Manson. Manson has a cult following, sells out arena shows world wide, sells very few albums, but in the millions, and is not considered to be an A-Lister. I’m not comparing Bette to Manson, I’m just using Manson to explain myself. I hate the guy myself. But one thing that puts Bette above all other artists or most artists is that people respect what she does. People enjoy her movies, her recordings, jokes, and sometimes just her concerts. But when you think of it, when Bette announced her Vegas show in May 2007 people were like, “oh, doesn’t she sing that song the rose, from a distance, wind beneath my wings. . . or wasn’t she in that movie with what’s his face about you what?” She had fallen of the Earth so to speak, the vast majority of people know her, but don’t know her work, they only know her big and popular things. Bette is like Sarah Brightman, popular enough to do anything she wishes, and will always have her fans support. And the only time Sarah and Bette have a successful career is when their music is played on pop or mainstream radio and television networks.
Compairing Bette with Marylin Manson is something I find a bit strange – to put it uncessessarily politely: Of course both of them have had a cult following, but Bette has had one for fourty years while Manson is already half forgotten by now… And of course (and thanks God!!!) Bette has never been another Celine: I admire her for having the career she has had and the fact that she somehow always managed to be avantgarde, or at least not overly mainstream; to me, she is the most successful artist (in the true sense of the word) who has never felt the need to sell herself to the mainstream, even though she was highly successful within that field whenever she chose (or felt it was right) to do so. She has had the classic hit-singles for three decades, she has had the string of movie hits (and was the most successful acress of the 80ies!) she has won more awards than most of the highly decorated pals, but – and this is what makes her so unique or divine for that matter – she has not become just another housewife-heroine like Celine (or Barbra): she belongs, but only as far as she choses to belong – to the mainstream and is not mainstream. she has always been in a league of her own, being at the same time a superstar and someone who parodies these people; that is something only the rarest of the rarest ever achieve. Of course only few will ever get it – all the better to me! And yet, she is still one of the very, very few (fe)male stars over 60 (or 40!) who make dozens of millions every year; and that without ever selling out!
The Sarah Brightman comparison I really do not see: what did Sarah ever do other that being married for a short time to one of the worst and most popular songwriters of the last three decades? What has she ever done socially? When was she “the Wind beneath your Wings” for anyone? When has she be seen putting the garbage back on stage where it belongs? When has she made millions laugh in movies and serenaded one of the beloved ones like Carson goodbye?
I love Bette. There has never been anyone or anything like her. Period.
Bravo, Mr. Charming!!
Well said charming!! I just want to point out bette’s last album, the best bette went platinum here in the uk, peaking at number 6 on the charts !! Celines didn’t get so high, though she’s had more mainstream hits than bette.
Like I said everyone loves bette!! Especially here in the uk!! We can’t get enough of our miss m!! LOL
Jayson, I think the fans have demoted you from PhD to orderly….we just love our Bette no matter what you throw at us. Let us live in Divine Peace. 😉
Thanks Don…
If he writes a book, I’m not buying it 🙂
She has not “fallen off the Earth.†Whenever I bring up Bette’s name to people (other than people my age) they always say that they would love to see her. They know that she is timeless and has this incredible talent. (My Aunt said that I should be happy to see her live because Bette is one of the greatest singing talents we have. I was proud to have her as my Aunt. 😀 ) Celine is pretty much only known for her few hits to which Bette is known for her blockbuster movies and incredibly moving songs. Not every song a singer sings is going to be a hit. Every celebrity has their ups and downs. Some stay down forever but Bette always manages to come back up because people know she is great. Even if she is only known for her number one songs at least she is known by practically everyone (excluding the lame people my age).
I’M DONE TALKING! I wouldn’t buy that book either Brandon. 🙂
It’s not always about numbers!!! Grrr!
I know what u mean about people our age, but most people who i have introduced bette to, my age (18) have thought bette was amazing and legendary! Proving she’s timeless! She’s an A* lister!!
I’m sorry to hear that she will not be releasing a live album, especially after learning that she had nixed the DVD idea as well. I wasn’t surprised, though. When TSMGO opened, many of the reviews were complaining that she didn’t use the massive screen behind her to amplify her own likeness enough, and many people felt as if they were watching a dot on the stage. Part of the beauty that is Miss M’s live act is the dancing that she’s doing from the neck up. She has, over the years, become so self-conscious that all of three people have seen the right side of her face in the last decade. It’s unfortunate. The same woman who taught us to hold our heads high with anthems like, “I Look Good” and “I’m Beautiful” while purring “Don’t I look fabulous?” never really seemed to believe it herself. It’s a shame, because there have been (and still are) millions of people who think she’s every beautiful thing in the world. I may be completely wrong, but I think that some of the poor career decisions that she’s made over the years can be attributed mostly to vanity issues and insecurity. I always wondered if she turned down “Misery” because of the “costuming”, and then wondered why on God’s green earth she ever gave the “Okay” to “Drowning Mona”. I don’t know. What I DO know is that when she does something well, she hits it out of the park.
Everybody can debate about whether or not Bette Midler is considered A-List all they want, but I’d like to see a solid definition of what constitutes that status before I’d ever write Midler off of that list. I know I’m a fan, but I guess I have just always seen her as one of the most recognizable names in entertainment, and one of the most respected…world-wide. (Even if not always the most profitable.) And while some Americans may dismiss her as a “has-been”, there are legions overseas who will disagree.
This A-List crap may mean something to Britney Spear’s so-called comeback or Kanye West’s ability to throw fecal matter into an operating fan, but who will these people be in 40 years? What will be the legacy? While nobody would say that Miley Cyrus isn’t considered an A-List celebrity, it still doesn’t erase the fact that it’s only because she is the result of a sharpened marketing tool.
A-List, my ass. I’ll give you all two words that best exemplify A-List: Spice Girls. Want two more? Ricky Martin. Remember these fools? Today’s A-List celebrities are crammed into a bargain bin faster than you can say, “Hey, macarena!” because the fickle and A.D.D. purchasing populous has moved on to the “next big thing”. A-List apparently has nothing to do with actual tangible talent. I return to the Spice Girls. Victoria Beckham is the only girl in that sad bunch whose name anybody can remember, and that’s only because she’s married to an action-figure that people want to hump. She may be A-List, but I’d bet my backside that there’s no greatest hits album in the works.
Bette Midler is bigger than A-List and bigger than “icon”. She is a LEGEND. Let me say that one more time: Bette Midler is a legend. She’ll be remembered as important an influence and as gifted at her craft as anybody whose songbook she has ever lent her voice to.
A-List: The cast of Twilight, Lady Gaga, Kanye West’s mouth
Icon: Cindy Lauper, James Dean, Pac-Man
Legend: Lucille Ball, Mae West, Bette Midler
Let’s all revisit this discussion in 40 years.
As usual Divine Grace, YOU hit it out of the ballpark. Thank you….
Whoa!!! I bow down to you Miss Grace.
I too believe Bette has become insecure with her looks. It’s too bad because she is gorgeous. She always covered herself up with her robe during the show. Those legs shouldn’t be covered!
Wow, Grace. Well said!
The only thing I really want to throw in that I’m not entirely sure that’s it’s Bette making or not making all of these decisions we keep talking about. After all, behind every great star there is a team of people who is supposed to have that star’s best interest at heart but actually may not always. Maybe some of these decisions were management decisions. Who’s to say?
I for one don’t like to think of Bette as being one to keep her fans from enjoying more aspects of her divinity. She should be grateful to us. After all, we put her daughter through college! 🙂
Bette is one of the few major stars that actually manages herself….which could explain some of her spotty record. Anyway, I just wanted to clear the record about that….I’m sure Martin helps advise her, too…
To the record companies it is about the numbers. Also Bette is only making $300,000 per show in Las Vegas. So if she performs 60 shows in one year she only makes $18million, plus merchandise. But if she continues to only sell 55% of tickets each week there won’t be an extension of any kind in Las Vegas, and the record companies may look at this and say if she can only sell 500-600,000 tickets total than record companies may throw out ideas of doing a DVD or live album. Remember in 2001 Bette was dropped from her label because of low album sales. And the reason I chose Marilyn Manson is that he’s not someone who has a string of Top 10 hits like Madonna, or Timberlake and such. I was saying that he can sell out concert venues just like Bette because his fans are so loyal, just like us Bette Heads. Also, the comparison of Sarah Brightman is that her dues with Andrea Bocelli, Time to say Goodbye, was a huge hit world wide, and is played at many funerals, just like most of Bette’s hits. Also Sarah has had ups and downs in her career as well. She rose to fame in 1978 with Hot Gossip, then again in 1984-6 with Requiem, Cats, and Phantom of the Opera. She then went on to perform in many other theatre productions, and has has a somewhat successful album/recording career. Much like Bette she rose to fame as a recording artist with one target audience in mind, the Gay community. Sarah targets the more Classical and Musical Theatre followers. Both Bette and Sarah have been in highly sucessfull theatre productions. But both Sarah and Bette every few years release an album that is truly a hit. Bette’s last album Jackpot did well, and sold 600,000 that’s because not only her loyal fans, but people who aren’t her fans are more likely to purchase a greatest hits album over a studio album which nowadays contains only one hit single on average. Also the album was a way for non-fans to hear the music from the show that they just saw. But you got to admit, Bette had a bit of a dry streak between Kiss My Brass, and Las Vegas. Mostly because again her audience target are people 40+, in Don’s case 50+ lol. 😛 I’m so going to get banned from this site like I am from Wikipedia. Just to let people know I love Bette and have been a fan since 1993. And most of the stuff on Wikipedia, before I was banned is from moi. But Bette’s movies have grossed upwards of US$1.1Billion worldwide.
I’m not going to ban you but I can’t control how people will feel about you…sounds like you want to instigate or be banned, but I’m not doing it….nananananananananannananananana!!!!!!! I’ve been banned from places for lesser reasons like saying “hello” so….whatever. I’d prefer you act like a gentleman though and stop with this post….please!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I want some rest….afterall I’m 54!!!! 🙂
Yea, I’m stopping this. I’m tired of always being right lol. But I love debating like this. If anyone wants to continue this go to Facebook and add me or send an email to jay_la_rock@hotmail.com love to hear from anyone.
This was a long discussion. I like it.
Yes it was long and fun, but I really am tired now. I have to keep clicking the button to approve everything. If I didn’t have to worry about spammers, I wouldn’t have to do that…..see ya’ll in the morning….I have more bad news but I ain’t telling it yet….I can only take so much abuse…