"I'm Not Going Anywhere" - Liza Minnelli Talks Perseverance, Concerts, and More!

Liza Minnelli is back in the performance ring, out of rehab, and bent on survival, which she says is natural to her.

"Surviving is an instinct which means it just comes naturally. I don't examine it. I just get right on and do it," Minneli says. "I'm still here. My job is to prove them wrong. And I'm not going anywhere." Thank goodness for that!

When asked about a recent tell-all book written about her mother Judy Garland, which claims to expose the "real Judy," Minnelli just lets it roll off, saying, "I never read any of that stuff, because it might upset me. [Elizabeth Taylor] told me she never read a single thing about herself, so I stopped too, right there and then, which meant there was never anything lousy going round in my brain. That was good advice."

As for a Liza autobiography? We won't be seeing one anytime soon.

"I don't feel like it. I don't want to do it unless I'm really enthusiastic about it," she says. "Right now I'm too enthusiastic about so many other things. The way I see it, I'm at the bow of a boat moving ahead. All the nonsense behind me is the wake and I'm impervious to it as I plough on."

Her upcoming concerts at the London Palladium in September will feature pre-show Q and A sessions, and the fearless Minnelli isn't screening the questions beforehand. "They can ask me anything they want! I've always liked a live audience. I find it scary when there's no audience - on TV, in films. There's this woman singing in my head who wants to tell her own story. I was a teenager when I started singing and I wasn't very good. That's why I developed the trick of acting out the songs."

As for her continuing performance schedule, she doesn't seem to want to stop anytime soon, or even slow down. "Performers like to perform. It's what I do." She says not even the notion of turning 70 can be a deterrent, "Listen, everyone ages but not everyone has to get old. I've never lost my curiosity and I think that keeps you young."

Liza Minnelli was born in Los Angeles and made her screen debut as a toddler in the musical In the Good Old Summertime in 1949. One of the world's best-loved entertainers, she won Tony awards for Flora, the Red Menace in 1965, Liza at the Winter Garden in 1977, The Act in 1978 and Liza's at the Palace in 2009. Nominated for an Academy Award for The Sterile Cuckoo in 1969, she went on to win the Best Actress prize for her best-known film, Cabaret (1973), which also won her a Golden Globe Award and a BAFTA. She won an Emmy for Liza with a Z (72) and was also the recipient of a Grammy Legend Award in 1990 making her one of the few artists who have won entertainment's top six awards. Film credits include Charlie Bubbles (67), Tell Me That You Love Me, Junie Moon (70), Lucky Lady (75), A Matter of Time (76), New York, New York (77), Arthur (81), Stepping Out (91), and Oh In Ohio (06).

Sir Bruce Forsyth is one of the UK's most loved stars and has now been in showbusiness for eight decades. It is a career that started in the middle of World War Two when, aged just 14, he left school and began performing professionally billed as "Boy Bruce The Mighty Atom". Sixteen years later in 1958, he became an "overnight" star when he was chosen to host Sunday Night At The London Palladium and he has appeared consistently on prime time television in the UK ever since - The Generation Game, Play Your Cards Right, Bruce's Price Is Right, You Bet!, numerous specials including Sammy and Bruce and Strictly Come Dancing from which he retired last year as main presenter after 11 series. A consummate live performer with numerous theatrical appearances across the world, most recent challenges and successes have included performing his 'One Man' Show at The Royal Albert Hall and making his debut (as an octogenarian!) at The Glastonbury Festival. In 1998 he was awarded the OBE, in 2006, the CBE and in 2011 a Knighthood for his services to the entertainment industry while in 2008, as well as celebrating his 80th birthday, Bruce was awarded a BAFTA Fellowship, the highest accolade the Academy can bestow.

Rocco Buonvino (Promoter) has staged some of the biggest global entertain ment events, from sold-out concerts to musical theatre productions and bespoke events with superstar artists. To name just a few: Robin Gibb's Titanic Requiem Concert at Westminster Central Hall, shows by world renowned artists such as Cliff Richard, Rod Stewart, The Chemical Brothers, Duran Duran, and the starp-studded Beatles Symphonica, held at The Royal Albert Hall, star performers included Dame Shirley Bassey, Tony Christie, Beverley Knight and Susan Black. The latest events this year include An Evening with Sylvester Stallone (London Palladium and Phones4U Arena, Manchester), An Evening with Al Pacino (London Palladium), A Conversation with John Travolta (Theatre Royal, Drury Lane), and An Evening with Arnold Schwarzenegger in London.

Liza will also perform An Intimate Evening with Liza Minnelli in Sheffield at the City Hall on Tuesday 22 September and at the Clyde Auditorium, Glasgow on Thursday 24 September.

Source: Daily Mail