Liza Minnelli Talks 'PALACE', Career And 'SEX' To The Las Vegas Sun

LIZA'S AT THE PALACE will be filmed in the Hollywood Theatre at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas on Wednesday, September 30 and Thursday, October 1, 2009. All of the material performed during the New York engagement will be included. Minnelli spoke to the Las Vegas Sun about her Sin City performances of 'PALACE', remarking:

"I was there before I could walk through the casino - I was too young," Minnelli recalls about her introduction to Vegas. "It was all so mysterious. At five o'clock everybody disappeared from the pool, and at 7:30 out came the dark suits and girls' best dresses and best jewelry, and it was kind of like they were in on something dangerous. But now, it's like this marvelous, marvelous Disneyland. Now, honey, I'm leaping over wheelchairs!"

She also reveals a bit of her cameo in the upcoming 'SEX AND THE CITY 2':

"The setup is this," Minnelli says, digging into the dish. "The thing opens with the gay guys (Stanford and Anthony) getting married, and it's wonderful and everybody in the world is there. And I marry them! Then somebody says, ‘Oh Liza,' or ‘Miss Minnelli' or whatever, ‘that was just lovely. It was so nIce To see you; thanks for coming.' And I say, "Oh - oh, I'm not leaving. And that's the setup for me to do (Beyonce's) ‘Single Ladies'!"

To read the entire interview in the Las Vegas Sun, click here.

Previously reported by BroadwayWorld.com and now confirmed by PBS, to celebrate the one year anniversary of Liza Minnelli's Tony Award-winning performance "LIZA'S AT THE PALACE," American Public Television (ATP) will distribute the long awaited Special in December, 2009. Minnelli's unanimously acclaimed Broadway performances were sold out for five weeks in December last year and fans around the world have been eagerly anticipating news of the broadcast.

The program will capture many of her greatest hits and an affectionate tribute to her godmother, the late Kay Thompson, who was a groundbreaking singer-dancer, songwriter, vocal arranger and musical director/vocal coach at MGM Studios. The television event will be directed by Matthew Diamond and Executive Produced by JoAnn Young, Craig Zadan and Neil 

Meron. In addition to the Tony Award for Best Special Theatrical Event, Minnelli received a 2009 Drama Desk Award for her performances at the Palace.

Now in her fifth decade as an internationally celebrated entertainer, she has won every major show business honor including an Oscar, an Emmy, a Grammy, and four Tony Awards, making her part of a select group of performers who have won the entertainment industry's top four achievement awards.

She will be joined on the program by her Broadway co-star and musical director, the legendary pianist, singer and composer Billy Stritch. Her quartet of dynamic singer/dancers, Cortes Alexander, Jim Caruso, Johnny Rodgers and Tiger Martina will recreate their roles as the Williams Brothers, which included the brilliant young Andy Williams and his talented siblings. The show will again be directed by Ron Lewis, the award-winning choreographer and director. Musical Conductor/Drummer is Michael Berkowitz, a well-known conductor of pop orchestras all over the world.

Craig Zadan and Neil Meron are the executive producers of the Oscar-winning movie musical Chicago and the producers of the film musical smash Hairspray. With Minnelli and Showtime, they "presented" the acclaimed, digitally-restored version of the Bob Fosse-John Kander-Fred Ebb Emmy winning television special Liza With a Z. All totaled, Zadan and Meron's films and television projects have won six Academy Awards, five Golden Globes, 11 Primetime Emmy Awards, and two Peabody Awards. For television, their movies have amassed 69 Emmy nominations.

Tickets are available at any MGM Grand box office and all Las Vegas Ticketmaster locations. Tickets also are available for purchase online at www.mgmgrand.com and www.ticketmaster.com.

LIZA'S AT THE PALACE will be released on DVD in early 2010 by MPI Home Video.

The program is a co-production of Jubilee Time Productions, APT, HDNET and Young Productions, in cooperation with the MGM Grand. APT's Premium Service is a co-production, co-financing and acquisition fund that provides fund raising specials to member stations, now in its 21st season. With the financial backing of their public television client stations, Premium Service has secured many of public television's most prestigious and highest rated programs.

Photo Credit: Walter McBride/Retna Ltd.