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CNN Larry King Live
Interview with Liza Minnelli
Aired October 05, 2010 - 21:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
LARRY KING, HOST: Tonight, the legendary Liza Minnelli on marriage. Would you marry again?
LIZA MINNELLI, ENTERTAINER: Are you nuts?
KING: Men.
MINNELLI: What happens after happily ever after?
KING: Sex and single ladies.
MINNELLI: And I said I'd love to do it.
KING: Plus, she'll tell us where she keeps her Oscar. Liza with a "Z" for the hour next on LARRY KING LIVE. Start spreading the news, the legendary Liza Minnelli is here. She has only won four Tonys, an Oscar, a Grammy, two Golden globes, and an Emmy. Other than that, no career. This incredible new CD is really not new. It was recorded a while ago. But what a story. It's called "Confessions." What is this? How do you and a piano come together for this?
MINNELLI: Well--
KING: Well.
MINNELLI: --first of all, Billy Stritch was the accompanist. And he plays like no one else, you know? And we had Bruce Roberts.
KING: Old friend.
MINNELLI: And we have, you know, lots of people, who had written songs over the years that I as a child listened to. So one day, I sat down with Billy. And we started to sing and play at my house in L.A. I hadn't been to my house in a while. I had to work there. And Bruce said, why don't you come down to my house? I'll tape it for you. So we did.
KING: Just thought for fun?
MINNELLI: Yes. So went to his house and spent, you know, an evening singing every song we really liked. And quietly, because when there's no audience, you're not performing your part of the music. You know, and you can really experiment and do things. And Bruce said, well, you're a real jazzer. I said, well, I know some jazz. I don't know if I'm a real jazzer. And he said, your choice is great. Anyway, we recorded this thing--
KING: How long ago was this?
MINNELLI: --20 years.
KING: 20 years?
MINNELLI: 20 years ago. Wait, there's much more. 20 years ago that happened. Then he called about a year and a half ago or so, and said, guess what I found? I didn't know. He said, I found the songs that you recorded with Billy. I thought, oh, what? I said, oh, I'd love to hear them. It was so private and intimate and funny, wasn't it? He said, yes, why don't you listen to it again? Maybe it can be an album. I said, no, that can't happen. You know, I was singing just for us. I didn't -- nobody would be interested. He said, oh, I think some people would be interested. So we kind of re-did what we had and kept a couple of the old songs.
KING: Did it in a sound studio, right?
MINNELLI: No, I did it in my bedroom. I'm telling you, half in the piano room and half in my bedroom, because I was about to have knee surgery. And the pain before you go in is immense. And the pain coming out of it is immense. So I need to have something to do to look forward to. And that's how it happened. We just -- we recorded it.
KING: Now, are you surprised that this is now the result? That you're on a tour, that this is a major new CD?
MINNELLI: Yes, I am. I'm surprised people like it.
KING: That's terrific. Oh, there are songs in here like "You Fascinate Me," "All the Way," "Sammy Khan (phonetic), "Remind Me He's a Tramp," "At Last." There are some songs people may not have heard--
MINNELLI: Yes.
KING: --that were some of your old favorites, including the title song.
MINNELLI: Yes.
KING: Where did you get "Confessions" from?
MINNELLI: OK, my father was working with Judy Holliday. And somehow the song came up. And she must have played it for him or something, because I really do remember it. And I think I was only, like 10. I didn't know what it meant then. Now I do.
KING: Do you ever sing it on stage?
MINNELLI: Oh, yes, all the time.
KING: Yes? MINNELLI: Yes.
KING: So you decided to put it right in? You sang it at Bruce's house that day, too?
MINNELLI: No, that's one of the new ones we recorded. Can I sing you a little bit?
KING: Yes, go ahead, do one.
MINNELLI (SINGING): I never kissed a man before now isn't that a shame. I never kissed a man before, before I knew his name I never had a taste for wine, now isn't that a sin. I've never had a taste for wine, for wine can't compare with gin. It's nice as nice can be, my faith is at least restored. To know that vice can be its own reward. I always go to bed at 10:00. Now isn't that a bore? I always go to bed at 10:00, then I go home at 4:00.
KING: Pretty good. This is so -- because everyone who knows Liza knows razzle-dazzle--
MINNELLI: Yes.
KING: --bam, "Cabaret," wham, "New York, New York", "Before Frank".
MINNELLI: Yes. Right, right.
KING: So--
MINNELLI: I thought -- by singing those wonderful songs, but I can't even tell you the songs that were written for me. I mean, "Cabaret," "New York, New York," "The World Goes Round," "Maybe This Time," everything that they did with me, and a bunch of songs by the people. So I was just doing what I was told to do, but this is how I grew up.
KING: Listening to songs?
MINNELLI: This is how I grew up. When I was shy, I never could say anything because I was too shy. So I found a song that fit it. A lot of them are on there.
KING: Maybe this time I'll be lucky. Maybe this time she'll stay with us. Liza Minnelli is with us for the hour. Don't go away.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JUDY GARLAND: Hello Liza, well hello Liza. It's so nice to have you here where you belong.
MINNELLI: You're looking swell mama, I can tell mama. You're still growing. You're still growing. You're still growing strong.
BOTH: We feel the room swaying, while the--
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KING: How's the -- was it knee or hip surgery? What did you have?
MINNELLI: Both.
KING: New knee, new hip?
MINNELLI: No, I had both hips done, which is great. Don't be scared. It doesn't really hurt. My knee, on the other hand, crossed my eyes it hurt so much.
KING: Did they give you a new knee?
MINNELLI: Yes, they sure did
KING: So you have new knee and two new hips?
MINNELLI: Yes. From the waist down I'm -- let's see, from the waist down I'm the tin man. From the waist up, I'm Judy's kid.
KING: You had to do it, the pain was so bad? You had to do--
MINNELLI: Yes, I couldn't walk on it anymore. And that's what happened.
KING: Were you -- are you now--
MINNELLI: You do it because you can't not do it.
KING: Are you -- that's right. Are you now able to perform?
MINNELLI: Oh, yes.
KING: I mean, are you going to do a concert tour if this is a hit?
MINNELLI: Absolutely -- well, I'm doing it now.
KING: You're singing on this tour?
MINNELLI: I'm singing in this tour, and including some of the albums, you know
KING: With a big band or just a piano?
MINNELLI: No, just with five, six guys. Billy Strich and five great players.
KING: Your mother, Judy Garland, she died in '69. She was just 47. How old are you?
MINNELLI: I know. Oh, honey, I'm going to be 65.
KING: Social Security.
MINNELLI: Oh, yes, that's true. So depressed.
KING: How old were you?
MINNELLI: Huh?
KING: How old were you when mom died?
MINNELLI: Gosh, I think I was 22, something around there.
KING: Did you -- people usually when parents die, my father died when he was 47, think they're going to die young. Did you think you'd die young?
MINNELLI: Me?
KING: Yes.
MINNELLI: No.
KING: Because a lot of people when their parents die young--
MINNELLI: Oh, yes.
KING: --think it's going to happen to them.
MINNELLI: Yes. No, I -- I'm a hoofer. I just keep going.
KING: And it's also been over a year since your good friend Michael Jackson died.
MINNELLI: Yes.
KING: You were on this show in June of 2009 to talk about him.
MINNELLI: Yes.
KING: What do you miss about him most?
MINNELLI: His energy and his commitment to friendship. I just miss him.
KING: In other words, if he was your friend, he was your friend.
MINNELLI: Yeah. And what all these other people say, I -- I didn't see a hint of that. Nothing.
KING: No.
MINNELLI: And I'm pretty bright, you know?
KING: No kidding. You know, last year, you predicted, this is what you said, all hell would break loose when the autopsy was made public.
MINNELLI: Uh-huh.
KING: What'd you think -- you were probably right.
MINNELLI: Yes, of course.
KING: Open all over.
MINNELLI: Because everybody was going to look into it. And you know, I had just found out. So I was, you know, thrown for a loop. But he was taking stuff for his legs and his knee -- he was, you know, he was broken down as I was, but I ain't planning on dying.
KING: Boy, what a shock.
MINNELLI: Yes, I know. I know.
KING: Do you see any parallels at all between your mother and Michael? I mean, both were addicts of a kind, right?
MINNELLI: Uh-huh. Uh-huh.
KING: They would have loved each other.
MINNELLI: Yeah. There's that. And they both loved me.
KING: Yes.
MINNELLI: You can't get better than that.
KING: No, you can't. You know, we were looking at your old shows the other day of you and your mom.
MINNELLI: Really?
KING: Oh, what television.
MINNELLI: The one -- I mean, there were only two shows.
KING: I know, but when you went on, that was a killer.
MINNELLI: Thank you.
KING: Was it easy to sing with her?
MINNELLI: Oh, yes, she was so musical. She sang great with anybody. And she could adjust to their tonality. And she, well, she knew harmony so well from singing with her sisters, the Gum Sisters.
KING: Yes, the Gums.
MINNELLI: Yes.
KING: That was their name.
MINNELLI: And she always had an ear for that. And I just looked forward to it. You know, I was scared of it. I thought, what am I doing? You know, but I looked forward to it.
KING: You know who's running around New York?
MINNELLI: Who?
KING: Mickey Rooney.
MINNELLI: Yes. I know.
KING: Who appeared in 300 films and 8 with your mom.
MINNELLI: Yes.
KING: Were they a team.
MINNELLI: Yes.
KING: They were a great team.
MINNELLI: She said he had more energy than anybody she's ever known.
KING: He still does. I saw your mother at the palace. Alan King was the opening act.
MINNELLI: OK, yes, I remember. I was there.
KING: What a night that was.
MINNELLI: Yes.
KING: We're not hiding it. We've talked to you before. You've dealt with substance abuse.
MINNELLI: Sure.
KING: What do you feel like when you see a talent like Lindsay Lohan? I mean, how does that make Liza Minnelli feel?
MINNELLI: Well, I feel sad. And I feel understanding. And I feel that there's another road to take. It doesn't have to be the way it is.
KING: Do you regret what you did?
MINNELLI: No, I can't. I did it. And that's accepting. And accepting is probably the biggest part of the game.
KING: Was it hard to get rid of it?
MINNELLI: Yeah, but not really hard. Not when you have support and your friends in AA, and you're doing stuff you love. And that's what I'm doing.
KING: Life's a cabaret when Liza's there. A little tricky there. We'll be right back. (SINGING)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, "ARTHUR")
MINNELLI: You're really hurt.
ARTHUR: I got in right where I wanted.
MINNELLI: You animals. Look, it's over. He doesn't love your daughter. I'm sorry. It happens. He loves me.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KING: She's an old friend, and a great talent, Liza Minnelli. And we're going to talk about her acting, because I mean, they'll never top "Arthur". Never. Sad about Dudley, but we'll get to that later.
MINNELLI: OK
KING: You've been in the spotlight since you were a baby. You made your screen debut in 1949 in the "Good Old Summertime" with your mother. So you've never had privacy, have you?
MINNELLI: Yes, I did.
KING: When? You were always famous?
MINNELLI: In my community. In other words, I grew up with so many people who were in the same business. It's like growing up in a coal mining town. Everybody does what everybody else does.
KING: Yes, that's true.
MINNELLI: And that's what all these people did. So it seemed perfectly normal to me. And I liked getting dressed up and I did all the -- and then I completely forgot about it.
KING: Really?
MINNELLI: Because I had my childhood, you know?
KING: Your mother sang "Born in the Trunk."
MINNELLI: Yes. Yes
KING: You were kind of born in a trunk in a sense. You were born into the business.
MINNELLI: Yes.
KING: Did you ever think of doing anything else?
MINNELLI: I guess so. Yes, I wanted to be an ice skater. KING: Really?
MINNELLI: Yes.
KING: Were you good?
MINNELLI: Yes, I was. I loved the music. I loved the music so much that I wanted to do strides that matched it. It was like some kind of force. You know, then my mom brought me to New York. And I went to see "Bye-bye, Birdie." and I thought, maybe I'll do that.
KING: Yeah. Liza Minnelli and Icecapades.
MINNELLI: I'd love that.
KING: You've had four marriages.
MINNELLI: Yes.
KING: Peter Alam, who I loved.
MINNELLI: Yes.
KING: What a guy he was. Jack Haley, Jr, Mark Gero, and David Gest. Would you marry again?
MINNELLI: Are you nuts?
KING: Yeah, I am.
MINNELLI: That's true. No, I would not. No.
KING: Well, do you date? Are you -- you're a single, attractive, talented woman.
MINNELLI: Yes, but I -- thank you.
KING: I don't know what else to say.
MINNELLI: But sure, I go out with my friends. And I go out with gentlemen.
KING: They'll never keep you down, right? You, are you kidding? In a recent interview with Oprah, you've heard of her.
MINNELLI: Yes.
KING: OK. You said you have the worst tastes in husbands. What don't -- you're smart. Why aren't you smart about men, do you think?
MINNELLI: Well, the best case of my career and the worst case--
KING: Why?
MINNELLI: I have no idea. I think maybe it's because I grew up in the land of dreams. I don't know. I've always tried to figure it out. Where everything ended when the white horse came in and off they went. I remember asking my mom once, where does -- what happens after happily ever after? And there was this pause and she said, you'll find out.
KING: Was she a good mother?
MINNELLI: The best.
KING: Really? Because we--
MINNELLI: She did not leave her kids for a second, for a second. She was always there for us. Always and--
KING: That is really good to know.
MINNELLI: --my brother and sister would appreciate your asking, too.
KING: That's really nice.
MINNELLI: And my step-sister in Mexico.
KING: She's in Mexico?
MINNELLI: Well, my father married again, yes. So I kind of got them all over the place.
KING: She's your half sister, right?
MINNELLI: Yes.
KING: Yes.
MINNELLI: So are Lauren and Jo. They're my half sister.
KING: Lorna Luft. Not bad, herself.
MINNELLI: No, she's not. She's really wonderful.
KING: Good singer.
MINNELLI: Yes.
KING: You also told Oprah you've tried to change for your husbands. Right? Now you accommodated them?
MINNELLI: Well, I tried to be the perfect woman, you know? Just whatever makes you happy. Then I realized it wasn't making me happy. And I'd say, I don't know what I'm doing here. And I don't know who -- or I'd get married and everything would be just dandy, right? And then I'd think, I was right, what does come after happily ever after?
KING: That moment.
MINNELLI: Yes. Bang. It hit me like that. But that's for me. You know, that's my experience, not anyone else's. KING: The planet spins--
MINNELLI: Like you.
KING: Keep it up, Liza, you'll never be back.
(LAUGHTER)
The planet spins, the world goes round, and we'll have more with Liza after the break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KING: I don't want to say she's sensitive, but I have to correct when I said she'll never be back. I was kidding. Open invitation. Did you try to have kids?
MINNELLI: Yes, I did, of course.
KING: Didn't happen, huh?
MINNELLI: No, I couldn't have them. So--
KING: Did you ever want to adopt?
MINNELLI: No. What happened was that I realized that if God didn't have that in mind for me, and I couldn't have my own, what -- what do I do with these maternal feelings? Maybe there's somebody I can help. Maybe I should concentrate on other areas. And I got involved with brain injured children And that was fascinating. And I'm still--
KING: Brain injured children.
MINNELLI: Brain injured children. Yes.
KING: Not disease. Something happens to them. They fall or get hit or--
MINNELLI: Well, it can be very small. I mean, they can go like that and get an aneurism in the brain.
KING: Yes.
MINNELLI: I mean, you never know.
KING: True.
MINNELLI: But the parents recognize it quickly. And you don't know what to do. Too many parents have talked to me and said I, you know, I can't -- I'm at my wit's end. And I said, go to the Institutes for the Achievement of Human Potential. They'll help you out.
KING: the new CD is "Confessions." What do you listen to? What new performers are you interested in? MINNELLI: Well, Maroon 5 has a big hit again. And I love them.
KING: You love that group?
MINNELLI: Yes.
KING: What do you think of Lady Gaga?
MINNELLI: I love her.
KING: OK, what--
MINNELLI: Oh, she's wonderful.
KING: What does she have? Why is she so--
MINNELLI: Pizzazz.
KING: Yes.
MINNELLI: You know--
KING: You can't teach that, right?
MINNELLI: And she -- no, you can't.
KING: You got it or you don't?
MINNELLI: Yeah. And you have to have the instinct. And you also have to have the courage to do something that's not quite like everybody else does. So her clothes, alone, make me love her.
KING: She a good singer?
MINNELLI: Yes, I think she is a very good singer.
KING: All right. Lady Gaga has a strong, strong gay following. So do you.
MINNELLI: Yes.
KING: So did your mother. Bette Midler. What is the attraction? Why -- Cher. Why do you think gay men embrace certain women performers?
MINNELLI: They have good taste.
KING: Cute. Well said. Do you think it's a flair that you have or -- it's hard to examine yourself.
MINNELLI: Yeah. I can't, but all the other people that I admire, that every gay man admires, I find is very talented. You know?
KING: It is what it is. MINNELLI: You -- You were a mentor. You were a guest judge on the "Australian Idol" a couple of years back. Would you want to do the American version?
MINNELLI: Oh, sure. It was wonderful. It was fun to do. And the girls were lovely. And the boys were great, too. And everybody's so nervous. I mean, one boy -- kid -- came in to audition, right? And he was so nervous, he couldn't remember the lines. Now, to me, the lyrics tell the whole story. So if you don't remember the lines --
I said, well, what's your attitude? What happened to you that you're singing this song? What are you looking at? What are you concentrating on? Is it a woman? You're on a balcony in Paris and you're looking down and this superb woman walks by? Or is it, you know, you're in Los Angeles and you're walking around and you just think, my God, that was a beautiful woman, and a longing stuck. That's when the writers start.
KING: When you sing, you're thinking everything into every lyric, right? Like Sinatra once said, you sing the lyric.
MINNELLI: Yes, yes. I am. But I also put an emphasis on character. Who is she? Why is she singing it? You know?
KING: A lot more to talk about with Liza May Minnelli. Ah-ha. Returning after the break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KING: We're back with Liza Minnelli. The new CD -- it's years old, but you've never heard it because it's brand new. It's "Confessions of Liza Minnelli," great songs that you've really never heard.
Concerning "American Idol," what do you think of the selection of Jennifer Lopez and Steven Tyler as the new judges?
MINNELLI: It's wonderful. They can spot -- if you've got it, you can spot it.
KING: Would you be a good judge?
MINNELLI: I think that I'd be too helpful.
KING: And not harsh.
MINNELLI: You know what I mean? I'd want to bring out what I see in the kid, you know, and say, would it be more interesting if you didn't jump around on that lyric? Just that --
KING: You'd be a good mentor.
MINNELLI: Yeah, I would be.
KING: What do you make of the TV show -- MINNELLI: I was Charles Asnavore's (ph) mentor.
KING: You were? He's older than you.
MINNELLI: Sorry, Larry. Excuse me. Charles Asnavore was my mentor.
KING: Not bad choice.
MINNELL: Thank you.
KING: What a singer. Also, what a performance. Right?
MINNELLI: Did you like it?
KING: I loved it. What about Edith Piaf? They're in that same class, right? What do you make of the TV show "Glee"?
MINNELLI: Oh, I think it's funny and outrageous. Therefore, I love it.
KING: You teach acting, right?
MINNELLI: Yes, I do, in song.
KING: But you were also a hell of an actress. Why didn't you do more film? As an actress?
(CROSS TALK)
MINNELLI: I didn't sing in "The Sterile Cuckoo." I didn't sing in "Charlie Bubbles." There's a couple of them I didn't sing in. I guess the reason is I loved performing so much. I loved entertaining. That's a different audience every night. And I just -- I don't know. I like all of them because they all come from one basic thing, and that's acting.
KING: If memory serves me correct, "New York, New York" came from a movie.
MINNELLI: Yes.
KING: Robert De Niro and you.
MINNELLI: Yes.
KING: Ah-ha. What was it like to work with him?
MINNELLI: Brilliant. It was just brilliant. I love him. I'd never seen anyone like him, or Scorsese. But I adored him. You know, he was in every second. And if you had a close-up and he was here with a camera talking to you, if he didn't think it looked real, he'd start in the middle and do it again.
KING: Really?
MINNELLI: He threw people so that they had to respond, like they had first heard the question. It was very interesting.
KING: You helped our dear friend, Kathy Griffin. Gave her acting tips before she did "Law and Order." And she was fantastic.
MINNELLI: Wasn't she great?
KING: What do you think -- does she have the ability, do you think, to be a terrific actor?
MINNELLI: Yeah, I do.
KING: What does she have?
MINNELLI: Mystery, humor, passion and pizzazz. So she's got all of that going. She's so wildly --
KING: Did you watch "Law and Order"?
MINNELLI: Yes, I did.
KING: What a performance.
MINNELL: Yes. Just great.
KING: A lesbian who wasn't a lesbian. Yes, great performance. What about the Snickers commercial which remade Betty White's whole life? And you and Aretha Franklin, two pretty good talents --
MINNELLI: Thank you.
KING: -- are in that car.
MINNELLI: Yes. That was funny.
KING: Did you have fun doing that?
MINNELLI: Yeah.
KING: Did you like the concept?
MINNELLI: It only took about six hours. I thought it was funny. I didn't know how they were going to do it, but I thought it was very funny. So doing it was a pleasure.
KING: They're great commercials.
MINNELLI: Thank you.
KING: Come on, everyone, get happy, because she's going to chase all your blues away. We're doing a musical here. This is Larry Glee King, and we'll be back with more of Liza -- don't have to say the last name -- after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KING: We're back with Liza. The album, new CD is "Confessions." Do they still say album? Or do they just say CD?
MINNELLI: I say album, CD, whatever.
KING: I say album, too. Do you think about your mom a lot?
MINNELLI: Yes. I take her advice.
KING: Is she still with you?
MINNELLI: Uh-huh. I take her advice like -- like forget struggles, come on, get happy. I won't sing any of my mom's songs because it would be a -- it would be so much worse, and everybody else who sings them I think, are you nuts?
KING: The one nice one I heard was Tony Bennett's "Charlie Song."
MINNELL: Oh, yeah.
KING: He did a great job.
MINNELLI: Yes, he did.
KING: Normally sung by a woman, and made famous by your mother, "Meet Me in St. Louis." I know movies.
MINNELL: I know you do.
KING: You stole the show in this summer's "Sex in the City II." You performed Beyonce's "Single Ladies." How did that whole thing come about?
MINNELLI: They called me. Just like everything else, hey, you want to do -- and I said, sure, if I can have Ron Lewis as the choreographer, and Billy adjust the music so it's within your time limits, I'd love to do it. Then I told Ron and he said, OK, we're on. And I think the things that he selected are just wonderful, because it's the little bit of the tribute to the movie, the little bit of the first time. So it's like a crazy grade of that song.
KING: Beyonce recorded it, but there was a great hit of it years ago by Jimmy Dorsey called "At Last." "At Last" is one of my favorite songs. But Beyonce sang it at the Inaugural dance, right?
MINNELLI: Yes.
KING: Did you have any hesitancy about doing it?
MINNELLI: Yeah.
KING: Two famous songs had been done.
MINNELLI: I said, are you sure? I don't know how to make it any different, you know? Everybody sung it. Gee. And they said, you'll think of something. So I did. And what I thought of was, this is really a great blues song, you know? Really the way it does -- but what is it saying?
KING: My love has come along.
MINNELLI: At last, my love has come along. My lonely nights are ended. So it's really relief. Therefore, I smiled through the whole thing.
KING: It's a happy song.
MINNELLI: And just listened to all the words.
KING: Dorsey I remember had the big chorus.
MINNELLI: Oh, yes. Oh, yes. Wasn't that great?
KING: A long running rumor that if they ever make a film, another film or a musical of "Sunset Boulevard," which was a musical on stage --
MINNELLI: Sure.
KING: Would you do it? Perfect part for you.
MINNELLI: Of course. Oh, yeah, there's a lot of interesting stuff there.
KING: Has anyone ever thought of making -- the musical was wonderful I thought.
MINNELLI: They came to me at first, and I was working, so I couldn't do -- the commitments were such that I had that I couldn't be at all rehearsals. And I won't do something if I can't be there. You know, I don't want to go out and perform and then come back to rehearsal. And that was the schedule.
KING: Do you ever get nervous?
MINNELLI: Oh, sure. God, yes. Don't you?
KING: No.
MINNELLI: Oh, that's great, Larry.
KING: Sinatra told me right before he went on stage, he still got that, is it going to be there?
MINNELLI: Oh, yeah, but it was always there.
KING: She's Liza with a Z. Don't go away.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(NEWS BREAK)
KING: You appeared in "Arrested Development." That was supposed to be a movie. Do you know why -- what happened? MINNELLI: I don't know. I really don't know. Nobody's called me. I don't think some of the other people have heard, either.
KING: Now they're going to remake "Arthur." That's what we're told.
MINNELLI: Yes, me too.
KING: First, is the alcohol thing going to work today? With the problem that alcoholism is, wasn't that big a story then.
MINNELLI: It didn't work in "Arthur II".
KING: Did not work, correct.
MINNELLI: I think it might work in this. I really do. But I keep thinking of Dudley Moore.
KING: Russell Brand is going to play it. Do you know him?
MINNELLI: Yes.
KING: Do you ever watch your old films?
MINNELLI: No. I was just talking about that on the way over. They said, did you see "The Sterile Cuckoo?" I said gosh, I haven't seen it in years. Somebody said I have a copy of it. So I got excited. I said oh, I'd love to see it.
KING: Is it weird to watch yourself act?
MINNELLI: At first, when you've just done the movie, because you go and you look at the whole thing and all you remember are what happened during that scene, what's it like, you know, to really believe in this -- am I doing it right? Is this happening? Is that -- you know. So you're completely involved with the performance, and everybody else's.
KING: How could you work with Dudley Moore and not break up?
MINNELLI: I didn't. I laughed that whole time, and so did he.
KING: Oh, what a guy.
MINNELLI: Yeah, I know. And John Gielgud, oh, my god. Sir John.
KING: When Dudley steps out of the cab and disappears into the gutter -- one of the great laugh lines.
MINNELLI: Nothing like it.
KING: Your father was a legendary film director. Do you ever think of directing?
MINNELLI: Me? No. No, I don't. I never do. KING: We're going to paint the town and all that jazz in our final moments with Liza. The new CD is "Confessions." Don't go away.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
MINNELLI: Liza's been a guest on "LARRY KING LIVE" many times over the years. Let's take a look at the history of Larry and Liza.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KING: Why have you decided to come on tonight on your honeymoon?
MINNELLI: Because you asked me, Larry, and I'm thrilled.
KING: Growing up as you grew up with a great director father and a tremendous performer mother, were you almost automatically showbiz bit? I mean, were you the kind of kid that walked by these old movies, what you wanted to do.
MINNELLI: Not really, because it seemed really boring to me, because to be on the set, it was slow, and it was tedious and it took a lot of time. I liked the dance sequences. I liked things that moved along. So when I finally saw a Broadway show when I was about 13, that got me interested.
KING: You said, I want to do that.
MINNELLI: That. I want to do that, yes.
KING: Do you feel as good as you look?
MINNELLI: Oh, Larry, what a wonderful thing to say. Thank you so much, and the answer is yes.
KING: Because I've known you a long time and I don't think I've ever seen you looking better.
MINNELLI: Larry, I've learned that I'm never getting married again. There's no good reason for it. So I intend to have a 17-year- old whose name I don't know, right? I intend to have a 35-year-old who's an intellectual and marvelous to talk to. And I intend also to have guys about 93, with one foot in the grave and one foot on a banana peel. What else can I say?
KING: You are an angel.
MINNELLI: Thank you. I was very nervous. And thank you for making me feel so at home.
And do you realize how long we've known each other, Larry?
KING: A long time.
MINNELLI: A long time.
KING: Don't remind me.
MINNELLI: And you know something else? Your suspenders are still as handsome as ever.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KING: You know, they use the word legend a lot. They use the word great a lot, except both apply to her. How long are you going to keep performing? You've got new hips? You've got a new knee?
MINNELLI: Right.
KING: You're a new creation.
MINNELLI: As long as I can.
KING: You don't think of quitting?
MINNELLI: No, I don't.
KING: Has your voice changed?
MINNELLI: I'm sure it's changed a lot. It's changed in this new CD. It's completely different than anything I've ever done. It's quiet and it's sexy, I guess.
KING: And funny and sad and --
MINNELLI: Yeah.
KING: Where do you keep all your awards, Oscar, Tony, Grammy?
MINNELLI: On a shelf in the sitting room.
KING: In New York?
MINNELLI: Yeah.
MINNELLI: Where you've always lived, right? You have a home in L.A., though.
MINNELLI: Yeah, but I moved to new York when I was 15.
KING: Fifteen? Did you run away?
MINNELLI: Well, not really. Mama said -- I said, well, what if I get a job? And she said, well, then I guess you can stay. And daddy said, well, if you get a job, tell me about it. So I got a job.
KING: Doing?
MINNELLI: Best foot forward.
KING: Not a bad job.
MINNELLI: It was wonderful. KING: Couple of other things. Anything you haven't done in the business you want to do?
MINNELLI: I like getting talented people together and watching them. I like going to see new talent, and really approaching it, I guess, from a director's point of view. I love when I find somebody who's just great and I can introduce them to the world, like Michael Feinstein or Billy Streich or several actresses. It's fun.
KING: Would you like to do a serious stage play?
MINNELLI: Oh, sure.
KING: You haven't done that, right? You've done musicals --
MINNELLI: But there's always some serious in -- yeah. There's always that moment.
KING: I guess the key, Liza -- this appears to me as an observation, that you are really happy.
MINNELLI: Thank you, honey.
KING: -- with your new hips and your new knee and this great album.
MINNELLI: Thank you, Larry.
KING: I'm going to make a prediction.
MINNELLI: Hit it.
KING: You're going to make it.
MINNELLI: Thank you, Larry.
KING: You stay in this business -- I know they think you're just taking advantage of your mother's name. You're not. You're going to make it.
MINNELLI: I'm going to prove it.
KING: Maybe you should change your name. Liza Phillips?
MINNELLI: Well, no. I can't -- that's my father's name.
KING: But try something, Liza.
MINNELLI: No.
KING: OK. Good luck to you, dear.
MINNELLI: OK.
KING: I'm not good at predictions, usually. She -- the album is "Confessions." And "AC 360" starts right now.
