Latest news with #BarryManilow
South China Morning Post
15 hours ago
- Entertainment
- South China Morning Post
Cabaret star Rick Lau on his journey from a Chiu Chow corner shop to the stage
I WAS BORN in February 1970. An Aquarian. They're dreamers, they're not practical, but they're charismatic and people like them a lot. I have four siblings, so with my parents there were seven of us living in a 220 sq ft flat in in February 1970. An Aquarian. They're dreamers, they're not practical, but they're charismatic and people like them a lot. I have four siblings, so with my parents there were seven of us living in a 220 sq ft flat in Lower Ngau Tau Kok Estate . It was a typical Chiu Chow family. Chiu Chow people love to have small businesses. We had a si do, a corner shop, and that was pre-supermarket days, so it was always busy. I remember the whole family had to work in that shop. My responsibility was slicing bread. I was in primary school then and it was a happy time because I could snack on whatever I wanted. My favourite was Toblerone and Maltesers. An endless supply. Advertisement MY PARENTS HAD COME over in the 1960s from China in that migration wave from (the over in the 1960s from China in that migration wave from (the Chaoshan region of Guangdong province). The radio was always on in the shop. I listened to a lot of the Top 40 countdowns; that was how I was exposed to American music. We didn't have a television until I was in Primary Five or Six. I remember one Chinese New Year they were playing Barry Manilow in concert and at the time I didn't know who he was. All I remember was this tall, lanky guy with long blond hair, playing the piano and singing 'Even Now', and all the girls were screaming. I remember thinking, 'I want to do that. I want to sing in front of people.' Rick Lau was the youngest in a Chiu Chow family living in Lower Ngau Tau Kok Estate. Photo: courtesy Rick Lau I WENT TO SCHOOL at Chan Sui Ki (La Salle) College, in Ho Man Tin. I played badminton for the school team. I went to Australia for Year 12, to Adelaide, where I lived with my sister. Then I studied computer science at the University of New South Wales, in Sydney. As a Chinese boy, you have to do what your parents tell you, and that's why I did computer science and became an IT consultant for six years. But, you know, once you've done that, perhaps you're free to do what you want. WHEN I WAS an IT consultant in Sydney, I started doing amateur productions of musicals. My first was Oklahoma. I was the only Chinese in it and I played an American cowboy. Then I did The Count of Luxembourg. I also did a pro-am production, so we didn't get paid as actors but the production team were paid. That was Stephen Sondheim's Pacific Overtures, about the Westernisation of Japan, and it inspired me, because it was the first time I was in a lead role. After that I started thinking about whether I could do it as a career. Rick Lau as Mimi Moore the flight attendant in City Contemporary Dance Company's Home Sweat Home, which premiered in 2021. Photo: Eddie Wong WHILE I WAS thinking about that, a friend took me to a clairvoyant. They look at you and your guardian angels, and the guardian angels give the clairvoyant messages and he or she will relay them on to you. So I sat down, and before I'd said anything, she said to me: 'I could see you on stage in elaborate costume on a beautiful set. You were singing your heart out and the audience was mesmerised.' For me, that was like a message from the universe. So, two weeks later, I handed in my resignation. Luckily, I got into drama school – the National Institute of Dramatic Art, in Sydney. I did musical theatre. That was when I was 28. Now one of my life mottos is: leap and the net will appear. I've co-created seven cabarets with Tony Taylor, one of my mentors, who was my teacher at drama school. He taught me so much about cabaret because he came from a vaudeville tradition and was a great comic actor. He taught me about comic timing and storytelling through songs. Advertisement I WORKED AT a call centre for a year or so. Then I got into a musical – Naked Boys Singing! We had to be naked on stage singing, in Sydney. The second show I got was Hair, where at the end of act one, everyone was naked facing the audience. It was great training. I was young so I wasn't self-conscious. I wouldn't do it now!
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
'Legendary Performer,' 82, Makes Huge Career Announcement
'Legendary Performer,' 82, Makes Huge Career Announcement originally appeared on Parade. Iconic performer just made a huge career announcement — he has extended his long-running Las Vegas residency into 2026. In fact, he'll turn 83 years young in the middle of the 2026 run. On Monday, July 21, Westgate Las Vegas Resort & Casino announced "a new slate of 2026 performance dates for music icon Barry Manilow's acclaimed lifetime residency, Manilow: Las Vegas – The Hits Come Home! at the legendary International Theater," according to the press release. "The record-setting production continues to play to packed houses, extending Manilow's reign as one of Las Vegas's most in-demand headliners."The Grammy-winning singer has been named Best Resident Performer by the Las Vegas Review-Journal and made history in 2024 by signing the first-ever Lifetime Residency Contract with Westgate. Manilow was also recently inducted into the Las Vegas Magazine Hall of Fame with their Lifetime Achievement Award. He also holds the record for most performances at the International Theater. Here are the new 2026 dates: February: 12–14, 19–21 March: 26–28 April: 2–4 May: 7–9, 14–16 July: 9–11, 16–18 August: 20–22, 27–29 September: 17–19, 24–26 October: 8–10, 15–17 November: 5–7, 12–14 December: 3–5, 10–12, 17–19 Tickets for 2026 go on sale on Friday, July 25 at 10 a.m. at the Westgate Box Office and Manilow made his International Theater debut in 1988 and returned there 30 years later to kick off his current residency, which has been running since 2018. 🎬 SIGN UP for Parade's Daily newsletter to get the latest pop culture news & celebrity interviews delivered right to your inbox 🎬 "The show is a dazzling, high-energy celebration of Manilow's extraordinary musical legacy, featuring beloved classics like 'Mandy,' 'Copacabana,' 'Can't Smile Without You,' and 'I Write the Songs.' With immersive visuals, lush arrangements, and his signature emotional storytelling, it's a one-of-a-kind experience that only Barry Manilow can deliver," reads the press release. "Barry Manilow is more than a legendary performer—he's a cornerstone of the Las Vegas entertainment legacy," said Cami Christensen, President and General Manager of Westgate Las Vegas Resort & Casino, in a statement. "For years, Barry has brought magic to the iconic stage of the International Theater, and we're honored to be the home of his lifetime residency. His presence at Westgate continues to define what it means to be a true Las Vegas headliner." 'Legendary Performer,' 82, Makes Huge Career Announcement first appeared on Parade on Jul 22, 2025 This story was originally reported by Parade on Jul 22, 2025, where it first appeared.
The Guardian
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
Mandy review – I am fully converted to Diane Morgan's genius
The title sequence for Mandy, the short-form sitcom from Diane Morgan (Motherland, Philomena Cunk), tells you everything and nothing about the programme you are about to watch. Clad in a stonewashed denim biker jacket and diamante earrings, a voluminous hairpiece plonked (perhaps backwards) on top of her head, our titular protagonist stands on some kind of spinning platform, soundtracked by the maudlin strains of Barry Manilow's Mandy. Her face is contorted into a sideways pout; she looks worried, but vacant. Now in its fourth series, the show is in some senses a character study of the eponymous Mandy Carter, a single, chronically jobless woman with a remarkable knee-led walk whose attempts to secure employment are continually scuppered by a combination of bad luck and bad attitude; she is a work-shy chancer for whom a cigarette break is always the number one priority. But Mandy is more of a tone piece than a serious examination of a mind: we stay firmly on the surface of our hero's world and, beyond the basic emotions (fear, indignation, excitement at the prospect of a quick buck), there doesn't seem to be a huge amount going on in her head. In fact, Mandy's main characteristic is apathy – even in the face of death. In one episode, she steals an unbelievably long ladder and starts earning a few bob by helping the local vicar maintain his steeple. When her best friend, Lola (Michelle Greenidge), expresses concern about the risk involved – Mandy ascends in her trademark high-heeled boots, fag in mouth – she insists safety equipment is for snowflakes: 'If I slip and die, I slip and die! We've all gotta go some time.' On another occasion, she is buried alive in a coffin, largely because she can't be bothered to get out of it. Mandy is an exercise in human vibe – you may have crossed paths with someone vaguely like her before – but also a certain kind of comic architecture. Episodes usually start with her getting a new job, before something goes awry, and general destruction ensues. It is not supposed to be realistic: with a brilliant rep theatre-style rotating cast (Michael Spicer, Mark Silcox, Yuriko Kotani, Alistair Green) and a random assortment of celebrity guests (Deborah Meaden, Iain Lee, Graham Norton), the show has a hallucinatory quality, while Mandy's bizarre crescendos often involve deliberately bad CGI and a wholesale rejection of logic. The comedy can be uneven, but the show is admirable in its pursuit of end-weighted belly laughs. The sight of Morgan clomping along the wing of a plane in magnetic callipers (after having a leg-lengthening operation to qualify as cabin crew) to boot a bomb into the night sky – a sacrifice that is immediately forgotten by practically everyone on the plane – is the moment I am fully converted to Mandy's genius. That said, series four – the first Morgan has co-written with her partner, producer Ben Caudell – has far fewer of these ludicrous climaxes. In one episode, Mandy takes a rat on a bus and, after an unfortunate chain of events, is forced to fly the vehicle over a large gap in a bridge, but that moment of satisfyingly stupid farce is an outlier. The opening episode – which involves a back-to-work training scheme helmed by her beige employment officer (a recurring role for Tom Basden), Mandy administering old Botox to a school bully, a snooty shop assistant and a cameo from Martin Lewis – has a few titter-worthy moments, but never finds true hilarity. Elsewhere, the set pieces feel disconcertingly violent: Mandy accidentally inflicting head trauma on a man in a wheelchair or dunking a chip shop worker's face in boiling oil. Mandy subjects herself to brutality, too, undergoing buttock enhancement – carried out below an Istanbul kebab shop, naturally – after finally discovering the beauty standards long peddled by the Kardashians. Another storyline revolves around an artwork by Banksy – or Banky, as a confused Mandy calls him. Clearly, both plots are supposed to illustrate how blissfully out of touch Mandy is, but it also means we must endure comic riffs on topics that are, at this point, mind-numbingly cliched. When comedy as boldly slapstick and overtly ridiculous as this hits its stride, it can feel like sorcery. Sadly, much like Mandy's approach to every task under the sun, the construction of this new series seems a bit half-hearted. It is still a pleasingly idiosyncratic proposition – something you can say about vanishingly few TV shows these days – but Mandy seems to have lost something of its former magic. Sign up to What's On Get the best TV reviews, news and features in your inbox every Monday after newsletter promotion Mandy aired on BBC Two and is on BBC iPlayer now.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
WESTGATE LAS VEGAS RESORT & CASINO ANNOUNCES NEW 2026 DATES FOR MUSIC ICON BARRY MANILOW'S RECORD-BREAKING LAS VEGAS RESIDENCY
To download High-res images and Video - click here LAS VEGAS, July 21, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Westgate Las Vegas Resort & Casino announced today a new slate of 2026 performance dates for music icon Barry Manilow's acclaimed lifetime residency, Manilow: Las Vegas – The Hits Come Home! at the legendary International Theater. The record-setting production continues to play to packed houses, extending Manilow's reign as one of Las Vegas's most in-demand headliners. Manilow now holds the record for most performances at the historic International Theater. The milestone not only cements Manilow's place in Las Vegas history but also underscores his enduring appeal and unparalleled connection with generations of fans. Following a run of twelve consecutive sold-out shows and a recent honor as "Best Las Vegas Show" by USA TODAY, Manilow: Las Vegas – The Hits Come Home! remains one of the city's most sought-after experiences. Manilow has been named Best Resident Performer by the Las Vegas Review-Journal, made history in 2024 by signing the first-ever Lifetime Residency Contract with Westgate, and was recently inducted into the Las Vegas Magazine Hall of Fame with their Lifetime Achievement Award. New 2026 Residency Dates February: 12–14, 19–21 March: 26–28 April: 2–4 May: 7–9, 14–16 July: 9–11, 16–18 August: 20–22, 27–29 September: 17–19, 24–26 October: 8–10, 15–17 November: 5–7, 12–14 December: 3–5, 10–12, 17–19 Tickets are available for the 2026 dates this Friday, July 25 at 10am. Tickets are on sale now for all 2025 shows at the Westgate Box Office, and "Barry Manilow is more than a legendary performer—he's a cornerstone of the Las Vegas entertainment legacy," said Cami Christensen, President and General Manager of Westgate Las Vegas Resort & Casino. "For years, Barry has brought magic to the iconic stage of the International Theater, and we're honored to be the home of his lifetime residency. His presence at Westgate continues to define what it means to be a true Las Vegas headliner." Manilow first performed at the International Theater on January 12, 1988, and returned to launch his current residency in 2018. Since then, Manilow: Las Vegas – The Hits Come Home! has played to hundreds of thousands of fans and earned repeated "Best of Las Vegas" awards for Best Resident Performer/Headliner. The show is a dazzling, high-energy celebration of Manilow's extraordinary musical legacy, featuring beloved classics like "Mandy," "Copacabana," "Can't Smile Without You," and "I Write the Songs." With immersive visuals, lush arrangements, and his signature emotional storytelling, it's a one-of-a-kind experience that only Barry Manilow can deliver. Don't miss your chance to see a living legend—on the legendary stage that helped define Las Vegas as the Entertainment Capital of the World. About Barry Manilow With over 85 million albums sold worldwide, Barry Manilow has earned 51 Top 40 singles, including 12 #1 hits and 27 Top 10s. He is the recipient of Grammy®, Emmy®, and Tony® Awards, and was named the #1 Adult Contemporary Artist of all time by Billboard and Radio & Records. About Westgate Las Vegas Resort & Casino Located just one block from the Las Vegas Strip, Westgate Las Vegas Resort & Casino offers an unmatched experience in the heart of the Entertainment Capital. With award-winning dining, world-class entertainment, and state-of-the-art amenities, it remains a premier destination for visitors from around the globe. Its recently renovated International Theater continues to host legendary performances—led by the iconic Barry Manilow. For more information, visit For Barry Manilow media inquiries, please contact:Victoria Varela – vv@ For Westgate media inquiries, please contact:Jeff Wagner – jeff@ Haas-Stacey – celena@ Loosbrock – michelle@ View original content to download multimedia: SOURCE Westgate Las Vegas Resort & Casino Sign in to access your portfolio
Yahoo
15-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
‘70s Pop Icon, 81, Reveals He's Responsible for Your Favorite Jingles: ‘You Deserve a Break Today'
'70s Pop Icon, 81, Reveals He's Responsible for Your Favorite Jingles: 'You Deserve a Break Today' originally appeared on Parade. Barry Manilow, 81, is full of surprises. The 1970s and 1980s singing legend recently revealed that he's not only the writer of some of the pop world's most iconic songs like Mandy and Copacabana—he's also the author of some of the most memorable commercial jingles of the a video shared from a recent Barry Manilow concert, the talented crooner revealed he's responsible for the catchy 'I'm stuck on a Band-Aid' jingle that so many Gen Xers associate with the brand. Fans quickly got to work, commenting on the video and sharing more Barry Manilow-written jingles. One commented, 'You deserve a break today,' in reference to the classic McDonald's theme song written by Manilow. Another fan wrote, 'State Farm Insurance, Stridex,' whose jingles were also written by the Brooklyn-born of the soundtrack of the 1970s was actually written by Manilow, who began his career writing commercial jingles. His other work includes Pepsi's 'Feelin' Free' jingle and State Farm's 'Like a good neighbor, State Farm is there' theme song. Manilow also sang the jingle for Dr. Pepper, which was written by I Love L.A. songwriter Randy Newman. We love it! 🎬SIGN UP for Parade's Daily newsletter to get the latest pop culture news & celebrity interviews delivered right to your inbox🎬 '70s Pop Icon, 81, Reveals He's Responsible for Your Favorite Jingles: 'You Deserve a Break Today' first appeared on Parade on Jun 5, 2025 This story was originally reported by Parade on Jun 5, 2025, where it first appeared.
