Michael Feinstein: Liza Minnelli was singing on her way to Oscars before she was forced to use wheelchair
A joyful new video of Liza Minnelli has surfaced where she can be seen happily singing inside her car on her way to attend the 94th Academy Awards after a friend claimed she was 'sabotaged' into requiring a wheelchair before appearing onstage. In the video posted by Michael Feinstein on Instagram Tuesday, April 26, the 76-year-old Hollywood legend can be seen smoking a cigarette while singing the 'It's Gonna Be A Great Day' song.
Feinstein, a pianist, stated in the caption, "Just found this on my phone. Her friend wrote further "Liza on her way to the Oscars, happy and excited." Minnelli may have received a standing ovation at the 2022 Academy Awards but Feinstein believes she deserved better treatment. Feinstein said on SiriusXM's 'The Jess Cagle Show' earlier this month that her appearance at the March 27 event where she presented the Best Picture award with Lady Gaga, had been sabotaged after a stage manager forced her to sit in a wheelchair before taking the stage. On the show, Feinstein revealed that the Los Angeles native had only agreed to come on a conditional basis.
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According to Feinstein, the 'Arthur' actress wanted to "look nice" on the stage without causing people to "worry about her," about her ongoing back issues and she had told him she would refuse to come out in a wheelchair. Feinstein said Minnelli was "so shaken that she was discombobulated" when she consented to come out in a wheelchair.
"She was nervous I mean, and it made her look like she was out of it,' he said. 'And she was just so shaken up that it was. Can you imagine being suddenly forced to be seen by millions of people the way you don’t wanna be seen? That’s what happened to her." Feinstein said that Oscars officials were all rattled up as a result of "everything that had happened earlier," referring to Will Smith's iconic slap of Chris Rock. Despite being very disappointed about the appearance, the New York star is "really doing well," according to Feinstein.
Scott Gorenstein, Minnelli's longtime publicist, informed the New York Post that Oscars organizers had approached him about bringing the icon to the event to mark Cabaret's 50th anniversary. "I wanted to remind people who she is. Liza is living her best life, not having to be in front of the cameras. She’s been under tremendous pressure her entire life to perform for audiences. The past couple of years has allowed her to relax and enjoy another phase of her life. She has had some health problems."
He further added, "However, when an opportunity comes in front of me that says, Would Liza Minnelli like to present the Best Picture Oscar with Lady Gaga? The quiet life goes out of the window! Liza is a legend and she deserves to be at the Academy Awards, so I put it in front of her people and recommended that she do it. I said it would be a historic occasion."