PBS To Film Award Winning Entertainment Diahann Carroll
In Her Acclaimed One Woman Show For JULY 2010 Airing

Award winning entertainer Diahann Carroll will bring her acclaimed one woman show to PBS as part of their fund-raising program on the U.S public television stations, premiering on July 31, 2010 on KCET. The live concert was filmed in Palm Springs, CA on Wednesday April 21^st at the Annenberg Theater, to benefit the  Annenberg Theater at The Palm Springs Art Museum. 

Below are additional airdates on PBS across the country. If your local PBS station is not listed, please visit them online at www.pbs.org, and search your local listings. If you still can't find an airdate, email or call your local station to request "The Lady ... The Music ... The Legend".

An Academy Award nominee, Golden Globe and Tony Award winner and Grammy nominee, “The Lady ... The Music ... The Legend” was debuted in New York with the New York Times reviewing  “Her opening number erupts out of her like an emotional volcano and from here on, the lava never stops flowing ... Diahann Carroll is historic. Experience her while you can”.

 Jim Casey, President & CEO of Integrated Wealth Management, through his production company J&J Productions and  producing partner Kim Waltrip of Wonderstar Production, Charles McCutcheon and Jeffrey Lane will present the consummate performer in conjunction with The PS Film Here LLC with material made available to Terrel Cass Productions,LLC, (TCP) to be edited into a three part, sixty minute concert.   PBS will give stations rights to run the special for 8 runs over 25 months.    

Tickets for "The Lady ... The Music ... The Legend" are $100 (which includes a post-concert party) and $50 (performance only) and can be purchased at the theater's Box Office at (760) 325 4490. This evening is a benefit for the Annenberg Theater.  For tickets and more information, click here.

Reviews:

The Desert Sun: (April 25, 2010)

Diahann Carroll – The Lady, the Music, The Legend came to the Annenberg Theater at Palm Springs Art Museum on April 21. The one woman show featuring Carroll was presented by J & J Productions and Wonderstar Productions and the evening was a benefit for the Annenberg Theater.

The award winning actress, singer and legend proved that becoming age 75 does not dim talent, vocal ability or charisma – at least not when you are Diahann Carroll. She shared memorable songs that she had introduced on Broadway and personal memories with ease and humor. Her tribute to Frank Sinatra and his songs started with heartfelt words about Frank and his musical talent. One of her stand out numbers was “As If We never Said Goodbye” from Sunset Boulevard – a show dear to her heart since she portrayed Norma Desmond in the Toronto premier production of the Andrew Lloyd Webber hit musical and her cast album from that show has outsold all other recordings of Sunset Boulevard.

On stage one sees the talent and hard work that brought Carroll from humble beginnings in the Bronx to becoming one of the entertainment industry’s most glamorous performers - a Tony Award recipient, Emmy and Grammy nominee, a Golden Globe winner, Best Actress nominee, as well as the first black actress in television history to star in her own series, “Julia” for NBC. Her acting ability and strong voice do wonders for every song she presents from “Where Do You Start?” to her wind up, the rousing “Some Of These Days” and the song her daughter suggested she do, “I’d Rather Leave While I’m in Love.” Carroll left the stage with everyone in love with her.

The one woman show produced by Jeffrey Lane, Kim Waltrip and David Ho with Jim Casey, executive producer, was filmed at the Annenberg Theater during her performance by Terrel Cass Productions for PBS and will be shared by the public in August when PBS TV presents Diahann Carroll, The Lady, The Music, The Legend as a musical special during its national month long pledge drive

Legendary Lady Sings The Standards

Some people wondered if Diahann Carroll could pull off a concert at age 74, that could live up to its title: “Diahann Carroll: The Lady, The Music, The Legend.”

But Carroll not only pulled off a classy, first-rate autobiographical show last week at the Annenberg Theater, she set into motion a confluence of events that could cement her place among the living legends of traditional pop music.

A PBS broadcast of the show is scheduled to air in August and, by then there will be an expanded DVD of the concert featuring cutaways about her life story and a live CD that I think will earn her a Grammy nomination for Best Traditional Pop Album.

Executive Producer Jim Casey, and producers Jeffrey Lane, Kim Waltrip and David Ho, put on a professionally-staged event with elegant white drapes as a backdrop to the set-up for Carroll and the 28-piece Pat Rizzo Orchestra (minus Rizzo).

The Broadway, film and television star of “Julia” and “Dynasty” was warm, witty and revealing. The concert started on time, but Carroll sarcastically claimed she was late because “the traffic was hell,” which established her as one of us and not one of those less enlightened folks from the land of clogged arteries.

Carroll recounted only a few of the accomplishments that justify her billing as a legend: notably how she won a Tony Award for Richard Rodgers' “No Strings,” the only Broadway show for which Rodgers wrote both the words and music, and how her time in Las Vegas allowed her to learn the breathing and story-telling technique of her friend, Frank Sinatra.

Mostly, Carroll let her singing defend her right to the lofty title of her show. Her Sinatra medley, especially her boozy, woozy saloon interpretation of “One For My Baby,” showcased her narrative skills. Her version of the Sophie Tucker's “Some Of These Days,” showed she can still belt 'em and make someone else's signature song her own.

But probably no song from her show is more worthy of special attention than the finale her daughter suggested, Peter Allen's and Carole Bayer Sager's “I'd Rather Leave While I'm In Love,” which Rita Coolidge had a hit with.

It's a big, rich uptempo ballad that Carroll managed to make worthy of being the climax to an evening of 20th century pop standards.

Palm Springs Guide: (April 21, 2010)
Story and photos by Pat Krause

Diahann Carroll graced the stage at the Annenberg Theater in the Palm Springs Art Museum on Wednesday, April 21. “The Lady, The Music, The Legend” concert was jointly presented by J&J Productions and WonderStar Productions. Wednesday evening was very special and a first because it was filmed live by the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS). This live concert was about the life of Diahann Carroll and will be shown on television in August.

Carroll is a Tony, Emmy, Grammy and Golden Globe winner and also a Best Actress Oscar Nominee for work in her varied career. This dynamic woman is still going strong with performances in television with guest starring roles in “White Collar” and co-starring in Lifetime’s made-for-TV movies “At Risk” and “The Front.”

Carroll was beautifully dressed in a black gown with a slit up one side. She reiterated some of the important phone calls that changed her life and career. Phone calls from Truman Capote and Richard Rogers catapulted her into fame with performances on stage and screen. She said when PBS called and wanted to do a show about her life it only took her 30 seconds to say “yes.” She loves what PBS does on television.

Carroll started the concert with songs that have made her famous like “Come Rain or Come Shine” and “On a Clear Day” to name just a few. After a couple songs, she would tell a bit more about her life, such as her four marriages — some started out well and ended up in hell. She said she is still standing after all that. She has a daughter and a grandchild that make her smile and are an important part of her life.

A 15-minute intermission let Carroll change into another sparkling gown for the rest of her performance. She mentioned that she headlined in Las Vegas and met the ”Chairman of the Board,” the legendary Frank Sinatra. She said she was so grateful that he was alive when she was there. She did a medley of Sinatra songs like “High Hopes,” “One for my Baby” and of course, “New York New York.” Her renditions of these songs showcased her talent that lets her put her own style to each song.

This concert was different in the fact that PBS TV cameras were all around the stage. Another cameraman would walk in front of the stage to capture her performance. It was exciting to know that this filming in Palm Springs and the Annenberg Theater will be shown worldwide on the PBS. Guests in the audience might even be shown as the cameras scanned the audience on occasion.

Carroll said she was so glad that she decided to come to Palm Springs for this filming. She thanked those involved in the concert and gave a special “thank you” to her pianist and drummer. She said she was especially grateful for the Pat Rizzo Orchestra, as they were extraordinary.

A Meet-and-Greet session was held in the museum’s main area. Carroll came up to greet so many of her fans. She posed for photos with her director, Chip Miller, producer Jim Casey and fans. As she greeted the guests, television cameras followed her around the room.

Carroll has so many credits in her fabulous career it would be hard to mention all of them. She played Norman Desmond in “Sunset Boulevard,” appeared in TV’s “Dynasty.” Her Broadway appearances include “House of Flowers,” “No Strings” and “Agnes of God.” She even had her own television series, “Julia.”

A consummate entertainer, Diahann Carroll is truly an entertainment legend.

The Austin Symphony
February 20, 2010 8PM

2010 Steve Chase Humanitarian Awards

Diahann presented fashion designer Bob Macie with his second Arts and Activism Award at the 2010 Steve Chase Humanitarian Awards on Feb. 27, 2010.  For more information, visit www.desertaidsproject.org.

WELCOME

MUSIC