Why would a woman with such an incredible voice smoke? It was bound to ruin her voice.

At least she's fighting it.
God bless and I hope she keeps giving it all she's got.
I'm sure she will. I'm sad to hear that she's still struggling.

I feel the same what you do. I've seen her many times: Carnegie Hall, Radio City, Jones Beach, Cincinnati, Fort Lauderdale, Niagara Falls, even Roanoke, VA a few years ago. Plus, I saw her with Frank, Frank and Sammy and with Aznavour. I just love her. An intense well of emotion and professionalism. I've been playing the Carnegie Hall concert in my car for the last week. I want to put another CD in, but I can't get over the vocal subtlety of"Somewhere Out There" and "I Don't Want Him, You Can Have Him" as well as the showmanship of the Kander/Ebb medley.
Just wanted to share before the message boards are taken down on 2/17!
"Victor, what are we going to do to stop this fiendish tit?"

I agree. I've seen her twenty times, from 1977 - 2005, and she was on target every time.
I just love her.
"Victor, what are we going to do to stop this fiendish tit?"

I love Liza but her life must not be that much fun nowadays. She lived for performing. Since she was 17 she has basically been on a non stop concert tour. Now, her voice is all but shot and she can barely walk.No wonder she relapsed. I saw her live 5 times and she was the best live performer I've ever seen, and I saw almost all of the greats. I hope she can find happiness.
Open the door for Mr. Muckle!!

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If we put YOU in rehab, will YOU change your behavior? Probably not, but
it'd be worth a try, wouldn't it, Simpleminded?

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She has obviously surrounded herself with enablers who feed her addict111cion; no one can be addicted to prescription medications without outside help.

Was Minnelli cleared of her addictions to pharmaceuticals, on her previous admissions? If so and she slipped and felt she needed more medications for whatever ails her, then there are deeper issues going on and her doctors may have been doing the wrong thing by her. Not to mention friends\family members, that might have suggested she need this or that.
she needs to surround herself with people who have the willpower that she obviously does not possess.

Her own 'arrogance', may be preventing her from having the willpower needed to be strong. She is older now and won't have the same strength, that she may have lacked to some degree, to begin with.

"unknowns don't receive this kind of sympathy."

If nobody knows who these "unknowns" are, how are they supposed to feel sympathy? Get it?

. but people are often too proud to obtain psychological help (assuming they can be helped)

That is why I mentioned 'arrogance', in a previous post. It would mean having to change and take charge. There are also other means of assistance and community groups, than just professional psychological help. Unless one is mentally retarded, I would say that people can be helped, some just 'may not' want to be and we can't always know the circumstances\understanding of their life and journey.ie) homeless people. That is what gets me, when those like Minnelli, have been given advantages in life, t111chat far exceeds what billions of others have and then get caught up in their own self-absorption.

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Doesn't the body crave the alcohol (like nicotine), hence a biological addiction?

In some instances, a baby may be born addicted to something, due to what the mother has ingested into her system during pregnancy. As for nicotine, drugs and alcoholic cravings, for most people, these would only be a symptom of the conscious action, of ingesting these things. Cause and effect. Do people choose to drink, smoke ingest drugs because they are bored? What is being labelled as a 'disease', is really only the craving, that need not be there in the first place. If they can't stop themselves, then maybe it could be a mental disorder or illness, like OCD, or just good old plain 'immaturity'.

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It is gracious and kind to offer support, for those that have issues and are battling their demons; but at the same time, it can also reek of nauseating, gushing sentimentality and phoney sympathy. The 'poor me' and 'victim' mentality space, that others may come from, gets projected and lost in translation. Minelli, is not a 'victim' and she is being portrayed as one. She has had a privileged and spoiled life and while she has experienced pain and sufferingwe all doit could quite simply be, that she is 'weak'. I also don't agree with the notion, of alcoholism being a disease. You make a conscious choice\decision to ingest something into your system.

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Aaaah, now I get it ,Davb68id . You're in "recovery", as well as Liza. And you
haven't had a "sip" in four years. Good for you. Seriously.
But let's get real. If Minnelli never went into rehab, say three times,
she wouldn't have had the sobriety she DID have, and may have been
dead now. So, she gets sober, then loses her sobriety. So she checks
back in. Surely, as a recovering addict, you realize she is
battling a sickness. Or don't you?
You are one judgmental prick for chastising a 69 year-old lady for
seeking help (the help is voluntary) and being honest about it.
What's wrong with seeking help? And why are you so pious about your
own sobriety? You don't think it's possible YOU might seek rehab
again one day? The only shoes you can walk in are your own.

Haha. David, you get the sarcasm award for this year!
Open the door for Mr. Muckle!!

You're right. I must be a moron. I had no idea whatsoever that people entered rehab because they maintained sobriety. I guess I should check myself in, because I haven't had one sip of alcohol in nearly four years!
Thank you for the very intelligent and polite explanation of why maintains sobriety leads to someone entering rehab repeatedly.

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Gbennett5Thank you! Liza is valiant and truthful in her struggle. And she never complains or
blames.

You're an idiot. First of all, nobody has any idea how many times she's
been in rehab over the last 30 years. I count about three times. In
between, she has managed sobriety. This happens to many people, of all
ages, all races and both genders. Nobody gives a rat's ass if you
"don't feel sorry" for Minnelli. It's merely not bashing someone for
seeking help. Moron.

I don't feel a bit sorry for Liza Minnelli. She goes to rehab time and time again, yet she never changes her behavior. She has obviously surrounded herself with enablers who feed her addiction; no one can be addicted to prescription medications without outside help. If she truly wishes to change her behavior, she needs to surround herself with people who have the willpower that she obviously doeb68s not possess.

TONYS:
"Flora The Red Menace" (1965)
"Liza" (Winter Garden, 1974) for "adding lustre to the Broadway season"
"The Act" (1977)
"Liza's At The Palace" (2008)
EMMY:
"Liza With A Z" (1972)
GRAMMY:
Living Legend Award (1990)
OSCAR:
BAFTA:
GOLDEN GLOBE:
Best Actress "Cabaret" (1972)
GOLDEN GLOBE:
Best Actress (TV Film): "A Time To Live" (1985)
There's many other wins and nominated performances. Any actress would be pleased with these honors.
Not to mention her record-breaking three week stints at Carnegie Hall in 1987 and Radio City in 1991. I believe she still holds the record at Carnegie Hall.