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New York Post
Liza Minnelli claims her 2022 Oscars appearance was ‘sabotaged’
By Eric Todisco,
1 day ago
Liza Minnelli is upset about how her appearance at the 2022 Academy Awards was handled.
The Hollywood legend, 78, announced her new memoir on Tuesday in a statement to People magazine , and reiterated claims that she was “sabotaged” at the Oscars two years ago.
Lady Gaga (left) and Liza Minnelli at the 2022 Academy Awards. Getty Images Lady Gaga (left) and Minnelli at the 94th Academy Awards. Penske Media via Getty Images
The “Cabaret” star told People that she never intended to write a book, but a “series of unfortunate events” — including her Oscars appearance — caused her to change her mind.
Those events included “ a sabotaged appearance at the Oscars ,” “a film with twisted half-truths” and “a recent miniseries that just didn’t get it right … All made by people who didn’t know my family, and don’t really know me,” Minnelli stated.
“Finally, I was mad as hell!” she added. “Over dinner one night, I decided, it’s my own damn story … I’m gonna share it with you because of all the love you’ve given me.”
Minnelli performs at Radio City Music Hall. New York Post
Her close friend Michael Feinstein, who is a collaborator on the memoir, claimed that Minnelli was “forced” to use a wheelchair minutes before hitting the stage at the Oscars, which featured the infamous slap between Will Smith and Chris Rock .
Lady Gaga (left) and Minnelli present an award at the 2022 Oscars. Los Angeles Times via Getty Images
“Sabotaged. That’s a terrible word to use but she only agreed to appear on the Oscars if she was in a director’s chair, because she’s been having back trouble,” Feinstein said on SiriusXM’s “The Jess Cagle Show.”
“She said, ‘I don’t want people to see me limping out there.’ She said, ‘You know, I want to look good. I don’t want people to worry about me.’”
Minnelli and Michael Feinstein at the 2014 SAG Awards. WireImage Minnelli in a wheelchair at the Oscars. A.M.P.A.S. via Getty Images
“Then literally five minutes before she went on, when she sat in the director’s chair back there, and because I guess they were all shaken up because of everything that had happened earlier,” Feinstein said, alluding to the slap . “The stage manager said, ‘Well, she has to be in a wheelchair.’”
“She was nervous,” he explained. “And it made her look like she was out of it. Can you imagine being suddenly forced to be seen by millions of people the way you don’t want to be seen? That’s what happened to her.”
“Thank you all for loving me so much … being concerned about me,” she said. “I want you to know I’m still here, still kicking ass, still loving life and still creating.”
“So, until this book arrives, know that I’m laughing, safe in every way, surrounded by loved ones and excited to see what’s right around the curve of life. Kids, wait ‘til you hear this.”
Minnelli in 1996. 12.23.96
The star also said she asked Feinstein for help when she decided to write the book.
“We’ve been joined at the hip for 40 years. As Ambassador of the Great American Songbook and my absolute favorite collaborator. Michael’s one of the greats, he’s razor-sharp and he tells the truth. That’s important because, as I fly towards my eighth decade of living, memories differ,” Minnelli stated.
Minnelli performs in New York in 2012. WireImage Robert De Niro and Minnelli in “New York, New York.” EVERETT COLLECTION
Minnelli is the daughter of late “Wizard of Oz” star Judy Garland, who dealt with extreme alcohol and drug problems . After Garland died in 1969 at just 47, 23-year-old Minnelli was prescribed Valium to help deal with her grief. It led to her own abuse of prescription drugs and alcohol.
Minnelli had the first of multiple trips to rehab in the ’80s.
Minnelli wins the Oscar for “Cabaret” in 1972. Bettmann Archive
“I couldn’t walk and I couldn’t talk, and they told me I wouldn’t … ever again,” she told NBC in 2004.
In June, a documentary about Minnelli, “Liza: A Truly Terrific Absolutely True Story,” premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival. She was not in attendance at the premiere in New York, allegedly because of health issues.
“I lived it. To sit and watch the film with you, would be a tad too much,” Minnelli said in a statement when the documentary came out.
The “Arthur” actress also said she’s “still loving, still kicking, still creating and to borrow from Sondheim, the great, baby … ‘I’m Still Here.'”
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