Diva Barbra Streisand surprised the audience at the 2001 Emmy Awards on Sunday night with a rare public performance. And while the Oscar winner admits she wasn’t looking forward to the appearance – she brought the house down with the Rodgers and Hammerstein classic You’ll Never Walk Alone in a stirring tribute to the victims of the recent terrorist attacks in the US – Barbra says she simply wanted to contribute.
“This is just my little way of doing something because I don’t enjoy public singing,” she said backstage at LA’s Shubert Theatre. “But tonight actually had a purpose, so I was a little less afraid.”
The 59-year-old legend, known for bouts of stage fright, won an Emmy for her special Barbra Streisand: Timeless earlier in the evening, but wasn’t on hand to pick up the trophy. “She just felt that what she had to sing was more important than accepting an award and she wanted to have the concentration on her performance,” says her spokesman, Dick Guttman.
“I’m just grateful we live in a country where we’re allowed to sing and have music and express ourselves and our emotions,” said the outspoken star. “It’s a very sad time in our history, a frightening time, and I wanted to give something back to the people and our country.”
But Barbra, who spends much of her time in the company of husband James Brolin, has managed to find a silver lining in the wake of the tragedy. “I think we have come to a different kind of consciousness,” says the Prince Of Tides actress. “That we really take the time to smell the flowers and treat each other a little more respectfully and feel the power of love. The power of love is stronger than death.”
Photo: © Alphapress.com
Photo: © Alphapress.com
