Barbra Streisand

  Jean Seberg, St. Joan, 1957.     Producer-director Otto Preminger could hardly be expected to remember any of the reputed 18,000girls he auditioned around the world. Or, not until a woman upbraided him. “My daughter auditioned and you did not give her the part. You – afamous director! You didn’t recognise talent when you …
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Barry Gibb

  Treat Williams, Hair, 1978.       Unbelievable! Broadway’s hippy hit was once planned as a movie vehicle for Bee Gees brothers Barry and Maurice Gibb (as George Berger and Woof). With another sibling, Robin, they ruined Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, instead. Antonio Banderas, Evita, 1996.     Producer Robert Stigwood’s l979 …
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Barry Manilow

Neil Diamond,  The Jazz Singer, 1980. Mentioned for the second re-make of the first talkie when Diamond was hospitalised for back surgery. Manilow would have been no improvement. Robert Hays, Airplane!  1980.  Well, if Airport 1975 could have Helen Reddy, the Kentucky Fried Theatre Zucker brothers and Jim Abrahams could have Manilow as the pilot …
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Bee Gees, The

Chicago, Clear History, TV, 2013.    I’ll let Larry David tell it; it’s his film.    “My first choice was the Bee Gees,” he told the UK Sunday Times’ Stephen Armstrong about a subplot of his very Curb Your  Enthusiasm-esque HBO film. “But then a Bee Gee died. So we were down to one Bee …
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Belinda Carlisle

1. – Joely Fisher, I’ll Do Anything, 1994. James Mason’s singer daughter-in-law (she wed Morgan in 1986) had some tough fights over the role of Female D Person. Joely really pulled it off in a James Brooks musical (released sans songs). Film  flopped and  did nothing to remove The  Perpetual Comma that Brandon Lee told …
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Benabar

Nicholas Duvauchelle, Maintenant ou jamais, France, 2013.     A concert tour got in the way when auteur Serge Frydman wanted the handsome singer-songwriter to share the romance with Leila Bekhti. Before turning to music, Benabar (the verlan slang for his original stage name, Barnabé)  had worked in cinema. He directed three shorts  during 1991-1994: …
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