>> larry: tonight the legendary liza minnelli on marriage. would you marry again? >> are you nuts? >> larry: men. >> what happens after happily ever after? >> larry: sex and single ladies. >> and i said, i'd love to do it. >> larry: plus she'll tell us where she keeps her oscar. liza with a "z" for the hour next on "larry king live."

start spreading the news. the legendary liza minnelli is here. she has only one four tonys, an oscar, grammy, two golden globes and an emmy. this incredible new cd is really not new. it was recorded a while ago. but what a story. it's called "confessions." what is this? how do you and a piano come together for this? >> well -- >> larry: well. >> first of all, billy stritch was the accompanist, and he plays like no one else, you know? and we had bruce roberts. >> larry: old friend. >> and we have, you know, lots of people. and who had written songs over the years that i as a child listened to. so when day i sat down with billy and we started to sing and play at my house in l.a. i hadn't been to my house in a

while. i had to work there. bruce said, why don't you come down to my house? i'll tape it for you. so we did. >> larry: for fun? >> yeah. so went to his house and spent, you know, an evening singing every song we really liked. and quietly. because when there's no audience you're not performing your part of the music. you know, you can really experiment and do things. and bruce said, well, you're a real jazzer. i said, well, i know some jazz, i don't know if i'm a real jazzer. he said, your choice. anyway, we recorded this thing -- >> larry: how long ago was this? >> 20 years. >> larry: 20 years? >> 20 years ago. wait, there's much more. 20 years ago that happened. then he called about a year and a half ago or so and said, guess what i found? i didn't know. he said, i found the songs that you recorded with billy. i thought, oh, what?

i said, oh, i'd love to hear them. it was so private and intimate and funny, wasn't it? he said, yes. why don't you listen to it again? maybe it can be an album. i said, no, that can't happen. you know, i was singing just for us. i didn't -- nobody would be interested. he said, oh, i think some people would be interested. so we kind of re-did what we had and kept a couple of the old songs. >> larry: did it in the sound studio, right? >> no, i did it in my bedroom. i'm telling you, half in the piano room and half in my bedroom, because i was about to have knee surgery. and the pain before you go in is immense.

and the pain coming out of it is immense. so i needed to have something to do to look forward to. and that's how it happened. we just -- we recorded it. >> larry: now, are you surprised that this is now the result? that you're on a tour, that this is a major new cd? >> yes, i am. i'm surprised people like it. >> larry: it's terrific. there are songs in here like "you fascinate me." "remind me he's a tramp." there are some songs people may not have heard. -- some of your old favorites. including the title song. >> somehow the song came up and she must have played it for him. or something. because i really do remember it. and i think i was only, like, 10. i didn't know what it meant then. now i do.

>> larry: do you ever sing it on stage? >> oh, yeah. all the time. >> larry: so you decided to put it right in -- you sang it at bruce's house that day, too? >> no, that's one of the new ones we recorded. can i sing you a little bit? >> larry: yeah, go ahead. ♪ i never kissed a man before now isn't that a shame ♪ ♪ i never kissed a man before before i knew his name ♪ ♪ i never had a taste for wine now isn't that a sin ♪ ♪ i've never had a taste for wine for wine can't compare with gin ♪ ♪ it's nice as nice can be ♪ to know that vice can be its own reward ♪ ♪ i always go to bed at 10:00

now isn't that a bore ♪ ♪ i always go to bed at 10:00 then i go home at 4:00 ♪ >> larry: pretty good. this is so -- everyone who knows liza knows razzle-dazzle, bam, cabaret, wham. new york, new york before frank. >> yeah. right, right. i thought -- singing those wonderful songs, i can't even tell you the songs that were written for me. i mean, "cabaret," "new york, new york," "the world goes round," "maybe this time," everything they did for me and a bunch of songs by the people. i was just doing what i was told to do. this is how i grew up. >> larry: listening to songs? >> this is how i grew up. when i was shy i never could say anything because i was too shy.

so i found a song that fit it. a lot of them are on there. >> larry: maybe this time i'll be lucky. maybe this time she'll stay with us. liza minnelli is with us for the hour. don't go away. ♪ i never had a taste for wine for one can't compare with gin ♪ nancy? fred? no. well it is. in a high-risk area, there's a 1-in-4 chance homes like us will flood. i'm glad i got flood insurance. fred, you should look into it. i'm a risk-taker. [ female announcer ] only flood insurance covers floods. visit floodsmart.gov/risk to learn your risk.

♪ hello liza, well hello liza ♪ it's so nice to have you here where you belong ♪ ♪ you're looking swell mama, i can tell mama you're still growing ♪ >> larry: knee or hip surgery? what did you have? >> both. >> larry: new knee, new hip? >> no, i had both hips done, which is great.

don't be scared. it doesn't really hurt. my knee on the other hand crossed my eyes it hurt so much. >> larry: did they give you a new knee? >> sure did. >> larry: new knee and two new hips? >> yeah. from the waist down i'm the -- from the waist down i'm the tin man. from the waist up i'm judy's kid. >> larry: you had to do it, the pain was so bad? >> i couldn't walk on it anymore. that's what happened. you do it because you and not do it. >> larry: that's right. are you now able to perform? >> oh, yes. >> larry: are you going to do a concert tour? if this is a hit? >> absolutely -- well, i'm doing it now. >> larry: you're singing on this tour. >> i'm singing in this tour and including some of the albums, you know? >> larry: with a big band or just a piano? >> no, just with five, six guys. billy strich and five great players.

>> larry: your mother, judy garland died in '69. she was just 47. how old were you? >> oh, honey, i'm going to be 65. >> larry: social security. >> yeah, that's true. >> larry: how old were you? how old were you when mom died? >> gosh, i think i was 22. something around there. >> larry: did -- people usually when parents die, my father died when he was 47, think they're going to die young. did you think you'd die young? >> me? >> larry: yeah. >> no. >> larry: because a lot of people when their parents die young think it's going to happen to them. >> yeah. no, i -- i'm a hoover. i just kepts going. >> larry: it's been over a year since your good friend michael jackson died. you were on this show in june of 2009 to talk about him. >> yes. >> larry: what do you miss about him most? >> his energy and his commitment to friendship.

i just miss him. >> larry: if he was your friend, he was your friend. >> yeah. and what all these other people say, i -- i didn't see a hint of that. nothing. >> larry: no. >> and i'm pretty bright, you know? >> larry: no kidding. last year you predicted, this is what you said, all hell would break loose when the autopsy was made public. >> uh-huh. >> larry: you were probably right. >> of course. because everybody was going to look into it. and you know, i had just found out. so i was, you know, thrown for a loop. but he was taking stuff for his legs and his knee -- he was, you know, he was broken down as i was, but i ain't planning on dying. >> larry: boy. what a shock. >> yeah, i know. i know. >> larry: do you see any parallels at all between your mother and michael?

i mean, both were addicts of a kind, right? >> uh-huh. uh-huh. >> larry: they would have loved each other. >> yeah. there's that. and they both loved me. can't get better than that. >> larry: no, you can't. you know, we were looking autoyour old shows the other day of you and your mom. >> really? there are only two shows. >> larry: i know, but when you went on. that was a killer. >> thank you. >> larry: was it easy to sing with her? >> oh, yes, she was so musical. she sang great with anybody, and she could adjust to their tonality. and she, well, she knew harmony so well from singing with her sisters, the gum sisters. >> larry: the gums. >> she always had an ear for that. and i just looked forward to it. you know, i was scared. i thought, what am i doing? but i looked forward to it. >> larry: you know who's running around new york?

>> who? >> larry: mickey rooney. >> yes. i know. >> larry: who appeared in 300 films and 8 with your mom. >> yes. >> larry: a team. they were a great team. >> she said he had more energy than anybody she's ever known. >> larry: i saw your mother at the palace. alan king was the opening act. >> i remember. i was there. >> larry: what a night that was. we're not hiding it. we've talked to you before. you've dealt with substance abuse. >> sure. >> larry: what do you feel like when you see a talent like lindsay lohan? how does that make liza minnelli feel? >> i feel sad. and i feel understanding. and i feel that there's another road to take. it doesn't have to be the way it is. >> larry: do you regret what you did? >> no, i can't. i did it. and that's accepting.

and accepting is probably the biggest part of the game. >> larry: was it hard to get rid of it? >> yeah, but not really hard. not when you have support and your friends in aa and you're doing stuff you love. that's what i'm doing. >> larry: life's a cabaret when liza's there. a trick there. we'll be right back. ♪ life is a cabaret old chum come to the cabaret ♪

you're really hurt. >> i got in right where i wanted. >> you animals. look, it's over. he doesn't love your daughter. i'm sorry. it happens. he loves me. >> larry: she's an old friend, and a great talent. liza minnelli. we're going to talk about her acting, because i mean, they'll

never top arthur. never. sad about dudley. we'll get to that later. >> okay. >> larry: you've been in the spotlight since you were a baby. you made your screen debut in 1949 in the "good old summertime" with your mother. so you've never had privacy, have you? >> yeah, i did. >> larry: when? you were always famous? >> in my community. in other words, i grew up with so many people who were in the same business. it's like growing up in a coal mining town. everybody does what everybody else does. and that's what all these people did. so i seemed perfectly normal to me. and i liked getting dressed up and did all the -- then i completely forgot about it. >> larry: really? >> half my childhood. >> larry: your mother sang "born in the trunk." >> yes. >> larry: you were born in a trunk in a sense. you were born into the business. did you ever think of doing anything else? >> yes. i wanted to be an ice skater.

>> larry: really? were you good? >> yeah, i was. i loved the music. i loved the music so much that i wanted to do strides that matched it. it was like some kind of force. then my mom brought me to new york, and i went to see "bye-bye birdie." and i thought, maybe i'll do that. >> larry: yeah. liza minnelli and icecapades. >> i'd love that. >> larry: you've had four marriages. peter alam who i loved. what a guy he was. jack haleigh. mark garro and david gess. would you marry again? >> are you nuts? >> larry: yeah, i am. >> that's true. no, i would not. no. >> larry: do you date? are you -- you're a single, attractive, talented woman. >> yes, but i -- thank you. >> larry: i don't know what else to say. >> sure, i go out with my friends and i go out with

gentlemen. >> larry: they'll never keep you down, right? you, are you kidding? in a recent interview with oprah, you've heard of her. >> yes. >> larry: okay. you said you have the worst tastes in husbands. you're smart. why aren't you smart about men, do you think? >> i have no idea. i think maybe it's because i grew up in the land of dreams. i don't know. i've always tried to figure it out. where everything ended when the white horse came in and off they went. i remember asking my mom once, where does -- what happens after happily ever after? and there was this pause and she said, you'll find out. >> larry: was she a good mother?

>> the best. >> larry: really? because we -- >> she did not leave her kids for a second. for a second. she was always there for us. always. >> larry: that is really good to know. >> my brother and sister would appreciate your asking, too. >> larry: that's really nice. >> and my step-sister in mexico. >> larry: she's in mexico? >> well, my father married again, yeah. so i kind of got them all over the place. >> larry: she's your half sister, right? >> yes. so are lauren and jo. they're my half sister. >> not bad, herself. >> no, she's not. she's really wonderful. >> larry: good singer. >> yeah. >> larry: you also told oprah you've tried to change for your husbands. you accommodated them. >> i tried to be the perfect woman, you know? just whatever makes you happy. then i realized it wasn't making me happy. and i'd say, i don't know what i'm doing here, i don't know who -- or i'd get married and everything would be just dandy, right?

and then i'd think, i was right, what does come after happily ever after? >> larry: that moment. >> yeah. bang. it hit me like that. that's for me. you know, that's my experience, not anyone else's. >> larry: a planet spins -- >> like you. >> larry: keep it up, liza, you'll never be back. the planet spins, the world goes round, and we'll have more with liza after the break. ♪ more for their money. good. this time, i'm watching fees like a hawk. i hate hidden fees. why should i have to pay for something that i shouldn't have to pay for? td ameritrade's pricing is clear and it's straightforward...

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>> larry: i don't want to say she's sensitive, but i have to correct when i said she'll never be back. i was kidding. open invitation. did you try to have kids? >> yes, i did, of course. >> larry: didn't happen. >> no, i couldn't have them. >> larry: did you ever want to adopt? >> no. what happened was that i realized that if god didn't have that in mind for me and i couldn't have my own, what -- what do i do with maternal feelings?

maybe there's somebody i can help. maybe i should concentrate on other areas. and i got involved with injured children, and that was fascinating, and i'm still -- >> larry: brain injured children. >> brain injured children. yes. >> larry: not disease. something happens to them. they fall or get hit. >> well, it can be very small. i mean, they can go like that and get an aneurism in the brain. i mean, you never know. >> larry: true. >> the parents recognize it quickly and you don't know what to do. so many parents have talked to me and said, you know, i can't -- i'm at my whit's end. i said, go to the institutes for the achievement of human potential. they'll help you out. >> larry: the new cd is "confessions. "what do you listen to? what new performers are you interested in? >> maroon 5 has a big hit again. i love them. >> larry: you love that group. >> yes. >> larry: what do you think of lady gaga? i love her.

>> larry: what does she have? why is she so -- >> pizzazz. >> larry: you can't teach that, right? >> no, you can't. >> larry: you got it or you don't. >> yeah. and you have to have the instinct and you also have to have the courage to do something that's not quite like anybody else does. so her clothes, alone, make me love her. >> larry: she a good singer? >> yes, i think she is a very good singer. >> larry: all right. lady gaga has a strong, strong gay following. so do you. >> yes. >> larry: so did your mother. bette midler. what is the attraction? why -- cher. why do you think gay men embrace certain women performers? >> they have good taste. >> larry: cute. well said. you think it's a flair that you have or -- it's hard to examine

yourself. >> yeah. i can't, but all the other people that i admire that every gay man admires i find is very talented. you know? >> larry: it is what it is. you were a mentor. you were a guest judge on the australian "idol." a couple of years back. would you want to do the american version? >> oh, sure it was wonderful. it was fun to do. and the girls were lovely. and the boys were great, too. and everybody's so nervous. i mean, one boy, kid, came in to audition, right, and he was so nervous he couldn't remember the lines. now, to me the lyrics tell the whole story. so if you don't remember the

lines, i said, well, what's your attitude? what happened to you that you're singing this song? what are you looking at? what are you concentrating on? is it a woman? you're on a balcony in paris and looking down and this superb woman walks by? or is it, you know, you're in los angeles and you're walking around and you just think, my god, that was a beautiful woman. and a longing stuck. that's when the writers -- >> larry: when you sing, you're thinking everything into every lyric, right? a single lyric. >> yes, yes. i am. but i also put an emphasis on character. who is she? why is she singing it? you know?

>> larry: a lot more to talk about with liza may minnelli. returning after the break. ♪

>> larry: we're back with liza minnelli. the new cd, it's brand new. "confessions", great songs you've never heard. concerning "american idol" what do you think of the selection of jennifer lopez and steven tyler as the new judges? >> it's wonderful. if you've got it, you can spot it. >> larry: would you be a good judge? >> i think that i'd be too helpful. >> larry: and not harsh. >> you know what i mean? i'd want to bring out what i see in the kid. you know, and say, would it be more interesting if you didn't jump around on that lyric? just that -- >> larry: you'd be a good mentor. >> yeah, i would be. >> larry: what do you make of the tv show -- >> i was charles satavore's mentor. >> larry: you were?

>> i'm sorry, charles asnavore was my mentor. >> larry: what a performance. >> did you like it? >> larry: i loved it. what do you make of the tv show "glee"? >> oh, i think it's funny and outrageous. therefore, i love it. >> larry: you teach acting, right? >> yes, i do. in song. >> larry: but you were also a hell of an actress. why didn't you do more film? as an actress? >> i didn't sing in "charlie bubbles." a couple of them i didn't sing in. i guess the reason is i loved performing so much. i loved entertaining.

that's a different audience every night. and i just -- i don't know. i like all of them because they all come from one basic thing, and that's acting. >> larry: if memory serves me correct, "new york, new york" came from a movie. >> yes. >> larry: robert danaro and you. >> yes. >> larry: what was it like to work with him? >> brilliant. it was just brilliant. i love him. i'd never seen anything like him. but i adored him. you know, he was in every second, and if you had a close-up and he was here with a camera talking to you, if he didn't think it looked real, he'd start in the middle and do it again. >> larry: really? >> he threw people so they had to respond, like they first heard the question. it was very interesting. >> larry: you helped our dear friend, kathy griffin. gave her acting tips before he

did "law and order" and she was fantastic. >> wasn't she great? >> larry: does she have the ability, do you think, to be a terrific actor? >> yeah, i do. >> larry: what does she have? >> mystery, humor, passion and pizzazz. so she's got all of that going. she's so wildly -- >> larry: did you watch "law and order"? >> yes, i did. >> larry: a lesbian who wasn't a lesbian. great performance. what about the snickers commercial which remade betty white's whole life? and you and aretha franklin, two pretty good talents -- >> thank you. >> larry: -- are in that car. >> that was funny. >> larry: did you have fun doing that? >> yeah.

>> larry: did you like the concept? >> it took six hours. i thought it was funny. i didn't know how they were going to do it, but i thought it was very funny. so doing it was a pleasure. >> larry: they're great commercials. >> thank you. >> larry: come on, everyone, get happy, because she's going to chase all your blues away. we're doing a musical here. this is "larry glee king," and we'll be back with more of liza, don't have to say the last name, after this. ♪ come on get happy ♪ who can doubt it now ♪ shout hallelujah ♪ so let's tell the world ♪ at last my love has come alive and here we are in heaven ♪f@@

♪ at last my love has come alive and here we are in heaven ♪ >> larry: we're back with liza. the album, new cd is "confessions." do they still say album or cd? >> i say album, cb, whatever. >> larry: i say album, too. do you think about your mom a lot? >> i take her advice. >> larry: is she still with you? >> uh-huh. i take her advice like, like forget strugss, come on, get happy. i won't sing any of my mom's songs because it would be a -- it would be so much worse and everybody else who sings them i think, are you nuts? >> larry: the one nice one i heard was charlie bennett's "charlie song." he did a great job. >> he did. >> larry: sung by a woman, made famous by your mother, "meet me in st. louis." i know movies.

you stole the show in the summer's "sex and the city ii. the" you performed beyonce's single ladies. >> they called me. like everything else, they said, hey, you want to do -- i said, sure. if i can have ron lewis as the choreographer and billy adjust the music so it's within your time limits, i'd love to do it. then i told ron and he said, okay, we're on. and i think the things he selected are just wonderful. because it's the little bit of the tribute to the movie, the little bit of the first time. so it's like a crazy grade of that song. >> larry: beyonce recorded it, but there was a great hit of it years ago by jimmy dorsey called "at last." "at last" is one of my favorite songs. beyonce sang it at the inaugural dance, right?

>> yes. >> larry: did you have hesitancy about doing it? >> yeah. >> larry: two famous songs had been done. >> i said, are you sure? i don't know how to make it any different, you know? everybody sung it. gee. and they said, you'll think of something. so i did. and what i thought of was, this is really a great blues song, you know? really the way it does -- but what is it saying? >> larry: my love has come along. >> at last my love has come along. my lonely nights are end -- it's really relief. therefore, i smiled through the whole thing. >> larry: it's a happy song. >> and just listened to all the words. >> dorsey i remember had the big chorus. >> wasn't that great?

>> larry: long-running rumor if they ever make a film, another film or musical of "sunset boulevard" which was a musical on stage -- >> sure. >> larry: would you do it? perfect part for you. >> of course. oh, yeah, there's a lot of interesting stuff there. >> larry: has anyone ever thought of making -- the musical was wonderful i thought. >> they came to me at first, and i was working so i couldn't do the commitment for such that i had that i couldn't be at all rehearsals. i won't do something if i can't be there. you know, i don't want to go out and perform and then come back to rehearsal. and that was the schedule. >> larry: do you ever get nervous? >> oh, sure. god, yes. don't you? >> larry: no. >> oh, that's great, larry. >> larry: sinatra told me right before he went on stage, he still got that, is it going to

be there? >> oh, yeah, but it was always there. >> larry: she's liza with a "z." don't go away. ♪ it's liza with a z not liza with an s ♪ ♪ double the l and end it with an i when you say minnelli ♪ let me tell you about a very important phone call i made.

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tonight on your heideman? >> because you ask me, larry, and i am thrilled. >> larry: growing up as you did, with a great director father, where you almost automatically in showbiz? he knew which 1 is to do? >> not really because seemed boring to me to be on the set. it was tedious and took an amount of time. i like the dance sequences. things that moved along. when i saw a broadway show when i was about 13, that got me interested. >> larry: that got you interested. do you feel as good as you up? >> larry, what a wonderful thing to say. thank you so much and the answer is yes. >> larry: because i know you have a long time and i don't think i have ever seen you looking better. >> i learned i had never getting married again. there is no good reason for it. so i intend to have a 17-year-old whose name i don't know. right?

i intend to have a 35-year-old who is an intellectual and marvelous to talk to. and i intend to also have a guy that is about 93 with one on the grave and one put on a banana peel. what else can i say? >> larry: you are unable. >> i was very nervous and thank you for making me feel so good. do you realize how long we have not each other? >> larry: a long time. >> and you know something else? your suspenders are still as handsome as ever. >> larry: the use the word legend and great but both apply to her. how long are you going to keep performing? you have a nanny, you are a new creation. >> as long as i can. >> larry: you don't think according? >> i don't. >> larry: has your voice changed? >> i am sure it has changed a lot. it is completely different than anything i had ever done.

it is quiet and it is sexy, i guess. >> larry: funny and sad. where do you keep your words? >> on the shelf and the sitting room in new york. >> larry: where you have always lived. you have a home in l.a. >> i moved when i was 15. >> larry: did you run away? >> not really. i said what it by get a job and mamma said, then i said i guess you can stay. if you get a job, tell me about it. so i got a job. >> larry: doing? >> best foot forward. >> larry: not a bad job. >> it was wonderful. >> larry: a couple of other things. anything you have not done in the business that you want to do? >> i like getting talented people together. and watching them.

i like going to see new talent. approaching it from a director's point of view. i love what i find somebody is just great and i can introduce them to the world, like michael feinstein. or several actresses. it is fun. >> larry: which you like to do a serious stage like? >> sure. >> larry: you have not done that, right? >> there was always something serious. there's always that moment. >> larry: the key is that this appears to me as an observation. you are really after. with your new knee and this great album. i am going to make a prediction. you are going to make it. >> thank you, larry. >> larry: i know they think you are taking advantage of your mother's name, you are not. you are going to make it. mayo