No, she wasn't being rude.

According to promoter Daniel Nardicio, "Last Wednesday, during Liza and Alan Cumming's show, one of Liza's band members went into cardiac arrest on stage, didn't know it, and continued to play till the end.

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"I think this is the only time a show from Cherry Grove, Fire Island has transferred to Broadway!" cracked Alan Cumming at Town Hall last night.

Last summer, he and Liza Minnelli did a joint show on the Island, and it was the buzzy event of the season, effectively turning two Fosse-handed Cabaret stars into Fosse-handed cabaret stars. Well, last night, producer Daniel Nardicio brought them back for an even bigger love-in, with a large band (Lance Horne and Billy Stritch played piano) and even more material and more them. It was a total immersion into the souls of these two cutely naughty yet plaintively poignant singer/actors who are connected at the (Mein) Herr-line.

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Those thoughts were articulated by a show biz legend, explaining why she feels she's one of the last vaudeville stars:

"I don't think it's because people aren't as talented," she said. "I think it's because it's the nature of the game now.

"It [used to] take years to become a really polished star, and now you turn on the TV and there is some kind of contest and suddenly somebody's a star in 20 minutes.

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Last year in Cherry Grove, Daniel Nardicio presented Alan Cumming and special guest Liza Minnelli in concert, and it became the buzzy event of the whole gay summer.

Those two were pretty delectable together. (And there was that Cabaret connection, so seeing them do a cabaret act made "duh" kind of sense.)

Well, they're coming back as a duo, this time to Town Hall on March 13--a day after Liza's 67th birthday.

And Liza's added a full band, and she and Alan are working on new material so it's not going to be a replica of the Fire Island shows.

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Last night, Warner Brothers Home Entertainment and TCM presented an amazing 40th anniversary restoration of Cabaret at the Ziegfeld--where it originally premiered--and every gay of a certain age was there, and then some.

The film held up beautifully in all its dark commentary, brilliant staging, and socko performances. Using onstage songs to comment on the action still comes off as a deft device, and having characters walk in front of the shots all the time makes you feel like you're really in a club, not on a movie set.

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Yes, that's what Liza Minnelli told New York Times's Jacob Bernstein.

But that's just when she's not being hit by a follow spot.

Here's her full statement:

"From the waist up, I'm Dorothy's daughter.

From the waist down, I'm the Tin Man's kid.

I feel about 112.

Until I hit that stage, and then age disappears."

Great quote.

Descriptive, funny, self-deprecating--everything a celebrity quote should be.

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As I wrote, Liza Minnelli just performed at Cherry Grove's Ice Palace, and the whole town was buzzing with excitement, including other island guests like Wanda Sykes and Neil Sedaka.

And I got some glimmers of insight into Liza.

Someone who had dinner with her on the island told me:

"She's always 'on,' with a bit of a song or a story.

"What a gift.

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She was there!

Onstage!

At the Ice Palace in Cherry Grove, Fire Island, as presented by Daniel Nardicio (above photo, yellow shirt)!

Doing two shows!

And I hear she got a nice week in Fire Island with her friends, so it was a lovely experience all around.

But let's start at the top.

On Friday, Nardicio had his weekly underwear party at the Ice Palace, filled with hotties in their skivvies prancing around as a gogo boy lay half naked on a table, surrounded by food.

I cohosted with Will Wikle, which meant I wore many layers while floating around and beaming a lot.

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The high point of last night's Astaire Awards for Broadway/film dancing had Liza Minnelli winning the Douglas Watt Lifetime Achievement Award amidst a sea of applauding Fosse hands.

"She's a standup, knockaround broad," said Tony Danza by way of tribute.

"She goes for the kill and always comes back with a trophy," crowed Mikhail Baryshnikov about the honoree.

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A mock press release was posted claiming that Liza Minnelli is engaged to longtime friend Tony Danza, who lives in the same apartment complex.

They're gonna ring them bells!

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