Barry Manilow shuffles down the red carpet at the Palm Springs International Film Festival Awards Gala at the Palm Springs Convention Center on Saturday, January 5, 2007 in Palm Springs, Calif. / Marilyn Chung, The Desert Sun
Palm Springs resident Barry Manilow has to be all smiles.
His 1978 hit, "Can't Smile Without You" created a sensation in Guillermo del Toro's film, "Hellboy 2: The Golden Army,".
Film critic Peter Hartlaub says the film's soundtrack, featuring music ranging from Manilow to Vivaldi, contributes to its "hip retro charm."
Even del Toro has been telling reporters his favorite scene is when Hellboy, played by Ron Perlman, sings "Can't Smile Without You."
"I think everybody is a secret admirer of Barry Manilow," del Toro recently told MTV. "When I was kid I used to be fully into punk; you know, the Sex Pistols, the Ramones - and/or progressive rock - Peter Gabriel, Genesis, Pink Floyd. But secretly, at the end of the day, the cassette that went into my car was 'Mandy.'"
Manilow's publicist, Carol Marshall, says Manilow often has songs placed in movies. But this one got some unusual attention.
"It generated a lot of buzz," said Marshall, "but, it seems like anything about Barry generates a lot of buzz."
Janet Jackson admitted she had such a childhood crush on Manilow, saying, "I used to kiss the screen when he would come on TV."
"A lot of people picked that up," said Marshall. "Every day was like, 'Janet Jackson! Janet Jackson!'"
A reporter for The Mail of London interviewed Manilow at Hotel Zoso in Palm Springs for a rare story in which the singer discussed his personal life. Manilow says in the piece that his mother and step-father had problems with alcoholism.
"I got through because of the music," he's quoted as saying, "but it wasn't a fun time and I really feel for young kids raised by alcoholics. I made a decision not to go that way myself."
Bruce Fessier can be reached at bruce.fessier@thedesertsun.com or 760-601-3866
