Streisand Will Cheer on Obama Inaugural, From The Recording Studio

While Barbra Streisand was at the top of the list of celebrity artists asked to appear at the Obama Inaugration Celebration, her art is sadly keeping her away from the starry and historic event.

Liz Smith reports in today's New York Post that though she was requested, her recording sessions for her upcoming new album will notallow her to attend, but, reveals Smith,  she and Diana Krall will watch the ceremonies from a recording studio in LA, where they're working "feverishly" on the new project.

Streisand says she is happy that she was able to perform her LA fund-raiser for the president-to-be, and while she won't be in Washington, D.C. on Tuesday, "he knows her heart is there along with 300 million other Americans".

The opening celebration at the Lincoln Memorial begins this Sunday January 18th, in a kickoff heavy in its mix of history and leading performance artists.

The A list roster includes a cross section of legends and luminaries: U2, Beyonce, Bruce Springsteen, Stevie Wonder, Sheryl Crow, Garth Brooks, Shakira, John Mellencamp, Renee Fleming, Josh Groban, Herbie Hancock, Usher, James Taylor, will.i.am, Mary J. Blige, John Legend, Heather Headley and Jennifer Nettles.

In addition, Jamie Foxx, Martin Luther King III, Queen Latifah and Denzel Washington will read historical passages, with the Rev. Gene Robinson delivering the invocation reports Variety.

Titled "We Are One: The Obama Inauguration Celebration," the event will be shown exclusively on HBO, and is being produced by a team of heavy hitters: George Stevens Jr. is executive producer, Don Mischer is director-producer and Michael Stevens is writer-producer. Rob Mathes will be the music director and arranger for the backing band, which will support all the artists.

HBO will provide coverage of Inauguration Week starting with an exclusive program on Sunday, Jan. 18th, 2009.

Barbra Streisand returned to the recording studio on Monday November 17th to record her first studio album since Guilty Pleasures, which was released on September 20th, 2005 and subsequently went Gold within weeks of it's release.

Barbra Streisand was honored on December 7th at the Kennedy Center Honors.

Streisand broke the news of the upcoming project to radio listeners prior to the Presidential elections. She will work along side Diana Krall for the very first time.

The project is Barbra's 63rd album. Barbra Streisand Live In Concert 2006 was her last non-studio album, which debuted at #7 in May 2007.

A star for over four decades, Streisand received Tony nominations for her Broadway debut I Can Get It For You Wholesale and for her star-making turn as Fanny Brice in Funny Girl (she would receive a Star of the Decade, Hall of Fame Tony in 1970). Streisand would go on to recreate the role on film for a 1969 Oscar. She was also nominated for her performance in The Way We Were. She received another Oscar for co-writing "Evergreen" for A Star is Born and was similarly nominated for "I Finally Found Someone" from The Mirror Has Two Faces. Other film credits include Hello, Dolly!, On A Clear Day You Can See Forever, What's Up, Doc?, Funny Lady, Nuts and Yentl. She has also produced several of her movies.

Barbra Streisand is the US music industry's #1 best-selling female recording artist. She is second in the all-time charts, ahead of The Beatles and The Rolling Stones, exceeded only by Elvis. Streisand remains the only artist to receive an Oscar, Tony, Emmy, Grammy, Golden Globe, Cable Ace, and Peabody Awards, and the American Film Institute's Life Achievement Award.

The winner of multiple Grammy Awards, Streisand has sold many millions of records, with 50 of them gold and 30 platinum. She is also the only artist to have Billboard #1 albums spanning four decades--the '60s, '70s, '80s and '90s. Her many albums include"Guilty," "Duets," "Higher Ground," "Memories," "Lazy Afternoon," "The Broadway Album" and "The Movie Album." In addition to her Tony, Oscars and Grammys, Streisand has won five Emmys, eight Golden Globes, two ASCAP Film and Television Awards, as well as the American Film Institute Award.

Photo by Walter McBride/Retna Ltd.