Bette Midler marks 100-show milestone in Las Vegas; talks gay marriage, Obama, gardening
By: KATHLEEN HENNESSEY
Associated Press
06/08/09 1:20 PM EDT
LAS VEGAS — Bette Midler admits it takes a little work to keep her Las Vegas Strip show fresh — especially now that it's hit its 100th performance.
The entertainer marked the 100th milestone of "The Showgirl Must Go On" at the Caesars Palace Colosseum on Sunday. In a recent interview, she said focus was the key to keeping her song-and-sass act from "becoming a little like groundhog day, not a lot like groundhog day, but a little."
"I have to be in a concentrated place. Otherwise, I forget what I'm doing there," said Milder.
The Sunday performance kicked off a four-week run at the Caesars Palace Colosseum; Midler has another 100 shows left on her contract. Since opening in February 2008, the show has gotten tighter and quicker, she said, becoming the sort of "whirlwind" Las Vegas audiences expect.
The challenge, she says, is keeping up the pace during weeks off.
"I try to keep my weight down so I don't have to redo my costumes every time I come back, which is really the hardest part," she said.
The busy schedule has kept her from closely following the political debate stirring up many in her fan base.
On the gay marriage debate, Midler said: "I watch from time to time. To tell you the truth, I'm not on the front lines, I'm in the zone."
She later added: "But I'm all in favor of gay marriage. I think it's fabulous."
Still, she has found time for some political distractions.
Midler performed at a fundraiser for Democratic Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid last month, her first opportunity to meet President Barack Obama.
She said she praised the president for his work promoting organic food through the White House garden. Midler has long been an advocate for community gardens through her New York Restoration Project.
Midler, a fellow Hawaiian, also gave the president a gift for his daughters: a bedazzled ukulele.
"He looked at it like he'd never seen such a thing before."
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