Time/Life Press Release: The Best of Cher (1 Viewer)

[Ronald Epstein]

SOME STARS ARE BEAUTIFUL...
SOME STARS ARE TALENTED...
A PRECIOUS FEW ARE ICONS...

BUT ONLY ONE IS CHER.

THIS SEPTEMBER, ALL OF THE SPECTACULAR HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE DOWN-TO-EARTH DIVA'S REMARKABLE CAREER COME TOGETHER IN ONE ELECTRIFYING DVD COLLECTION

THE BEST OF CHER

Street Date: September 15, 2020
SRP: $99.95

From the Sequined '70s to the Rockin' '90s, Cher's Story Unfolds Across
9 Sparkling Discs Packed with Music, Classic Comedy and Fabulous Outfits, Including 10 Star-Studded Episodes of Cher, Legendary TV Specials, Two Unforgettable Vegas Concerts, the Documentary Dear Mom, Love Cher,Exclusive New Interviews with Lily Tomlin, Designer Bob Mackie and
Cher Herself, Rare Clips, a Collectible Look Book of
Mackie's Wardrobe Sketches and More!

​

THE BEST OF CHER Official Trailer

Fairfax, VA (August 19, 2020) - From Hollywood to Vegas and all around the world, no one has continued to delight us, surprise us, and entertain us like Cher. And she's not done yet! For the first time ever, all the spectacular highlights of Cher's remarkable career are together in one electrifying collection: THE BEST OF CHER, available on September 15 from the classic TV DVD experts at Time Life.

Cher initially rose to stardom as part of a singing act with then husband Sonny Bono in the 1960s, hitting No. 1 with the single "I Got You Babe" before they starred together on The Sonny and Cher Comedy Hour. Following a parting of ways, the incredibly talented artist spread her wings, established a chart-topping solo career of her own, starred in her own variety show, and sold out music venues across the globe. The inimitable multi-hyphenate continues to shine brightly and THE BEST OF CHER brings together the stunning scope of Cher's sensational life in the spotlight like never before across two loaded volumes and 9 DVDs, as well as a collectible look book featuring Bob Mackie's original wardrobe sketches.

In a new interview included in the set, Cher said, "I love looking back at these shows. They're so much fun to watch and they were so much fun to make. While I'm not done yet! - It's great that Time Life has put this set together."

THE BEST OF CHER VOLUME 1: 5 DVDS

When America's favorite musical couple parted ways in 1974, effectively ending The Sonny & Cher Comedy Hour, CBS quickly decided to give Cher her own variety show. Simply titled Cher, the new series starring the soon-to-be superstar aired its first episode in February 1975. In the opening, Cher told the audience: "My future is in your hands. I am really happy to be back. No, I am thrilled to be back." Now 10 episodes of Cher's very own show are available for the first time in over 40 years! Home audiences will thrill to have front row seats to see Cher flying solo with a nonstop cavalcade of the hottest stars including Charo, Ray Charles, Elton John, The Muppets, Linda Ronstadt, Raquel Welch, and more! Also included:

• Exlusive new interviews with Cher, Designer Bob Mackie, comedy icon Lily Tomlin and Cher executive producer George Schlatter
• TV appearances on The Dick Cavett Show and Dinah (1975)
• Cher CBS Promo
• Newly produced featurette, Cher: Then & Now

THE BEST OF CHER VOLUME 2: 4 DVDS

Cher is one of a kind and her legendary TV specials hit our screens as family-friendly, psychedelic, counterculture kaleidoscopes. Whether playing all the parts in West Side Story, a roller-skating goddess, the snake in the Garden of Eden, a synchronized secretary, or simply Laverne -- no one puts on a show like Cher. Her Vegas shows (and outfits!) were even more spectacular, and they're all on incredible display in VOLUME 2, which features:

• Both of Cher's legendary TV Specials from the '70s: Cher...Special(1978), Cher...and Other Fantasies (1979)
• Two unforgettable concerts in Vegas, live from the Mirage (1991) and MGM Grand (1999), as well as exclusive extras including backstage home movies, rehearsal songs and more
• The full-length documentary Dear Mom, Love Cher offering a rare peek into Cher's fascinating family history
• Plus bonus features including a 2018 appearance on The Late, Late Show with James Corden

As a young girl, Cher's mom promised her that she was special and that one day she would believe it. Audiences around the world have been believing since she burst onto the scene in the '60s, and we haven't stopped -- and THE BEST OF CHER captures Cher's incredible, undeniable talents to enjoy again and again.

About Time Life

Time Life is one of the world's pre-eminent creators and direct marketers of unique music and video/DVD products, specializing in distinctive multi-media collections that evoke memories of yesterday, capture the spirit of today, and can be enjoyed for a lifetime. TIME LIFE and the TIME LIFE logo are registered trademarks of Time Warner Inc. and affiliated companies used under license by Direct Holdings Americas Inc., which is not affiliated with Time Warner Inc. or Time Inc.

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[Big Gay Andy]

What happened to the 1975 Cher special with BETTE MIDLER, Elton John, BETTE MIDLER, Flip Wilson and BETTE MIDLER???

 

[Brian Himes]

It's on the set. It's the very first episode of the 1975 series.

 

[Big Gay Andy]

Then why isn't BETTE MIDLER listed amongst the guest stars??? As one of the world's most beloved entertainers, one would think they would be smart enough to use BETTE MIDLER as a selling point!

 

[Jeffrey D]

Then why isn't BETTE MIDLER listed amongst the guest stars??? As one of the world's most beloved entertainers, one would think they would be smart enough to use BETTE MIDLER as a selling point!

So- what do you think about BETTE MIDLER?

 

[Brian Himes]

Then why isn't BETTE MIDLER listed amongst the guest stars??? As one of the world's most beloved entertainers, one would think they would be smart enough to use BETTE MIDLER as a selling point!

I don't know. I would direct your question to the people over at TimeLife since they prepared the press release. If you go to the actual TimeLife site, the episode is listed on the very first disc of the set. Just so you are aware, the duet between Bette and Cher has been edited on the DVD. The 7+ minutes of song has been cut down to just a little over 2 minutes.

 

[Big Gay Andy]

So- what do you think about BETTE MIDLER?

She's the second-greatest talent in the world!!!

 

[Big Gay Andy]

>>Just so you are aware, the duet between Bette and Cher has been edited on the DVD. The 7+ minutes of song has been cut down to just a little over 2 minutes.<<

You mean their famous "Trashy Ladies" medley?

 

[Brian Himes]

You mean their famous "Trashy Ladies" medley?

Yes.

 

[Big Gay Andy]

That's ridiculous!!!

I have the whole thing on a VHS tape somewhere, but the idea of cutting such an historical duet for the DVD, which is for posterity, is outrageous!!!

Suppose the Judy-Barbra duets had been cut for the DVD?!?!?

 

[Brian Himes]

Again, you should contact TimeLife regarding the issue. It was due to music licensing issues. There were about 5 or more different songs in that medley and any one of them could have been too expensive to license. Therefore, it was probably simpler to cut the whole thing than try and edit around the problem songs. While I'm not happy about it, it is the only major portion of the episode that is cut. The only other edit to the episode is a brief 30 second spot just before the halfway point where Cher sings a tiny bit of 'What Kind Of Fool, Am I?' wearing nose glasses. This episode is one of the better ones that TimeLife released. There are other episodes that had a whole lot more cut out of them.

 

[Big Gay Andy]

I am not happy to hear that, as I am receiving the set tomorrow.

 

[Jeffrey D]

Unfortunate that music rights get in the way of us having a true complete collection at times. A little off topic- season 3 of In Living Color has an episode that was cut to ribbons- it had the main players singing parodies of big songs at the time. If memory serves, the video distributor didn’t include any of those song parodies in that episode. I couldn’t care less about getting seasons 4 and 5 on video after discovering this.

 

[B-ROLL]

Unfortunate that music rights get in the way of us having a true complete collection at times. A little off topic- season 3 of In Living Color has an episode that was cut to ribbons- it had the main players singing parodies of big songs at the time. If memory serves, the video distributor didn’t include any of those song parodies in that episode. I couldn’t care less about getting seasons 4 and 5 on video after discovering this.

So in short ...

 

[Brian Himes]

I am not happy to hear that, as I am receiving the set tomorrow.

Did you get the regular edition or the deluxe edition? The deluxe edition has the Sonny & Cher set that was released last year but it was redone to include 4 new to DVD episodes of Cher's show since TimeLife move 4 episodes to the Best of Cher set. Getting the deluxe edition is the only way to get all 15 Cher episodes that TimeLife released.

 

[Big Gay Andy]

I'm getting the deluxe edition. Everything's "big-girl size" with me.

 

[GMBurns]

Did you get the regular edition or the deluxe edition? The deluxe edition has the Sonny & Cher set that was released last year but it was redone to include 4 new to DVD episodes of Cher's show since TimeLife move 4 episodes to the Best of Cher set. Getting the deluxe edition is the only way to get all 15 Cher episodes that TimeLife released.

Brian, I've been eyeing a listing on the Big River of a Best of Sonny and Cher set with ten dvds, to be released in October by Time-Life. Do you know if there is an extra dvd in the general release of this set? When Time-Life first released the set on their website, I thought it was only 9 dvds. Thanks!

 

[Brian Himes]

The original release last year was a 10 disc set. They just removed all of the Cher specific special features and moved those to the Best of Cher set. It made room for them to compact the episodes onto 9 discs instead of 10. The Sonny & Cher episodes are exactly the same. The Cher Show episodes are the only ones that changed from last year to this year.

 

[GMBurns]

The original release last year was a 10 disc set. They just removed all of the Cher specific special features and moved those to the Best of Cher set. It made room for them to compact the episodes onto 9 discs instead of 10. The Sonny & Cher episodes are exactly the same. The Cher Show episodes are the only ones that changed from last year to this year.

Thanks!