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Pia Zadora on Larry King Live

She�s been called the little girl with the big voice. It was Sinatra himself who encouraged her to sing the great American standards. Ol� Blue Eyes was right. Pia Zadora has won over fans and critics alight with her unique song stylings. Her latest album is Pia � The Platinum Collection : beautifully packaged, two-and-a-half hours of the all-time greatest American classics. Pia Zadora joins us here in Washington.

This is a triple threat : this is a video, CD�s and
cassettes, right?
Yeah
This is like a multi-production.
It�s an infomercial. Infomercial is kind of like a
mini-special. They�ve put together�
You mean, you bought half hours of time all
over?
No, no. This is a new concept that record companies
use to promote their artists that they feel are what
they call �visual artists�. So it�s kind of like a mini-
special. You learn a little bit about the artist in the
infomercial, you see a little bit of their performance
footage and then you hear somebody saying
800-2236900, or whatever it is, so�
And they came to you with this idea?
The record company decided they wanted to promote this 3-album set in this way, as an infomercial. And I said ,�Terrific,� and David Sams produced it and�
So you see a half-hour show about Pia?
It�s like, you know, when people talk about make-up at eleven o� clock, or when they talk about anxiety attacks. You know, infomercials are in, they�re really cool. I�ve been ordering stuff all over the place.
But how about the traditional where we see the two minute bit, or the minute and a half, the 800 number�
I think that�s a short or a commercial. An infomercial, info, I-N-F-O, is inform�tion. So it�s kink of a long thing, it�s a half hour thing.
Also, it looks expensively put together. How big was this orchestra?
Oh�Well, it�s footage. It�s performance footage. It was shot during my performances over�
So it didn�t cost a lot to put together the tape.
No, it�s like a home video.
Is the album old performance or specially performed?
The album is a compilation of three albums : the Pia & Phil, the Reflections-album and the I Am What I Am. So it�s like 3 in 1, 39 songs all together.
That�s about as large as albums get, Pia, right?
It�s two-and-a-half hours of music!
Was it Frank who suggested �sing the pretty songs, sing the great songs�?
Frank told me to do the standards. I was doing Top 40 and Frank said �You need to sing the standards.� And this was like fifteen years ago, when I was�nine (laughs), when I was his opening act and�
Before you toured with him and Rickles?
When I toured with him and Rickles, that was already ten years after and I had done all the films and been a naughty girl for a while. Then I went back to basics. But Frank said �You need to sing these songs, because people want to hear these songs, �cause they�re my people and because they�d be good for you, I have an idea they�d be good for you.� And he was right! It just took me another ten years to get back to them. But I enjoy singing them, I love singing them. They�re story-songs, they�re wonderful, they�re emotional, they�re dramatic. And now that I�m a mother I understand them. Now that I�ve been a little�that I�ve I�ved a little, I can relate to them and I really enjoy singing them!
It�s a difficult spot : the female singer in this��group�. You�re not doing rock, you�re not Whitney Houston.
Yeah, it�s a very limited market.
So you have to find it?
You have to find it, you have to create it, you have to do a lot of live performing and you have to�just, be there when you need to be there.
You also take out shows, don�t you?
Broadway shows! I just did a show, called Too Short To Be a Rockette in San Diego and Florida and eventually to Broadway. So, I do Broadway and this also.
Now, you don�t have to work, we all know that. You have two wonderful, little kids. Why do you do this?
I love to work. I don�t work a lot-lot. I�m a lot with the kids. But it keeps me alive, it keeps me feeling good about myself, it keeps me productive. I can�t cook, you know. I have trouble finding the kitchen.
How old are you now?
Don�t ask.
You�re someone who�s perpetually 31.
Well, I�m 37.
But you�ll alwaus look 31. You age well, because you don�t age.
I hope you�re psychic.
Now, Pia�s got a daughter. There was this benefit for Tommy Lasorda�s late son who past away last year. I was honoured to be te MC and Pia Zadora was on the bill. It was a wondeful night at Merv Griffin�s Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills. Pia was supposed to be the singing star, Pia had a laryngitis, so Pia sang one little song but put on her daughter. This kid is Shirley Temple!
She�s an amazing kid.
How old is she?
She�s 8�going on 40.
She�s a trooper!
She never studied, she just loves it. She�s
a natural.
She dances, she sings. She�s like Bobby
Barron.
I love her. Hey, nobody wants to see mothers
talking about their kids. But she�s cool, she�s a
cool kid. I love her wether she sings or not.
She does sing good, probably better than me.
Did you sing at that age?
I started when I was five. Not because I wanted
to. Because I was shy and the nuns thought
that�
Are you gonna push this kid, like, to be�
No,no,no. I want her to be a kid. She�s gonna
be a kid. She can sing with me, that�s it. No competition. People have asked her. She will never audition. I�m never gonna put her in a schedule. She was offered some TV stuff. No way! I mean, why would I want? I don�t need the money. I want her to be a kid. I want her to enjoy her life. I wanna live vicariously. I wanna have the childhood I never had through her. We go to toystores, we go to parks, we go to playgrounds. We�re kids and we love it!
Doesn�t she want to? Suppose she�d say �Ma, they offered me a movie.� What would you say?
She was very upset the night of Tommy Lasorda�s benefit, because she wanted to do 2 songs, and Gary wanted her to do 1, so she said, �I�m not gonna do any. I do 2 or nothing!� So Gary had to give her this big speech. She�s a spunky little kid.
The little boy, not showbizz?
Well, he�s our guy. He�s our straight man. He just hangs around and gives us advice.
Let�s get some calls for Pia Zadora.

(Caller 1)You got a lot of great, positive press and a few bits of bad press and throughout, you�ve maintained exceptional poison dignity. You�re talented and beautiful! We love you! How do handle that bad press?
Thank you! Thank you so much for the compliment. You know what it is? It�s like, you have to be you, you have to be happy with yourself. And if you�re happy with yourself, you understand what is real, what comes from jealouy, what comes from just someone�s opinion. Somebody may not like you, they may not like that you are married to a wealthy man�
But how about when you�re maligne kidded? The Pia Zadora-jokes! Unfair, because you can sing.
I was to stupid to understand it. I don�t understand why I never crumbled under that. I just hung in there and now I�m realizing how bad it was. I was in shock, I must have been mesmoric or something. I just didn�t understand

(Caller 2)I wanted to tell Pia that I saw her sho at Great Woods, with Frank Sinatra, a few years back. And it was wonderfull. And I was wondering how you keep your gorgeous figure after having two children?
I excercise every day for at least an hour-and-a-half. It�s a passion! It�s like brushing my teeth. It�s a de-stresser.
Is it the Don Rickles 60-minute work-out?
Yeah, you take a glass of Jack Daniels, turn on the TV and�(laughs)No, it�s an important thing. It makes you feel real good and healthy.
Do you watch everything you eat too?
I drink a lot of water and watch my diet.
What�s the house like? Did you build a new house?
Yeah.
What kind of house is it?
It�s cool. It�s Pickfair.
Oh, you bought that house. Wow! How many rooms?
Oh God, I didn�t count. There are like 4 bedrooms and some other rooms.
Do you ever lose the kids?
We haven�t moved in yet.
When do you move in?
In a couple of months.

(Caller 3)Hi Pia! I saw you in Atlantic City a few years ago and I�ve always wondered what you have to do to keep your voice so strong and yet so clear?
Well, I have good lungs. I�m Catholic and I was baptised in St. Patrick�s Cathedral and when I was baptised, there was some boyscout convention going on. My mother told me this, I don�t know for sure. I was yelling so loud they had to stop the whole thing and the head of the convention came in and said, �This kid is gonna be an opera singer.� I did study opera as a kid. And I think it�s my theatrical training. When I was on Broadway, 15-20 years ago, we didn�t have microphones, we had to project to the back of the house and that was a technique that we learned. And still use.
You�re not a soprano though?
Yeah, soprano too. But I don�t use that a lot.
But your voice would be called what? Altosoprano?
Mmm..yeah, alto-soprano. But I�m known as a beltor. I don�t use the soprano unless I�m doin�a show.
Are you gonna go back to doing any movies?
Not for a while. I love this, this is good for me.
Singing and doing what I�m doing. I love Broad-
way, I love live performing. I�m not crazy to do a
movie, no.
Would you commit to a Broadway show?
Yeah! In a minute!
You would? And take the kids to New York?
Yes! In fact, I�m planning on it. If all goes well.
I�ve got a couple of things that I�m talking about.
Pia comes to Broadway!
I hope so!
You know of course that the critics will be waiting.
I know. And I can�t wait. And I�m gonna be good!
Frank Rich will lurk in the wing.
Listen, I did Funny Girl in LA and Sylvie Drake gave
me a wonderfull review and she�s like the Frank
Rich of LA. And that�s a tough role, to play Fanny
in Funny Girl. You know, I�m confident!
One thing you are. You�re confident in yourself. You never doubted your own ability.
That�s right.

(Caller 4)I have a question for Pia Zadora. I recently read that she�s in the process of renovating her new home and has ordered a crystal door at $457.000 .How do you justify that kind of expence when there is so much poverty and homelessness and hunger around?
That�s a good question! I have nothing to do with the house. It�s my husbands creation. He built it actually for me. And I just went to see it a couple of weeks ago for the first time. You know, it�s his money and he does give a lot to a lot of charities and he takes care of a lot of people. And I guess if he earned it and he wants to have a crystal door, well, who�s to tell him not to.
Did you ask for a $457.000 �
I didn�t ask for a crystal door! No, I would�ve rather had a ring. In fact, I�m a little upset about that (laughs).
He built the house for you?
He built the house for me. Well, for us, but for me as something that I would always have, something that�s important.
Did he want you to design it?
No, it�s not my style. My style is very modern and clean. This is something he felt that I would grow into. You know, it�s very regal and you have to have a cloak and dagger when you walk in the door. It�s Pickfair!
Thanks Pia. Always great seeing you.

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