How about some truth, folks? Here's the real lowdown on the 'supposed' kerfuffle between Barbra Streisand and Jill Zarin over a pirated video. Barbra was the star performer on Thursday night at a benefit in Hollywood for the Israel Defense Forces. Jill was in the audience. Despite being told -- and knowing -- that recording was forbidden, Zarin took out her phone and made a short video of Barbra singing.
Then, in an attempt to get publicity, Jill Zarin posted the video on YouTube using her real name. The video was brought to the attention of Barbra Streisand's management. They reached out to Jill, via her husband's fabric business in New York City, to tell say, "Take down the video." Threats were never issued and lawyers were not consulted.
Nevertheless, on her Twitter account, Zarin characterized the call in this way: "Someone from Barbra Streisand's company just called my store to tell me to take down my YouTube video or they will sue me. Is that nuts? Sorry guys. I took it down!"
The end result was precisely what Jill Zarin wanted: publicity. She got her name in the papers, including the National Enquirer, and she had her name linked to Barbra Streisand! How lucky can she get?
The reality is the Zarin was looking for ink. She is not on the next season of Bravo's "Real Housewives of New York City," having been dumped, and she's upset that she's out of the spotlight. Just the day before she attended the Israel benefit where Barbra sang, Zarin was reportedly miffed that she couldn't get free food at New York restaurants anymore because she's no longer a reality TV star.
Zarin knew full well that she was in the wrong by shooting video of Barbra's performance. And when she posted those videos on YouTube, she had the audacity to turn the camera on herself so everyone would know that she'd was, indeed, the person posting the video. That, readers, is chutzpah!
And, obviously, JILL WANTED TO BE CAUGHT!
From the Streisand point of view, getting her to pulled down the video is business as usual. If you attend a Barbra Streisand concert and try to film it, shoot pictures or record the music in any way, shape or form, you will receive a threatening phone call when/if you try to pedal it. And if not Barbra's camp calling, it will be ASCAP or Sony Music! That's just business, folks. You cannot do what Jill did...and she knows it!
Quite simply, Jill Zarin broke the rules…but got what she wanted. And what do you want to bet that in any future personal appearances or TV interviews, when she's asked about this Barbra Streisand interaction, Jill will build it up into something bigger than described.
She'll play it up to the point where it was Barbra calling on the phone personally, going all Katie Morosky on Jill's head and Jill assuring Barbra that she loves her and didn't mean any harm.
By the way, just for the record, having seen the videos as soon as Jill posted them on Friday morning, December 9, I was excited to see the illicit few minutes of Barbra singing "What Matters Most's" Grammy-nominated "The Windmills of Your Mind" and "People." Barbra sounded great and it was fun to see the snippets; however, I was shocked to see Jill Zarin on the video, too. I knew in a heartbeat that those videos would not be up for long.
Believe me, this was a calculated move by Jill Zarin, a lady who misses being in the spotlight. All she did was use the Streisand name and voice to prop up Zarin's rapidly fading fame. Hmm…you think Bethenny Frankel got a big laugh from this? I do.
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