Minnelli Praises Moscow, Charms Mayor Luzhkov

Life is a cabaret, even in Moscow, Liza Minnelli said Monday during her first visit to the Russian capital."It's better and more beautiful than I expected," the film star and singer said in unusually rich praise for the gray metropolis. "It's the most warm place that I have ever been to."Such praise was music to the ears of Mayor Yury Luzhkov, who welcomed Minnelli to City Hall for refreshments before attending her Moscow premiere Monday evening. "Liza, hello, hello!" said a beaming mayor as he greeted Minnelli in a reception hall where the mayor typically meets with VIPs whose celebrity extends only to Russian political circles.Minnelli, Oscar winner for best actress for the 1972 film "Cabaret," handed Luzhkov a white rose and prepared to give away a second."Is your wife here?" Minnelli asked, wearing a short dress, apparently unaware that Luzhkov keeps his family far from the public spotlight."She will be here at your concert," Luzhkov said and asked in English: "Everything is all right?"She replied that she felt at home in Moscow. Luzhkov returned the kind words with praise of Minnelli as well as a bouquet of roses and a large, traditional Russian bowl. He warmly embraced her for photographers.Minnelli, 48, is here for two shows ending Tuesday which sold out despite ticket prices of 10,000 rubles to 200,000 rubles (about $5 to $100). The performance will also be taped for rebroadcast on Russian television, tentatively scheduled for July 10. Although most Russians have not seen her first screen appearance as a 3-year old with her mother Judy Garland in 1949, her film "Cabaret" is well known. Minnelli has also been associated with one of Russia's most famous immigrants, ballet dancer Mikhail Barishnikov.