Bette Midler on the set." While the original book and film had tremendous cultural impact, the remake was marked by poor reviews by many critics, and a financial loss of approximately $40 million at the box office. Midler joined forces again with Manilow for another tribute album, "Bette Midler Sings the Peggy Lee Songbook". Released in October 2005, the album sold 55,000 copies the first week of release, returned Midler to the top ten of US "Billboard" 200, and was nominated for a Grammy Award. Midler released a new Christmas album titled "Cool Yule" in 2006, which featured a duet of Christmastime
Bette Midler time performing there, "Despite the way things turned out [with the AIDS crisis], I'm still proud of those days. I feel like I was at the forefront of the gay liberation movement, and I hope I did my part to help it move forward. So, I kind of wear the label of 'Bathhouse Betty' with pride." Midler starred in the first professional production of the Who's rock opera "Tommy" in 1971, with director Richard Pearlman and the Seattle Opera. It was during the run of "Tommy" that Midler first appeared on "The Tonight Show." Midler released her debut album, "The