Andrew Lloyd Webber Stands Up For Winehouse....

Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber has praised troubled singer Amy Winehouse - and has hailed her Birmingham, England gig last week as "one of the greatest concerts of all time".The Rehab singer was heckled onstage last Wednesday (14Nov07) on the opening night of her U.K. tour, earning criticism from fans for her poor performance - some of whom walked out of the show altogether.But in an open letter to the Rehab star in Britain's Hello! magazine, music impresario Lloyd Webber insists the star is one of the most talented female artists of all time, comparing her to Edith Piaf, Judy Garland and Ella Fitzgerald.And he is adamant her Birmingham gig was impressive, despite reports to the contrary.He writes, "I was in the audience at Birmingham Nia last week to see and hear you play to thousands of fans. It was without doubt one of the most memorable nights I have ever enjoyed. You were absolutely magnificent. You sang from the heart. It was a heartbeat away from being one of the great concerts of all time."Many in the Birmingham audience simply did not deserve you. A very noisy faction had been drinking and they suddenly turned on you. Until then, everything had been going well. You were obviously troubled by the situation your husband is facing, and you talked about him quite a lot - absolutely understandable. You sang with an almost Piaf-like quality, and there were many moments when I marvelled at your sheer genius".Winehouse's husband Blake Fielder-Civil is currently being held at London's Pentonville Prison after his arrest earlier this month (Nov07) on suspicion of perverting the course of justice in relation to a charge of grievous bodily harm.

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