Minnelli Receives Pudding Pot

When she smiles in the future, the Hasty Pudding Theatrical's award will be part of the reason, Liza Minnelli beamed ebulliently yesterday afternoon on receiving the Pudding's Woman of the Year Award.

After accepting the gold Hasty Pudding pot from club president Thomas W. Wells '73, Minnelli lustily sang "Cabaret," the title song from her recent movie "Cabaret," to the riotous delight of the overflowing, foot-stomping crowd at the Hasty Pudding theater.

Outside a group of about 30 thwarted young fans pounded on the theater door and complained vituperatively about their exclusion from the presentation.

The Hasty Pudding Club advertised yesterday's events, which included a parade from the Business school, in a fake Crimson extra distributed Monday night and Tuesday morning. The annual award, begun 23 years ago, is a publicity stunt for the theatrical club's annual musical production.

In response to criticism that the sham extra traded on the Crimson name, Thomas H. Parry '71, executive producer of "Bewitched Bayou," said yesterday, "We just wanted to be funny. It's too bad" if people thought it was genuine.

At a press conference with her fiance Desi Arnaz Jr. following the award presentation, Minnelli advised women who aspire to Woman of the Year status not to think about themselves; see colors, have a good time and care because "that always makes what's inside bloom."