VH1 staged its first
Divas Live concert since 2004 Thursday night. It was a benefit for the Save the Music Foundation, which in the past has hosted the likes of Aretha Franklin, Mariah Carey, Tina Turner, Cher, Diana Ross, and Whitney Houston.
This years show was decidedly different, however, as it seems the aim of the evening was to bring in some fresh-faced new girls with bold voices to share the stage with some of their own heroes. Along with seasoned divas Cheryl Crow, Cyndi Lauper, Melissa Etheridge, India Arie, Adele, and Martina McBride, four of the girls in the lineup, Jordin Sparks, Leona Lewis, Kelly Clarkson, and Jennifer Hudson are all reality show singing competition winners or runners-up on
American Idol and the UK's
X-Factor. Miley Cyrus --who caused quite a sensation in her sexy gown -- got her start on TV as well with her hit show Hannah Montana on the Disney Channel. It was a night of big pipes and big personalities, and all in all delivered a success of a show.
And of course, any show with the word "diva" in it is naturally going to be pretty gay.
The first indication was Kathy Griffin--one of the presenters--on the red carpet telling the interviewer for newyorkpost.com, "This is the kind of night where guys just leave their wives and come out of the closet." This became even funnier in light of the "Dudes on Divas" segments that they played throughout the show depicting three macho straight dudes having a "guys night out" to watch the show as if it were the Superbowl.
Next, Paula Abdul, the host of the evening, came out at one point sporting a blonde wig, black and white pantsuit, chucks, and dancing just like Ellen through the aisles of the theater before taking a seat in a beige talk show chair onstage. She said, "What, can't a girl try out a new job?" poking fun at the decision by American Idol to replace Paula with Ellen as a judge for its next season. She then said, "Nothing but love Ellen, and I wish you the best of luck and congratulations on your new gig."
In keeping with the evening's theme, the duets proved that there is a striking synergy that can result when we mix old and new (and I'm not just talking about age). The duets all featured the younger artists and their seasoned idols, performing one of the older divas greatest hits.
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While Miley Cyrus and Cheryl Crow got together for a fun rendition of "If it Makes You Happy," some of the more memorable were Jordin Sparks and Martina McBride performing McBrides "A Broken Wing," Leona Lewis and Cyndi Lauper singing "True Colors" (with Cyndi on her trademark Appalachian dulcimer in case you were wondering what that sideways guitar was), and Stevie Wonder and Jennifer Hudson having a true diva moment with "All in Love is Fair."
However, my favorite performance of the evening was of course my girls Melissa Etheridge and Kelly Clarkson singing Melissa's bold rock anthem, "Bring Me Some Water."
In the red carpet interview with newyorkpost.com, Etheridge gave Clarkson some huge props, saying "I'm singing with Kelly Clarkson, and seeing the level of her talent, I mean she's making me bring my A game."
The two divas closed out the show in rocking style with tons of energy and huge vocals to match. Kelly's pristine high notes were a perfect compliment to Melissa's trademark huskiness and they looked like they were having the time of their lives, dancing and jumping all over the stage, at one point sharing Kelly's microphone cheek-to-cheek while Melissa got down with her guitar. I'm sure that the combination of their leather digs, raw vocals, and palpable onstage chemistry had lesbians everywhere on the edge of their seats. VH1 must have known what they were doing pairing one of the most famous out lesbians in entertainment with a young American Idol who's had gay rumors flying around her for years. I, for one, have no idea if Kelly bats for our team or not, but it would be fine with me if she did and if Melissa wasn't so happily married I'd say those two make a great couple!
After watching this show, I couldn't help but see how much music has evolved in the past decade. Growing up in the late eighties and nineties, I was accustomed to the likes of Mariah, Tina, and Whitney belting out their hits on MTV music videos, but with the advent of reality TV in the new millennium, girls who otherwise would never get a record deal are being plucked out of obscurity and given a chance to shine. Now we can talk all the crap we want on reality TV, and most of it is utter junk, but the truth is that talent shows like American Idol really do find true entertainers who prove their longevity. Whether she made a name for herself the traditional way like Melissa or was given the opportunity of a lifetime like Kelly, the truth is, there's room on the stage for every diva, and the combination is spectacular.
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