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| Cher |
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Celine Dion |
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Mary J. Blige |
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| The Dixie Chicks |
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Shakira |
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| It was "Divas." It was Vegas. Cher offered up her anthemic "Believe" and "Song for the Lonely" and donned a black pompadour and fake sideburns for her tribute to the King. The Dixie Chicks slowed things down with "Long Time Gone," and their duet with Stevie Nicks on Fleetwood Mac's "Landslide" was the evening's quietest moment. Shakira took a similar approach, forsaking the uptempo "Whenever, Wherever" for an unplugged version of "Underneath Your Clothes." Despite her song title to the contrary, Mary J. Blige's set was full of drama, no more so than when she and Whitney Houston engaged in a growling call-and-response duel at the end of "Rainy Dayz." Anastacia took her solo shot to present "One Day in Your Life" and attacked her tune like a disco diva-in-waiting. Everyone threw caution to the wind with the Elvis medley that wrapped things up. |
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| Aretha Franklin |
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Jill Scott |
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Mary J. Blige |
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| Nelly Furtado |
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Marc Anthony |
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Kid Rock |
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| This all-star tribute to Aretha Franklin at New York's Radio City Music Hall gave props to a mighty woman who has been at the center of American music since arriving on the scene in the mid '60s. Franklin easily adapted herself to a variety of guests, crooning with the Backstreet Boys on "Chain of Fools," matching wails with upstart Mary J. Blige on "Do Right Woman, Do Right Man," and letting Kid Rock storm her barn on "Rock Steady." She even joined a jazz ensemble led by Herbie Hancock for a little scat. Marc Anthony and Celia Cruz saluted the First Lady of Soul with salsa. Neo-soul up-and-comer Jill Scott made "A Natural Woman" feel like the real thing, and the New Jersey Mass Choir accompanied Franklin's assault on the hymn "Precious Memories." Janet Jackson, Sigourney Weaver, Renee Zellweger, Stevie Wonder and the Sopranos cast were among those looking on in awe. |
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| Diana Ross |
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The Supremes |
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Donna Summer |
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| Mariah Carey |
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Faith Hill |
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RuPaul |
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| Diana Ross knows how to feel the love in the room, which may explain why she frequently abandoned the stage to wander among the audience in the midst of her own tribute at Madison Square Garden. Ross still commanded plenty of star wattage. In their own singular ways, Mariah Carey, Donna Summer, Destiny's Child, Faith Hill and even RuPaul all hailed the Supremest Supreme. Ross sported a spangled outfit that matched Mariah Carey's own during their performance of "Baby Love." Donna Summer covered "Reflections" and bounced through "Love Child" with Faith Hill. Destiny's Child took on "Upside Down," accompanied by composer Nile Rodgers on guitar. But it was up to Ross to provide the biggest shock of all - a wild reunion with latter-day Supremes Linda Laurence and Scherrie Payne to perform "You Keep Me Hanging On" and "Love Is Like an Itching in My Heart." |
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| Performers |
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| Whitney Houston |
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Tina Turner |
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Cher |
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| Brandy |
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Mary J. Blige |
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LeAnn Rimes |
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| Faith Hill |
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Sir Elton John |
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| We all learned one meaning of the word "diva" at New York's Beacon Theatre in April 1999. When Tina Turner duetted with Elton John on "The Bitch is Back," there was some palpable artistic tension that upped the evening's excitement level. Then Cher joined Tina on "Proud Mary," before turning the theatre into Studio 54 for "Believe." Junior divas Brandy, Faith Hill and LeAnn Rimes tried to maneuver around the bigger stars, and Brandy and Hill shared a spotlight to perform Bryan Adams' "(Everything I Do) I Do It For You." Ultimately, Whitney Houston showed everyone who was boss. Despite a challenge from Mary J. Blige during their "Ain't No Way" duet, Houston brought the house down with a seismic "I Will Always Love You." As a farewell, she so completely commandeered the show's finale ("I'm Every Woman"), that few noticed that Chaka Khan was actually in the house, too. |
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| Performers |
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| Celine Dion |
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Aretha Franklin |
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Gloria Estefan |
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| Shania Twain |
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Mariah Carey |
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Carole King |
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| The very first Divas at New York's Beacon Theater offered an unprecedented summit of stars - Aretha Franklin, Mariah Carey, Celine Dion, Shania Twain and Gloria Estefan. Although both had experienced chart success, Dion was going supernova with "My Heart Will Go On" and Shania Twain's Come On Over was heading towards becoming one of the biggest albums of all time. Their work on the Divas debut helped their ascent to the status of superstar. There was a vibe of sisterhood wafting through the hall that night. Dion covered "River Deep, Mountain High," and Mariah and Aretha crossed generations by uniting on "Chain of Fools." The spontaneity continued with the guest appearance of singer-songwriter Carole King, who led the team through versions of her own "You've Got a Friend" and "(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman." |
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