Has anybody read this?



I've been thinking about getting it.

You all must remember that Diana was one of the earliest "diva" pop stars. Think about this, in the 60s, when the Supremes exploded on the scene, no girl group was doing what they were doing. Sure, other girl groups were out there, but they didn't have the appeal that the Supremes did.

Their music was great for the time and their television appearances made them huge. From the trendy pedal pusher suits they wore on shows like Bandstand to the evening gowns and wigs they wore on Ed Sullivan, they were "hollywood" glamorous.

To every black family during that time, people were inspired when they someone that "looked" like them on television. If you talk to a lot of people who are in their 50s, 60s, or 70s, a lot of them will tell you how they would run to the television to see the Temps and Supremes perform on their favorite shows.

By the time Diana went solo, she raised the bar for performing at the time. She took what people like Barbara Streisand, Judy Garland, etc. were doing and made it even more glamorous.

How old is Diana, anyway? 70?

daPrettyman said:

You summed it up perfectly

SoulAlive said:

i assumed the submitter must be really young, or too young to remember how it used to be. beyonce is all over the place because diana ross as well as mj gave her a template to follow. young people really underestimate how far af-americans have come in this country, just in my lifetime, and pay scant attention to the people who paved the way.

daPrettyman said:

You summed it up perfectly

kibbles said:

If the appeal of Diana Ross is because she paved the way for those who came after her, that is indeed respectable but it is only one thing. For some, that she paved the way is not going to cause them to listen to her for that reason alone. Her voice has to be admired and appreciated as well. Diana was one of the firsts and the musical path she has paved is, again, respected and admired. But is that the thing that appeals her to her fans? I like some of her songs, but she does not appeal to me much. For the really hardcore Diana Ross fans: I would like to know what appeals her to you aside from her paving the way.

I like everything about Diana Ross except for the fact she played Dorothy in "The Wiz." Regardless of her iconic singing voice, THAT was ludicrous and nonsensical. She should have been the Good Witch from the South or something, instead of being a 37 year old little girl character.

Great material+Flamboyant image+Drive= Appeal.

Diana is one of the FIRST BLACK stars to receive an oscar nomination. This was for 'Lady Sings The Blues'. many think the reason she did not win was racism back then.

mrsnet said:

I'm a stickler when it comes to Oscar history and trivia. This statement is a bit misleading. Dorothy Dandridge was a performer too and was nominated. The reality is, Ms. Ross was sadly only the second/third actress ever nominated for Best Actress. (She was nominated the same year as Cicily Tyson). The sad reality is that only 8 woman have ever been nominated for Best Actress, not enough of a pool to be qualifying the nominations IMHO.

mrsnet said:

I'm a stickler when it comes to Oscar history and trivia. This statement is a bit misleading. Dorothy Dandridge was a performer too and was nominated. The reality is, Ms. Ross was sadly only the second/third actress ever nominated for Best Actress. (She was nominated the same year as Cicily Tyson). The sad reality is that only 8 woman have ever been nominated for Best Actress, not enough of a pool to be qualifying the nominations IMHO.

sosgemini said:

how's that misleading? I knew she wasn't the first, but high on the list. Let me rephrase then - she's AMONG the first black actresses ever nominated. My emphasis was mainly to highlight her talents. She's a helluva actress - in reference to the poster wondering/puzzled about her appeal.
[Edited 3/27/10 6:50am]
[Edited 3/27/10 6:52am]

sosgemini said:

What do u mean only 8 women were ever nominated for best actress? There are 5 ladies nominated every year

jiorjios said:

she meant 8 BLACK actresses.

jiorjios said:

she meant 8 BLACK actresses.

WaterInYourBath said:

I just watched Shawshank Redemption and Morgan Freeman's role was originally written by Steven King as an old Irish man. I seriously don't get why people can't get over the fact that in The Wiz, Diana Ross is playing an adult. There is nothing in Diana's performance to give one the impression that she is playing a child. She's an odd-duck, stilted emotional alone adult. In fact, IMHO, this switch gives the film more relevance to adults. This aint the Broadway play nor is it Frank Oz' novel or film.

sosgemini said:

If it was, along with other needed changes, "The Wiz" would have been more successful. Changing Dorothy into a woman did not garner the positive response that the original movie and play did.

I get what you mean however. A movie does not have to be EXACTLY like the novel it's based on. The original "Wizard of Oz," for example, did not have verbatim dialogue and scenes from the book either. But some significant characters should not be altered, especially when the book is super-popular. You may understand why Diana Ross was cast, and I can understand too I guess, but most people didn't.

I think the Wiz is dated and cheap looking. I prefer the original and classic version. No one tops Judy. No one.

I think the Wiz is dated and cheap looking.

I just watched Shawshank Redemption and Morgan Freeman's role was originally written by Steven King as an old Irish man.

WaterInYourBath said:

I'm sitting here, bored...waiting for an event so thanks for responding and giving me something to do.

Here's my take on why The Wiz failed, it was an all black cast and a depressing musical made during an era when musicals were box office poison. Ive create a thread here and one on Facebook asking which film do people prefer (The Wiz vs. TWOZ) and most minorities prefer The Wiz. Just the other month, a movie website had classified the film as a cult classic. I think people just the film based on their own preconcieved biases towards Diana Ross, Michael Jackson, Quincy Jones, musicals, Diana not being 14 and in some cases, the fact that the director wasn't black. All of that adds up to some heavy baggage but if you watch the film for what it is, IMHO, it's quit beautiful.

sosgemini said:

Film is interesting as a massive flop but to me its piss poor. Main reason being thats it's pacing is slow, the songs go on too long at times, and the direction is lifeless and dull. Lumet's direction of the dance sequences are still shockingly poor. Particually for someone of his standard. He had no clue. Seriously, musical's in the 30's had more interesting cuts then his dance sequences. Just one long static shot after another. Little to no movement at all in those scenes. Makes the scenes long and very boring.

Disney had the right idea by doing something different with its cult hit "Return to Oz".

WaterInYourBath said:

This is a cool picture.

BTW, how can this Randy Tarroborelli know everything about everyone in order to write all their biographies?

Diana Ross discovered the Jackson 5.