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In 1998, VH1 debuted the first annual VH1 Divas concert. VH1 Divas Live was created to support the channel's Save The Music Foundation and subsequent concerts in the series have also benefited that foundation. The VH1 Divas concerts aired annually from 1998 to 2004. After a five year hiatus, the series returned on September 17, 2009 with a younger-skewed revamp.^[1] The latest edition, VH1 Divas Celebrates Soul, was recorded on December 18, 2011 and aired the next day on VH1, doubling the previous year's ratings. The next edition, which will air live from Los Angeles in December 2012, will salute the musical legacy of Whitney Houston.

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VH1 Divas 1998[link]

VH1 Divas Live: An Honors Concert For The VH1 Save The Music Foundation aired live from the Beacon Theatre in New York city on April 14, 1998.

Headliners[link]

• Aretha Franklin
• Gloria Estefan
• Céline Dion
• Shania Twain
• Mariah Carey

Special guest performer[link]

• Carole King

Presenters[link]

• Jennifer Aniston
• Patricia Arquette
• Teri Hatcher
• Sarah MacLachlan
• Sarah Jessica Parker
• Susan Sarandon

The show was produced by Grammys producer Ken Ehrlich, directed by Michael Simon and written by producer/writer Martin Lewis.

Show sequence[link]

• Mariah Carey - "My All"
• Mariah Carey - "Make It Happen"
• Gloria Estefan - "Turn The Beat Around"
• Gloria Estefan - "Heaven's What I Feel"
• Gloria Estefan - Megamix:
  • "Dr. Beat"
  • "Conga"
  • "Rhythm Is Gonna Get You"
  • "1-2-3"
  • "Get On Your Feet"
• Shania Twain - "Man! I Feel Like a Woman!"
• Shania Twain - "You're Still the One"
• Aretha Franklin - "A Rose Is Still A Rose" - Not released on CD, VHS or DVD
• Aretha Franklin and Mariah Carey - "Chain of Fools"
• Aretha Franklin - "Here We Go Again" - Not released on CD, VHS or DVD
• Céline Dion - "River Deep, Mountain High"
• Céline Dion and Carole King - "The Reason"
• Céline Dion - "My Heart Will Go On"
• Carole King - "It's Too Late" – Not aired in television broadcast, nor released on CD, VHS or DVD
• Carole King, Céline Dion, Gloria Estefan, and Shania Twain - "You've Got a Friend"
• The Divas - "(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman"
• The Divas - "Testimony"

Performances on the CD, VHS, and DVD release[link]

• "My All" – 05:45
• "Make It Happen" – 05:29
• "Turn The Beat Around" – 05:07
• "Heaven's What I Feel" – 04:54
• "Dr. Beat"/"Conga"/"Rhythm Is Gonna Get You"/"1-2-3"/"Get on Your Feet" – 03:32
• "Man! I Feel Like a Woman" – 03:55
• "You're Still the One" – 03:33
• "Chain of Fools" – 04:24
• "River Deep, Mountain High" – 05:12
• "The Reason" – 05:59
• "My Heart Will Go On" – 04:41
• "You've Got a Friend" – 05:29
• "(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman" – 05:15
• "Testimony" – 09:47

Reviews[link]

• New York Times Pop Review

Musician credits[link]

(in order of appearance) ^[2][3]

• Mariah Carey's band: Randy Jackson - Bass; Gigi Gonaway - Drums; Vernon Black - Guitar; Andrew Sherman - Keyboards; Michael Mcknight - Programmer; Juliet Haffner - Viola; Laura Seaton, Andre E. Stien, Peter M. Weimar - Violins; Marquino Brazil - Percussion

• Gloria Estefan's band: Jorge Casa - Bass; Clay Ostwald - Keyboards; Tim Mitchell, Rene Toledo - Guitars; Olin Burgos - Drums; Randy Barlow - Trombone & Trumpet; Teddy Mulet, Douglas Michaels - Trumpet; Kenny Andersom, Tom Timko - Saxes/Reeds; Rita Quintero, Juan"Chieto" Quinonez, George Noriega, Donna Allen - Vocals

• Shania Twain's band: Brent Barcus - Guitar; Andrew Cichon - Bass; James Blair - Drums; Cory Churco, Allison Cornell - Mandolin/Fiddle; Marc D. Muller - Pedal Steel; Hardy Hempill - Keyboards

• Aretha Franklin's band: H.B. Barnum - Conductor; David Rokeach - Drums; Francisco Centeno - Bass; Teddy Richards - Guitar; Richard Gibbs - Piano; Darryll Houston - Organ; Byron Strippling, Glenn Drews, Jorge Arciniega - Trumpet; Robert Trowers, Larry Farrell, Keith O'Quinn - Trombone; Lawrence Feldman, Dave Tofani, Ernie Fields Jr. Roger Rosenberg - Sax; Mae Kohn, Diana Madison, William Moore - Background vocals; Jaqui Whitman - Tambourine; Michael Beardon - Keyboards; Joe Passaro - Percussion

• Céline Dion's band: Claude "Mégo" Lemay - Keyboards; Dominique Messier - Drums; Ives "Ivo" Frulla - Keyboards; André Coutu - Guitars; Paul Picard - Percussion; Élise Dugay- Background vocals & Tin Whistle; Terry Bradford, Julie LeBlanc - Background vocals

Aretha's band was used for her duet with Mariah Carey (Chain of Fools) and the finale (Natural Woman, and Testimony).

Trivia[link]

How the Divas came to be (by Wayne Isaak, VH1 Senior Vice President Music & Talent Relations, August 1998)

"In November 1997, following several months of debate, a small group of us at VH1 finally agreed to turn our annual “VH1 Honors” concert into a once-in-a-lifetime gathering of some of the most notable and popular female voices in contemporary music. Borrowing from several smaller productions, we were determined to create a performance showcase which we titled VH1 Divas Live.

The task of booking such a show was monumental. To gather some of today’s top vocalists together on the same stage, singing both their own songs and a number of collaborations, presented innumerable logistical challenges. We began by researching a list of artists who were actively performing, and factored in those who we thought would work well together. By early December, we had an impressive list of names, and we began to make offers.

In early January 1998, Celine Dion agreed to perform on the show and became our first oficial booking. Our viewers had chosen Celine as VH1’s Artist of the Year in 1996; now, her recording of “My Heart Will Go On” was well on its way to becoming the biggest song of 1998. Since Celine and nearly all of the Divas we had targeted were scheduled to be on the East Coast in mid-April, we decided to move what had become an annual Los Angeles-based event to Gotham City to be held two days after Easter on April 14, 1998. We hastened to secure a venue in New York and to confirm the participation of more Divas.

Aretha Franklin had been on our dream list from day one. We were overjoyed to learn that she was planning an April release for her new album, “A Rose Is Still A Rose”, and would be performing live during that time. Truly, Aretha was and is the definitive Diva, and thus became our role model for the event. With the persuasive efforts of Clive Davis, President of Arista Records, she finally agreed in early March to play the event. And when the Queen of Soul stood in for an ailling Luciano Pavarotti and stole the Grammy Awards telecast with her rendition of Puccini’s “Nessun Dorma”, we knew Aretha was going to be magical.

Gloria Estefan was preparing to debut a new LP, “gloria!”, in early June, and responded enthusiastically to our invitation.

From our vantage point in February, Shania Twain was one of country music’s biggest-selling artists, and poised to score a breakthrough pop hit with her new single, “You’re Still The One”. We loved the idea of widening the appeal of our show by including her fans, and we loved the idea of Shania in general. She seemed like a Diva in the making.

From the start, we’d fantasized about having Mariah Carey on the show. But in December and January, her Spring ’98 tour plans were uncertain, and we didn’t want to add another decision to her list. So we built the show to the point of near completion by early March, and only then asked Mariah to join us. She was concerned as to how she’d fit into the already busy evening, but was excited by the prospect of singing with Aretha. After working through her schedule and her repertoire, Mariah finally said yes in mid-March, just hours before our posters and advertisements went to press.

The final addition of Carole King to our artist roster would prove crucial to the success of VH1 Divas Live. Producer Ken Ehrlich and I really wanted Carole to duet Celine on “The Reason”, a song co-written by Carole for Celine’s album, “Let’s Talk About Love”. We also hoped that Carole would lead the whole ensemble through her classic composition, “A Natural Woman” – one of the best songs ever griten from a woman’s point of view. Just nine days before the event, Ms. King agreed to come in from Los Angeles.

Another Carole King standard, “You’ve Got A Friend”, was added and rehearsed onstage the night before the live telecast, with Carole leading Shania, Celine and Gloria through the song with the aid of sheet music purchased that evening from Colony Music store on Broadway. “A Natural Woman” was only fully rehearsed by the group in Ms. Franklin’s bus about hours before the start of the show.

After nearly two-and-a-half hours of singing and musical testimony, network President John Sykes presented a check for $100,000 to VH1 Save The Music in the name of each Diva. The VH1 Save The Music initiative, which helped inspire Divas to join the event, is dedicated to improving the quality of education in America’s public schools by restoring and supporting music programs in communities across the country.

The live broadcast became the highest rated program in VH1’s 13-year history. Twenty million people watched the program in the initial airings on the channel in the US. The feedback we received from viewers, the media, other artists, and the Divas themselves confirmed that we all had been part of an extraordinary musical event."

Additional trivia

• Mariah Carey was very reluctant to join the bill as she felt that it was already too crowded and that she wouldn't get enough air time. She only came on board in the end because she, and she alone was allowed to duet with Aretha. After the show, Patti LaBelle called her to congratulate her for the great job she did with Aretha and the other girls!

• Aretha Franklin was also reluctant to do the show but it was Clive Davis' efforts what convinced her to be part of it!

• Shania Twain was not sure where she was coming, but she agreed to perform just to help saving the music.

• The show nearly fell apart when Aretha Franklin had a Diva moment. Franklin had requested that all air-conditioning be turned off during rehearsals and when she performed because of the negative effect it had on her voice. During the rehearsal, Franklin felt she sounded "off" and stopped the rehearsal. She complained that an air conditioner was on in the building and refused to go on. When a search of the building proved her correct, Aretha Franklin walked off stage and returned to her hotel, refusing to perform. VH1 producers scrambled to appease the upset Franklin. She eventually agreed to go on with the concert and show.

• Barbra Streisand and Diana Ross were asked to participate but both refused.

• Celine Dion said that night everybody wanted to be a Diva (in the positive sense of the word) and that there were no catfights between them. Everyone wanted to give their best and that's what we could see during the show.

VH1 Divas Live (1998) gathered five of the world's most celebrated Divas, but it was not the first time they were meeting each other (or talking about each other):

• Celine Dion and Gloria Estefan were personal friends before the concert was celebrated. And in 1999 with Celine's release of "All The Way", they came together again for a Celine CBS TV Special and they sang a medley of Celine's and Gloria's songs: Celine sang "Here We Are", Gloria then sang Celine's "Because You Loved Me" and both sang "Conga".

• Shania Twain admired Mariah Carey before they met each other in 1998. Shania once said that she believes one of the best singer/songwritters of our generation is Mariah Carey.

• Carole King wrote "The Reason" specially for Celine's album "Let's Talk About Love". Later, Carole covered her own version helped by Celine's background vocals for the album "Love Makes The World".

• Carole King had already wrote with Mariah Carey before Divas the song "If It's Over", which Mariah sang and released on her "MTV Unplugged" album.

• Gloria Estefan was fan of Carole King before Divas. In fact, she covered Carole's "It's Too Late" for her "Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me" album and she confessed that Carole's "Tapestry" album was a favorite for her mum, which she constantly played as Gloria was growing up.

• Celine has confessed more than once that one of her idols as a child was Aretha Franklin, and she used to sing Aretha's songs in the table of the kitchen of her house in front of all her brothers and sisters.

• Aretha and Gloria had already sang together along with Bonnie Raitt "A Natural Woman" in 1994 for Aretha's Duets TV Special, and she released the song in her "Greatest Hits (1980-1994)" album.

• Gloria Estefan had written the song "Heaven's What I Feel" for Celine Dion's "Let's Talk About Love" album. But Celine finally didn't include it on the album, feeling that it didn't match with the rest of the tracks, so Gloria decided to keep it for herself.

• After Divas, Shania Twain wrote with her then husband Robert John "Mutt" Lange the songs "If Walls Could Talk" and "Goodbye's The Saddest Word" for Celine Dion.

• Mariah Carey wrote the song "Hero" for Gloria Estefan. But she liked it so much that she kept it for herself.

VH1 Divas 1999[link]

VH1 Divas Live/99: An Honors Concert For The VH1 Save The Music Foundation aired live from the Beacon Theatre in New York City on April 13, 1999.

Summary[link]

Strutting through the audience, the indomitable Tina Turner opens VH1's Divas Live 99 by launching into "The Best". She and honorary diva Elton John belt out an energetic version of "The Bitch Is Back". Things turned awkward during rehearsals, however, as Elton John and Turner had a spat when she felt he was "rushing" the tempo of Proud Mary, much to Diva Turner's dissatisfaction. The two briefly sparred in front of onlookers. Turner teased the captivated audience during the slow, sultry opening of "Proud Mary." Cher joins her to wrap up the classic hit, then segues into her own set in which she plays "Believe" (not released as it was lip-synched) and "If I Could Turn Back Time" with her staying power.

After that, LeAnn Rimes performs "How Do I Live" with a sure, powerful voice. Next to her, Brandy sings with a pleasant and soft voice three of her ballads, which appeared on Never Say Never. "(Everything I Do) I Do It for You" was sung as a duet with Faith Hill.

The superstar diva Whitney Houston then sang five songs: "It's Not Right But It's Okay", "Ain't No Way", "I Will Always Love You", "My Love Is Your Love" and "I'm Every Woman"; of which only "I Will Always Love You" "Ain't No Way" and "I'm Every Woman" were used on the CD, VHS and DVD release. Mary J. Blige featured on Houston's rendition of "Ain't No Way" and Chaka Khan joined Houston for the closing number, "I'm Every Woman".

Headliners[link]

• Whitney Houston
• Tina Turner
• Cher
• Brandy

Very special guest performer[link]

• Elton John

Special guest performers[link]

• Mary J. Blige
• Chaka Khan
• Faith Hill
• Treach
• LeAnn Rimes

Presenters[link]

• Sarah Michelle Gellar
• Gloria Reuben
• Elizabeth Hurley
• Ashley Judd
• Claudia Schiffer
• Cheri Oteri
• Ana Gasteyer
• Molly Shannon

• Celebrities shown in the audience included Hugh Grant, Donald Trump, Susan Lucci, Star Jones, Martha Stewart, and Paul Shaffer. Paul Gorman was also present.

Show sequence[link]

• Tina Turner - "The Best"
• Tina Turner - "Let's Stay Together" – Not released on CD or DVD
• Tina Turner and Elton John - "The Bitch Is Back"
• Tina Turner, Elton John, and Cher - "Proud Mary"
• Elton John - "I'm Still Standing"
• Elton John and LeAnn Rimes - "Written in the Stars" – Not released on CD or DVD
• LeAnn Rimes - "How Do I Live"
• Elton John - "Like Father Like Son" – Not released on CD or DVD
• Cher - "If I Could Turn Back Time"
• Cher - "Believe" – Not released on CD or DVD
• Brandy - "Have You Ever"/"Almost Doesn't Count"
• Brandy and Faith Hill - "(Everything I Do) I Do It for You"
• Faith Hill - "This Kiss"
• Whitney Houston - "It's Not Right, But It's Okay" – Not released on CD or DVD; However, audio version now available for download on iTunes
• Whitney Houston and Mary J. Blige - "Ain't No Way"
• Whitney Houston and Treach - "My Love Is Your Love" – Not released on CD or DVD; However, audio version now available for download on iTunes
• Whitney Houston - "I Will Always Love You"
• Whitney Houston and Chaka Khan - "I'm Every Woman"
• Whitney Houston, Chaka Khan, Faith Hill, Brandy, LeAnn Rimes, and Mary J. Blige - "I'm Every Woman (reprise)"

Performances on the CD, VHS, and DVD release[link]

• Tina Turner - "The Best"
• Tina Turner and Elton John - "The Bitch Is Back"
• Tina Turner, Elton John, and Cher - "Proud Mary"
• Cher - "If I Could Turn Back Time"
• LeAnn Rimes - "How Do I Live"
• Elton John - "I'm Still Standing"
• Brandy - "Have You Ever"/"Almost Doesn't Count"
• Brandy and Faith Hill - "(Everything I Do) I Do It for You"
• Faith Hill - "This Kiss"
• Whitney Houston and Mary J. Blige - "Ain't No Way"
• Whitney Houston - "I Will Always Love You"
• Whitney Houston and Chaka Khan - "I'm Every Woman"
• Whitney Houston, Chaka Khan, Faith Hill, Brandy, Mary J. Blige, and LeAnn Rimes - "I'm Every Woman (reprise)"

Charts and certification[link]

Trivia[link]

• Whitney Houston was the first asked to appear, hence Arista releasing the album.
• TLC, her Arista stable mates were added soon after, with Tina and Cher being approached at the same time.
• TLC was initially slated to appear during the finale with Whitney and Chaka, but were forced to pull out when group member T-Boz had a sickle cell anemia crisis.
• Mary J. Blige, Brandy and Treach were added to the bill after Whitney's request.
• Faith Hill was a last minute replacement for TLC. All TLC was going to do was sing "I'm Every Woman" with Whitney. Faith Hill’s appearance resulted on her crossover to Europe.
• VH1 approached Barbra Streisand but she said that she would only do it if she got top billing, with Tina, Whitney and Cher referred to as ‘guests’.
• They then approached Gladys Knight, who turned down the show stating that she didn’t consider herself to be a Diva, despite Whitney and Tina trying to persuade her.
• Diana Ross was again asked to be part of the show and again gave a "no" for an answer.
• As VH1 were unable to find another headliner, Whitney and Arista suggested Brandy, who Whitney had recently filmed ‘Cinderella’ with.
• Patti LaBelle was asked to guest on a duet of a gospel song with Whitney. This would have been a welcome addition as she is a friend of both Whitney and Cher, but she declined a one-song guest spot.
• Tina, and particularly Cher, were a little annoyed when Mary J. Blige was asked to duet with Whitney instead of Patti, not because they had anything against her, but because with Brandy already added at her request it looked as though Whitney was trying to take over.
• Cher and Whitney fell out when Chaka Khan and Treach were added at Whitney’s request. Again, Cher had nothing against the artists themselves but she felt that Whitney and Arista were trying to take over the show in order to promote ‘My Love is Your Love’, especially as Cher had her own album, ‘Believe’, to promote.
• Cher lipsynched on "Believe", the full song. On Divas 2002, she only sang live on the chorus.
• Elton John was brought in to soothe the tempers as a friend of both Cher and Tina. He in turn brought along Leann Rimes, and Faith Hill was asked to appear to even up the sides a bit more.
• Whitney and Mary were originally going to duet on ‘I Never Loved A Man (The Way I Loved You)’, but they loved ‘Ain’t No Way’.
• Tina and Elton were planning on touring together in the summer of ’99 so they thought the Divas show would be a good place to try some things out. Elton had become a little annoyed when Tina changed the lyrics of ‘The Bitch is Back’ from ‘I get high stiffing pots of glue’ to ‘I get high just thinking about the things I do’, but could understand why she did it. They fell out big time though when during rehearsals for ‘Proud Mary’ Tina suggested he play a certain part differently, to which he said ‘I’m the best f*cking piano player you’ll ever have!’ and stormed off the stage. They never rehearsed the song again and it put an end to their planned tour even though Elton dedicated ‘I’m Still Standing’ to her by way of an apology.
• The official reason given for Cher and Tina not taking part in the finale was that they were staying with Elton who couldn’t really sing on ‘I’m Every Woman’. The truth was Cher wouldn’t be on stage with Whitney and Elton and Tina were still not on good terms although they are reconciled now. It’s also said that Tina was called away because of an emergency at her European home.

VH1 Divas 2000[link]

VH1 Divas 2000: A Tribute to Diana Ross - An Honors Concert For The VH1 Save The Music Foundation was the first of three concerts in the series not aired live. It was recorded on April 9, 2000 at New York's Madison Square Garden and first aired on April 11, 2000. Diana Ross requested the concert be recorded as time constraints for the airing of commercials would not allow enough time for her to change costumes. The well-received show took a mammoth 6 hours to record. This special also marked the introduction of Lynda Laurence and Scherrie Payne as Supremes, who were touring with Diana Ross. Laurence and Payne were Supremes during the 1970s.

This concert has not been entirely released on CD or DVD. Only two songs were released as b-sides of singles from two of the performers.

Headliners[link]

• Diana Ross
• Mariah Carey
• Donna Summer
• Faith Hill

Special guest performers[link]

• Diana Ross and The Supremes
• Destiny's Child
• RuPaul

Presenters[link]

• Angela Bassett
• Ana Gasteyer
• Cheri Oteri
• Nile Rodgers of Chic
• Molly Shannon
• Hilary Swank

Show sequence[link]

• Mariah Carey - "Love Hangover/Heartbreaker (Remix)" - Audio version included in Mariah's single "Can't Take That Away"
• Donna Summer - "Reflections"
• Faith Hill - "Breathe"
• Faith Hill - "Love Child"
• Donna Summer - "Bad Girls"
• Donna Summer - "Love Is The Healer"
• Mariah Carey - "Can’t Take That Away (Mariah's Theme)"
• Faith Hill - "What's In It For Me"
• RuPaul - "I'm Coming Out"
• Destiny's Child - "Say My Name"
• Destiny's Child - "Upside Down" - Audio version included in Destiny's Child single "Jumpin Jumpin"
• Diana Ross - "Touch Me In The Morning"
• Diana Ross - "Endless Love"
• Diana Ross - "The Best Years Of My Life"
• Diana Ross & The Supremes - "You Keep Me Hangin' On"
• Diana Ross & The Supremes - "Love Is Like An Itching In My Heart"
• Diana Ross and Mariah Carey - Medley: "Baby Love" and "Stop! In The Name Of Love"
• The Divas - "Ain't No Mountain High Enough"
• Diana Ross - "I Will Survive"

Trivia[link]

• Diana Ross was the first to be approached, but insisted she would only do the show if it were a tribute to her. As VH1 had no other headliners in place, they conceded and started to look for other performers. She was also allowed ‘creative input’ over the other Divas and the songs they performed as a tribute to her.

• Before they locked in Diana they were thinking about having Dionne Warwick, Annie Lennox, Mary J. Blige and Tina Turner as headliners. Tina was ruled out very early as she was performing elsewhere in New York that same night.

• Mariah was the second to be approached and agreed on the understanding that she would be allowed to duet with Diana.

• When VH1 started asking for other performers it seemed there were very few willing parties. Some said it was because Divas were keen on paying tribute to one Diva whilst others said that it was more to do with a personal dislike of Diana.

• Diana had to personally call Donna Summer to get her to appear when VH1 failed to get any willing guests.

• Faith Hill had a new album to promote so she was added although Diana was unsure how a country Diva would fit into what she saw as her night of soul. You’ll notice that at the finale when Diana thanks every Diva apart from Faith. Producers convinced Diana to have Faith on the show, as she was having chart success with her hit single "Breathe".

• Missy Elliot was added to expand the show’s fan base but after a few rehearsals Diana had her kicked off the show, as she didn’t like her interpretation of ‘Upside Down.’

• Diana was not keen on having The Supremes on the show as she was very keen for it to be a tribute to Diana Ross rather than Diana Ross and The Supremes, although she was soon persuaded by her management that having them on, and having the other Divas sing Supreme songs would be good publicity for the upcoming tour.

• According to several reports, Christina Aguilera was also in talks to appear on the show that year, as she was hot off of her Grammy win for Best New Artist at the 2000 Grammy Awards. Instead, Aguilera appeared on 'Men Strike Back' later that month. Aguilera's camp denied the rumors of a rivalry with Mariah Carey and stated that Aguilera could not originally appear on 'Divas' because she had been scheduled to perform on SNL.

• Donna Summer was scheduled to sing a Supremes medley with Diana Ross and Mariah Carey and a VH1 Divas preview program actually shows them rehearsing together, however on the night of the concert only Ross and Carey performed the medley. No reason was given for Summer's non appearance in that part of the show although rumors began to emerge that Summer was unhappy that not enough rehearsal time had been given for that particular segment and she felt she was not in good voice. Summer ultimately performed two solo slots and was regarded by many as the star of the show.

• Destiny's Child were a "last minute" addition to the show and their performance was Diana's favorite that night.

• It was hoped that Liza Minnelli, a personal friend of Diana would appear but at the time she was still in very poor health so couldn’t take part.

• With only a week to go before the show was due to air there were only five acts locked in and The Supremes were only intended to be guests.

• Diana had to call on friend RuPaul to expand the numbers and Destiny’s Child flew in to join the show just two days before the night.

• It was also hoped that they could persuade Lionel Richie to join the line-up for ‘Endless Love’ but he was the supporting act for Tina Turner that night.

• Diana insisted that all the other acts would appear before she did and refused to allow other acts to come on in between her set whilst she changed. This meant that the show had to be recorded. It took about six hours to record in total and was plagued by technical problems. One producer joked that Mary Wilson must have been in the control box!

• Diana’s duet with Mariah was due to have included Donna but she refused to go on under rehearsed. Diana had got angry with Mariah for arriving late for the rehearsal because she was out buying the matching outfits that they both wore. Diana also forbade Mariah from doing that high-pitched screech noise with her voice saying ‘Oh no, you’re not going to do that at the end of my song!’. You’ll notice that during this performance, and in the finale with Faith, Diana has one eye on her part and the other on instructing the Divas on what they should be doing. So much so that she forgot the words to her own song.

• Diana was not particularly happy with all the Divas being on stage for the finale, feeling it should be just her. She was even more annoyed when she came back on stage after the finale to perform ‘I Will Survive’ only to find that the band had already left the stage, having done a marathon six hour session.

• The CD was never released at Diana’s request. Her reason was that there were already so many of her greatest hits albums out that she didn’t want to exploit her fans by having them buy another one. The general opinion at VH1 was that she didn’t want to be on a recorded CD where she was upstaged and out sung by every other performer.

• VH1 had such a bad experience with Diana and she caused so many problems that they have no plans to ever ask her to appear again.

VH1 Divas 2001[link]

VH1 Divas Live: The One And Only Aretha Franklin - An Honors Concert For The VH1 Save The Music Foundation. This all-star tribute (the last such "Divas" event to use the format) to Aretha Franklin took place at New York's Radio City Music Hall. As the previous year, this concert was not released on CD or DVD. However, most of Aretha's performances were released years later on the iTunes US Store.

Mary J. Blige and Jill Scott were hand-picked by Aretha to honor her.

Everyone in the audience and at home was hoping to see Janet Jackson perform, as she was announced as one of the guests, but she only appeared to praise Franklin and introduce one of the videos that remembered her career achievements. Jackson got the longest standing ovation of the night, though.

Headliners[link]

• Aretha Franklin
• Mary J. Blige
• Backstreet Boys
• Marc Anthony
• Celia Cruz
• Jill Scott
• Nelly Furtado
• Kid Rock

Special guest performers[link]

• Bishop Paul Morton & Choir
• Herbie Hancock
• Clark Terry
• Ron Carter
• Roy Haynes
• James Carter
• Russell Malone
• Stevie Wonder

Presenters[link]

• Janet Jackson
• Pamela Anderson
• Edie Falco
• Lorraine Bracco
• Aida Turturro
• Drea de Matteo
• Sigourney Weaver
• Renée Zellweger

Show sequence[link]

• Aretha Franklin - "I Can't Turn You Loose" - Performance Now Available on iTunes US Store
• Aretha Franklin and Backstreet Boys - "Chain Of Fools" - Performance Now Available on iTunes US Store
• Aretha Franklin - "Ain't No Way" - Performance Now Available on iTunes US Store
• Marc Anthony and Celia Cruz – "Quimbara"
• Jill Scott - "(You Make Me Feel Like A) Natural Woman"
• Jill Scott - "A Long Walk"
• Aretha Franklin - "Think" - Performance Now Available on iTunes US Store
• Nelly Furtado - "I'm Like a Bird"
• Mary J. Blige - "Day Dreaming"
• Mary J. Blige and Aretha Franklin - "Do Right Woman, Do Right Man"
• Aretha Franklin - "Nessun Dorma" - Performance Now Available on iTunes US Store
• Aretha Franklin with Herbie Hancock, Clark Terry, Ron Carter, Roy Haynes, James Carter, and Russell Malone - Mumbles
• Aretha Franklin and Kid Rock - "Rock Steady" - Performance Now Available on iTunes US Store
• Aretha Franklin with Bishop Paul Morton & Choir - "Precious Memories" - Performance Now Available on iTunes US Store
• Aretha Franklin - "Respect" - Performance Now Available on iTunes US Store
• Aretha Franklin, Mary J. Blige, Jill Scott, Celia Cruz, Nelly Furtado, Backstreet Boys, Stevie Wonder, Marc Anthony, Herbie Hancock, Clark Terry, Ron Carter, Roy Haynes, James Carter, Russell Malone, and Aretha Franklin's Band - "Freeway Of Love" - Performance Now Available on iTunes US Store

VH1 Divas 2002[link]

VH1 Divas Las Vegas: An Honors Concert For The VH1 Save The Music Foundation aired live from the MGM Grand Las Vegas on May 23, 2002. For the first time, Divas Live broadcasted from a city other than New York. This time around, Las Vegas played host city to the fifth Divas concert. A CD/DVD of the concert was released later that year, but not all the performances or performers (most notably those of co-headliner Mary J. Blige) were included, due to various record label issues.

After being invited by Whitney Houston in 1999, an appearance that gave her big publicity worldwide, Mary J. Blige asked her friend to join her on Divas three years later to perform together her song "Rainy Dayz".

Headliners[link]

• Céline Dion
• Cher
• Mary J. Blige
• Dixie Chicks
• Shakira

Special guest performers[link]

• Anastacia
• Stevie Nicks
• Whitney Houston
• Cyndi Lauper
• Special diva guitarist Meredith Brooks

• Host: Ellen DeGeneres
• Announcer: Wayne Newton

Show sequence[link]

• Ellen DeGeneres - "Shoop" – Not released on CD or DVD
• Céline Dion and Anastacia – "You Shook Me All Night Long"
• Cher – "Believe"
• Cher – "Song for the Lonely"
• Cher and Cyndi Lauper – "If I Could Turn Back Time" – Not released on CD or DVD
• Dixie Chicks – "Long Time Gone" – Not released on CD or DVD
• Shakira – "Underneath Your Clothes"
• Mary J. Blige and Whitney Houston – "Rainy Dayz" – Not released on CD or DVD
• Mary J. Blige – "No More Drama" – Not released on CD or DVD
• Dixie Chicks – "Wide Open Spaces" – Not released on CD or DVD
• Dixie Chicks and Stevie Nicks – "Landslide"
• Anastacia – "One Day in Your Life"
• Mary J. Blige and Shakira – "Love Is A Battlefield" – Not released on CD or DVD
• Céline Dion – "I'm Alive"
• Céline Dion – "A New Day Has Come"
• Elvis Tribute Finale Medley:
  • Anastacia - "Jailhouse Rock"
  • Dixie Chicks - "That's All Right (Mama)" - Not released on CD or DVD
  • Shakira - "Always on My Mind"
  • Mary J. Blige - "Blue Suede Shoes" - Not released on CD or DVD
  • Stevie Nicks - "Wear My Ring Around Your Neck" - Not released on CD or DVD
  • Cher - "Heartbreak Hotel"
  • Céline Dion - "Can't Help Falling in Love"
• The Divas – "You Shook Me All Night Long (reprise)" – Not released on CD or DVD

VH1 Divas 2003[link]

VH1 Divas Duets: An Honors Concert For The VH1 Save The Music Foundation aired live from the MGM Grand Las Vegas on May 22, 2003.

Due to her contract with Caesar's Palace in Las Vegas, Celine Dion performed a pre-recorded live version of her song.

This concert has not been released on CD or DVD.

Headliners[link]

• Mary J. Blige
• Beyoncé
• Lisa Marie Presley
• Chaka Khan
• Jewel
• Ashanti
• Whitney Houston

Special guest performers[link]

• Céline Dion
• Shania Twain
• Bobby Brown
• Pat Benatar
• The Isley Brothers
• 'Born To Diva' winner Tarralyn Ramsey
• Stevie Wonder

• Host: Queen Latifah
• Presenters: Sharon Osbourne, Aisha Tyler

Show sequence[link]

• Queen Latifah - "When You're Good To Latifah"
• Beyoncé and Jewel - "Proud Mary"
• Céline Dion - "Have You Ever Been In Love"
• Chaka Khan - Medley: "I Feel For You"/"I'm Every Woman"
• Mary J. Blige - Medley: "Real Love"/"Love No Limit"/"Family Affair"
• The Isley Brothers and Ashanti - "Who's That Lady?"
• Beyoncé - "Dangerously In Love"
• Lisa Marie Presley - "Lights Out"
• Lisa Marie Presley and Pat Benatar - "Heartbreaker"
• Ashanti - "Rock wit U (Awww Baby)"
• Whitney Houston and Bobby Brown - Medley: "Something In Common"/"My Love"
• Jewel - "Intuition"
• Chaka Khan and Mary J. Blige - "Sweet Thing"
• Tarralyn Ramsey - "I Wanna Dance With Somebody (Who Loves Me)"
• Whitney Houston - "Try It On My Own"
• Stevie Wonder tribute medley:
  • Shania Twain and Stevie Wonder - "Superstition"
  • Whitney Houston and Stevie Wonder - "I Was Made To Love Her"
  • Beyoncé and Stevie Wonder - "Signed, Sealed, Delivered I'm Yours"
  • Jewel and Stevie Wonder - "You Are The Sunshine Of My Life"
  • Mary J. Blige and Stevie Wonder - "Superwoman"
  • Ashanti and Stevie Wonder - "Do I Do"
  • Chaka Khan and Stevie Wonder - "Tell Me Something Good"
  • Queen Latifah and Stevie Wonder - "Living For The City"
• Stevie Wonder, Whitney Houston, Mary J. Blige, Beyoncé, Chaka Khan, Jewel, Ashanti and Queen Latifah - "Higher Ground"

VH1 Divas 2004[link]

VH1 Divas: An Honors Concert For The VH1 Save The Music Foundation aired live from the MGM Grand Las Vegas on April 18, 2004.

The show marks the first appearance of close friends and R&B and soul legends Patti LaBelle (who was told by producers that she’d be considered "top dog" ^[4]) and Gladys Knight after they had turned down previous offers to appear. Gladys could not stay for the finale due to obligations with her one woman show at the famed Flamingo Las Vegas. Kylie Minogue was originally confirmed as a headliner for the 80s themed show, but withdrew shortly after.

Aside from the normal set of presenters, the concert also featured video testimonials from Chaka Khan, Carly Simon, Gloria Estefan, Vanessa Williams, Mary J. Blige, Britney Spears, Alicia Keys, Pharrell Williams, Kathy Griffin (in what would prove to be the first of three consecutive appearances), Marg Helgenberger, and Usher on the word "diva", their favorite divas, as well as the importance of music education in schools.

This concert has not been released on CD or DVD.

Headliners[link]

• Patti LaBelle
• Jessica Simpson
• Joss Stone
• Cyndi Lauper
• Debbie Harry
• Gladys Knight
• Ashanti
• Eve

Special guest performers[link]

• Blondie
• Tom Jones
• The Pussycat Dolls (featuring Carmen Electra)
• Sheila E.

Presenters[link]

• Tyra Banks
• Daryl Hannah
• Rachel Bilson
• Omarosa
• Jessica Alba
• Jamie-Lynn Sigler
• Nia Vardalos

Show sequence[link]

• Patti LaBelle, Jessica Simpson, and Cyndi Lauper - "Lady Marmalade"
• Debbie Harry and Eve - "Rapture"
• Joss Stone - "Fell In Love With A Boy"
• Ashanti - "Medley: I'm Coming Out / Mo' Money Mo' Problems"
• Patti LaBelle - "New Day"
• Cyndi Lauper and Sheila E. - "Stay"
• Cyndi Lauper and Patti LaBelle - "Medley: Time After Time / True Colors"
• Jessica Simpson - "Take My Breath Away"
• Jessica Simpson - "Angels"
• Patti LaBelle - "Love, Need And Want You"
• Patti LaBelle - "If Only You Knew"
• Patti LaBelle - "You'll Never Walk Alone"
• Tom Jones and The Pussycat Dolls - "Medley: Tainted Love / You Can Leave Your Hat On"
• Blondie - "Good Boys"
• Blondie and Joss Stone - "One Way Or Another"
• Gladys Knight - "The Way We Were"
• Gladys Knight Medley:
  • Gladys Knight and Joss Stone - "I Don't Want To Do Wrong"
  • Gladys Knight and Jessica Simpson - "Midnight Train To Georgia"
  • Gladys Knight, Jessica Simpson, and Joss Stone - "I've Got To Use My Imagination"
• 80's Medley Finale:
  • Cyndi Lauper - "Girls Just Want To Have Fun"
  • Sheila E. - "The Glamorous Life"
  • Debbie Harry - "Call Me"
  • Ashanti - "Ain't Nobody"
  • Joss Stone - "(If You Love Someone) Set Them Free"
  • Jessica Simpson - "Higher Love"
  • The Pussycat Dolls - "Girls On Film"
  • Tom Jones - "Kiss"
  • Patti LaBelle - "New Attitude"
• Patti LaBelle, Cyndi Lauper, Debbie Harry, Joss Stone, Jessica Simpson, Sheila E., Ashanti, and The Pussycat Dolls - "New Attitude (Reprise)"

VH1 Divas 2009[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: 2009 VH1 Divas

VH1 Divas: An Honors Concert For The VH1 Save The Music Foundation aired live on September 17, 2009 at the Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM) Howard Gilman Opera House in Brooklyn, New York. Paula Abdul hosted and performed. This concert, which featured a new and younger crop of divas as headliners, has not been released on CD or DVD.

Headliners[link]

• Kelly Clarkson
• Jordin Sparks
• Leona Lewis
• Jennifer Hudson
• Adele
• Miley Cyrus

Special guest performers[link]

• Melissa Etheridge
• Cyndi Lauper^[5]
• Sheryl Crow
• Martina McBride
• India Arie
• Stevie Wonder

Presenters[link]

• Liza Minnelli
• Kathy Griffin
• Corbin Bleu
• Keri Hilson
• Toni Braxton
• Whitney Port
• Kathy Lee Gifford
• Hoda Kotb
• Lauren Conrad
• Ryan Kwanten
• Sam Trammell
• Asher Book, Anna Maria Perez de Tagle, Kherington Payne, Naturi Naughton, and Walter Perez from the cast of Fame.^[5]

Show sequence[link]

• Paula Abdul - Medley: "Cold Hearted"/"Opposites Attract"/"Straight Up"/"Forever Your Girl"
• Jennifer Hudson - "Spotlight"
• Kelly Clarkson - "Already Gone"
• Jordin Sparks - "S.O.S. (Let the Music Play)"
• Adele - "Hometown Glory"
• Leona Lewis - "Happy"
• Leona Lewis and Cyndi Lauper - "True Colors"
• Miley Cyrus - "Party in the U.S.A."
• Adele and India Arie - "Video"
• Jordin Sparks and Martina McBride - "A Broken Wing"
• Jennifer Hudson and Stevie Wonder - "All In Love Is Fair"
• Miley Cyrus and Sheryl Crow - "If It Makes You Happy"
• Kelly Clarkson and Melissa Etheridge - "Bring Me Some Water"

VH1 Divas 2010[link]

VH1 Divas Salute The Troops was the second of the three concerts in the series not aired live. It was recorded on Friday, December 3, 2010 at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar while Paramore was filmed earlier in the week at Army Camp Arifjan in Kuwait. The special first aired on Sunday, December 5, 2010 and broadcast internationally by the Armed Forces Network.^{[6] [7]}

The concert also featured a telecast featuring First Lady Michelle Obama, Taylor Swift, Beyoncé (in her third appearance on the series), Fergie, P!nk, Ke$ha, and Carrie Underwood (marking the concert series’ fourth appearance by an American Idol contestant), delivering special messages to the troops. Certain select servicemen and women from Miramar, Naval Base Coronado, Camp Pendleton, and Camp Arifjan^[1] were also presented in video portraits, documenting their careers and journey in the US military.

This show has not been released on CD or DVD.

Hosted by[link]

• Kathy Griffin

Headliners[link]

• Nicki Minaj
• Sugarland
• Grace Potter and the Nocturnals
• Keri Hilson
• Paramore
• Katy Perry

Special guest performers[link]

• Ann and Nancy Wilson of Heart
• MC Lyte

Presenters[link]

• Brandy
• Marisa Miller
• Nicole "Snooki" Polizzi and Michael "The Situation" Sorrentino from Jersey Shore
• Jeffrey Ross
• Michael Strahan

and several servicemen and servicewomen

Show sequence[link]

• Katy Perry, Keri Hilson, and Jennifer Nettles - "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy"
• Katy Perry - "California Gurls"
• Katy Perry - "Teenage Dream" – Not aired in television broadcast ^[8]
• Katy Perry - "Hot N Cold" – Not aired in television broadcast
• Paramore - "The Only Exception"
• Paramore – "Decode" – Not aired in television broadcast ^[9]
• Paramore – "Misery Business" – Not aired in television broadcast
• Sugarland and MC Lyte - "Stuck Like Glue"
• Sugarland – "Tonight" – Not aired in television broadcast
• Sugarland – "All I Want to Do" – Not aired in television broadcast
• Grace Potter and The Nocturnals – "Top Gun Anthem" / "Paris (Oh La La)"
• Grace Potter and the Nocturnals – "Medicine" – Not aired in television broadcast
• Grace Potter and The Nocturnals and Ann and Nancy Wilson of Heart - "Crazy On You"
• Grace Potter and The Nocturnals and Ann and Nancy Wilson of Heart – "Rockin' in the Free World" - Not aired in television broadcast
• Nicki Minaj – "Moment 4 Life" – Not aired in television broadcast
• Nicki Minaj - "Right Thru Me"
• Nicki Minaj – "Roman's Revenge" – Not aired in television broadcast
• Katy Perry and Nicki Minaj - "Girls Just Want To Have Fun"
• Paramore - "My Hero"
• Keri Hilson – "Turnin Me On" – Not aired in television broadcast
• Keri Hilson – "Knock You Down" – Not aired in television broadcast
• Keri Hilson - "Pretty Girl Rock"
• Sugarland and Keri Hilson - "Think"
• Katy Perry - "Firework"

VH1 Divas 2011[link]

VH1 Divas Celebrates Soul was the third of three concerts in the series not aired live. It was taped on December 18, 2011 at the Hammerstein Ballroom in New York City,^[10] and aired the next evening on VH1, paying tribute to the places that helped create or contributed to soul music: Chicago, Detroit, London, Philadelphia and Memphis.^[11]

Anita Baker, who was going to sing with Jill Scott, had to drop out moments before the concert after disagreements with producers,^[12] allowing Marsha Ambrosius and Ledisi to step in and perform in their places during the Detroit medley.^[13]

Kelly Clarkson twisted her ankle on the way into the concert, though she still performed as planned.

Headliners[link]

• Mary J. Blige
• Kelly Clarkson
• Jennifer Hudson
• Florence Welch
• Jessie J
• Jill Scott

House band[link]

• The Roots

Special guest performers[link]

• Marsha Ambrosius
• Erykah Badu
• Boyz II Men
• Estelle
• Wanda Jackson
• Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings
• Chaka Khan
• Ledisi
• Travie McCoy
• Martha Reeves
• Mavis Staples

Presenters[link]

• La La Anthony
• Common
• Terrence Howard
• Samuel L. Jackson
• Queen Latifah
• Nas
• Dolly Parton
• Archie Panjabi
• Sherri Shepherd

Show sequence[link]

• Medley:
  • Kelly Clarkson, Mary J. Blige, and Jennifer Hudson - "You Keep Me Hangin' On"
  • Jennifer Hudson - "Spotlight"
  • Mary J. Blige" - "Real Love"
  • Kelly Clarkson - "Since U Been Gone"
  • Kelly Clarkson, Mary J. Blige, and Jennifer Hudson - "You Keep Me Hangin' On (Reprise)"
• Memphis tribute:
  • Jennifer Hudson and Jessie J - "Knock on Wood"
  • Erykah Badu, Chaka Kahn, and Mavis Staples - "I'll Take You There"
• Florence + the Machine with Golden Orb Girls - "Shake It Out"
• Detroit medley:
  • Marsha Ambrosius, Sharon Jones and Martha Reeves - "Nowhere to Run"
  • Kelly Clarkson and Ledisi - "Chain of Fools"
  • Marsha Ambrosius and Ledisi - "Sweet Love"
• Jessie J - "Domino"
• Mary J. Blige - "Mr. Wrong"
• Amy Winehouse Tribute:
  • Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings and Wanda Jackson- "You Know I'm No Good"
  • Florence Welch - "Back to Black"
• Philadelphia medley:
  • Estelle and Travie McCoy - "Wake Up Everybody"
  • Jill Scott, Erykah Badu, and Black Thought - "You Got Me"
  • Boyz II Men - "Motownphilly"
• Jill Scott - "Hear My Call"
• Kelly Clarkson - "What Doesn't Kill You (Stronger)"
• London medley:
  • Estelle, Erykah Badu, Marsha Ambrosius, and ?uestlove - "Back to Life (However Do You Want Me)"
  • Florence Welch - "Walking On Broken Glass"
• Jennifer Hudson - "Night of Your Life"
• Chicago medley:
  • Sharon Jones and Ledisi - "Rescue Me"
  • Mary J. Blige and Chaka Kahn - "Ain't Nobody"
• Sharon Jones and The Dap-Kings - "He Said I Can" – Not aired in television broadcast

VH1 Divas 2012[link]

VH1 Divas Salute The Musical Legacy Of Whitney Houston will air live from Los Angeles in December 2012. ^[14].

References[link]

Jennifer Hudson
Hudson at the 83rd Academy Awards in 2011
Background information
Birth name	Jennifer Kate Hudson
Born	(1981-09-12) September 12, 1981 (age 30) Chicago, Illinois, United States
Genres	R&B, soul
Occupations	Singer, actress, spokesperson
Instruments	Vocals
Years active	2004–present
Labels	RCA Records (2011–present)[1] Arista
Associated acts	Ne-Yo
Website	www.jenniferhudson.com

Jennifer Kate Hudson (born September 12, 1981) is an American recording artist, actress and spokesperson.^[2] She came to prominence in 2004 as one of the finalists on the third season of American Idol, coming in seventh place. She made her film debut in the 2006 film Dreamgirls, which won her an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress, a Golden Globe Award, a BAFTA Award, an NAACP Image Award and a Screen Actors Guild Award.

She won a Grammy Award for her eponymous debut album, Jennifer Hudson, which was released in 2008 on Arista Records and was certified gold by the RIAA for selling over 800,000 copies in the US; sales exceeded 1 million copies worldwide. Additionally, it spawned the hit single Spotlight. Her second album, I Remember Me, was released in March 2011, and reached number two on the Billboard 200, selling 165,000 copies in its first week of release.^[3] The album was certified gold by the RIAA, for shipping over 500,000 copies in the US.^[4]

In late 2008, after Hudson's mother, brother and nephew were killed in a shooting, Hudson stepped out of the limelight for three months. Hudson resumed her public appearances in 2009, and has since performed at the Super Bowl XLIII, the Grammy Awards, American Idol, and The Oprah Winfrey Show.^[5] Hudson has been described as a friend of President Barack Obama, who invited her to appear with him at a fundraiser in Beverly Hills in May 2009.^[6] She also performed at the White House at the "Celebration of Music from the Civil Rights Movement" event.^[7] Her vocal range is mezzo-soprano.^[8] Hudson has sold 1,280,000 albums and 2,237,000 tracks in the United States as of February 2012.^[9]

Early life and career[link]

Jennifer Hudson was born on September 12, 1981, in Chicago, Illinois.^[10] She is the third and youngest child of Darnell Donnerson (November 7, 1950 – October 24, 2008)^[11] and Samuel Simpson^[12] (died 1999).^[13] She was raised as a Baptist^[14] in Englewood^[15] and attended Dunbar Vocational High School, from which she graduated in 1999.^[16] She cites Whitney Houston, Aretha Franklin, and Patti LaBelle as her overall biggest influences and inspiration.^[17] At the age of 7, she got her start in performing by singing with the church choir and doing community theater with the help of her late maternal grandmother, Julia.^[18] She enrolled at Langston University but she left after a semester due to homesickness and unhappiness with the weather, and signed up at Kennedy–King College.^[19]

In January 2002, Hudson signed her first recording contract with Righteous Records, a Chicago-based independent record label. The company's president, David Johnson, and his staff put Jennifer through a full year of artist development, working five days a week on live performance, stage presence, songwriting, on-camera interviewing, charm school etiquette and physical fitness. She was released from her five-year contract with Righteous Records so that she could appear on American Idol in 2004, but Jennifer credits David Johnson with teaching her "so much" and preparing her for the successful career she is enjoying today.

[edit] American Idol (2004)

Hudson auditioned for the third season of American Idol, in Atlanta, commenting that she had been singing on Disney Cruise Lines (aboard the Disney Wonder) for the past few months (as one of the Muses from Hercules); and contestant judge Randy Jackson said, "We're expecting more than a cruise ship performance from you."^{[citation needed]} Hudson received the highest number of votes in the "Top 9" after her performance of Elton John's "Circle of Life" on April 6, 2004, but two weeks later was eliminated during the "Top 7" show after performing Barry Manilow's, "Weekend in New England." The bottom three consisting of three African-American females led to controversy.^[20][21] In May 2009, MTV listed Hudson as the sixth greatest American Idol and noted her exit was the most shocking of all time.^[22] In May 2010, the Los Angeles Times claimed Hudson to be the third greatest Idol contestant in the history of the show, placing behind season one winner Kelly Clarkson and season four winner Carrie Underwood.^[23]

Performances

[edit] Dreamgirls (2006-2007)

In September 2006, Hudson performed the song, "Over It," live on Fox Chicago Morning News. In the interview she stated the song would be included on her debut album, to be released in early 2007, however this was before she was signed to a record label.^[24] In November 2006, Hudson signed a record deal with Arista Records.^[25] On The Oprah Winfrey Show, Hudson announced plans to enter the studio in March 2007.^{[citation needed]} Hudson said on The Tyra Banks Show, on February 23, 2007, that she just finished the first song for the album.^{[citation needed]} Hudson also recorded a song called, "Stand Up", which was available for preview on her fan website which was produced by Chicago natives Earl Powell and Herman Little III, who arranged the song.^{[citation needed]} The power-ballad would later become available on the deluxe edition of Hudson's self-titled album as a bonus track.

In November 2005, Hudson was cast in the role of Effie White for the film adaptation of the musical Dreamgirls, which also starred Jamie Foxx, Beyoncé Knowles and Eddie Murphy. The role, originally created in a Broadway performance by Jennifer Holliday,^{[citation needed]} marked Hudson's debut screen performance. She won the role over hundreds of professional singers and actresses, including Raven-Symoné and Fantasia Barrino.^[26] Filming of Dreamgirls began on January 9, 2006, and the film went into limited release on December 25, 2006, and national release on January 12, 2007. Hudson has won particular praise for her show-stopping onscreen rendition of the hit song, "And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going", the signature song of the role, which had earlier been recorded, and had already reached the status of musical standard, because of the definitive performance of Jennifer Holliday. The New York Observer described Hudson's performance of the song as "five mellifluous, molto vibrato minutes that have suddenly catapulted Ms. Hudson... into the position of front-runner for the best supporting actress Oscar".^[27] Newsweek said that when moviegoers hear Hudson sing the song, she, "is going to raise goose bumps across the land."^[28] Variety magazine wrote that Hudson's performance "calls to mind debuts like Barbra Streisand in Funny Girl or Bette Midler in The Rose, with a voice like the young Aretha".^[29] Hudson's version of "And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going" debuted at number 98 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the January 13, 2007, issue.^{[citation needed]} The Dreamgirls track became Hudson's first top 10 hit on the Billboard Hot Adult R&B Airplay chart on February 24, 2007.^{[citation needed]} "Love You I Do" was nominated for the 2007 Academy Award for Best Original Song and won the 2008 Grammy Award for Best Song Written for a Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media.

Hudson performing in 2007

As Effie White, Hudson has garnered 29 awards from film critics as Best Supporting Actress and Breakthrough Performer of 2006. She won the Golden Globe Award as Best Actress in a Supporting Role. In addition, she has been named Best Supporting Actress by the Broadcast Film Critics Association and also by the Screen Actors Guild. After seeing Hudson's performance in Dreamgirls, Simon Cowell taped a congratulatory message to her, which aired on The Oprah Winfrey Show.^[30] With the March 2007 issue, Jennifer Hudson became the third African-American celebrity, and the first African-American singer, to grace the cover of Vogue magazine.^[31] On 11 February 2007 the 60th British Academy Film Awards were held in London, but Hudson was not there to accept her award for BAFTA Award for Best Supporting Actress. The BAFTA Award went missing and Hudson did not receive her award until April 22, 2011, when it was presented to on the Graham Norton Show. On February 25, 2007, she won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her role in the film. During her acceptance speech, Hudson said: "Oh, my God, I have to just take this moment in. I cannot believe this. Look what God can do. I didn't think I was going to win. [...] If my grandmother was here to see me now. She was my biggest inspiration." She also concluded her speech by thanking Jennifer Holliday.^[32] Later in 2007, the Mayor of her home town Chicago, Richard M. Daley, declared March 6 as "Jennifer Hudson Day".^[33][34] She was invited to join the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences on June 18, along with 115 other individuals for 2007.^[35][36] Entertainment Weekly put her performance on its end-of-the-decade, "best-of" list, saying, "Sure, Beyoncé's performance was great. And Eddie Murphy's was impressive. But there was really only one reason we all rushed to see 2006's Dreamgirls: Jennifer Hudson's soul-to-the-rafters rendition of the classic 'And I'm Telling You I'm Not Going'. When she sang 'You're gonna love me,' it wasn't just a lyric — it was a fact."^[37]

[edit] Winnie (2008)

In May 2008, Hudson appeared in the feature film Sex and the City as Louise, Carrie Bradshaw's assistant. Filming finished in December 2007 and the movie was released on May 30, 2008.^[38] In October 2008, Hudson had her third film appearance in The Secret Life of Bees as Rosaleen, the mother figure of Lily Owens (Dakota Fanning). Also starring in the film are fellow Oscar nominees Queen Latifah and Sophie Okonedo, as well as Alicia Keys. The film opened on October 17, 2008, and grossed over $37 million at the box office. The film won two People's Choice Awards in January 2009 in the categories, Favorite Drama Movie and Favorite Independent Movie.^{[citation needed]} The film also received nine Black Reel Awards nominations including three wins.^{[citation needed]} Hudson was nominated for her performance in the film, but lost to Queen Latifah.^{[citation needed]} The film also received eight nominations at the 2009 NAACP Image Awards, including a nomination for Hudson for her performance.^{[citation needed]} In 2009, Hudson starred as Kathy Archenault in Fragments, a film based on the novel by Roy Freirich, with Dakota Fanning and Forest Whitaker. The name of the film was changed from "Winged Creatures" to "Fragments".^{[citation needed]} It was released on DVD on August 4, 2009. In 2010, Hudson started filming an upcoming biopic film Winnie^[39] based on the South African politician Winnie Mandela^[39] starring alongside Terrence Howard and directed by Darrell J. Roodt.^[40] Andre Pieterse and Roodt and Paul L. Johnson based the film's script on Anne Marie du Preez Bezdrob's biography, Winnie Mandela: A Life.^[41] The Creative Workers Union of South Africa have opposed this choice, stating they will push for a moratorium on the film if the casting is not reversed.^[42] Winnie Mandela has threatened legal action over this film, claiming she was not "consulted" about the film.^[43] Winnie was scheduled to be released in December 2011; the trailer was released in 2010.^[40]

In January 2008 Hudson returned to the studio to record new material for her debut album.^{[citation needed]} Her label was reportedly unhappy with the direction they were sending Hudson musically and decided it would be best to scrap the older songs and instead focus on new ones.^{[citation needed]} Hudson worked with Ryan Tedder and Timbaland on a number of songs. Her debut single, "Spotlight" was released on June 10, 2008 and became Hudson's first top 40 hit peaking at number 24 on the Billboard Hot 100 and became a top 20 hit in the United Kingdom and Turkey. Her debut album, Jennifer Hudson was released on September 30, 2008 on Arista and was written by Ne-Yo, who co-produced along with Stargate. Additional contributors on the album include Timbaland, Missy Elliott, Robin Thicke, Harvey Mason, Jr., Diane Warren, Earl Powell, and Christopher "Tricky" Stewart, among others.^[44] The album debuted at number two on the Billboard' 200 with 217,000 copies in the US and opened to positive reviews. As of August 2009, the album has sold 739,000 copies in the US, receiving a Gold certification for surpassing sales of 500,000. She has performed the song, "All Dressed in Love" for the Sex and the City soundtrack, which was released on May 27, 2008.^[45] Hudson performed the national anthem at the 2008 Democratic National Convention. The album's second single was to be released in October 2008, and was originally set to be "My Heart" before "If This Isn't Love" was chosen as the official second single.^{[citation needed]} After three of her family members were brutally murdered, the single was rescheduled for a January 2009 release.^{[citation needed]} However, in January 2009, her label decided to postpone the release of the second single once more until, choosing a February 2009 release date.^{[citation needed]} After the release of "If This Isn't Love", the single eventually peaked at number 63 on the Billboard Hot 100 and number 37 on the UK Singles Chart. The third single was announced as "Pocketbook" featuring Ludacris in April 2009, for a June 2009 release, despite speculation that the third single would be "My Heart" after it was canceled as the second single.^{[citation needed]} In May 2009, "Pocketbook" was canceled as the third single due to negative reception from fans and critics alike.^{[citation needed]} The third single was then rescheduled as "Giving Myself" and was released on June 2, 2009 to the US. Her debut album garnered Hudson three nominations at the 2009 Grammy Awards; Best Female R&B Vocal Performance for "Spotlight", Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals for "I'm His Only Woman" with Fantasia Barrino, and Best R&B Album for Jennifer Hudson. She won the last of these and performed at the awards ceremony.^[46]

Family murders[link]

Wikinews has related news: Mother, brother of singer Jennifer Hudson found murdered, others reported missing FBI asked to assist in murder, kidnap investigation of Jennifer Hudson's relatives FBI says Jennifer Hudson's nephew found dead Arrest made in Jennifer Hudson family killings

In October 2008, Hudson's 57-year-old mother, Darnell Donnerson, and 29-year-old brother, Jason, were found shot to death inside the Chicago home Donnerson shared with Hudson's elder sister, Julia.^[47] An AMBER Alert was issued for 7-year-old nephew, Julian King, when Julia reported him missing.^[48][49] Chicago police arrested William Balfour, 27, the estranged husband of Hudson's sister Julia the same day, but he was not charged with a crime.^[50] Balfour was on parole after spending nearly seven years in prison for attempted murder, vehicular hijacking and possession of a stolen vehicle. The Illinois Department of Corrections' records revealed one of Balfour's addresses to be the home where Donnerson and Jason were murdered.^[51]

Three days later the Federal Bureau of Investigation confirmed the body found in Chicago's West Side area in a vehicle that matched the license plate and the vehicle's description given in the AMBER Alert was Julian King.^[52][53][54] Autopsy reports indicated that the death was due to "multiple gunshot wounds".^[55] A gun, belonging to Jason and missing for several months, was found in a West Side vacant lot and confirmed to be the murder weapon by Chicago police Superintendent Jody Weis on October 31, 2008. Funeral services for the three victims were held on November 3, followed by a private service at Chicago's South Side Apostolic Church of God on November 10. Hudson's family announced creation of The Hudson-King Foundation for Families of Slain Victims, in honor of the three victims.^[56]

Because he had not yet been officially charged with the murders, Balfour appeared without an attorney at a parole violation hearing November 10 where it was decided he violated parole and should be held in custody until a December 3 hearing before the full Illinois Prisoner Review Board.^{[57][58][59][60][61][62]} Balfour became the prime suspect on December 1 and was transferred to police custody. Balfour was officially charged with three counts of first degree murder, one count of home invasion and was denied bail.^[63] He was indicted for the murders on December 30, 2008, and pleaded not guilty in January 2009.^[64][65] In May the jury began deliberations and the judge sequestered the jury after five hours.^[66] On May 11, 2012, Balfour was convicted on all seven counts against him, which include three counts of first-degree murder, one count of home invasion, one count aggravated kidnapping, one count residential burglary, and one count possession of a stolen motor vehicle.^[67]

[edit] Jennifer Hudson (2009)

Jennifer Hudson's first public appearance after the murder of three family members, including her mother, sings "National Anthem" at Super Bowl XLIII

In February 2009, Hudson made her first public appearance since the murders when she sang the Star-Spangled Banner at Super Bowl XLIII.^[68][69][70] She toured the United States with Robin Thicke in 2009.^[71] In early May 2009, Hudson suffered "throat fatigue" and had to reschedule her May 16–19, 2009, tour dates.^[72] She sang "Will You Be There" at the Michael Jackson memorial service in July 2009.^[73] Hudson recorded "Neither One of Us (Wants to Be the First to Say Goodbye)," originally by Gladys Knight & the Pips, for American Idol Season 3: Greatest Soul Classics — the official American Idol album for the third season. She is featured in a duet, "The Future Ain't What It Used to Be," on Meat Loaf's Bat out of Hell III: The Monster Is Loose. She also performed the song "Easy to be Hard" on the Actors' Fund benefit recording of the musical Hair;^{[citation needed]} and she is featured on Ne-Yo's second album, Because of You, on the track, "Leaving Tonight". Hudson sang "Dancing a Catchy Rhythm" with Brooke White.^{[citation needed]} Hudson performed a Christmas special on ABC in December 2009 called Jennifer Hudson: I'll Be Home for Christmas. During the special, she relived her childhood Christmases with musical performances filmed at her favorite locations in her native Chicago. Hudson also visited family members, friends and other childhood influences during the broadcast.^[74] On January 22, 2010, Hudson appeared on the telethon "Hope for Haiti Now: A Global Benefit for Earthquake Relief", performing the Beatles' "Let it Be". The telecast generated $61 million in donations as of January 26, 2010.^[75] Also, that year, Hudson recorded the song "One Shining Moment" for the 2010 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament.

In 2010 Hudson became the spokesperson for Weight Watchers.^[2][76] She has lost 56 pounds (25 kg) in the last year and "does not want to lose any more weight."^[77] However, on February 10, 2011, she appeared on The Oprah Winfrey Show and revealed she has now lost a total of 80 pounds.^[78] Her 2012 autobiography, I Got This: How I Changed My Ways and Lost What Weighed Me Down, detailed her weight loss.^[79][80][81]

[edit] I Remember Me (2011-present)

Early in the album I Remember Me's development, Ne-Yo told E! Online that Hudson was ready to get personal on her second studio album and that he might be producing the album. He said "She's gone through a lot over the last year, so she has a lot to talk about," he continues. "She's definitely gotten stronger. The things that she's gone through and for her to still be upbeat and happy, it's amazing."^[82] Hudson released her second studio album I Remember Me on March 22, 2011. It debuted at number two on the Billboard 200 selling 165,000 copies in its first week of release.^[83] On January 24, 2011 Hudson premiered the album's lead single "Where You At".^[84] It was written by R.Kelly and produced by Harvey Mason, Jr.^[85] The song went for radio adds that same week.^[86] On February 3, 2011 due to radio adds the single made its debut on the US Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart at number 53,^{[87][clarification needed]} having so far reached a peak of number 10.^[88] The music video premiered on BET's 106 & Park and through Vevo in February 2011.^[89][90] "No One Gonna Love You" impacted on Urban adult contemporary radio in the United States in May 2011. A remix bundle titled "No One Gonna Love You-The Remixes" was released as a digital download in the US and the UK in July 2011.^[91][92][93] The song has reached number 23 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs.^[94] The third U.S. single will be "I Got This".^[95] The non-single track "Don't Look Down" reached number 70 on the US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart.^[96]

Hudson played a nun in the Farrelly brothers 2012 film The Three Stooges.^[97]

The day after the death of Whitney Houston, Hudson paid tribute to her by singing Houston's iconic "I Will Always Love You" during the 54th Grammy Awards held February 12, 2012 at the Staples Center in Los Angeles.^[98]

Personal life[link]

Hudson began dating James Payton in 1999, when she was 18.^[99] They separated in late 2007. Hudson met David Otunga, a professional wrestler in the WWE and a Harvard Law graduate,^{[100][101][102]} and the couple became engaged in September 2008.^[103] In August 2009, Hudson gave birth to her first child, a boy named David Daniel Otunga Jr.^[104]

Discography[link]

• Jennifer Hudson (2008)
• I Remember Me (2011)

Filmography[link]

Hudson has appeared in the following film releases:^[105]

Awards and nominations[link]

See also[link]

Wikipedia books: Jennifer Hudson

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Jennifer Hudson

• Official website
• Jennifer Hudson at Allmusic
• Jennifer Hudson at the Internet Broadway Database
• Jennifer Hudson at the Internet Movie Database