And what is a web site ... without links? However, though I do desperately need links, I will NOT gratuitously list worship pages (except those that have a legitimate reason to be considered meritorious of the Irreverent Guide--ie, the Beautiful Links). Instead, I will link you to the key web sites of the Streisand Rivals, and to a few other choice cyberspots.
| Special Link |
| Recommended Links |
| The Rivals |
| Web Page Resources |
| Miscellaneous |
SPECIAL LINK
These links are all Streisand-related and have one thing in common: I recommend them.
It's the website that Barbra sued! Actually, she sued the owner Ken Adelman, former dot.com person and multi-millionaire, and the web host. All over a simple picture of the coast (that happens to have Babs' house in the midst). Oh well. Check out the details of the lawsuit, the Diva's nasty letters, and (of course) her house.
The following says it all:
In show business, wherever there's a corpse, there are scavengers. Likewise, as Streisand's music career began to lose steam in the mid-1980's, several new stars were born to help eclipse what was rapidly fading. In particular, four new artists literally exploded onto the scene with massive airplay and monster record sales. More amazingly, these four maintained abnormally high record sales throughout the 1990's (I'm talking an estimated 5 to 10 million units for each new cd album release), and have had respectable sales during in the new millennium (over 1 million copies). Meanwhile, Streisand sells less than one million copies for each new cd album release (not to mention that she can't sell a cd-single to save her life.) In addition, there is a fifth Diva, who doesn't sell all that much, but has a voice that terrifies Babs' faithful. Finally, there is WING, the Chinese Barbra Streisand. To do justice to these six Divas, I've included a link to their official web sites, plus a brief and honest editorial commentary. Included in the commentary are the key milestones of each singer and a gemstone rating. Come on, what better way to rate "divas" than using gemstones?
She's the nightmare of the Barbra die-hard fans and of most of today's divas. Her career seemed intertwined with Barbra's
well before Tell Him. Years ago, the Walt Disney Empire asked Barbra to sing the theme song of what has become its
greatest classic: Beauty and the Beast. Streisand declined the offer (and later admitted she she couldn't see what could be done
with that song). Disney then asked the Canadian chanteuse to give it a try. Celine, on the other hand, saw potential in the song and agreed to record it. The rest is history: B&B became Celine's first number one single in the USA.
With a range longer than Streisand's current range, and the ability to sing live, critics and industry insiders have proclaimed Celine the heir to the Streisand throne. Streisand, to everyone's
surprise, asked Celine to record the Tell Him duet with her, but stopped short of a live performance. The consensus is that Tell Him, in which Dion hits both LOWER and HIGHER notes than
Babs, is a clear indicator of Celine's future dominance over Streisand.
Before retiring, Celine Dion did it again. While Barbra's ALLO faded away, Celine's breath-taking All The Way scored huge in the USA (hitting No. 1 on Billboard during the most competitive 1999 Christmas season.) Celine's All the Way includes nine of her greatest hits (please note that Tell Him is not among them) plus seven new songs.
With a new baby, Celine returned from retirement a little more subdued. Her latest two endeavors A New Day Has Come and One Heart don't contain the incredible vocal exercises of her earlier efforts, but include some great songs. Celine's record sales, like those of all the Divas in general, have diminished in the new millennium, though she is currently still the top selling non-country Diva. Also, her new Las Vegas Show is the talk of the town and a must for any fan of vocal music and showmanship.
On May 7, 2004, I attended Celine's A New Day in Las Vegas. I sat in the 8th row of the Coliseum at Caesar's Palace. It was truly the most amazing concert I have ever attended. The choreography, the lighting, the sound quality, the design, and (of course) Celine combine to create a unique one-of-a-kind performance. It is a show fitting for her powerhouse voice and by far the best concert I have ever seen. I recommend all obtain a copy of this performance on DVD.
Key Celine milestones: The Power of Love, To Love You More, My Heart Will Go On, The Prayer (with Andrea Bocelli), O Holy Night, A New Day Has Come (single), Las Vegas Show
Gemstone Rating: With ATW, Celine Dion has been upgraded from a Diamond in the Rough to a 10 carat Diamond solitaire with one or two impurities.
BTW, Celine is, arguably, the top selling female vocalist of all time.
Did anyone see the VH1 DIVAS special with Whitney? You know, the one where she took 10 minutes to sing a 2 and a half minute song (I Will Always Love You). Did anyone see the pre-special interview where Whitney noted how hard it was to "command an audience"? This is one singer who is truly full of it (ie, herself). She clearly has all the arrogance, vanity and attitude required to be a "diva", but fails in two key areas: (1) talent, and (2) appearance. When she first burst on the scene, it was obvious she had a good voice with impressive high notes. But those low notes! Sometimes I could've sworn it was a man singing. Later, after Mariah Carey burst on the scene, Whitney begin trying too hard and injured her voice. For a time there, rumor had it she was constantly hoarse, was having trouble performing, and was in need of a break to recover. During this time she recorded that horrible South Africa Concert. (If you don't believe me, go get yourself a copy.)
As for appearance.....Can anyone explain what's with the sweat? It seems everytime she sings, her face turns into Niagra Falls. Meanwhile, I can just imagine what's happening in the armpits. I've never seen anything like it, except in men's tennis at the US Open in 100 degree weather. I'd actually rather go to the US Open Locker Room after a 5-set final, than Backstage after a Whitney concert...
Amidst rumors of drug abuse, Whitney's record sales have slowed dramatically and her movie career has gone the way of Streisand's (ie, non-existent). It is truly a shame that she, still in her 30's, appears to be in complete decline.
Key Whitney Milestones: I Will Always Love You, I Have Nothing, So Emotional, The Bodyguard (movie)
Gemstone Rating: Ms. Houston reminds me a Topaz (a quality gem, but not the top of the line)
BTW, Whitney is, arguably, the top selling female vocalist of all time.
This Lady of Illusion has already taken off her clothes. She has also put them back on. She's gone from being the Material Girl to the Material Mom. Her hair has known every shade of
blonde (and brown and black and red and...). In short, it seems she'll go to any length to look right for the part (any part), including taking singing lessons (which she did for Evita). But, let's face it: no matter how many singing lessons, new images or new get-ups, this Lady of Delusion has no talent.
She has, however, created the illusion of being a singer, fabricated the moves of a dancer, and conjured the appearance of being an actress. Speaking of appearances, maybe she doesn't go to all lengths. I mean, based on recent photos, its's obvious that Madonna (like Streisand) is
in desparate need of both a face and tuchus lift -- in that order.
After a huge success with Music, both the single and the album, the Material Diva made two huge mistakes: her Drowned World Tour (DWT) and American Life (the video). The DWT concert that I attended (in DC) had to be the 2nd most boring concert I have ever seen (second to Babs' Millennium Concert). It was amazing to watch such an ebullient artist completely miss her mark in that concert. She failed to perform her best songs, kept too slow a pace for most of the evening, lacked the creativity of her earlier shows, etc., etc., etc. As for the Life video, her backing down from showing it on American TV has stunned fans who believed her fearless and had honored her as Queen of Controversy. Remember Madonna: No risks, no glory. (BTW, I don't mention her movie bombs--those are to be expected.)
On June 14, I attended Madonna's Re-invention Tour in Washington DC. While an improvement over the DWT, it was clearly neither memorable nor worthwhile. The stage is different, the lighting scheme somewhat new, but Madonna herself is without any great improvements. On the contrary, she was in poor voice and in even poorer costumes. Reinvention implies imagination; her costumes and musical arrangements implied lack thereof. Only Deeper and Deeper had a different arrangement. Madonna included songs from her least successful album (American Life) which don't belong among her greatest hits and which quite frankly were a turnoff. The one big plus of the concert was the dancing choreography. In summary, I think this illusionist has run out of tricks.
Key Madonna Milestones: Like A Virgin, Like a Prayer, Material Girl, Evita Soundtrack, VOGUE, Beautiful Stranger (video), Music.
Gemstone Rating: Of course, Madonna is the Cubic Zirconium of the Streisand Rivals. Like Cubic Zirconium, she's confused millions into believing she's the real thing.
BTW, Madonna is, arguably, the top selling female vocalist of all time.
Has anyone noticed that this one never sounds quite the same in live concerts? On her CD's, Mariah hits almost every note imaginable and does endless runs. But in her recent VH1 DIVAS special, she got stomped on by (of all people) Aretha Franklin. It seems Mariah has good control of her regular voice (ie, the low to mid-section), but the high notes have a mind of their own and show up only when they choose to (or when they're doctored in the recording studio.)
For a while, in an attempt to ensure her longevity, Mariah had begun to capitalize on the one thing that does appear to be real: her figure. After her divorce, she started wearing less and less clothes. She even added two distinctly large silicone implants. Not quite Pamela Anderson, but still way too much for her frame. Still, with JLo around, Mariah never quite became the sex symbol she had hoped. In that regard, and in the movies, JLo has become Mariah's nemesis.
For a while, JLo also performed better on the CD charts. Mariah changed labels twice, endured a nervous breakdown, bombed in the movies (remember Glitter?) Mariah has the distinction of being the only Diva paid to leave a label (Virgin thought it was cheaper to pay her $20+ million than to have her continue on its label). BTW, those who liked A Star is Born are gonna love Glitter.
Still, this Diva is a fighter. Mariah came back with Through the Rain and stunned the world with the success of the Emancipation of Mimi. In 2008, she hit number one again on Billboard's Top 100 making her the single artist with most number ones ever. She was also featured on American Idol as a mentor. In her mentoring, she gave brief spot-on examples of how to sing her songs. Her pitch was impeccable (though once again, I didn't hear any of those really high notes that are supposed to be part of her 5 octave range.) Bottom line: she can sing, but she really needs to stop pretending to be a modern day Yma Sumac (who did have a 5 octave range.)
Key Mariah Milestones: Without You, One Sweet Day, All I Want For Christmas, marrying Mottola, divorcing Mottola, Mental Breakdown
Gemstone Rating: This diva is like rhinestones (ie, tawdry pieces of cheap glass)
BTW, Mariah is, arguably, the top selling female vocalist of all time.
Linda was the winner of Star Search, the predecessor and more sensitive version of American Idol. Honestly, after having seen her perform at the Warner Theater in DC in 2003, I don't think there isn't a talent show that Linda couldn't win. With lungs bigger than Barbra's, this Diva can hold her notes forever. She also has a range longer than Barbra's--significantly longer if you consider some very high notes that she hits in a manner similar to Mariah Carey. However, unlike Mariah, this Diva controls every note she can sing to perfection, and sounds as good or better live than she does on CD.
With the release of Broadway, My Way, Linda has crowned herself as the foremost Broadway singer in America. Babs -- step aside and make room for Linda. This CD has showstopper after showstopper and makes Barbra's vocals on The Broadway Album and Back to Broadway sound ordinary. Linda even sings Don't Rain on My Parade, and rains on Babs' parade in doing so. While Babs is faster on the runs in Parade, Linda uses her bigger lungs to shine. Ironically, despite her powerhouse talent, Linda's popularity is nowhere near Barbra's or any of the previously mentioned Divas. The only talent show she can't seem to win is the the one scored by Billboard. Her performance on the Billboard charts has been quite dismal.
Key Linda Milestones: Star Search, Man of La Mancha, Vienna, I Am What I Am, Anthem, Don't Rain on My Parade
Gemstone Rating: Linda is clearly a high quality gem. I'd say an emerald or a ruby. What will it take for her to reach Diamond status? A new team (producer, arranger, conductor, etc.) and better choice of songs. While her Broadway effort was exceptional, her prior work has been marred by poor choice of songs and other flaws.
BTW, Linda is the only one of the Streisand Rivals who does not sell well.
Known as the Asian Sensation and the Chinese Barbra Streisand, WING has become known accross the world as a modern day Florence Foster Jenkins. Listening to her 16 cds, it's easy to understand the comparisons to Streisand (ie, early Streisand). In particular, WING sounds a lot like Streisand circa The Barbra Streisand Album. The likeness is even more uncanny when you compare WING to the live recordings of Streisand before The Barbra Streisand Album.
Vocally, WING can hit higher notes and lower notes than Streisand. Such is her range, that she actually uses two voices to record her music: her soprano and tenor voices. It is amazing what she can do with these voices. If you don't believe me, just listen to her sing Words in her soprano voice, and follow that with her reprise of this lovely song--in her tenor voice.
Key Linda Milestones: WING Sings Elvis, Beatles Classics By WING, WING Sings the Carpenters, One Voice, Birdland Performance, and so many more
Gemstone Rating: WING is like fine Chinese Jade--extremely rare.
BTW, WING's record sales are unknown.
Like the stars spinning around the logo? This is where I got them from.
Did you ever think you'd see Barbra's name on fire? I never did until I came across this incredible site. Hats off to the gentlemen who set fire to the alphabet.
For those who don't remember, Wonder Woman hit the small screen back in the mid-1970's. It was the days of the Bionic Woman, Charlie's Angels, etc. Wonder Woman only lasted two seasons due largely to poor scripts; however, it was long enough to make Lynda Carter the quintessential Wonder Woman. With those looks, that figure, who can compete? Well maybe one person (see next link).
She was Puerto's Marilyn Monroe. And Puerto Rico's Barbra Streisand. All in one. She was IRIS CHACON. She reigned in Puerto Rico from 1969 to the mid-1980's and even appeared on David Letterman (he proposed to her).
Iris Chacon had a powerful voice, a beautiful face, but ironically, was mostly known for her figure. Reported to have measured 36-24-42, Iris Chacon was the ultimate sex symbol of the tropics. Adding to her mystique was her uncanny ability to dance merengue, salsa, disco, samba, and all forms of lively music.
Vocally, she pleased her fans with dramatic ballads like Yo te Nombro and Libre como Gaviota, but her biggest hits were bouncy tunes like Tu Boquita, Caramelo y Chocolate, El Manicero and El Tren de Seis.
Today, it is hard to find a good web site on her. You just have to do a search. May I also suggest youtube?
IRIS SINGS:
Before Barbra, there was Lost in Space. And during Barbra and even after. What can I say, I'm hooked.
This series premiered in the 1960's (before me--I caught it on re-runs.) It was supposed to be a modern sci-fi adventure. In its first season, it lived up to expectations. In its second season, it became increasingly commercial, focusing on Dr. Smith, the Robot B9, and Wil Robinson. In its third and final season, it totally lost focus, succumbing to internal strife, egos, lack of ideas, etc. Hmmmmm, come to think of it, it is an analogy for a certain star's career. She also seems to be in her third and final season...
There are many fabulous pages on LIS. Of course my favorite is...The Irreverent Guide to Lost in Space.
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The Irreverent Guide to Barbra Streisand wishes to thank the following sources of inspiration for this web page...
On second thought, maybe not.
SPECIAL THANKS to Jacksonville Mikey for Rainbow background.
Please note that this site is neither maintained nor supported by Barbra Streisand or her management. Furthermore, The Irreverent Guide to Barbra Streisand is not an official or unofficial newsletter or publication related
to or endorsed by Barbra Streisand, Barbra Joan Streisand, Barbara Streisand, Babs or her fan clubs.
Original content and design © 1998, 1999, 2000, 2003. The Irreverent Guide to Barbra Streisand is for entertainment value only and/or historical purposes; no financial
gain or profit is sought nor has been obtained through this web site. What's more, the site is not intended
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