Clarkson, Cyrus Team With Etheridge, Crow on “VH1 Divas”

September 18th, 2009 by J. Edward Keyes Leave a reply »

Photo: Mazur/WireImage
The opening number of the 2009 edition of VH1’s Divas series answered a question that has been nagging at the public consciousness for the last 20 years: What in the world has MC Skat Kat been up to? The animated MC made an appearance in host Paula Abdul’s show-starting medley, as the ousted American Idol judge unleashed an impressively choreographed routine set to her biggest hits, letting everyone know she’s back in business.

See photos from the 2009 “VH1 Divas” show.

This is the show’s 8th year — it launched in 1998, and a five-year gap separated last night’s show from the one previous. While previous lineups tended to span generations, this year’s bill skewed decidedly younger: Kelly Clarkson, Leona Lewis, Jennifer Hudson, Miley Cyrus, Jordin Sparks and Adele. Cheers for Sparks and Cyrus were particularly deafening inside the Brooklyn Academy of Music’s Gilman Opera House, and it’s worth noting this year’s show took a crowdsourcing approach to Diva-ism: four of the evening’s six performers ascended to stardom as a result of currying public favor while they were still young hopefuls (Lewis on Britain’s The X Factor; Clarkson, Sparks and Hudson on Idol).

Inside the Opera House, the show ran impeccably smoothly (though long lines at the metal detectors held up attendees at the doors), and the crowd sang along to Lady Gaga’s “Let’s Dance” and Journey’s unstoppable “Don’t Stop Believin’ ” during commercial breaks.

Abdul proved a good sport, gamely referencing her Idol ouster by appearing midway through the show in a cropped blonde wig and oversized suit, playfully miming Ellen DeGeneres’ gait and mannerisms before collapsing in an oversized chair and announcing “What, can’t ...

Article Source: Rolling Stone : Rock and Roll Daily

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