A DAY IN "THE LIFE OF RILEY"

After I left Cleveland, I went to Chicago to file a piece. While there, I uncovered several early birthday gifts. As you know, I've been talking about "DREAMGIRLS" since the launch of this blog. And I've been in love with the musical since the now-legendary hit debuted on Broadway. Of course, I was just an 11-year-old in Savannah, but I was taken by the iconography of these three, glamorous women who were all over EBONY and JET. And I just lost it, once I got a copy of the soundtrack, which I memorized from beginning to end (filling in the blanks of my mind with how I thought the parts of the musical that weren't on the soundtrack looked). While seeing any version of the stage musical that I could get my hand on (as recently as February in Philadelphia at the Prince Street Theater), I've lived through speculation in the late 1980s that perhaps Whitney Houston would play the lead role of Deena Jones, patterned after Diana Ross. I covered stories for now-defunct BET Weekend Magazine in the late '90s when Lauryn Hill's name was being bandied about to portray the lead role. But at that time, the project was yet again shelved and placed into development hell. Then, come the turn of the century, Beyonce became the name attached and perhaps that sorta' third time was the charm because she IS Deena Jones in the movie adaptation of "DREAMGIRLS" due in theaters at Christmas. After Fantasia and a slew of others auditioned to be the disgruntled-but-redeemed Effie White (the character that gets to sing the blockbuster hit "And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going" and "I Am Changing"), "American Idol" finalist Jennifer Hudson's name was thrown into the mix. When I interviewed her in August at the National Association of Black Journalists convention, she said she was turned down three times before ultimately getting yet another call from the producers that she won the role. Jennifer also sang three songs for us at NABJ, including "One Night Only" and a new ditty that was written just for the film (along with three other original tunes). I joked "I need a cigarette", after we saw a 30-minute teaser of the film and after Jennifer Hudson performed. I don't smoke, but I needed something to calm my nerves. I'm just that excited about "DREAMGIRLS"!!! Fast forward three months and I happen to be in Chicago and able to accept an invitation to a preview screening of the entire film. My heart is still palpitating from the experience as I absolutely LOVED the movie. Seeing it on the big screen further enthralls me into the magic of this special musical. And I can't wait for everyone to see it. This is the movie to see with your family and friends after Christmas dinner. I sure will.

Meanwhile, while in Chicago, I stumbled into another invitation - to see an icon! I'm not necessarily a big fan, but I do LOVE and RESPECT her art and mastery of craft. I haven't really bought any of her music or gone to the theater to see any of her films, but I know all about them. In fact, going to see Miss Barbra Streisand at her sold-out, United Airlines Arena concert, reminded me - for sure - that this woman is permanently woven into our pop culture conscience. I knew every word as she effortlessly and - in perfect pitch and tone - sang her greatest hits. My friend and I sat just next to the stage in the first section. So, we saw everything from stage right (her good side! smile!). And we could see Rosie O'Donnell sitting front and center as she's been benignly stalking Barbra in most cities on this tour. In fact, Rosie is doing a documentary on her obsession with this tour and her crew interviewed me afterwards, when I walked out of the amazing performance. I gave it a thumbs up! But I also pointed out that I was a bit distracted at the larger-than-life teleprompter which was suspended from the ceiling or maybe the score-board. Its contents were more than lyrical. The teleprompter featured every word of her banter between songs, including some especially-researched Chicago stats on food, fun, and culture. Those sitting on the floor didn't have a clue as La Streisand's delivery is impeccable and she made you feel like she was "speaking" to you and not "reading". But from my vantage point, I saw her ably represent as the "showwoman" she is alongside maintaining the perfectionist that the "electronic cue card" allowed her to be. That said, no "teleprompter" could mirror or make up the beautiful sounds that came out of Barbra's voice box. She sounded smooth and silky, like butter. And when she delivered songs like "The Way We Were" and "Evergreen", there were barerly any dry eyes in the house, which was comprised of few folks who shared my hue (I counted 10. 50, if you count the folks who work there). Still, grown men were crying and they weren't all gay. We were all one that night and truly enhanced for the experience. Simon Cowell's manufactured discovery "Il Divo", quartet of international pop/opera singers, joined Streisand during her set (including performing their hits like "Unbreak My Heart" and "Unchained Melody" while she changed her gowns). I was upset when I saw that she was planning to take her solo of "Somewhere" (from "West Side Story") and share it with the group of hunky men. But the standing ovation I chose to give (along with my friends [READ: everybody in the arena]) corroborated that Streisand knows best. She didn't go political because her George Bush look-alike had another event (It was election night). She instead gave us an extra song "Stoney End", a Bones Howe composition that my diva Diana Ross also recorded in the early '70s. In fact, this song or another Bones Howe composition "Time & Love" could have been Diana's first solo single (instead of Ashford & Simpson's "Reach Out & Touch (Somebody's Hand)"). But Berry Gordy shelved all of this material for the more soulful sound.  Though I digress, this tidbit does give me an opportunity to comment on how my diva Diana Ross has been called "the black Barbra Streisand" for having delivered a successful career of recording, stage, film, and TV success. Diana nor Barbra have commented minimally (if at all) on the comparisons, but Diana did do an album of "Funny Girl" material with the Supremes. And in addition to the Bones Howe materials, Diana went on to work with Barry Gibb and brothers on her "Eaten Alive" album after Barbra had success with her "Guilty" project. And she recorded Diane Warren's "Heart (Don't Change My Mind)" on her worldwide success, 1991 "Force Behind the Power" album. Maybe I was subconsciously a Barbra Streisand fan all along (for a reason).  

Though not a fan of hers from the beginning, Natalie would soon become my best friend since 9th grade. We spent lots of time in our high school classes - talking, laughing, and supporting each other. She's been there for me through all my landmark moments as I have her. She not only introduced me as her "best friend" at our high school graduation, where I spoke, but she would continue to be just that as we both went to neighboring colleges in Atlanta i.e. Morehouse and Spelman respectively. Natalie too met her husband Dwayne in 9th grade and they would go on to be married and have two little girls who they are raising in Atlanta. And I would sing at their wedding. This past April, she and Dwayne came and spent time with my boyfriend, other friends, and me as I gave her a birthday gift of "The Color Purple" (on Broadway) and some other special features that she deserved for being such a good woman. Ironically, this week, she happened to be in Chicago as well (for her business. She is a dual-degree math and engineer major from Spelman and Georgia Tech). As a result, she and I had a small window of opportunity to catch up. So, I took her to a restaurant everyone has been raving about "Japonais", contemporary asian cuisine. And though we were both exhausted from our busy days (and week), we caught up while enjoying sushi, a tempura dish, and a 7-spice rib-eye steak (of $65 fame) that made me want to slap somebody's mama. But I don't think Lydia and Hannah, Nat's kids, would have appreciated me going there with theirs. So, instead, we ended the night with a hug and a smile for having had the chance to catch up one more time. And though the meal was on me, it too reinforced what "a gift" (perhaps "an early birthday gift") Nat continues to be to me.

I was in Cleveland for a shoot. Actually, I flew into Cleveland, but had to drive one hour and fifteen minutes to Canton/Akron. (Don't ask). But as I did my best to stay awake, driving my rental car on a very industrial-looking  highway of construction, I felt like Dorothy and the gang when after their travels on the yellow-brick-road (warding off lions and tigers and bears), they set their eyes on the beautiful skyline of Emerald City. The sight I saw didn't carry the massive expanse of The Wizard's address. In fact, what I saw had more of a "dwarfing" effect. It was fast-food giant "Chick-fil-a", which I don't have easy access to in New Jersey. So, I went against the grain of my mapquest directions, to have some breakfast. I normally get the "Chick-fil-a" biscuit, but opted for the 'mini-chicks' this time coupled with hash browns and "sweet tea" (another staple that is hard to come by in New York and New Jersey). It all reminded me of being in Savannah and knowing that if we had "Chick-fil-a", it was a special, albeit casual, occassion. Somehow, McDonald's and Burger King were something you could roll through anyday. "Chick-fil-a" was to be revered and used sparingly, like fine China. And how excited were we when we'd park on the Sears side of the Oglethorpe Mall. We'd walk out of Sears into the mall where - to our right - was "Chick-fil-a" and if there was a worker out in the mall, passing out samples of the chicken, you could rest assured, I would visit that plate as many times as it took to get full (since usually, those days were not the days that we were going to "Chick-fil-a"). Moreover, I just find it to be the most consistent, quality fast-food I know. And I enjoy everything it delivers - from the fresh sandwiches to the waffle fries to the lemonade to the lemon pie. In July, my boyfriend and I went on a Buddhist meditational retreat in Crestone, Colorado. One of its features was three, vegetarian meals a day. We went along with the program and enjoyed the vegetarian pasta (w/ tofu) and the fruit tarts and the soups that boasted bases of celery and sage. Generally, it was good stuff. But as soon as we made it back to Denver, we high-tailed it to "Chick-fil-a" for our 'protein'. And it did the trick. For me, it always does. And it's probably a good thing that it isn't nearby because I would be flying away right now, literally. But I'm traveling so much these days, I keep running into them. Just the other day, after I wrapped a shoot in Philadelphia, I yet again found myself passing one. I began to have an internal conversation with myself about whether I should have the driver turn around or keep going to our destination. After two minutes of back-and-forth, I had him turn around. I just couldn't resist the taste of "Chick-fil-a". HOLLA!

My birthday is next Sunday, November 19th. And when I'm into celebrating it (as the pix from the previous years demonstrate), I celebrate it all through the month - a bit before the actual day and all the way through to Christmas Eve. Last Friday, after I had just returned from the west coast, I got less than a day to have some general 'party' time before an early Saturday morning flight. But my friends Ern and Tina invited me to hang out with them in the city to begin the 'natal anniversary' festivities. Since I was getting right back on the road for another week and change, all I needed to really do was switch out my suitcase (used underwear for clean underwear) and voila! Everything else could be dry cleaned. So, I decided to forego sleep and quiet reflection to instead paint the town random with my friends in tow. We didn't really have a plan as much as we wanted to have a cocktail or two, and perhaps get our groove thing on the dancefloor (after all, "it's my birthday". Well, it will be...). Tina's friend Devon owns a car service and was scheduled to be chauffeuring David Hasselhoff around the city. Strangely, we all wanted to meet him. Admittedly, I was never a "Knight Rider" or "Baywatch" fan, but I do remember watching him play Dr. Snapper Foster on "Young & The Restless" in the '70s (You recall, I grew up on 'the stories'). But our search was for not. We were never quite able to hook up with the current "America's Got Talent" judge, but in New York City, you never know who else you might run into. Tina, Ern, and I met a couple of their friends Geva and Noem, who asked us to meet them at a club in Chelsea called "ULTRA", the new Flatiron cocktail lounge in New York City. In addition to a great mix of top 40 and house music, we sipped on nice drinks (actually just Coca Cola this time for me vs. my usual Kir Royale [champagne and light on the chambord]. I didn't want to be hungover). And though no David Hasselhoff, we ran into Hollywood actor and sometimes "bad boy" Mickey Rourke hanging out at the club. As he held court with lots of lovely model-looking ladies surrounding him, he looked my way and gave me a shout out. Before night's end (as he was exiting the club), he came over to where we all stood and gave me a high-five/handshake as if he knew me. I just played along. And inside my all-roads-lead-back-to-pop-culture-and-nostalgia mind, I considered this moment one big honor. I thought of senior year in high school. It was June 1988 and close to graduation. We called it "senior skip day", but it was more like "leave early day" as we did attend our "senior breakfast", then deciding to take the rest of the day off. After all, we were graduates at this point. The ceremony was just a formality. We decided to sneak to my best friend Natalie's home (a good 50 or so of us as her parents were at work) to watch - for the time - our American sweetheart Lisa Bonet in the racy film (or so we thought) "Angel Heart". Mickey plays a grungy detective hired by a mysterious man (Robert De Niro) to find a missing person, only to discover dead bodies and a bizarre revelation. Our "Denise Huxtable" plays a voodoo priestess in the film and enjoys a sex scene (chockful of bloody, dead, sacrificing chickens) with Mickey. Hot stuff (or so we thought). This decision along with her inclusion on the cover of the still best-selling "Rolling Stone"s HOT issue would create a wedge between she and 'righteous' Cosby that would never quite get settled (though she did spin off to launch "A Different World" and before "Cosby Show"s end, she did return for a large part of the final season). Lisa Bonet would go on to live her life under the radar, first as Lenny Kravitz's wife, soon thereafter as the mother of Zoe. And from time to time, she comes out to play "actress". Still, my sighting of Mickey Rourke, sparked my appreciation for who Lisa Bonet has been as a pop culture presence and icon to me. Meanwhile, as the night progressed, we stumbled into another fixture from our 'pop culture' conscience. It was one of American Idol reject William Hung's contemporaries. It was the sassy, African American guy (with a pierced tongue) who cussed Randy, Paula, and Simon out after they told him he wasn't going to Hollywood. I didn't ask him his name, but I recognized him immediately. He was working at "Ultra" as a server and seemed to be in good spirits. From there, Noem led us to "Millionaire's Club" and "After Hours" - two way-downtown Manhattan spots that he co-owns. We received V.I.P. treatment in the way of our respective entries to these spots (no lines or velvet rope issues here). But the not-exactly-top shelf liquor (and coke) left a bad taste in Tina and Ern's mouth (I just didn't drink the fountain's excuse for Coca-Cola). Still joyful, I sang along to the stellar DJ's selects as the late night/early morning edged on. We would have had some after-hours breakfast at Cafeteria, but my chariot awaited. My night of random sightings and memories were done and the hour was 4:00 am. So, Ern and I instead picked up some "White Castle" burgers to assuage our hunger. With Ern driving us in "Mahogany" (his dark red Range Sport), we pulled into the parking lot of my home in Ridgefield Park, New Jersey where my driver Owen was parked, waiting to take me to the Newark airport for my 6:30 am flight to Cleveland. I splashed some water on my face, grabbed my suitcase, and -- all in a New York City night -- segued to the beginning of my day. It was a festive night that made for an exhausting morning, but in the spirit of "my birthday", I let it ride joyfully (while I crashed to sleep on the plane).  

Enclosure

Looking back on when I was a little nappy-headed boy of eight-years-old, I met a young, bespectacled kid named Reggie at Largo-Tibet Elementary School in Savannah, Georgia. He was born in Philadelphia, but bred in the Savannah. My family and I had just arrived from San Bernandino, California. My dad chose 'The Coastal Empire', his and my mom's hometown, as the place where he and my mom would continue raising us kids alongside his final two years in the Air Force as a Chief Master Sergeant. This, until he retired. Dad would complete his term at Warner Robbins Air Force Base which was about three hours from Savannah, where he'd commute every weekend. Mom would hold the fort in our new home with my two siblings and me.

As the only two 'advanced placement', Black kids in the 3rd grade, Reggie and I bonded quickly. In a sea of white faces, we knew we could look at each other for life support and encouragement. Admittedly, Reggie was the difference to have that bond hold because I was a bit withdrawn and to myself, when it came to meeting new people and studying in groups. I did come alive in the classroom and have a way about me when it came time to read or "present", but once the school bell rang to signal the end of the day, I was always happy to rush home and get my homework done, watch a little TV, eat dinner, read a book, watch more TV, and then go to bed. Reggie sometimes liked to come over and - to my young mind - that meant I had to 'entertain' and 'be on'. Truth be told, I learned through Reggie's visits what it looks like to be comfortable in your skin and to just trust that you are enough to have great results show up. Reggie has always shown up as a possibility, even when his own life's circumstances were dim and dire. I came from a household that had mom, dad, and pantries full of food and closets filled with clothing, and not always did I know that - outside of those trappings - I mattered. As I would sometimes comment on what I saw as differences between Reggie and me, my mom would say "That's a good thing because you compliment each other and can learn from those differences". Inside of that, Reggie and I continued to be "the best of friends", though he did leave our elementary school for another. We wouldn't come together as friends again until middle school as I navigated through 'being the only one' (African American) in the advanced classes for the next couple of years (Until Tonja and her family came to town from Macon in 6th grade).

From middle school through to high school, Reggie and I always maintained our closeness. Though we were maturing and developing our interests, we continued to be special friends, again, because he made sure to stay in touch and always reach out. Disparate cliques and contrasting academic trajectories didn't stop Reggie and me from having each other's back. Coupled with a growing comfort with my popularity and how that showed up socially, I began to excel more pointedly into the arts i.e. language, music, drama, media, etc. But I still maintained good grades in science and math. Reggie - on the other hand - was no wallflower and he loved language, but his expertise in advanced science and math were quite impressive. And as he bandied formulas and concepts about, I was usually looking over my head to try and uncover what exactly he was talking about. I didn't always succeed at figuring it out either.

We each graduated high school with many a distinction that reflected what we were individually about. Though I was the graduation speaker and voted "Best All Around" for ALL that I did successfully in school, I can still hear my father's amazement at how much money Reggie was getting in scholarships to go to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. I, on the other hand, was getting much less from Morehouse College, though its glowing distinction for me sparkled through the prism of one of my favorite things, the media - Spike Lee's movie musical  "School Daze" and the NBC hit sitcom "A Different World" - both of which captured the entertaining yet intellectual hybrid that historically black colleges and universities (like Morehouse) can represent. And I wanted to be up in that. Moreover, the impressive repository of alums that graduated my school include Lee, Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Samuel L. Jackson, Olympic track star Edwin Moses, Maynard Jackson, Dr. Louis Sullivan, etc. As I saw it, my name would one day be spoken on that impressive list.

Though Reggie was in Cambridge and I was in Atlanta, we still found time to be in touch and maintain the friendship from over the miles. I rememeber when the world-renowned Morehouse College Glee Club went on tour, including a stop in Boston and Cambridge. Reggie came to see us perform, he got to meet my college friends. It was a great reunion.

Once we both completed our under-graduate degrees, we began the serious work of making our dreams come true. For Reggie, there would be more school as "scientists" aren't built in a day. My career as a "journalist" has less academic nuance tied to it, so I managed to land an awesome first and second gig. Out of school, I was a reporter trainee for the #1 station in Atlanta. Then, when I got clear that hard news wasn't what I wanted to wake up to everyday, I was offered a position to help launch "Good Day Atlanta" at a competing station. Through that work as an associate/ features producer, I got the chance to create entertainment content for a morning show, interview a slew of celebrities and newsmakers when they came to town, and be an overall tastemaker for trends in pop culture. And because Reggie decided to further his degree at Georgia Tech (in Atlanta), we again got to reconnect. As adults, our differences were just as compartmental, but somehow we continued to meet in the middle.

One day, not too unlike the little-boy Reggie, who would come over and visit me at my home, he came by my little apartment in Buckhead and shared his vision with me. Over the years, Reggie and I had been Teen Peer Counselors and had done a lot of community outreach. He continued that in college as did I. My thought - in that I had rested and relied on so many mentors to get my career off and running - is that "One day I'll give back to some young journalist in the way that my advisers had done with me". But Reggie's philosophy was "Why not now?".

He knew how to get money from grants. He had experience with non-profit organizations. He was - as always - a visionary. Much like he was able to enroll me in hanging out a little bit longer before I retreated to my homework in 3rd grade, Reggie had convinced me that we - together - could start a summer camp for kids. We would have the program's curriculum reflect our best assets, meaning there would be lots of science and math. And for my contribution, we'd incorporate public speaking, writing, media, and creative expression. Then, much like Judy Garland and Mickey Rooney who in their '20s film classics would say "Let's put on a show in the barn!", we thought "Let's bring our friends in to support the effort from their expertise". So, Ern was a money guy. Fresh out of college, he decided to move to Atlanta for work, but this gave him another outlet to use his skills set. Nat could teach math for which she's getting two degrees around that discipline. And Tish can help run the program, given she's preparing to get her masters in Public Health Administration. Dwayne has everybody's back, so why not have him 'have the back' of the program. And on and on. Well, it was a brilliant brainchild that grew into a six-week daycamp housed at Georgia Tech and WE DID IT!!! With Reggie's magic, we got funding. I managed through my connections to get us lots of press and promotional support in the way of in-kind donations. With democracy at the fore, I recall influencing the program's name: "OPTIONS: Image of the Future". And our target student was not an at-risk youth nor an overachiever. This program was for any kid who may have some strengths in math or science, but could afford to tighten up their communication and writing skills. Or, vice versa.

And it was a summer of "infinite possibilities". To manage the two dozen students on a five-day week for six weeks was a lot of work as we were balancing this commitment with our existing work and social calendars. But we really did it. And it was a success. And it pointed out for me that we did not need to wait until we were graying or balding to be a difference for young people. Reggie taught me that.

And though we were impressed with ourselves, we chose not to rest on our laurels. We looked to the summer of 1994 as year two of our prized program for kids. Interestingly, we suffered the sophomore slump and summer: phase 2 did not fare as well. Certain funding fell through. Staffing changed as the friends in our inner-circle had new commitments for their own careers that required we outsource some of the tasks. There were growing pains with that. I had a car accident that put my burgundy mazda protege in the shop and inhibited me from being able to run the necessary errands to keep things on schedule. And then, out of nowhere, my mother died in July of 1994.

And on a high of doing and making things happen, I came crumbling down in the wake of losing her. Everyone showed up for me as they knew how to do (all in different ways), but the emotion of the loss and the stress from managing the balance of the camp, put an unprecedented strain on Reggie and me. By summer's end, we managed to close out the schedule, vow to never work together again, and - for a long time - not even speak to each other.  Reggie and Patrick had a breakdown and "OPTIONS: Image of the Future" had left the building... for good.

And for the last twelve years, Reggie and I have been living our lives on separate plains - growing respectably in our own rights. But not in touch. During that time, he got married. Though I met his wife before our falling out, I was not invited to the nuptials. (But through mutual friends, I heard about it). He's since gotten divorced and remarried. I've not met her either. He too has moved a few times since our days in Atlanta. My world began to evolve during this break as I decided to come out of the closet as a gay man. He missed the first run of that and all the fallout there. I moved to New York from Atlanta and continue to build a successful career around my branding as an independent producer/personality/writer. And somewhere in all of that, the time came when Reggie reached out and we were able to heal from the hurt, if only to open up a window for us to stay in touch. Diana Ross once sang that "HOPE is an open window".

And since we've been communicating again, I have found out that Reggie is still very much walking the walk that we presented to the students who participated in "OPTIONS: Image of the Future" over ten years ago. With his future (which is now), Reggie is Dr. Reginald Parker. He is "inventing new organic electronic materials through nanocomposites and molecular assembly". Still, over my head, but I'm certain it's something that's poised to change the world.  And I'm building a brand not too unlike the interests from my youth - including this blog which is a part of a purpose-driven campaign called "The Life of Riley: pop culture and possibilities". It's not rocket science, but feedback already is showing me that authenticity, vulnerability, love, and panache can move figurative mountains. And for all we've achieved, there's more to conquer.

Reggie's and my beginnings as children have mirrored our continuation as teenagers have mirrored our adulthood. The mirrors are just bigger. And at some point, we needed separate mirrors. And Reggie and I haven't discussed it and maintain even more differences now than before in our respective lives, but I won't be surprised if the "image" of Reggie's and my future is somehow tied in together. After all, remember what my mom said? "That's a good thing because you compliment each other and can learn from those differences." So, there are angels on our shoulders perhaps guiding that next phase.  

There are two places that I wish I could been this week instead of California, but I just couldn't click the heels of my red Jimmy Choos enough times to get back to New York City to see my dear friend Greg Dunmore's mother (and client) Jo Thompson perform last Sunday at New York's famed and historic Blue Note Jazz Club, though I did get to see her brilliant performance at jazz supper club "The Iridium" a couple of months ago. The longtime Detroit chanteuse and pianist did two sets on October 29th with fellow Detroiters, the J.C. Heard Orchestra, directed by Walt Szymanski. At "a sleek and sexy 70-something", she may actually be the oldest act to headline at the Blue Note. I hear it was phenomenal and as I experience whenever I'm with her, she was forever young in her spirit, energy, and delivery. Jo - who is often described as a piano-playing Lena Horne - sprinkled her repertoire in tribute to the beloved legend. "As a female musician, Lena Horne is a wonderful example of impeccable style and sophistication within jazz music," says Jo. "It is my great pleasure to acknowledge Lena as having a major influence on what I do. She is the definitive class act. Thank you Lena." I say "Thank you Jo." Many don't know this, but "Jo Thompson" could have easily been as household a name as "Lena Horne". They came up during the same time, but "Jo" -- the first singer to perform composer Ron Miller's classic "For Once in My Life" -- put her act on pause for many years to raise her offspring, including my friend Greg. However, since it's never too late, she got her act together after they were all grown and on their own. And with Greg managing it all, Jo has been on the road on-and-off for years. This booking -- with oodles of cache -- sets a sparkling tone of things to come. And as feedback goes, one man in Jo's audience, who pointed out that he stumbled into this show via a listing on the internet, was overheard saying "I can't believe how great Jo was," the new fan exclaimed. "Not only is she a skillful piano player, but her voice is so great." He then, quickly morphing from fan-to-stalker, reportedly said he wanted to get a kiss from Jo. "Liza (Minnelli) kissed me on the left side," the enthusiastic man said. "Jo kissed me on the right side. I'm a happy man."

My personal MOTOWN favorite DIANA ROSS made many people down under happy this week. Other than California and New York, I wish I could have been in Australia with her as she began to perform the dates around a small, sold-out tour she's on there. After a ten-year absence away from the continent, my 62-year-old diva came to remind them why she's been named Billboard magazine's Female Entertainer of the 20th Century and pronounced by the Guinness Book of Records as the "most successful female artist ever". Reports say she enchanted Australia's audiences with amazing costumes and hit after hit after hit in great voice. Though word has it she didn't perform any of the new material she recorded on her current EMI/Angel release "I Love You" (still not available via a U-S label), she did enough of the '60s, '70s, '80s, and '90s hits to keep the packed houses satisfied and on their feet.

Meanwhile, back here in the States, I listened to Diana's "I Love You" project as I drove a pair of rental cars in Santa Barbara and L.A. respectively. I got the chance to really shower my ears with and wrap my heart around this beautiful, inspired project. And she really does sparkle on it. I hope the album gets to the States. Word has it, there may be a "Valentine's Day" release here in the U.S. which would be appropriate as "I Love You" is filled with gorgeous remakes of classic and contemporary love songs including Heatwave's "Always and Forever", Marvin Gaye's "I Want You" (co-written by Diana's late brother Arthur "T-Boy" Ross), and - from "The Color Purple" Broadway musical - "What About Love?". Top CD. (http://www.dianaross.com/) for more information.

Meanwhile, as Beyonce, Janet, Christina, Ciara, Monica, Kelis, and the other young-to- middling (not quite over-the-hill) singers work for their piece of the market-share, there are some seasoned and legendary ladies out there who - like La Ross - are simply doing what tHey do and if you buy it, great. If you don't, you can't say they didn't give their fans another quality project to enjoy (But let me say this, if I hear about another #1 album from Rod Stewart or Barry Manilow - doing remakes and if I don't see our "great performers" get their just due at the top of the charts, I'm going to scream. Still, I digress...).

The short list of which I write includes: Miki Howard, who gave me the opportunity to sing and jam with her on stage during her July performance at Harlem Grill. She's just released "Pillow Talk: Miki Sings The Classics". From Captain & Tenille's "Do That To Me One More Time" to Natalie Cole's "Inseparable", Miki reminds us why she was so beloved in the first place during the days of "Come Share My Love" and "Love Under New Management".

Meanwhile, Cole, known for remaking America's Songbook, skews more contemporary with her current collection of remakes just the same. From Fiona Apple's "Criminal" to Des'ree's "You Gotta Be", this Grammy-winning diva hints at what she was vocally in the '70s (sans the heroin). And let Gladys Knight tell it, Diana (and Motown) stole the credit for the Jackson 5's discovery from her. So, on her new CD project "Before Me", she bites off of a beat on which Diana's had a stronghold since her Oscar-nominated turn as Billie Holliday in the hit film "Lady Sings The Blues". Lady Day's "Good Morning Heartache", "God Bless The Child", and "The Man I Love" --- along with nine other classics by the likes of Dinah Washington, Sarah Vaughn, and Ella Fitzgerald --- are reinterpreted, according to Lady Knight to great effect. And all of these releases give me hope that maybe... just maybe... Miss Whitney Houston will comeback and not just as a photo op a la her appearance at the 17th annual Carousel of Hope Ball which she attended with her pygmalion Clive Davis, who says they are in the studio working on her new CD project. Our fingers are crossed and we're on our knees for the right thing to happen around Whitney, who --- hooked or crooked --- we will love. But wouldn't it be great to sing along with her on that love train?              

So you see? Our new generation of "DREAMGIRLS" are standing on some strong and resilient shoulders. They have no choice but to speak the names of Jo... Lena... Diana... Miki... Gladys... Ella... Dinah... Sarah... Billie... Whitney.... and when Janet is done competing with her breasts against the young girls (and instead, begins to elegantly and sexily use her "best" assets [READ: HER TALENT]), she is destined to join the number, and her name will be spoken too. And before we know it, we'll be saying the name: Beyonce... and Jennifer (Hudson that is...). Just Watch!