1980 "diana" tv special

I love this show...well up until Larry Hagman sings and the Ballet comes on...the audience at The Forum whoop and holler and jump up and down everytime she turns 'in the round' stage..the version of "Home" is awesome..and she does the infamous singing in the bridge of "The Boss" with the same vocal gymnastics displayed on vinyl..her voice is at its absolute peak [[as her hosting The Tonight Show the previous year also proved)..her on camera delivery of "Its My Turn" is sublime..showing just how much emotion she can display...thankfully the endless "Reach Out and Touch" is abridged..at this point the song tended to go and on in concert and its hard to sit through on the 79 live dvd...I watched the "red Hot and Blue" special as well but I didnt care for it all..but the "diana" special has her at her peak sans the ballet and Hagman..

According to Steve Binder, CBS made Diana put Larry Hagman in the show, as he was so popular on DALLAS.

I fell in love with Diana Ross from this concert performance. I think I still have a vhs tape from the first time it aired on tv. I think she is at her peak in this concert.

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Originally Posted by RossHolloway

I fell in love with Diana Ross from this concert performance. I think I still have a vhs tape from the first time it aired on tv. I think she is at her peak in this concert.

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My first live Diana Ross concert. If I remember correctly, Freda Payne, Mary Wilson and a few others were there.

The opening segments were genius. The first shot is on the rooftop of The Forum where Ross and a photographer do their thing, shown from a helicopter, the aerial shot revealing the name of the show laid out in fluorescent or neon tubing on the roof.

I don't know how long she played at the Forum at that time. A friend recently told me he was one of the security guys during that show. He was surprised Ross made her entrance through the audience and was afraid for her safety. I informed him she was taping a TV special. [[Needless to say he wasn't one of the top security guards in the know.) Making entrances through the audience was old hat to her, since she had been doing that since her days with The Supremes.

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Originally Posted by uptight

He was surprised Ross made her entrance through the audience and was afraid for her safety. I informed him she was taping a TV special. [[Needless to say he wasn't one of the top security guards in the know.) Making entrances through the audience was old hat to her, since she had been doing that since her days with The Supremes.

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I think it was a specially invited audience for that taping. There were some celebrates and music moghuls including Suzanne De Passe [[who she embraces before taking to the stage). Diana was in safe hands that night.

This is the one live show that I would show to friends to 'show off' the all round incredible-ness that is Diana Ross. It never ceased to get a 'wow' from however watched it. It is a thoroughly entertaining video from start to finish, and I think captures Diana at her peak of popularity in the U.S. But my old VHS tape is probably now in a landfill site someplace and 'I'm still waiting' for it to be issued on DVD.

On that note - I read Barbra Streisand is releasing a 12 DVd box set to celebrate her 100th anniversary - er 50th anniversary.

There is a staggering wealth of video footage of Diana over the years that could and should be made into a box set in the same way. And if Barbra can overcome usage rights issues, why can't Diana?

There were 18,000 plus people there that night. 99% paid fans...........I know several people who bought tickets.

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Originally Posted by masterblaster

I think it was a specially invited audience for that taping. There were some celebrates and music moghuls including Suzanne De Passe [[who she embraces before taking to the stage). Diana was in safe hands that night.

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Originally Posted by supremester

There were 18,000 plus people there that night. 99% paid fans...........I know several people who bought tickets.

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I thought it was a rather boring show. Poor editing.....

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Originally Posted by marv2

I thought it was a rather boring show. Poor editing.....

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Well that's surprising.























NOT!

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Originally Posted by BabyLuv64

Well that's surprising.























NOT!

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Not really. A group of us watched in college. We just thought it was boring with much of it appearing contrived especially the concert scenes, the Supremes medley/dance number and the awful pairing up with Larry Hagmen aka J.R. Ewing. The writing for this special was very poor and the editing amatuerish.

I think this one is the best of her TV specials. The first one corny, the second overblown, the 1987 one was confusing

Oh and the Central Park special was too "me me me" The part where she is sucking in air and asking Can You Feel Me was a bit corny

She didn't have enough Motown people on it! hehehehehehehe..........

Poor editing? How would you have improved it? I'm asking because one if it's Emmy nominations was for editing and received rave reviews for it's initial airing. Like TCB, it was repeated on the same network.

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Originally Posted by marv2

I thought it was a rather boring show. Poor editing.....

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I loved the editing of the show - the intercutting of the Jackson footage was exellent

diana was the highlight of all the specials.

The editing was a particular style, not poor. Maybe it was ahead of its time when things on TV were a bit slower compared to nowadays. The pacing couldn't have been any faster.