Quote Originally Posted by sup_fan View Post
the play Dreamgirls also came out around this time and Diana was very upset about that. she had left motown less than 2 years prior to the taping of the Motown 25 special. she hadn't seen or talked to Berry since the day she met privately with him and told him she was leaving the label. She had received a massive contract with RCA and was desperate to prove she was worthy of that investment by the label and that she hadn't made a mistake by leaving Motown. WDFFIL sold very well [[even if critically it wasn't hailed as a masterpiece). SE did ok but now she was moving onto the new Ross 83 project and about to do her enormous Central Park. in addition she was still attempting to do the Josephine Baker project.

So 110% of her energy was focused on moving forward. and meanwhile there's the play DG and then this tv special.

Plus let's face it - it's pretty clear Diana has some mixed feelings about the "good ole days." this isn't 100% focused on the angst within the group. but the whole thing. nearly all of the rest of the roster of artists resented her and her success, as if she was somehow personally responsible for Berry focusing primarily on her and not them. she worked like a dog during these years, there were all of the issues with Flo and the group. Sure there were some magical moments and memories but there was a LOT that wasn't. and we probably all only know the tip of the iceberg.

And now she's being expected to participate in the show, smile and be warm and loving with all of these people. that's a lot to burden
I'm sure all of this played a part as well. Regarding all the others, it's a good case for why everyone should be careful how we treat other people. You never know when you'll have to face them again, and under what circumstances. I think there was some resentment by those who felt like Gordy paid Diana more attention at their expense, but I suspect most of the hard feelings were about Diana's actions, attitudes and treatment of her peers, as Marvin, Stevie, and even Smokey seem to have avoided the issues with the old Motown crew. If true, that scene JRT writes about Diana announcing that it was her birthday after Motown 25 ended and only a few people congratulated her while everyone else walked away, is very sad. Luckily, I think 99 percent of her peers are over all that stuff today. One thing about the Motown family, they usually show up for each other when necessary. Diana doesn't do much in the way of publicly showing up, but she certainly has privately. They're a family, dysfunctional as they may have been, like most families. Lol