Has Diana lost interest?

[marv2]

If anybody's feelings were hurt from the RTL fiasco, it was Sherrie and Lynda, who both tried to make the best of a bad situation. Both were badmouthed by the fans and Mary Wilson [[who hired them) and were called "fake supremes", which was a bunch of garbage.

The New York Daily News referred to them as the "Sub-premes"! LOL!

They may have been hurt, but they never were suppose to be a part of a "Diana Ross & The Supremes" reunion. They [[Scherrie & Lynda) can only be "reunited" with Mary Wilson, Jean Terrell, Susaye Greene, etc.

Mary Wilson was hurt because she had wanted a true Supremes reunion for years up to that point.

[marv2]

I NEVER read anyone calling them fake supremes. This is nonsense. It was often reported they were hired AFTER Ross left. Some took offense at eg Lynda Lawrence carrying on a tradition that she was a part of for 1 1/2 years and one single but I never read anywhere they had never been Supremes.

I don't remember the press calling them fake either. I do recall Lynda Laurence referring to Mary Wilson as "that bitter woman" after the tour collapsed and was cancelled.

[marv2]

How do you expect people to feel about a couple of sellouts?

In New York they were referred to as "scabs". Tough town here.

[nomis]

First of all Cher is White..how many black stars got variety shows in the early 70s? count them on one hand.
I have no doubt that if the supremes had been white they would have got their own tv show are you kidding me?And I have no doubt Berry put some of his own cash into Diana! special..These were racist times Diana fought for her place on tv..If she had been white she would have been handed the keys to a tv studio..were talking of the days when separate water fountains were not a distant memory..were talking of the days of Luther King being murdered and the shock that america still felt in the racial climate..Diana tore up the tv everyime she had the chance..and still no tv show for her -only the beatles sold more but forget it she was BLACK..Cher is Cher Im a fan shes great but are you kidding me Moonstruck VS Lady Sings The Blues geez Cher hardly caused the critical and popular acclaim Diana got for Lady.....
Ive said it before and I will say it again They give Liza the award because they were guilty over Judys death..cher had points already scored with the Academy voters for Mask and Silkwood..its a political thing..

I think somewhere in RTL,Arnes death and her drinking she had a breakdown and once you have a breakdown its like putting together a broken vase - you can glue it back together piece by piece but it aint the same..
she HAD to have a breakdown at sometime shes Diana and worked her but off all her life..on RTL she sold out Madison Garden..thats Madison Garden! and is still labelled a flop what can ya do better than sell out Madison?..
She hasnt had a hit in the US for years internatonally shes had a string of top 10s so she was never in the dog house career wise the worlds a big place if America didnt make Take Me Higher or Force Behind The Power hit albums then thats the American industrys loss..they are quality products and certainly have a deeper musical direction than say Chers Heart Of Stone album...Motown dropped the ball on promoting her in the US..EMI did fine internationally for her I know I worked there..
You cant have an affect on culture the way Diana has and not get some mental scars..she and Berry did it all together everything else is going to seem anti climatic...Madonna was way nasty to everyone around her than Diana ever was but did she cop the same flak Diana did ? no shes white..it may surprise some of you folks but an empowered black woman is still a scary prospect in the music buisness...
On the movies its not just the race thing Diana was lazy too..she had "standards" to meet her script approval and that got in the way of people making deals with her..she should never have let the Jospehine project dissolve..hell she could have put some of the RCA advance into making it but she didnt..she needs a Berry figure to push her but she wont take that crap from anyone anymore and why should she?her work is on record you can watch or listen to her magic at the touch of a button and in god I thank for that...

[daddyacey]

RTL failed because it's conception was driven by commercialism ,money ,ego and the meddling of persons who never had a hand in the legacy of the Supremes and had never sang a single note in the events that made the Supremes ,THE SUPREMES.
A reunion will never work unless Diana ,Mary and Cindy at the minumum ,choose to want to do it ,within their own hearts and IF they control how it is done and what material is used from their combined history....... period. Any other combination would be NICE , but that trio would be Da Shit...Hands Down. Anything "Fully Restored With ORIGINAL PARTS" ,is worth more than just restored. At this point Diane ,Mary and Cindy would only count as fully restored. Word.

[marv2]

RTL failed because it's conception was driven by commercialism ,money ,ego and the meddling of persons who never had a hand in the legacy of the Supremes and had never sang a single note in the events that made the Supremes ,THE SUPREMES.
A reunion will never work unless Diana ,Mary and Cindy at the minumum ,choose to want to do it ,within their own hearts and IF they control how it is done and what material is used from their combined history....... period. Any other combination would be NICE , but that trio would be Da Shit...Hands Down. Anything "Fully Restored With ORIGINAL PARTS" ,is worth more than just restored. At this point Diane ,Mary and Cindy would only count as fully restored. Word.

WORD! Thanks Daddy.

[captainjames]

RTL failed because it's conception was driven by commercialism ,money ,ego and the meddling of persons who never had a hand in the legacy of the Supremes and had never sang a single note in the events that made the Supremes ,THE SUPREMES.
A reunion will never work unless Diana ,Mary and Cindy at the minumum ,choose to want to do it ,within their own hearts and IF they control how it is done and what material is used from their combined history....... period. Any other combination would be NICE , but that trio would be Da Shit...Hands Down. Anything "Fully Restored With ORIGINAL PARTS" ,is worth more than just restored. At this point Diane ,Mary and Cindy would only count as fully restored. Word.

and thats why no reunion with Jean without Miss Ross doing a reunion first will work............WORD UP !!
....put a fork in it we are done.

[smark21]

And Yet She Still Rises.

Amen! Diana Ross is the reincarnation of Jesus Christ Brother Ross Holloway!

[smark21]

I'm amused on how yet another Ross/Supremes thread has turned into yet another argument about RTL and a reunion, lol!

[thaperson]

The only TRUE supremes reunion is never going to happen because Flo is dead.
I love Cindy, but as Oprah said one time, The Supremes will always be Diana, Mary and Flo, period. Cindy came in at the tail end of the Ross years and, unlike Flo, didn't even sing on many of the studio recordings. The Andantes have just as much a right to be up there as Birdsong.

Now I don't agree with how the RTL tour was handled, but none of that is the fault of Lynda or Scherrie, who were asked to do it. No doubt it was the best deal they had seen in ages.

[captainjames]

And please as much as I love her don't put Kelly Rowland at Motown's Reunion again as a Supreme again, that was was horrible.

[jillfoster]

In New York they were referred to as "scabs". Tough town here.

Of course, Marv... the term "scab" sounds worse than it really is. Writers that write during a union strike are also referred to as scabs. Many people think of the scab over a healing sore, but in this situation a "scab" comes from a construction term, where a scab is a board that is used to prop something up temporarily.

[jobeterob]

In November 1969, Ross' imminent departure for a solo career was announced, although she played a few more dates with them, the last in Las Vegas in January 1970. Jean Terrell replaced Ross, and the group continued through 1977, with some more personnel changes [[although Mary Wilson was always involved). Some of the early Ross-less singles were fine records, particularly "Stoned Love," "Nathan Jones," and the Supremes-Four Tops duet "River Deep -- Mountain High." Few groups have been able to rise to the occasion after the loss of their figurehead, though, and the Supremes proved no exception, rarely making the charts after 1972. It is the Diana Ross-led era of the 1960s for which they'll be remembered.

[jillfoster]

In November 1969, Ross' imminent departure for a solo career was announced, although she played a few more dates with them, the last in Las Vegas in January 1970. Jean Terrell replaced Ross, and the group continued through 1977, with some more personnel changes [[although Mary Wilson was always involved). Some of the early Ross-less singles were fine records, particularly "Stoned Love," "Nathan Jones," and the Supremes-Four Tops duet "River Deep -- Mountain High." Few groups have been able to rise to the occasion after the loss of their figurehead, though, and the Supremes proved no exception, rarely making the charts after 1972. It is the Diana Ross-led era of the 1960s for which they'll be remembered.

7 top 40 hits is an accomplishment that MOST groups would be PROUD to rise to. It's like Madonna said that her record company considered her "Erotica" album a failure because it ONLY sold 1 1/2 million copies, and she was like "In what universe?"

[marv2]

7 top 40 hits is an accomplishment that MOST groups would be PROUD to rise to. It's like Madonna said that her record company considered her "Erotica" album a failure because it ONLY sold 1 1/2 million copies, and she was like "In what universe?"

That was a huge accomplishment especially in light of what we now know of what was going on behind the scenes!

[captainjames]

so to answer this blog -- NO Diana has not lost interest - She is just living her life.

[topdiva1]

Diana Ross like all great stars never lose interest in themselves - A Divas life simply evolves.

[jobeterob]

Diva, to my mind, every once in a while, you come up with one of these seminal, amusing, perhaps fairly accurate lines...............this is one of them.

[supreme_lady]

Diana has been there and done all that, she's rich, she's got her health and has got nothing else to prove, she's doing what she loves doing best ENTERTAINING and being there for her kids and precious grandson.

[topdiva1]

Diva, to my mind, every once in a while, you come up with one of these seminal, amusing, perhaps fairly accurate lines...............this is one of them.

Thank you jobeterob, very much! In moving forward I will try to bring more such lines.

[stephanie]

La Lynda can call Miss Wilson bitter if she wants to [[I normally dont make these kinds of comments) but if the tables were turned [[and I think Lynda is talented) I bet her bitterness would be worse. Love her or hate her Mary Wilson stood the test of time with the Supremes and knew that the name would sustain her and bring money. Former Ladies of the Supremes I rest my case. Lynda is making a living off of that name...just stating the facts.

[topdiva1]

And Yet She Still Rises.

Diana Ross will ALWAYS RISE, for she knows nothing else to do, and that is exactly - WHAT BECOMES A LEGEND MOST.

[ivyfield]

I'm sure I'd read Diana said she wasn't consulted about compilations/re-issued stuff [[Hipo and other labels) so maybe that's why she hasn't contributed to liner notes or given 'personal collection' photos to recent projects? Either way it's a damn shame.

[ivyfield]

Let's not forget tho that Mary left the group officially on Sunday June 12th 1977 at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, London. I was there in the audience when she said she was leaving The Supremes to go solo and that Scherrie and Susaye were to continue with a new 3rd member [[who was to be Joyce Vincent). Mary left of her own [[and husband/manager's) accord. Then, in the flash of a false eyelash, she was back on the road with HER Supremes? Why? Because she couldn't get any work as just plain Mary Wilson. Motown started legal action, things got very nasty and for many years the only territory she could get any bookings were in parts of Europe. Lynda [[and Scherrie too) revived their association with the Supremes just like David, Eddie, Dennis, Richard, Damon, Glenn, Ali-Ollie and others have done with the Temps. They too are/were all 'making a living off the name' and there's nothing wrong with that! It's the parasitic fakes who were employed by Mary as her 'Supremes' who are still out there claiming to be something they most certainly are NOT that should be addressed. There's one woman who's responsible for this sickening pseudo-supreme situation, that's Mary Wilson.

[ivyfield]

I'd like to add to that - many groups worked [[some still do) despite accomplishing far less chart success than the 70's Supremes managed too. Remember too that Berry really couldn't give a fig about them once Diana had stepped out on her own, but they carried on regardless. The 70's Supremes body of work is so neglected by radio stations, journalists and sectors of the media it's criminal. If I had the money I'd license the tracks from Universal and compile the 'Ultimate 70's Supremes' boxed set with detailed liner notes and contributions with photo's from the personal collections of all six ladies [[and believe me there's some amazing stuff several of collected down the years). Lord knows, none of us are getting any younger. All the 'stuff' is out there sitting on shelves in cupboards, cardboard boxes, wherever - it just needs to all be pulled together. Okay, it might not make a ton of money but it would at least give a detailed account of what really happened and why. 'When You Wish Upon A Star...' Stoned Love, Steve.

[ladonna]

Although, it is spoken about often, I disagree that Berry didn't give a "fig" about the Supremes after Miss Ross's departure.

[skooldem1]

....but it makes people feel better thinking that.

[RossHolloway]

....but it makes people feel better thinking that.

*THIS* Unfortunantly alot of Motown's 70's out put is seldom heard on land radio, not just the Supremes. As a Motown fan, I still love the music regardless of if it's played on radio or not.

[robbert]

Well, then, I guess she just doesn't care and didn't care about being a movie star.

If that were true, then where did Berry Gordy go wrong BIG TIME? Why then did he boost Diana as a solo performer in the late sixties? Why then did Motown move from Detroit to LA, to Hollywood? Just a thought.

[revvy]

Precisely.

[Jimi LaLumia]

well, regardless of what jillmarvfoster has to say, neither share or babs will be the focal point of a Broadway show in 2013,sparking worldwide attention and publicity....
****DIANA ROSS*** will be the focal point and Berry Gordy's ultimate star in MOTOWN:THE MUSICAL, and jmf will just HAVE to get over it...LOL

[carlo]

well, regardless of what jillmarvfoster has to say, neither share or babs will be the focal point of a Broadway show in 2013,sparking worldwide attention and publicity....
****DIANA ROSS*** will be the focal point and Berry Gordy's ultimate star in MOTOWN:THE MUSICAL, and jmf will just HAVE to get over it...LOL

Yes, The Supremes and Diana Ross are an important chapter in the Motown story, but there are many other artists and individuals who contributed to Motown's legacy and I hope they will be recognized as well in some capacity. They deserve to be recognized. This might be Berry's last chance to pay tribute to all of those talented people who helped him to create Motown. In telling the story, my hope is that those individuals will not be overshadowed by Diana Ross and/or The Supremes.

[Jimi LaLumia]

well, the two most important decades for Motown were the 60's and the 70's, and in both those decades, the entire Motown Universe, by Berry's decree, revolved around DIANA ROSS, and I'm certain that is the story that Mr. Gordy will be all about, although Marvin, Stevie and Michael will get their moments..the others will probably get shout outs when their songs are performed, but people will leave the theatre thinking of Diana Ross as Motown and vice versa..it is, after all, Berry Gordy's story to telll..