“Save The Best For Last” (1992) by Vanessa Williams
Did you like this #1 hit? I was a child when it came out and loved it. I remember seeing the video and finding her beautiful as a gayling, and I loved the song.
My parents didn’t like the song at all but they always seemed to like her. I remember my stepdad watching Eraser and saying “Vanessa Williams is a beautiful black woman” in amazement (yes, I know).
As an adult I don’t think I would have taken her serious as a singer if I were an adult back then. She feels more like an entertainer than a singer or actress, but she’s good at all of it. One thing she really was, a Beauty Queen!
Offsite Linkby Anonymous | reply 263 | September 5, 2022 9:32 PM
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I thought it was a beautiful song.
by Anonymous | reply 1 | October 12, 2021 10:39 PM
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I'm still waiting for the sun to go round the moon.
by Anonymous | reply 2 | October 12, 2021 10:42 PM
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I liked the In Living Color version better.
Offsite Linkby Anonymous | reply 3 | October 12, 2021 10:45 PM
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Great song sung by a talented beauty. She was the first bi-racial Miss America until the lesbian theme modeling photos were sold. She has the It factor.
"Colors Of The Wind" is a great Disney song, but a real tongue twister with all it's Ws. Barbara Walters would never get through it.
"And you'll never hear the wolf cry to the blue corn moon For whether we are white or copper skinned We need to sing with all the voices of the mountain We need to paint with all the colors of the wind".
by Anonymous | reply 6 | October 12, 2021 11:03 PM
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Terrible frau tune. Basic bitch nonsense. I’m glad this genre / sound is dead.
This song, “Hero”, “From A Distance”, Celine, all of those cheesy ballads drove me nuts.
by Anonymous | reply 8 | October 12, 2021 11:05 PM
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I loved her upbeat stuff.
Offsite Linkby Anonymous | reply 9 | October 12, 2021 11:13 PM
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The Comfort Zone felt very Janet-wannabe
Offsite Linkby Anonymous | reply 10 | October 12, 2021 11:23 PM
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Janet was a pig in latex. Vanessa was a lady.
by Anonymous | reply 11 | October 12, 2021 11:32 PM
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Oh please! Janet was STRIKING back then
by Anonymous | reply 12 | October 12, 2021 11:39 PM
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I was in elementary school and associate a lot of positive memories with this song along with other hits from Mariah, Expose, Celine, Madonna, Taylor Dayne, Lisa Stansfield and others at the time. Also loved her collab with Brian Mcnight which isn't as well remembered today.
Offsite Linkby Anonymous | reply 13 | October 12, 2021 11:39 PM
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R9 Nice, underrated track. That one somehow escaped my radar.
by Anonymous | reply 14 | October 12, 2021 11:41 PM
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It's a pretty song and Vanessa Williams has always had a very clean, melodious and reasonably powerful voice. I think that since the late 80s, we have gotten used to singers who always chase the highest possible note in almost every song, and singers who have a more subdued, "linear" style are seen as less talented or competent. However in reality, they are much more consistent and don't have to constantly resort to lip syncing, going out of tune or dodging notes when performing live (I'm looking at you, Mariah).
Her vocal range isn't spectacular, but she's rather good at what she does even if her latest albums are afflicted by the streisand curse (endless boring ballads that are dull enough to cause everyone to fall asleep). Also, G#2 / Bb5 is a good range, even if she isn't constantly hitting high notes.
Offsite Linkby Anonymous | reply 15 | October 12, 2021 11:48 PM
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I was in college and I remember going with a new boyfriend to the home of some of his friends who did drag who were listening to this brand new song over and over while one of them practiced lip syncing to it. I didn’t like this type of music being more into indie rock and the like. I said something about how I thought the song was boring. I instantly regretted it because saying that made me sound like a snotty little bitch and I didn’t make a good impression with them. Oh well, sorry ladies, this song has stood the test of time.
by Anonymous | reply 16 | October 12, 2021 11:49 PM
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Never forget the 1996 love theme to "Eraser" her opus with Arnold Schwarzenegger!
Offsite Linkby Anonymous | reply 17 | October 12, 2021 11:58 PM
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Haha I remember I made the mistake of making a joke about a drag performer here in the US (I was used to the drag show in another country where joking about the performance was part of the fun) and got evil turnaround stares from the queens in front of me.
by Anonymous | reply 18 | October 13, 2021 12:00 AM
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my favorite song of hers and her first hit "dreaming"....
by Anonymous | reply 19 | October 13, 2021 12:13 AM
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Yeah it's a great song. Remember when something sweet and classy could hit number 1 on the billboards? It wasn't all that long ago, but it seems like forever ago.
by Anonymous | reply 20 | October 13, 2021 12:16 AM
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Yes. Female stars got by on talent back then. Now? It’s all about who can show more skin and be more vulgar.
by Anonymous | reply 21 | October 13, 2021 12:19 AM
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I really disliked this song when it came out, its lyrics seemed like a badly strung together bunch of cliches. Surprisingly, my affection for it grew after Priscilla Queen of the Desert.
by Anonymous | reply 22 | October 13, 2021 12:27 AM
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Here she is singing the song at the Grammys - 9 months pregnant
Offsite Linkby Anonymous | reply 23 | October 13, 2021 12:30 AM
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Reply 19, yes, "Dreamin" Vanessa was like a young Marilyn Monroe here.
Wow! I'm gay, but I was still dreamin of her.
Offsite Linkby Anonymous | reply 24 | October 13, 2021 1:02 AM
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I love love love this song...so many memories of the 90s associated with it for me
by Anonymous | reply 25 | October 13, 2021 1:20 AM
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R20 Yes, I miss melody, orchestral arrangements, and smart production instead of the musical equivalent of TIktok that we have now.
by Anonymous | reply 26 | October 13, 2021 1:25 AM
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I remember having this album on cassette.
Offsite Linkby Anonymous | reply 27 | October 13, 2021 2:54 AM
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She wasn't bi-racial. She's black.
by Anonymous | reply 28 | October 13, 2021 6:10 AM
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In the UK it's now famous for being used in an advert for instant gravy granules.
Vanessa Williams will be forever gravy in both senses.
The lyrics are appalling though.
Sometimes I wonder why I fart, sometimes you tell me that I'm smart, when I am waiting for the bus, I wonder why there's so much fuss
Offsite Linkby Anonymous | reply 29 | October 13, 2021 6:55 AM
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God, I hate to admit that I miss the 90s. It now feels like an entire lifetime ago. Already there is a sort of aura of nostalgia surrounding it. Back then there was hope and positivity. We felt good about Clinton and there was this exciting new thing coming up called the New Economy. E-commerce it was dubbed - and boy was I critical about being a part of it. It was all too saccharine, I said. We had the Backstreet Boys versus NYSNC and Boyz To Men and All-4-One making the soundtrack of the era much too sweet and syrupy for my tastes.
BUT NOW…we’ve had 9/11 and Bush, the Wall Street crash (which we have not yet recovered from). Then fucking Trump and now COVID-19. There’s no let up in site, what with COVID variants on top of climate change.
Just today I thought to stock up on Nembutal or Seconal. Always good to plan ahead…..
by Anonymous | reply 30 | October 13, 2021 7:36 AM
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Vanessa Williams was a lovely black woman and this song was lovely too.
Today, we have n****** bitches singing about wet ass pussies.
Our culture is disgusting.
by Anonymous | reply 31 | October 13, 2021 8:59 AM
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I like Vanessa but not her songs.
by Anonymous | reply 32 | October 13, 2021 9:01 AM
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R31 do you ever stop? You’re such a hypocrite mess. It’s scary.
by Anonymous | reply 33 | October 13, 2021 9:24 AM
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I thought the Penthouse photos were tastefully done.
Offsite Linkby Anonymous | reply 34 | October 13, 2021 11:09 AM
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I was also a gayling who loved it. Had the cassette and played it on my Walkman on a loop.
by Anonymous | reply 35 | October 13, 2021 11:11 AM
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R8 All love songs are absolute nonsense but "Wind beneath my wings" and "The Rose" were two of the fucking worst frau-drivel ever sung. Midler sucks ass.
by Anonymous | reply 36 | October 13, 2021 11:17 AM
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"I really disliked this song when it came out, its lyrics seemed like a badly strung together bunch of cliches. Surprisingly, my affection for it grew after Priscilla Queen of the Desert."
Madonna's songs are almost nothing but clichés. One of her absolute worst songs is This Used to be My Playground. Every line is a cliché.
by Anonymous | reply 37 | October 13, 2021 11:21 AM
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I liked the song at first, but it wears thin quickly.
Vanessa has a good sense of humour as seen by this MadTV skit.
Offsite Linkby Anonymous | reply 38 | October 13, 2021 11:42 AM
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I was just talking yesterday to an old man in a public park and he said that those people that forced her to give up her crown should be shot !!!! I didn't say "shoot 'em" but I concurred that she was terribly mistreated by the Miss America Organization, which is so stupid because she's the most famous Miss America of all... she's always been such a terrific talent! Miss New York was her state title and she was from Syracuse I believe, but her rise to fame and fortune happened in the late 80s I believe, and of course the African American music industry had always embraced her... Miss America apologized to her for their treatment of this timeless beauty Queen., ridiculous!
by Anonymous | reply 39 | October 13, 2021 11:50 AM
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[R24] She's just stunning. Definitely my top 10 of women I'd ask to marry me if I was str8. Halle Berry from "the Flintstones"'s right up there too.
by Anonymous | reply 40 | October 13, 2021 11:50 AM
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R37 I’m not opposed to a song of cliches if it’s cleverly done and strung together. U2’s “With or Without You” is an almost perfect pop song and is all strung together cliches, yet very powerful emotionally and heartbreaking. Bon Jovi also wrote a lot of songs built on cliches like that Cowboy song, but they did it with a wink and a nudge. This song makes it out to be ultra serious, and Priscilla interjected the right about of camp back into it that the song needs to be bearable.
by Anonymous | reply 41 | October 13, 2021 12:05 PM
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DL's very own Robert Dinero @ R40.
by Anonymous | reply 42 | October 13, 2021 12:16 PM
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Love this one and love ballads aren’t usually my thing.. I always thought it was fitting that after Miss America dumped her she turned around and had a whole career that surpassed nearly every other winner. The only ex-Miss A’s I remember are Phyllis George and Bess Myerson.
by Anonymous | reply 43 | October 13, 2021 12:34 PM
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R43 How dare you forget Lee Meriwether! Please hand in your Gay card immediately!
Offsite Linkby Anonymous | reply 44 | October 13, 2021 12:41 PM
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Datalounge loves Vanessa Williams since there are threads started about her here every few months. This one will get to 600 posts as will all of the threads started about her.
As it should! She was done dirty and got gigantic revenge on everyone who said she was a slutty mess.
by Anonymous | reply 45 | October 13, 2021 12:43 PM
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You couldn't have a hit with a video like this these days. Shock value is mandatory in the music industry now.
by Anonymous | reply 46 | October 13, 2021 12:48 PM
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I can't believe it took four people to write this schmaltz
by Anonymous | reply 47 | October 13, 2021 12:55 PM
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Yeah it's definitely not a great song and it doesn't help that she's not a great singer either.
by Anonymous | reply 48 | October 13, 2021 1:40 PM
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I always want a cover call “Save the Beast for Last.”
by Anonymous | reply 50 | October 13, 2021 1:46 PM
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Not of an offensively mediocre song like this R49.
by Anonymous | reply 51 | October 13, 2021 1:48 PM
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It was okay. But that album had 5 or 6 better songs, including ballads.
by Anonymous | reply 52 | October 13, 2021 1:50 PM
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R48 She's an awesome singer, you stupid fuck. She has great diction in her singing and her intelligence shines through. Sure a lot of her songs are schmaltzy crap but so are most female singers.
by Anonymous | reply 54 | October 13, 2021 2:01 PM
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Robert Dinero’s Waiting, Talking $$$
by Anonymous | reply 55 | October 13, 2021 2:06 PM
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R54 wouldn't know what great singing is, if it hit him on the head. LoL
by Anonymous | reply 56 | October 13, 2021 2:07 PM
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"I always want a cover call “Save the Beast for Last.” "
Played over the closing credits of a Dawson's 50 Load Weekend-type movie.
by Anonymous | reply 57 | October 13, 2021 2:08 PM
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R56 She is a lyric mezzo-soprano with 3 octaves and one note, you stupid cunt. WTF do you know, cunt.
by Anonymous | reply 58 | October 13, 2021 2:19 PM
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It's pretty obvious by now you have mediocre taste R58, you don't have to keep proving it.
by Anonymous | reply 59 | October 13, 2021 2:29 PM
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R59 Fuck off, Janbot. Only Janbot is as stupidly psychotic a cunt like you.
by Anonymous | reply 60 | October 13, 2021 2:33 PM
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LOL, I can't stand Janet Jackson!
But please, keep digging that grave R60.
by Anonymous | reply 61 | October 13, 2021 2:40 PM
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Vanessa really got mired in boring balladry.
She should have had some neo soul writers, or maybe do some electronica work. But I think she's nearly given up on music.
by Anonymous | reply 62 | October 13, 2021 2:51 PM
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I loved the song. But her catalogue is a bit milquetoast with all these ballads and middle of the road dance pop. Even her 'Comfort Zone' era was fairly G-rated. She found her perfect niche with songs like the Pocahontas one, but her musical 'sound' is kind of dated now. Even Celine tried to get with the times a bit in the late 90s. I kind of wish she got better stage roles, because she does have that well-trained musical theatre voice that you know has the technique to hold up night after night, and perhaps she would have released more music over the years if she were more venerated for her Broadway performances.
I will never understand this website's weird juvenile thing with Janet Jackson, but she (for example) had much more memorable songs. In the same era, there's no reason Vanessa couldn't have sung "Again" or "That's The Way Love Goes", and done a bit more in her videos to cultivate an image. I could even have seen her doing neo soul stuff (like 'Tell Me' by Groove Theory), or some of Toni Braxton's hits like 'You're Makin Me High'. But her record label seemed intent on selling her as a classy balladeer songstress, rather than a real recording artist with a unique identity/sound/image.
I don't think it's any surprise DL loves her so much - she's an inoffensive, extremely pretty but not overly sexualised woman who minds her business lol.
by Anonymous | reply 63 | October 13, 2021 3:15 PM
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Janet was one of the biggest pop stars in the world then.
by Anonymous | reply 64 | October 13, 2021 3:29 PM
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The original song was called "Best Save the Last Four"
by Anonymous | reply 65 | October 13, 2021 3:39 PM
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Maybe he "classy" image had more to do with trying not to be what the press made her out to be after those photos almost took away her career?
by Anonymous | reply 66 | October 13, 2021 3:42 PM
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I have a degree in physics and let me assure you, the last thing you ever would want is for the sun to go 'round the moon.
by Anonymous | reply 67 | October 13, 2021 4:01 PM
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There is a very good podcast about Vanessa: You are Wrong About It is a 2 part series
Offsite Linkby Anonymous | reply 68 | October 13, 2021 4:24 PM
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I was on the bus to the infirmary in basic training the first time I heard this song. I hadn’t heard music in a few weeks (because it was basic training) and the bus driver had a radio playing.
The kicker that made this song stay firmly planted in my memory all these years was that it was late Feb/early March in Columbia, SC and there were very light snow flurries that day. Nothing stuck, it all melted almost as it hit the ground. So there I am, on a military bus, in pain with tendinitis, watching the snow fly around outside the window, listening to this song.
I looked up the snowfall reports and there’s zero record of 1992 Feb/early March snowfall in Columbia, SC. But damn it I know what I saw.
by Anonymous | reply 69 | October 13, 2021 4:25 PM
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R63 No. No. And No. She never could have done any of these other's work. Like most female singer's she's relegated to sing tired, cliche ridden crap like Colors of the Wind or Save the Best for Last. At least she is a great actress. I loved her on Ugly Betty. She was fierce and perfect. No one else could have done her acting (of those lame 90s pop princesses).
by Anonymous | reply 70 | October 13, 2021 7:40 PM
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Soul Food (1997). Has anyone mentioned Soul Food yet? One of my favorites.
by Anonymous | reply 71 | October 14, 2021 12:00 PM
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I prefer WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE from ERASER with Arnold Schwarzenegger. But STBFL is a great song from what is her best album, THE COMFORT ZONE.
by Anonymous | reply 72 | October 14, 2021 12:05 PM
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I saw her about 5 years ago in San Francisco where she did an interview and performed some of her music. I thought she had a great sense of humor and was very candid about her experiences. She also had a really beautiful and controlled singing voice.
She was honest about the whole Miss America thing. She said she never set out to win the crown; she was recruited by a Miss America representative who saw her in a play at her college and convinced her to enter. She said she did it for the scholarship money, but she said she was definitely not pageant material, since she was sleeping with her boyfriend and smoking a lot of pot at the time. She said she told the pageant about the photos she did and they didn't seem all that concerned about it, but when the photos came to light, everyone kind of threw her under the bus.
The juiciest story she told was about after she won Miss America as Miss New York and was in a meeting with a bunch of pageant officials to discuss her tour. Mary Ann Mobley, a former Miss America herself, was in the meeting and said, "Well, we're gonna have to visit Harlem now." Vanessa said she Mobley was a miserable racist bitch, assuming that because Vanessa was black and from New York, she was from the slums of Harlem, when in reality, Vanessa grew up in a middle class home in the Syracuse area.
by Anonymous | reply 73 | October 14, 2021 12:15 PM
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That's just what this country needs: a cock in frock on a rock.
Offsite Linkby Anonymous | reply 74 | October 14, 2021 12:16 PM
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R75 I always loved the drag queen's shoulder shimmy at the end when Vanessa does her "yeaaaaaaah" trill.
Fun fact: that drag queen is the movie's Oscar winning costume designer, Tim Chappel.
by Anonymous | reply 76 | October 14, 2021 12:24 PM
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R71 I quote her "Fuck the family.... the family fucked my husband!!" line at least once a week.
Offsite Linkby Anonymous | reply 77 | October 14, 2021 12:39 PM
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One of my favorite photos of Vanessa…
Offsite Linkby Anonymous | reply 78 | October 14, 2021 12:43 PM
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Vanessa Williams was the cuntiest cunt who ever cunted as Wilhelmina Slater
Offsite Linkby Anonymous | reply 79 | October 14, 2021 12:50 PM
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What does the song title mean? That the philandering boyfriend ended up with her, the best?
by Anonymous | reply 80 | October 20, 2021 9:36 PM
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Woman is in love with man, but he's too busy to notice while he goes off with other females. Finally he does realize that the woman he has wanted all along was his female "best friend". Thus he has saved the "best for last".......
It isn't philandering if two people aren't dating or in any other sort of similar relationship. In very broadest terms it would be like Will Truman finally realizing he was in love with Grace, or some similar fag hag dream .
In real life such situations aren't unknown to happen. Lots of straight men have female "friends", sometimes they are very close to point BFF. It does happen that the guy just doesn't see his BFF is actually in love with him, and or sees her otherwise as a potential romantic partner.
Often it is a third party who observes at once what is clearly evident and puts things out in the open.
by Anonymous | reply 81 | October 20, 2021 9:53 PM
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Should be noted that she's universally raved about by her coworkers and fans who have met her. Hardworking, funny, talented, and down to earth.
by Anonymous | reply 82 | October 20, 2021 10:24 PM
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Vanessa recorded the kind of music she loved. She was a trained musical theater actress -- she wanted to be Barbra, Lena Horne, Diahann Carroll or Leslie Uggams. In popular music, she loved ballads and music that was between jazz and soul like Nancy Wilson, Chaka Khan, Angela Bofill and Dee Dee Bridgewater. She resisted recording music in the vein of Janet or Madonna.
by Anonymous | reply 83 | October 21, 2021 12:07 AM
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But r83 her first two albums were hip hop. Or at least they had several songs that were…
by Anonymous | reply 84 | October 21, 2021 12:15 PM
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I love her voice and I like Save the Best for Last, The Sweetest Days and Colors of the Wind despite all being factory-made pop ballads.
She is the first celebrity I ever got to interview in person. She was gracious and verging on but not exactly warm at first. She was very poised and professional. This was during Ugly Betty's second or third season, probably the height of her acting career since she was effectively the most popular player among the cast. During the interview, I asked if she planned to record new music and she seemed surprised by the question. I think she probably thought her singing career was overlooked or maybe she thought I was too young at the time to have known her music. She said she was working on a new album and I got visibly excited, forgetting that I was trying to put on a disaffected professional interviewer performance. (Ha.)
She did warm up then and she said she was surprised I knew her music. I told her I love her voice and was happy she recorded songs for A Very Special Christmas even if she hadn't put out an album in a while. Yada yada. Back to Betty, she gushed about Michael Urie and said he was the most brilliant actor she ever worked with and that being in scenes with him made her better. I just saw a few weeks ago on Instagram that Urie said he had a small role in the pilot or the first episode of Betty that wasn't meant to be a primary role, but that Vanessa pulled him into the cast photos that were used for the promotions and so his role became larger as a result.
Curiously, years later I was writing for The Advocate and I pitched an interview with him (assuming he was gay and out because of the character) and he told me he wanted to do it, but I was contacted by his manager or agent later, who told me he wasn't quite ready to discuss his bisexuality. (He's gay, obviously.) He came out publicly not too long afterward. I always thought it was sad he or someone thought he'd have to be closeted presumably to sustain a career.
It's amazing how quickly times have changed.
Anyway, Vanessa is a really smart cookie, and gracious, and I really do love her smoky, velvety voice. Like Whitney Houston, she's a great talent who never really got great material to work with.
by Anonymous | reply 85 | October 21, 2021 12:32 PM
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I think I like this one a little more than Save the Best for Last.
Offsite Linkby Anonymous | reply 86 | October 21, 2021 12:36 PM
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R80 The song is one of the most blatantly self-explanatory songs EVER and you don't fucking get it? Fucking moron.
by Anonymous | reply 87 | October 21, 2021 1:06 PM
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R85 Vanessa is absolutely nothing like Whitney. Was Vanessa a lifelong loathsome crack whore?
by Anonymous | reply 88 | October 21, 2021 1:09 PM
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R31, while rude, is not wrong.
by Anonymous | reply 89 | October 21, 2021 1:28 PM
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R88 I said they are similar in that they both had great (totally different) vocal talent but never had very good material. "The Greatest Love of All" and "Save the Best for Last" are fine, generic ballads with no personality or character that were designed to appeal to unthinking masses and it worked, and it's a fine way to showcase vocal technical abilities but it stops short of artistry.
by Anonymous | reply 90 | October 21, 2021 1:29 PM
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I miss Ugly Betty. Vanessa was great.
It's sad that the creator killed himself....no reunion or reboot now.
by Anonymous | reply 91 | October 21, 2021 1:33 PM
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R90 Ok yes. Agreed. There has to be a term when black girls with great voices get stuck singing nothing but white man written garbage. Maybe we can call it Clive Davis syndrome. Poor Whitney was forced to sing a lot of the crap by Davis. She had a few awesome songs like You Give Good Love and Saving All My Love For You but most of her songs were crap! Like My Name is Not Susan.
by Anonymous | reply 92 | October 21, 2021 1:34 PM
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My favorite Vanessa Williams song is "Heartquake" (featuring Rozonda "Chili" Thomas) from that ridiculous VH1 movie "A Diva's Christmas Carol." All the clips seem to have been scrubbed from YouTube, but it starts at around 39:00 in this clip, just try to ignore Kathy Griffin...
Offsite Linkby Anonymous | reply 93 | October 21, 2021 1:46 PM
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R85 Michael Urie seems to be so popular amongst his fellow actors. I think he went to drama school with Jessica Chastain and she is always singing his praises too. Nice story about interviewing Vanessa.
by Anonymous | reply 94 | October 21, 2021 2:56 PM
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[quote] But [R83] her first two albums were hip hop. Or at least they had several songs that were…
I wouldn't call anything she did "hip-hop." She had 3 or 4 uptempo tracks on each album -- a necessary concession to radio trends -- and the rest were jazzy mid-tempos or pop, showtune-y ballads. Also, she wanted to showcase her skills as a dancer.
Offsite Linkby Anonymous | reply 95 | October 21, 2021 5:21 PM
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I agree r8. That Lite FM Adult Contemporary sound was SO huge in the late 80s/early 90s. Gloria Estefan, John Secada Rod Stewart's putrid comeback, among many others. It was awful, but hugely popular. Clive Davis made Whitney Houston waste her talents on that A/C dreck for several years because that sound was such a big moneymaker.
by Anonymous | reply 96 | October 21, 2021 5:22 PM
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R96 Others already mentioned what Clive Davis forced Whitney to do, stupid cunt.
by Anonymous | reply 98 | October 21, 2021 5:43 PM
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And so it was mentioned again, cunt.
by Anonymous | reply 99 | October 21, 2021 5:51 PM
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I'm old enough to remember the Miss America nude photo controversy, it was HUGE news. It was the conservative Reagan 80s and a nude photo shoot with Vanessa simulating lesbo sex with another woman was shocking to people. So funny now in the era of celebrity sex tapes and Wet Ass Pussies on the radio, but the times were so uptight back then.
by Anonymous | reply 100 | October 21, 2021 5:52 PM
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R99 Repeating what others just said makes you the definition of a cunt, cunt.
by Anonymous | reply 101 | October 21, 2021 5:56 PM
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r101 you just repeated yourself.
by Anonymous | reply 102 | October 21, 2021 5:56 PM
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It really was a shame Clive Davis made Whitney sing those treacly ballads. She was such a great talent and should've had better material. That A/C music was garbage at the time and it's aged even worse.
by Anonymous | reply 103 | October 21, 2021 5:57 PM
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Thanks, R85.
I also love Heartquake. For Vanessa fans, you've got to watch "A Diva's Christmas Carol" this year (Kathy Griffin & V. Williams).
by Anonymous | reply 104 | October 21, 2021 5:59 PM
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R103 Others have said those exact same words. Clearly one troll is having fun repeating what others just said. Fuck off, troll.
by Anonymous | reply 105 | October 21, 2021 6:07 PM
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When you think of the material Whitney could've done at her peak, it's a shame Clive stuck her with that Lite FM garbage. She deserved a lot better.
by Anonymous | reply 106 | October 21, 2021 6:16 PM
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That Lite FM shit is what made her a huge star and gave her so many #1s
by Anonymous | reply 107 | October 21, 2021 6:35 PM
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There was nothin FM lite about Whitney Houston. You're all just trying to minimize her astounding talent and influence. Streisand is already forgotten, never Whitney.
by Anonymous | reply 108 | October 21, 2021 6:46 PM
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Whitney Houston was pressured by Clive to sing the MOR ballad shit. Whitney didn't like it and by the time of her third album she told Clive that she was going to take more control over her material. This is well known.
by Anonymous | reply 109 | October 21, 2021 6:55 PM
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[quote] "The Greatest Love of All" and "Save the Best for Last" are fine, generic ballads with no personality or character that were designed to appeal to unthinking masses and it worked, and it's a fine way to showcase vocal technical abilities but it stops short of artistry.
"Greatest Love of All" may have saccharine production but the vocal is staggering, it is by no means generic.
by Anonymous | reply 110 | October 22, 2021 12:06 AM
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Isn't this world a crazy place?
Offsite Linkby Anonymous | reply 111 | October 22, 2021 12:11 AM
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R110 That's what I mean. The songs are good vehicles to showcase vocals but the music and the lyrics don't really do much.
I Will Always Love You has very trite lyrics (Yes, we all love Dolly.) and Whitney proved she could do something astonishing with nothing more than her vocal prowess.
I'm saying that both could have made really "important" music, not just impressive or pretty sounding songs, if they had had better material with teeth and character.
by Anonymous | reply 112 | October 22, 2021 12:12 AM
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Indeed, R110. Whitney loved that song. And never failed to deliver it. It showcased every aspect of her vocal nuance, power and genius. Showmanship. It's my least favorite song of hers, but WHITNEY was ASTOUNDING.
Offsite Linkby Anonymous | reply 113 | October 22, 2021 12:14 AM
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Sometimes the sun goes round the moon
Sometimes you've got some bitch licking your poon
Offsite Linkby Anonymous | reply 114 | October 22, 2021 12:15 AM
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Vanessa is gorgeous in that photo R114.
Whitney is beautiful here. In Every Way.
Vanessa and Whitney have nothing in common musically. Just the obvious. They were both beautiful.
Offsite Linkby Anonymous | reply 115 | October 22, 2021 12:21 AM
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Whitney should've had better material. That A/C crap is so dated now. Of course by the mid-90s she was a full-on crackhead so getting her to record ANYTHING was a challenge. She just wanted to be holed up with Bobby and smoke crack all day. What a waste of real talent.
by Anonymous | reply 116 | October 22, 2021 12:25 AM
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Whitney released her best albums in the mid and late 1990s. My Love is Your Love is her very best album. Great collaborations and songs, a real flex. Whitney 3.0. The BodyGuard is the biggest selling soundtrack of all time and The Preacher's Wife Soundtrack is the biggest selling gospel album of all time. She had a drug problem. That killed her. Not news.
R116 loves calling Houston a crackhead. He's a demented ANCIENT Barbara sTreizand fAn. One of the last living. She's not even AC. Streizand is a DRECK singer. Kiked up Goy DRECK. Grotesque.
by Anonymous | reply 117 | October 22, 2021 12:38 AM
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^^I didn't know the nuthouse allowed the crazies to have internet access.
by Anonymous | reply 118 | October 22, 2021 12:42 AM
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Who would know better than you, R118? You're INSANE. We all know who you are.
by Anonymous | reply 119 | October 22, 2021 12:46 AM
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Vanessa Williams really showed them all. What a great career she had after being dragged through the mud. And that bullshit scandal is so quaint and old-fashioned now.
by Anonymous | reply 120 | October 22, 2021 12:47 AM
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Whitney was a great talent but god what a waste. She had some good songs, but there was a lot of dreck that Clive made her sing.
by Anonymous | reply 121 | October 22, 2021 12:48 AM
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It's too bad Whitney never had her own Bacharach/David like her cousin Dionne had, brilliant songwriters and composers who could create songs specifically tailored to her talents. She really need that, and her talent deserved it.
by Anonymous | reply 122 | October 22, 2021 1:00 AM
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Whitney was a goddess in every way. Her voice was stunning. No matter what she was made to sing - she sang it better LIVE. Soulfully.
Offsite Linkby Anonymous | reply 123 | October 22, 2021 1:00 AM
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Vanessa went more adult contemporary because of the 2 massive hits she has with Save the best for last and love is. I wish she had done more dance music like running back to you.
No one has brought up that pebbles stole the song girlfriend from her. She was recording it with LA Reid and Babyface in 1987 when pebbles another artist who was recording her first album heard it and convinced Reid to give her the track behind babyfaces back. Pebbles offered him cash, a Mercedes and her pussy for the track (both of which belonged to her husband at the time). Babyface tried to get the track back but to no avail. Vanessa never spoke to la Reid again.
by Anonymous | reply 125 | October 22, 2021 1:07 AM
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Too bad because Pebbles’ voice doesn’t compare to Vanessa’s. The pop music world is full of treachery and backstabbing. Pebbles is such a cuntrag.
by Anonymous | reply 126 | October 22, 2021 4:23 PM
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Pebbles was a cutthroat bitch.
by Anonymous | reply 127 | October 22, 2021 4:24 PM
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Also Vanessa can sing live unlike pebbles.
Offsite Linkby Anonymous | reply 128 | October 22, 2021 4:26 PM
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OMG I used to love that Mercedes song but that live version sounds nothing like the record. Didn't she bilk TLC out of a bunch of money, too?
by Anonymous | reply 129 | October 22, 2021 5:02 PM
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It's ok now because she's a Sister of Christ.
by Anonymous | reply 130 | October 22, 2021 5:32 PM
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She has a pretty voice and presence. Stunningly beautiful woman too who is aging gracefully. I would have liked if she had done more dance or upbeat music, she definitely could have pulled off the neo-soul sound if she wanted to. But I think she's happy with her career and did the music she wanted to. She's low-drama, down-to-earth and seems grateful for all that she has too.
by Anonymous | reply 131 | October 22, 2021 5:42 PM
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Fun Fact. Vanessa was the number one choice of the producers to replace the Samantha character in the third Sex and The City movie. As a new character of course. And wouldn't she have been amazing?
Even Kim Cattrall tweeted out her enthusiasm for the idea. Guess who was not in favor? Tiny Miss SJP. Threatened by the beauty, class, elegance and wickedly delicious talents of Vanessa, no doubt.
by Anonymous | reply 132 | October 22, 2021 5:49 PM
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Instead they cast someone who could look like Vanessa’s sister in the new series
by Anonymous | reply 133 | October 22, 2021 5:50 PM
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R132 yeah she would have been great. Shame.
by Anonymous | reply 134 | October 22, 2021 5:52 PM
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Whitney's drug habits and lack of guidance is what harmed her career. She didn't have the same grit as Madonna in terms of taking complete control over her career nor could she kick her addiction. Her 80s adult contemporary pop was just the standard of the time, it made her a star because she actually had the vocal chops to elevate the corny material to a higher dimension. Her debut actually was more jazzy and lite R&B sounding while her second album was full-on pop and ballads. She tried new jack swing on her third but it didn't go too well. The Bodyguard soundtrack made her a bigger star globally and to lesser extents, Waiting to Exhale and The Preacher's Wife. Her best album was My Love is Your Love and she could have continued that sound into the 2000s but again her drug addiction and growing unprofessionalism had become beyond control.
by Anonymous | reply 135 | October 22, 2021 5:54 PM
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Why are we comparing Whitney to Madonna? Two very different pop stars. Let’s stop comparing the Whitney’s/Adele’s/Celine’s to the Britney’s/Madonna’s/Janet’s of the pop scene. They aren’t the same.
Whitney liked songs that she could sing out.
You keep speaking about her classics as if they’re forgotten. You need help. They’re CLASSICS for a reason, still played on Lite FM to this day, still getting streamed, and gave her many #1s and made her a massive star.
Whitney acting like a Madonna in the 80s would have held her back. She was a black woman.
by Anonymous | reply 136 | October 22, 2021 5:57 PM
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Whitney didn't need to act out. She was beautiful (worked as a model and was almost cast in The Cosby Show as Sondra) and she could sing. Madonna acted out because was neither beautiful (she was cute and sometimes pretty but not model or Hollywood actress material) and she couldn't sing.
by Anonymous | reply 138 | October 22, 2021 6:07 PM
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Agree with r136. This site has a tendency of comparing pop stars that aren’t alike at all. The other day someone else even said they’re shocked Adele has become so big without dancing and having backup dancers. What? She’s Adele, not Britney Spears.
by Anonymous | reply 139 | October 22, 2021 6:13 PM
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Whitney would have been successful in any time period because of that voice. I could see her doing blues, jazz, rock, disco and soul. She may have done better if she was born earlier and debuted in the 60s and 70s at the height of Motown.
by Anonymous | reply 140 | October 22, 2021 6:15 PM
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Many women with amazing voices don’t become stars. There’s a lot more to being a star than that. Whitney had it all.
by Anonymous | reply 141 | October 22, 2021 6:16 PM
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Vanessa would've blown SJP right off the screen. Of course SJP nixed the idea.
by Anonymous | reply 142 | October 22, 2021 6:22 PM
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[quote] No one has brought up that pebbles stole the song girlfriend from her. She was recording it with LA Reid and Babyface in 1987 when pebbles another artist who was recording her first album heard it and convinced Reid to give her the track behind babyfaces back. Pebbles offered him cash, a Mercedes and her pussy for the track (both of which belonged to her husband at the time). Babyface tried to get the track back but to no avail. Vanessa never spoke to la Reid again.
In fairness to L.A. Reid, no one knew that Vanessa could be a successful recording artist. "Girlfriend" would have been her FIRST single and it was 50/50 whether the scandal would tank her career or if audiences would embrace her. It worked out better for Vanessa, she proved she didn't need superstar songwriters and producers to get hits.
by Anonymous | reply 143 | October 22, 2021 6:31 PM
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[quote] Many women with amazing voices don’t become stars. There’s a lot more to being a star than that. Whitney had it all.
I don't think we truly appreciated this then or now. Whitney had a PHENOMENAL vocal talent -- like nothing we've heard before or since -- and she was supermodel beautiful. That combination is truly extraordinary. There was no way she wouldn't have been a superstar.
by Anonymous | reply 144 | October 22, 2021 6:42 PM
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She also had a very large and natural aura/presence that a star needs to be a true star. It wasn’t fabricated.
by Anonymous | reply 145 | October 22, 2021 6:49 PM
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Movieline magazine was notorious for getting interview subjects to be more candid that was good for them (i.e. JLo). When "Eraser" was released the interviewer asked Vanessa how she felt about the inevitable comparisons to Whitney Houston. At first she was diplomatic noting that they were the same age and both Black girls from NYC who could sing and act. Then she says (paraphrasing): "...but she's a church girl (i.e. ghetto) and I am a musical theater actress (i.e. bougie)." I remember hoping that Whitney never read that interview.
by Anonymous | reply 146 | October 22, 2021 6:49 PM
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Whitney is from NJ and Vanessa grew up in westchester county r146.
by Anonymous | reply 147 | October 22, 2021 6:55 PM
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It always bothered me how she pronounced her S’s - kinda like “save the best for lasht”. Around the same time, Malcolm Jamal Warner started doing the same on The Cosby Show.
by Anonymous | reply 148 | October 22, 2021 6:57 PM
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Vanessa (1:42) at the Capitol singing "Somewhere" (There's a Place for Us). I've never seen "West Side Story," never particularly liked this song, but I love it now. Makes me cry.
Offsite Linkby Anonymous | reply 149 | October 22, 2021 6:58 PM
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I know where they're from, r147. VANESSA said they were both New York City girls, those were her words -- recognizing that their proximity to the city qualified them as Manhattanites. No one was claiming Hackensack, NJ or New Rochelle, NY provenance if they could get away with New York City.
by Anonymous | reply 150 | October 22, 2021 7:02 PM
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Ridiculous to imply that Vanessa meant church girl as "ghetto". You're disgusting R146.
She most likely meant that Whitney was a gospel style singer (which she most gloriously was) and that she was a musical theatre "broadway" trained singer. The end. Nobody view Whitney as ghetto. Not before she met Bobbi Brown. And Vanessa Williams is not the RACE baiting creep that you are.
by Anonymous | reply 151 | October 22, 2021 7:03 PM
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You're nuts, r151. Vanessa, Whitney and I are the same 'race' -- so no 'race-baiting' here. No one said anything about Bobby Brown except you, and it's now clear what YOU think of him. Vanessa made the statement and the implication was clear. Take your meds, go to your local library and read the article for yourself.
by Anonymous | reply 152 | October 22, 2021 7:17 PM
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I really don't want to like that version of Somewhere by Vanessa @ R149. It's a bit cheesy and her voice is very pretty but bland. But I can't help it, she's great.
But this is how it's done.
Offsite Linkby Anonymous | reply 153 | October 22, 2021 7:19 PM
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Thanks, R153. There are a lot of great versions of Somewhere on YouTube, including Barbra Streisand's. Yes, I loved it. How did I never know about this song.
by Anonymous | reply 154 | October 22, 2021 7:27 PM
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Vanessa comes from an upper-class type of Black family. The boule or Jack & Jill types that married light and bright and attended Presbyterian of Anglican churches. Whitney had blue-collar roots and grew up singing in Baptist churches. Both black but different sides of the community.
by Anonymous | reply 155 | October 22, 2021 8:29 PM
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Vanessa did nicely on that version of Somewhere.
But Miss Aretha Franklin did THE version of that song. The pain and yearning at the end.....MARY!
Offsite Linkby Anonymous | reply 156 | October 22, 2021 8:40 PM
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Patti Labelle, Gladys Knight, and Dionne Warwick, "Somewhere."
I'm sorry, don't mean to derail this thread. Just discovered this beautiful song.
Offsite Linkby Anonymous | reply 158 | October 22, 2021 8:47 PM
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You’re full of shit R152, she didn’t imply that Whitney was ghetto and in fact other than your word we don’t even know what she said. Whitney was never an NYC girl. She kept her roots in Jersey for much of her life then Atlanta.
by Anonymous | reply 159 | October 22, 2021 8:57 PM
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[quote]Vanessa comes from an upper-class type of Black family. The boule or Jack & Jill types that married light and bright and attended Presbyterian of Anglican churches.
Aka "the talented tenth."
by Anonymous | reply 160 | October 22, 2021 9:11 PM
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[quote]The boule or Jack & Jill types that married light and bright and attended Presbyterian of Anglican churches.
I've noticed that upper-income blacks tend to be lighter-skinned while ghetto blacks are usually very dark-skinned.
by Anonymous | reply 161 | October 22, 2021 10:18 PM
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[quote] She kept her roots in Jersey for much of her life then Atlanta.
by Anonymous | reply 162 | October 22, 2021 10:19 PM
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[quote]She kept her roots in Jersey for much of her life then Atlanta.
Whitney only moved to Atlanta so she could get away from her family and closest associates to smoke crack. She was far away from them and could hole up in her house and smoke 24/7
by Anonymous | reply 163 | October 22, 2021 10:21 PM
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R161 Well. It's colorism and the legacy of slavery and one-drop rule. Light-skinned usually meant white admixture which meant more opportunities for social mobility in racist America. Nowadays, it doesn't really exist that much. As many dark-skinned Black people were and are successful. Jamaican, Nigerian and Ghanaian immigrants are amongst the most educated and well-earning. Also many rappers and athletes who tend to be from blue-collar areas will get all types of women.
by Anonymous | reply 164 | October 22, 2021 10:22 PM
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Didn’t Pat and Gary live in Atlanta as well? Also I think Whitney’s upbringing was closer to upper middle class. Her dad was a city administrator and her mom was a sought after backup and session singer. They weren’t struggling to pay the bills.
by Anonymous | reply 165 | October 23, 2021 12:06 AM
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Vanessas parents were school teachers I think her dad was a principal.
Is vanessas brother Chris gay? He’s a pretty prolific character actor but not much on his personal life. 53 and never married.
by Anonymous | reply 166 | October 23, 2021 12:14 AM
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[quote] Vanessa comes from an upper-class type of Black family. The boule or Jack & Jill types that married light and bright and attended Presbyterian of Anglican churches.
R155, do you mean bougie? Boule is a round loaf of bread.
Offsite Linkby Anonymous | reply 167 | October 23, 2021 12:35 AM
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We all knew what he meant r167.
by Anonymous | reply 168 | October 23, 2021 12:37 AM
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[quote]They’re CLASSICS for a reason, still played on Lite FM to this day...
On "Hits from the 80s-90s-00s" or Easy Listening stations.
by Anonymous | reply 169 | October 23, 2021 1:51 AM
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Funny how Suzette Charles’ has almost disappeared from sight. Her career never got past the casino lounge singer circuit.
by Anonymous | reply 170 | October 23, 2021 1:57 AM
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Suzette Charles was a nasty bitch.
by Anonymous | reply 171 | October 23, 2021 2:10 AM
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The Whitney hater is not very subtle. EVER. We know who you are too.
by Anonymous | reply 173 | October 23, 2021 2:36 AM
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There was another Vanessa thread not too long ago where a poster mentioned that Suzette Charles was just a total bitch. It must be in the archives.
by Anonymous | reply 174 | October 23, 2021 2:37 AM
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R159, you're an attention-starved dullard -- and nuts.
by Anonymous | reply 175 | October 23, 2021 3:19 AM
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[quote] [R155], do you mean bougie? Boule is a round loaf of bread.
Well, it appears at least one of you is not of the BOULÉ...
by Anonymous | reply 176 | October 23, 2021 3:28 AM
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Boulé refers to being from a historical Black fraternity that housed members of the "talenth tenth".
Offsite Linkby Anonymous | reply 177 | October 23, 2021 3:38 AM
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Is she still married? She hasn’t posted any pictures of her husband in almost 2 years and doesn’t speak about him, but posts pictures of the rest of her family - even her ex’s!
by Anonymous | reply 178 | October 23, 2021 3:42 AM
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R152/175 Pebbles you’re a shitstain on the panties of life and it’s a shame your sister/mother didn’t about you when she had the chance,
by Anonymous | reply 179 | October 23, 2021 3:58 AM
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It’s interesting because Nicole Ari Parker who got the 'Samantha' role actually plays Vanessa’s ‘Soul Food’ character in the series adaptation of the movie, and was great. She has probably gotten a lot of roles that Vanessa turned down over the years. I like her (she was funny in Boogie Nights).
Vanessa would have sounded great on some neo soul songs, it’s one of my favourite genres. But she was a lot older than the rest of those artists. And kind of missing a bit of a ‘cool/bohemian’ factor that they had. I’m not sure she would have had big hits in the same universe as Erykah Badu, D’Angelo, Jill Scott, Maxwell, Lauryn Hill, Floetry, and Amel Larrieux.
Maybe a more smooth jazz genre material like Sade would have fit her, and been a more logical transition from her Adult Contemporary ballad style but still doing more exciting and memorable music.
by Anonymous | reply 180 | October 23, 2021 4:06 AM
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I'm white and I loved the neo soul of the 90s. LOVED it. It was so sophisticated and cool. Then it got overshadowed by such garbage music.
by Anonymous | reply 181 | October 23, 2021 4:12 AM
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Vanessa is beautiful and talented, but don't get crazy. She is not Jill Scott or Lauryn Hill. Her work lacks depth and her voice lacks character.
Nobody but Sade is Sade. I'm not even sure how she got away with it. She's the Enya of neo soul R&B mood music.
by Anonymous | reply 182 | October 23, 2021 4:22 AM
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I think Vanessa was right where she was supposed to be as a recording artist. The adult contemporary/pop/R&B thing suits her well. Her voice is best suited to dramatic pop music.
by Anonymous | reply 183 | October 23, 2021 4:28 AM
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Sade is fabulous, her music is timeless. As usual, the troll @ r182 knows fuck-all about music.
by Anonymous | reply 184 | October 23, 2021 4:29 AM
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[quote] I'm not even sure how she got away with it.
Because you're a clueless idiot.
by Anonymous | reply 185 | October 23, 2021 4:32 AM
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Sade is a musical snooze and some kind of mass hysteria voodoo princess. Ancient eldergays of the white persuasion think she was something sophisticated. As they imagine their once young selves. 50 years ago. See R184 and his sad sock puppet, R185.
by Anonymous | reply 186 | October 23, 2021 4:35 AM
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My granny loved Sade. She's been dead a while now.
by Anonymous | reply 187 | October 23, 2021 4:38 AM
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Sade is so timeless and still beloved by both black and white people alike. You're a fucking idiot. Few people have such a dedicated fan base as she does. Smoky vocals backed by an intoxicating, jazzy mix of horns, bass and percussion. Passion-filled songs that deceptively fit into the easy-listening set, yet remain smoldering and sexy. Her music has really aged well.
by Anonymous | reply 188 | October 23, 2021 4:39 AM
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[quote]My granny loved Sade. She's been dead a while now.
Of course she's dead. You're not exactly young.
by Anonymous | reply 190 | October 23, 2021 4:51 AM
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You don't know me fool. But I'm at least 40 years younger than you, R190. I smell your age. Put the bottle down and go to bed gramps.
by Anonymous | reply 191 | October 23, 2021 5:14 AM
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You're 38. I'm actually younger than you. And you're a total fucking loser, too. Nitey night.
by Anonymous | reply 192 | October 23, 2021 5:16 AM
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R192 has hundreds and hundreds of insane posts about his crush on John Mulaney??? Very angry and insane. All his other posts are on Dionne Warwick, Barbra Streizand, Candace Bergman and then hundreds of predictable posts and threads about his hatred for Beyonce. So he's THAT elder WHITE RACIST gay of at least 75 years old. Isolate its posts and see the full sickness of his mind. Such hatred and feeble attempt at silencing others. He even stocks other posters from thread to thread for no reason but to name call and harass them. Hate speech. He's a RACIST ancient white fag. No other word for that sad anachronism. I guess HE really is that troll they say is so hard to get rid of here, because it posts from so many devices. Yet there are thousands of posts all listed together that prove R192's old man insanity. Isolate and see for yourself.
Rest well, gramps. Any night could be your last. God bless you. We are given two lives. The second one begins on the night we realize there is only one.
by Anonymous | reply 193 | October 23, 2021 5:35 AM
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^^just do the world a favor and end your pathetic existence. JFC.
by Anonymous | reply 194 | October 23, 2021 5:39 AM
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(p.s.). I prefer George Benson’s version of The Greatest Love Of All.
by Anonymous | reply 196 | October 23, 2021 10:53 AM
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I enjoyed a lot of the 90s sound. All those slow jam ballads.
Anyway, my favorite line from this song is, "Sometimes the very thing you're looking for is the one thing you can't see."
Whenever I hear this song, this line always makes pause and think.
by Anonymous | reply 197 | October 23, 2021 11:22 AM
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I just looked her up on iTunes and she has more albums than I knew. I'm listening to samples, and her most recent (2000s) have a lot of songs that musically sound a lot like Madonna's work with Babyface (which I think was Madonna's best era for ballads and R&B).
I don't say that to compare them as artists but to place her sound in a genre and style. I happen to love that sound and so I'm about to buy those albums. I really love her voice.
The music business loves spectacles that demand attention and sell and the business doesn't care at all about longevity. So it goes for powerhouse singers or else people with gimmicks. Vanessa Williams as a rich voice that is pleasant and comfortable to listen to, but it's not bland and characterless. The way she enunciates is specific to her, and her delivery always sounds assured in a certain way...I can't place it exactly: it's not theatrical and showy like Bernadette Peters and young Kate Bush's are, but her articulation does seem like it is probably influenced by her stage musical training.
She's such an underrated person all around. The beauty pageant scandal (and that she did pageants at all) made people think she's dim and talentless.
This is from her Wikipedia bio:
[quote] A child of music teachers, Williams grew up in a musical household, studying classical and jazz dance, French horn, piano, and violin. She was offered the Presidential Scholarship for Drama to attend Carnegie Mellon University during the college application period, (one of 12 students to receive it) but decided instead to attend Syracuse University on a different scholarship. Thus, in 1981, Williams joined Syracuse's College of Visual and Performing Arts, Department of Drama as a musical theater major. She stayed at Syracuse through her second year until she was crowned Miss America 1984 in September 1983.
She is a real talent.
I'm the guy from earlier posts above who interviewed her. At the time, she had been on the Special Olympics organization board of directors for over a decade, and I assumed she was probably just a celebrity spokesperson who agreed to put her name on it. She wasn't. She knew the organization inside and out, she was deeply committed to it, and she had just made an independent movie in part influenced by her Special Olympics affiliation in which she played the mother of an intellectually disabled son, and it was important to her that the actor be intellectually disabled rather than a Gilbert Grape type scenario with a teen pinup being lauded for behaving stereotypically as a "mentally retarded" person. She talked a lot about her (many!) children and she seemed protective of the actors who played her kids in the movie. Of everyone I've interviewed, she is one of two who impressed me in every way, beginning with personal character and insight.
by Anonymous | reply 198 | October 23, 2021 1:08 PM
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[quote] Maybe a more smooth jazz genre material like Sade would have fit her, and been a more logical transition from her Adult Contemporary ballad style but still doing more exciting and memorable music.
It does.
Offsite Linkby Anonymous | reply 199 | October 23, 2021 1:11 PM
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Ostensibly this discussion is about "Save The Best For Last. " I know why it was a hit but it's not my favorite of hers. Her "Comfort Zone" CD has wonderful, more soulful ballads -- "Still In Love", "Just For Tonight", "Goodbye" and "One Reason." All of her albums have great ballads and midtempos. I think she made excellent choices in material. She is not a bellowing pop diva (I LOVE bellowing pop divas, BTW) and she knows it. She always recorded in her comfort zone.
by Anonymous | reply 201 | October 23, 2021 6:11 PM
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So in the song, she’s a masochist waiting for this guy to finish with his game and notice how great she is? You think a man wrote this song?
by Anonymous | reply 202 | October 23, 2021 6:32 PM
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The NYT used to have a column in their Business section where they would interview a celebrity and discuss their investments. Williams was interviewed and she had recently married, a football player I think, and there was some discussion about assets that were not joint property. She said she had about 8 million in assets.
by Anonymous | reply 203 | October 23, 2021 6:52 PM
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One of my all time favorite is You Can’t Run…very sexy song…
Offsite Linkby Anonymous | reply 204 | October 23, 2021 6:56 PM
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What is this race talk? Why is race being brought up? There are white people who like neo-soul and R&B and rap. Look around you. There are black people who like country and pop and rock.
Music is universal. It’s not for any specific race. Grow up.
by Anonymous | reply 205 | October 23, 2021 6:56 PM
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[quote] So in the song, she’s a masochist waiting for this guy to finish with his game and notice how great she is? You think a man wrote this song?
Yes, it's about a woman waiting patiently in the wings for a man to finish fucking every other woman he wants to fuck. Song written by 2 men and 1 woman.
by Anonymous | reply 206 | October 23, 2021 7:12 PM
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Ewwwww I fucking hate country, especially old country. The Gambler by Kenny Rogers came on the radio yesterday and his voice makes me wanna fucking stab everyone between the eyes.
by Anonymous | reply 207 | October 23, 2021 7:22 PM
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I LOVE this song, r205. I love it so much, I'm going to post the link again.
Offsite Linkby Anonymous | reply 209 | October 23, 2021 7:27 PM
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R208 No. That's most people. Only a certain kind of brain dead turd LOVES country. Most blacks wouldn't be caught dead listening to country.
by Anonymous | reply 210 | October 23, 2021 7:28 PM
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[quote] This song, “Hero”, “From A Distance”, Celine, all of those cheesy ballads drove me nuts.
Don't forget "Wind Beneath My Wings!" God, I hated all those crummy songs. And they were all big hits. I guess some people really love dreck.
by Anonymous | reply 211 | October 23, 2021 7:31 PM
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r205 the only person who brought it up was that disgusting troll.
by Anonymous | reply 212 | October 23, 2021 7:40 PM
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[quote]Don't forget "Wind Beneath My Wings!" God, I hated all those crummy songs. And they were all big hits. I guess some people really love dreck.
The Adult Contemporary sound that was so popular in the late 80s/early 90s was just awful. I thought it would never end.
by Anonymous | reply 213 | October 23, 2021 7:41 PM
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Pebbles = money thieving cunt
Suzette Choke on a Cockles = title stealing cunt
by Anonymous | reply 214 | October 23, 2021 8:02 PM
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My goodness r113, I've never seen that performance before. What power and beauty Whitney had. I'm truly moved.
by Anonymous | reply 215 | October 23, 2021 9:02 PM
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I always enjoyed her Christmas album. One of the better ones that nearly every pop star seems to release at some point in their career.
by Anonymous | reply 216 | October 23, 2021 9:44 PM
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It's not even fair to show Whitney, R113. She is a whole other stratosphere. One of her very own. Nobody sounds like that, ever. She is the voice of all our creators.
by Anonymous | reply 217 | October 24, 2021 2:06 AM
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What is Suzette up to these days? I’d like to know what she did that was so bitchy…
by Anonymous | reply 218 | October 24, 2021 3:17 AM
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There are some fine southern soft rock bands that were awesome.
My all time favorite is POCO. “In the Heart of the Night”. “ Crazy Love”.
by Anonymous | reply 219 | October 24, 2021 11:50 AM
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This just came up on a playlist and it was just so enjoyable. A song that is always nice to hear. Makes you feel nice.
by Anonymous | reply 220 | September 5, 2022 1:29 AM
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30 years and still amazing
by Anonymous | reply 221 | September 5, 2022 1:35 AM
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The opening sounds exactly like the David Foster / Olivia Newton-John duet “The Best of Me”.
by Anonymous | reply 222 | September 5, 2022 1:36 AM
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Wasn't there a MADTV parody of the song that went "Now you can all just kiss my ass..."
by Anonymous | reply 223 | September 5, 2022 1:36 AM
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I don't hate it, but it's simple and maudlin. The album it's from has 6-7 better songs, including several album tracks, IMO.
by Anonymous | reply 224 | September 5, 2022 1:39 AM
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Comfort Zone was an excellent album...I wore it out.
by Anonymous | reply 225 | September 5, 2022 1:48 AM
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R220 What a convenient excuse to bump up your old thread fatass!
by Anonymous | reply 226 | September 5, 2022 1:54 AM
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R218 one thing I heard was that during Miss America week Vanessa was a sweetheart and a contestant favorite, and Suzette was a butch who wasn’t there to make friends.
by Anonymous | reply 227 | September 5, 2022 1:58 AM
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Comfort Zone was an excellent album...I wore it out
by Anonymous | reply 229 | September 5, 2022 2:13 AM
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It's schmaltz, but it works. I wonder if Diana Ross was ever in the running to record it.
by Anonymous | reply 230 | September 5, 2022 2:43 AM
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Is she still married to that white guy? She hasn’t been seen with him in like 3 years.
by Anonymous | reply 231 | September 5, 2022 2:48 AM
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I remember on LSA a while back someone wrote that Vanessa is quietly out in recent years... It puts the analingus pics in context, not to mention her early experience of same sex child sexual abuse.
by Anonymous | reply 232 | September 5, 2022 2:50 AM
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I met her once at a party in Atlanta in the late 90s. I saw her from across the room and she was stunning. When was I face to face with her, she had the worst complexion I had ever seen. Im sure she made some dermatologist very rich.
by Anonymous | reply 233 | September 5, 2022 2:56 AM
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R233 She has always caked on the makeup like those old Hollywood stars used to do. Not surprised she didn’t look as great up close.
Was she nice?
by Anonymous | reply 234 | September 5, 2022 2:58 AM
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Yes, very nice. Charming, funny and engaging.
by Anonymous | reply 235 | September 5, 2022 3:00 AM
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Dumb song and OP’s parents were right to reject it.
She’s great, though.
by Anonymous | reply 236 | September 5, 2022 3:01 AM
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Has her left eyelash broke loose from her eyelid?
Offsite Linkby Anonymous | reply 237 | September 5, 2022 3:01 AM
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and btw r234...i DIDNT say she wasn't just as stunning up close...just a bad complexion with, like you said, caked on makeup to try and hide it.
by Anonymous | reply 238 | September 5, 2022 3:02 AM
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I actually love her Christmas album, listen to it every year. Saw her in concert last year in Palm Springs. She said she was very involved with Lion King until the top brass at Disney said she wasn't Disney material and she was out. Said she loved it when they came crawling back for Pocahontas. She sounded great.
by Anonymous | reply 239 | September 5, 2022 3:19 AM
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I don't recall a big female song in Lion King. Did Celine Dion have a number in that?
by Anonymous | reply 240 | September 5, 2022 3:21 AM
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[quote] "Colors Of The Wind" is a great Disney song, but a real tongue twister with all it's Ws. Barbara Walters would never get through it.
Barbara's problems weren't her Ws, but rather her Rs and Ls.
"...but to my mind, a weawwy weguwah guy!"
Offsite Linkby Anonymous | reply 241 | September 5, 2022 3:25 AM
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She was a pro activ spokesperson for years so I’m sure she was able to fix her complexion issues
by Anonymous | reply 242 | September 5, 2022 4:02 AM
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I just did some research and apparently Vanessa let it slip earlier this year that she’s no longer married. She was asked if her husband wears cologne and she said “I don’t have a husband” and kind of laughed it off. It’s at the 9:25 point in the video.
Wonder what went wrong.
Offsite Linkby Anonymous | reply 244 | September 5, 2022 7:45 AM
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She was married to BB player Rick Fox (and had at least one kid), and then to the next guy (multiple kids) for almost a decade. I think she got married again after that. But I don't know much about the guy and when they got divorced.
by Anonymous | reply 245 | September 5, 2022 4:02 PM
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Rick Fox came after the first husband, who managed her career, IIRC.
by Anonymous | reply 246 | September 5, 2022 4:08 PM
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You're right, 246. Fox was after Ramon Hervey, not before.
by Anonymous | reply 247 | September 5, 2022 4:31 PM
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We aren’t talking about her first two husbands - there was a white guy she married in 2015 that just disappeared.
by Anonymous | reply 248 | September 5, 2022 6:59 PM
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Her daughter, the one she had with Ramon Hervey, is in an alternative R&B duo called Lion Babe. I like some of their stuff.
Offsite Linkby Anonymous | reply 249 | September 5, 2022 7:28 PM
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I always thought her comeback was brilliant. Her ex knew how to market her. She became an R&B/new jack swing pop star following Janet, Jody and Pebbles. But people were surprised she could actually sing and act and her beauty and sex appeal wasn't all she had. So Vanessa stuck around. I don't think she ever liked that dance-pop she made but it was simply in fashion and she had the physical look that was popular for it. Once she got on stage and did movies and TV, she kept making ballads and show tunes because that is what she likes. She really lived her life to the fullest and had good people around her.
by Anonymous | reply 250 | September 5, 2022 7:34 PM
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R250 agreed but you speak of her like she’s dead. She’s still around and living her life lol
by Anonymous | reply 251 | September 5, 2022 7:39 PM
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She was set to open in a revival of "City of Angels" in the West End just before the initial Covid lockdown.
by Anonymous | reply 252 | September 5, 2022 7:41 PM
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I wish she did pop/dance/R&B still like her first two albums. After Save the Best For Last, she seemed to never let go of the schmaltzy sappy ballads and showtunes.
by Anonymous | reply 253 | September 5, 2022 8:12 PM
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She must be 60. You want her to Bananarama?
by Anonymous | reply 254 | September 5, 2022 8:20 PM
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OP writes with all the finesse and flourish of an eight year old. Fuck off, OP.
by Anonymous | reply 255 | September 5, 2022 8:22 PM
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My mom absolutely loved this song and this woman. This makes me so nostalgic.
by Anonymous | reply 256 | September 5, 2022 8:24 PM
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If Debbie Gibson, Cher and Madonna are still doing dance pop music why can't Vanessa?
by Anonymous | reply 258 | September 5, 2022 9:24 PM
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Why would she want to do so?
by Anonymous | reply 259 | September 5, 2022 9:25 PM
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R258 Agreed.
R259 Maybe because it would be nice for her to change it up a bit.
by Anonymous | reply 260 | September 5, 2022 9:26 PM
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Dance music gets sad for most performers past a certain age - singing over backing tracks in clubs etc. Vanessa gets to do shows with orchestras. There's no comparison for a live performer.
by Anonymous | reply 261 | September 5, 2022 9:28 PM
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R261 = stan who gets defensive about his “divas” and can’t admit when they could do better
by Anonymous | reply 262 | September 5, 2022 9:30 PM
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Computer programmed music on slim/no budget when the performer is well over 40 is not doing better, hon.
by Anonymous | reply 263 | September 5, 2022 9:32 PM
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