Battle of the Divas :: essays research papers

â€Å"Kiss my Brass! I’m not retiring and you can’t make me.† Bette Midler is in the prime of her life, selling out her concerts entertaining millions with her amazing voice and witty sense of humor. For over thirty years, Bette has been in an everlasting competition with the other world wide known sarcastically blunt entertainer, Cher. These two divas have made their way to the top by producing numerous CD’s containing hit songs that will forever be remembered, and starred in hit movies earning the title as an actor/singer, which few have been able to do. Though they are in the same line of business and have accomplished similar things, they carry their weight in two opposite manners. Bette is a better entertainer for her amount of success, and way of performing in a decent manner. With four Grammys, three Emmys, two Oscar nominations and a special Tony to her credit (as of 1999), the self-styled â€Å"Queen of Trash† Bette Midler is one of the more honored multi-talented performers in American showbiz. Bette constructed the larger-than-life role of 'The Divine Miss M' (also the title of her 1972 debut album for Atlantic Records) and built her career as a red-haired performer with the wide, lovely smile. Bette's early 1970s act "nailed the nostalgia thing" with Andrews Sisters takeoffs 1973's "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy" and 1960s girl-group numbers, as well as including blues and show tunes in its broad musical spectrum. Midler formed her own production company, and made her first foray into producing with the successful "Beaches" (1990), an updated woman's picture which yielded her first Number 1 hit, "The Wind Beneath My Wings". Can anyone remember when Cher wasn’t around? She has gone from pop singer, TV and movie star, to a nobody: an infomercial queen and a laughingstock. She’s back at pop superstar, and all this occurred within approximately 15 years. Throughout it all, she survived in the public eye, something no one can take away from her. The best way to summarize Cher is to say that she has lived the equivalent of 5 lifetimes in one. The whole "I believe Sonny spoke to me beyond the grave" incident didn't exactly do anything to help her credibility, but Cher has never been afraid to be outspoken. She says what's on her mind, even though she might sound incoherent at times. She has received a lot of press for doing some wild stuff, and some people might feel that the media has always underrated her acting abilities.