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Contents
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vii Contents Acknowledgments xv Introduction 3 Diva Complex Sappho (630 BC) 11 Love, I Implore You in Polyester Lapels Queen Elizabeth I (1533) 15 Heart of a King Virginia Woolf (1882) 19 This Perpetual Revision of Thought viii Margaret Dumont (1882) 24 Duchess of Dignity Bessie Smith (1892) 28 Empty Bed Blues . Claude Cahun (1894) 33 Masks, Makeup, Meaning Gracie Allen (1895) 37 Comic Muse Lotte Lenya (1898) 40 Divine Weltschmerz Gloria Swanson (1899) 43 Sunset Boulevard Marlene Dietrich (1901) 47 Falling in Love Again Joan Crawford (1905) versus Bette Davis (1908) 51 “But ya AHHH, Blanche!” Lucille Ball (1911) 55 Flaming Redhead Mahalia Jackson (1911) 59 Divine One Contents [18.117.196.184] Project MUSE (2024-04-17 20:00 GMT) ix Julia Child (1912) 62 Life’s Ingredients Billie Holiday (1915) 65 Lady Day Edith Piaf (1915) 69 A Share of Pain Evita Perón (1919) 73 Santa with a Soundtrack Grace Paley (1922) 76 O Stone! O Steel! Ava Gardner (1922) 80 Small-Town Girl . Aurora de Albornoz (1926) 85 Tía Divina Joan Sutherland (1926) 91 Dame Joan and I Eartha Kitt (1927) 94 Purrrfectly Detached . . Betty Berzon (1928) 99 Dinners with the Diminutive Diva Contents x Jeanne Moreau (1928) 103 Living Dangerously with Jeanne Jennifer Paterson [“Two Fat Ladies”] (1928) 107 Cocktails with Jennifer Audrey Hepburn (1929) 111 Adoration and the Icon Ms. Kiki Durane (Depression Era) 116 Her Sound and Fury Elizabeth Taylor (1932) 119 The Über-Diva . Anna Moffo (1932) 125 Her Funeral Nina Simone (1933) 131 I Got It Bad for Bangles and Diamonds Julie Andrews (1935) 134 My First Maria Tina Turner (1939) 139 Tina and I Karen Black (1939) 143 Diva of the Deranged Contents [18.117.196.184] Project MUSE (2024-04-17 20:00 GMT) xi Raquel Welch (1940) 147 As My Mother Julie Christie (1941) 152 The Cocteau Girl Helen Reddy (1941) 155 Before Anarchy Wonder Woman (1941) 160 Exploring the Amazon Diana Ross (1944) 167 How to Reign Supreme Rocío Dúrcal (1944) 172 The Day She Died Bette Midler (1945) 176 First Loves Jessye Norman (1945) 180 Als Ob Ich Säuseln Hörte Liza Minnelli (1946) 183 Everybody Loves a Winner Cher (1946) 188 History (1987–2000) Contents xii Laura Nyro (1947) 193 All She Asked of Living Stevie Nicks (1948) 197 “And Wouldn’t You Love to Love Her?” Jessica Lange (1949) 203 Isn’t It a Laugh? Patti LuPone (1949) 208 Patti’s Turn, In the Key of Diva Wendy Waldman (1950) 214 Seeds and Orphans Cyndi Lauper (1953) 218 The Sadness in Her Rasp Rickie Lee Jones (1954) 222 The Duchess of Coolsville Annie Lennox (1954) 225 Desire, Despair, Desire Siouxsie Sioux (1957) 229 Black Eyeliner and Dark Dreams Auntie Mame (1958) 234 “I’m Going to Open Doors for You, Doors You Never Even Dreamed Existed” Contents [18.117.196.184] Project MUSE (2024-04-17 20:00 GMT) xiii Kate Bush (1958) 239 The Invisible Diva Jamie Lee Curtis (1958) 243 When the Artist Met His Muse . Sade (1959) 248 The Other Material Girl Taylor Dayne (1962) 252 “Tell It to My Heart” Endora [“Bewitched”] (1964) 255 Afternoons as Endora Björk (1965) 258 With Regards to Ms. Gu¥mundsdóttir Kristin Hersh (1966) 262 “Is Sticky Ever Blue?” Céline Dion (1968) 267 Cirque du Céline Parker Posey (1968) 271 A Pocket Full of Posey . Margaret Cho (1968) 276 How to Break Every Oriental Stereotype in the Book Contents xiv Mary J. Blige (1971) 281 I Take Shallowness Seriously Princess Leia (1977) 285 Leia’s Kiss Contributors 289 Contents ...