I Refuse to Concede that the Judgment in This Post Has Anything to Do With the Age of Its Author

No; its truth is universal.  Believe it.

I'm no big fan of Barbra Streisand, and not just because of her politics. But I will tell you this -- I would rather listen to her heartfelt, musical version of "The Way We Were" from this year's Oscars twenty times than to Jennifer Hudson's overwrought, insincere, look-at-me-how-'bout-them-pipes? version of "And I Am Telling You I Am Not Going" from the same broadcast ever again.  When she'd finally, finally concluded her whooping finish, I had to look away.  I was embarrassed at her lack of musicianship, and even more embarrassed that Hollywood royalty felt they had to stand up and cheer for that mess.  Surely there were some talents in that audience who knew the essential fraudulence of that performance.

I've had it with bellowing fake-emotion divas. They've got talent, but their taste and sincerity has been Whitney'd right out of them.

Knowing how to sing is one thing.  Today's divas know how to do that.  Their talent is undeniable.

They would be doing themselves, listeners, and music a big favor if they would concentrate on learning to sing songs.

And their yowling has infected American Idol and its imitators.  The Memsahib turned to it tonight, a show we used to watch, and after 47 seconds of a montage of the current crop of shrieking hopefuls, she switched the channel to something more musical, i.e., Bill O'Reilly.

You may not want Babs as Secretary of Health & Human Services, but the woman knows her way around a song. For all her immense gifts, Jennifer Hudson needs to calm down, put on a Julie London album, and have a sandwich or something.

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