Divas and diva wannabes

Something to keep us busy until the skating begins. Over on "The Edge" in the Sasha's Journal thread is some interesting discussion of who is a Diva vs. who is not (a diva wannabe). Who do you consider a Diva and who is just a diva wannabe? Can include any profession, real person, or a character.

Diva - diva wannabe
Barbra Streisand - Diana Ross
Dr. Jeff Gieger (Chicago Hope) - Dr. Romano (ER)

I'm a diva

I'm a diva wannabe.


Okay, I'll play:
Diva: Courtney Love
Diva Wannabe: Courtney Love

Diva: Madonna
DW: Brittney Spears

Diva: Billy Crystal
DW: David Letterman

Diva: Jeremy Irons
DW: Val Kilmer

Diva: The Soprano star who held out for the huge bucks
DW: Dennis Franz when he was on "NYPD Blue"

Diva: Guy who directed "Titanic"
DW: Guy who directed "Spiderman" and "Spiderman 2"

Mostly I keep thinking of divas who lost their diva status and now are dying to get it back. I think Diana Ross WAS a diva in the '80s, but she lost her diva status when, at the Grammy's one year, she started bouncing L'il Kim's pasty-covered breast in her hand, laughing, "What is that?!" A Diva Dive into Non-Divahood.

Jim Carrey is another ExDiva. I loved "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind" and thought it was Carrey's best performance since "Doing Time on Maple Drive"--a made-for-TV movie while he was on "In Living Color." But when Carrey didn't get an Oscar nomination and prior to that did the over-the-top, maudlin "I'm begging for an Oscar!" movie, "The Majestic," his diva status went pfft!

Now Val Kilmer is interesting, IMO. I put him down as a diva wannabe, because he was studying intensely at the James Dean Diva Academy for Young Actors when he was doing "The Doors" and on into the early '90s. Then he disappeared for a while -- rehab? Don't know -- and in the last two years did amazingly good work in David Mamet's "Spartan" and, even though he doesn't look like the tall skinny John Holmes, Kilmer got the whiney coke addict and base-head Holmes down to a T in '04's "Wonderland" about the murders in the house on LA's Wonderland Avenue. Should have won something for that IMO. A great example of how an actor can seem to look like the real person he's playing using voice, posture, mannerisms, and for lack of a better word, spirit.

Celebs keep popping in and out of my head, but it's a sad day. I'll play more later. Great game, Piel! :agree:

Rgirl

If we use the classic definition, that is, faultless technique, absolute artisty and a demanding temper. In skating I can only think of Kat.

I don't follow pop stars but I imagine there are a number of them.

I'm with rGirl on Val Kilmer - a much underrated actor. I don't know if he is tempermental.

I'm also a Jim Carey fan - I think I'm the only one who understood the Cable Man and with that script he was perfect but totally misunderstood. I can see Carey as having temperment.

Johnny Depp is so low key. He couldn't be a diva. Brilliant actor, though, and like Cary Grant will never win an Oscar.

Streep? Foster? Kidman? and the overrated one from Shakespeare in Love.

Joe

Joesitz said:

If we use the classic definition, that is, faultless technique, absolute artisty and a demanding temper. In skating I can only think of Kat.

I don't follow pop stars but I imagine there are a number of them.

I'm with rGirl on Val Kilmer - a much underrated actor. I don't know if he is tempermental.

I'm also a Jim Carey fan - I think I'm the only one who understood the Cable Man and with that script he was perfect but totally misunderstood. I can see Carey as having temperment.

Johnny Depp is so low key. He couldn't be a diva. Brilliant actor, though, and like Cary Grant will never win an Oscar.

Streep? Foster? Kidman? and the overrated one from Shakespeare in Love.

Click to expand...

ITA with you Joe about Depp. He's also been too much of his own man in choosing the roles he wanted as an actor and not as a product to be a diva; however, that doesn't mean he may not have been difficult at times. With some (most?) of the producers and money people in Hollywood, it seems like a sign of good character if an actor IS difficult with those jerks.

And yeah, Depp will probably never win an Oscar. He'll either get an "Oops, we screwed up!" Lifetime Achievement Award when he's 90 or else he won't win the Oscar for some future Oscar worthy performance and, like Newman, instead they'll give it to him years later for a good but not great performance just so the members of the Academy can say they did.

As for "Cable Guy," that makes two of us who appreciated it. The film had its flaws, but I liked it a lot and also thought Carrey was superb -- Matthew Broderick, too. A challenging role; no wonder JC lobbied so hard to do it. But you're right, Joe. Nobody got it, even certain critics who should have. I mean, hello! It's a black comedy! They've been around since Homer.

Meryl Streep: From the LA/NY screenwriting and PR folk I know (by acquaintance), she's truly just plain folks and always has been. She just happens to ride to work in a limo. From what I've heard, there's no Meryl Streep/Glenn Close rivalry, at least not on Streep's part.

Jodie Foster: From same grapevine, Foster is pro, pro, pro, and very private. JMO, but I think all that John Hinckley stuff and his Reagan assassination attempt "to show his love for her" when she was at such a vulnerable age (about 18-19) probably really did a job on her and perhaps made her realize (with supportive help) the critical importance of balancing one's private and public persona when fame is part and parcel of what you do. I think Jodie's one of the best in the world in films--acting for sure and could develop as a director--but I wouldn't be surprised to see her take either an early retirement or some extended time off in order to devote it to family life.

Kidman: The grapevine gang again: Much more nervous and insecure than you would think, say they, which the grapevine thinks accounts for some of her hissy fits rather than divaism.

The overrated one from "Shakespeare in Love," Gwyneth Paltrow, is right! Dumb movie; even dumber performance. And in a year when Cate Blanchett blew everyone else out of the water as "Elizabeth." Worst Oscar vote won by worst performance. Though I must say Gwynny was great as "Emma" and as the prostitute in "Hard Eight." For both films: Great parts; right actress. As to her diva status, I don't know. She dated Ben Affleck?

More candidates:
Diva: Simon Cowell
Diva Wannabe: Paula Abdul

Diva: Cartman
Diva Wannabe: Butters

Diva: My cat
Diva Wannabe: Myself

Rgirl