Miss Ross: The True Hollywood Story on E!

**markydefad** · February 14th, 2003, 08:58 PM

Must-See TV!!!!

Diana Ross Defined Divadom, but Her World Kept Turning Upside Down

Premieres: Sun., Feb. 16, 8 p.m.
Encores: Feb. 17, 6 p.m.; Feb. 18, 8 p.m.; Feb. 23, 4 p.m.; Feb. 24, 8 p.m.

Some view her as a diva in the best sense--an entertainer whose spirit and talent raises the bar for all those around her. Others view her as a diva in the worst sense--an arrogant person who slept her way to the top of Motown at the expense of others, believing somehow she was above the rules.

Whatever your opinion of Diana Ross, this revealing E! True Hollywood Story, premiering February 16, will shed some light on one of the most important and successful female entertainers of the last 35 years. From humble beginnings in Detroit to her success with the Supremes and on her own, Diana Ross' voice has undoubtedly become a part of the soundtrack of America. At different times in her life, she personified R&B girl groups, disco queens and romantic balladeers.

It's nearly impossible to hear a few bars of "Baby Love," "Where Did Our Love Go" or "Endless Love" without having the tune stuck in your head for the rest of the day. Diana Ross strode confidently onto the music scene and never looked back.

This True Hollywood Story will help you understand what makes this diva tick and what makes some of her critics ticked off. But first, here are some fun facts about the woman who helped build Motown.

Facts & Figures: Everything You Need to Know About Diana Ross

Her original singing group, formed when she was a teenager, was called the Primettes.

Ross didn't like the Motown-ordered name change to the Supremes, because it sounded too masculine.

The Supremes were the first Motown group to appear on the Ed Sullivan Show. Ross looked a little freaky, because she bugged her eyes out.

Berry Gordy told the press that they could call the other Supremes by their first names, but Diana was to be called "Miss Ross."

In the 1960s, the Supremes had 12 number-one singles and three number-one albums. They were second only to the Beatles in record sales in that decade.

On her own, Ross had six singles hit number one, most notably "Upside Down," which spent 29 weeks in the top 100 and "Endless Love" with Lionel Richie, which spent 27 weeks on the charts, including nine at number one.

Diana Ross began her solo career following her final performance with the Supremes at the Frontier Hotel in Las Vegas on January 14, 1970.

She and Ryan O'Neal were the two originally picked to be in the movie The Bodyguard, way back in 1979.

Her brother Arthur was murdered in Michigan in 1996 after a drug deal went bad.

In September 1999, Ross caught people off guard when she grabbed Lil' Kim's breast at the MTV Music Awards, an incident regarded as one of the signs of her suspected substance-abuse troubles.

Days after the MTV incident, Ross got into a scuffle with a security guard before boarding the Concorde at London's Heathrow Airport. Ross reportedly grabbed the guard's breast after the guard touched hers during a pat-down search.

In 2000, the Return to Love tour--billed as a Supremes reunion--stopped after nine performances because of low ticket sales. Ross was the only original Supreme on that tour.

In May 2002, Ross checked herself into the celebrity-friendly Promises treatment center in Malibu, California, to deal with "personal issues."

On December 30, 2002, Ross was arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol in Tucson, Arizona.

She reportedly fell over while trying to complete a field sobriety test that involved walking in a straight line, counting and reciting the alphabet. Her blood-alcohol level was measured at 0.20. The limit at which drivers are considered intoxicated in Tucson is 0.08.

She is the Susan Lucci of the Grammys. Although she has been nominated for a whopping 12 Grammy awards in various categories, Diana Ross has somehow never won one.

Ross has four platinum albums: two solo ventures, one with the Supremes and one for Endless Love with Lionel Richie.

Her star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, for recording, is at 6712 Hollywood Boulevard. The Supremes have a separate star, for recording, at 7060 Hollywood Boulevard.

In 1988, the Supremes were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

(Just keepin' y'all informed.)

**keefelc** · February 14th, 2003, 09:19 PM

Mark, I was wondering if you knew about this show. However, I thought you would prefer to spend your time watching "The Music Man" remake with Matthew Broderick.

**HustleBaby** · February 15th, 2003, 01:11 AM

Yeah Marky I'm gonna check out Diana's THS sunday and all calls will be going to the answering machine. After that is over then I'll watch KINGPIN.

BTW its funny that her story is airing sunday and cable has been showing her movies all week long. Mahogany came on two days straight, twice a day :-? .

*DISCO DELIGHT*

**NickNack** · February 15th, 2003, 08:14 PM

Mark,

The blurb after the airtimes and the subsequent facts, is this all you or are you quoting a promo?

I'll probably catch one of the airings just so I can scowl at the TV. I'm definitely one of the 'divas in the worst sense' viewers. I know, I'm so :evil: .

**Robbie** · February 17th, 2003, 07:45 AM

I saw the E! True Hollywood Story on Miss Ross last night. It wasn't bad. It was interesting to see and hear the gossip. So Diane "gasped and swooned" at Flo's funeral, huh?? Mark Bego said that it was if it had been "choreographed". I would've loved to have seen it myself. :oops:

I didn't realize Miss Ross had such a sucky night at Motown 25. I remember watching that special. But seriously, do you really think ANY Supremes "reunion" would have the three girls together, as a group?? Not that Miss Ross would want to do another mic-snatching job again

!! The Mary Wilson sound bytes were good but I wish they gave her some time to elaborate on Diane.

In short, it was a good show.

**markydefad** · February 17th, 2003, 06:49 PM

Well, I watched the Miss Ross True Hollywood Story last evening with bated breath and a Mike's Hard Lemonade & a Michelob Lite)--Hey!!! it was TWO hours of info!!!

If you don't like Miss Ross...then you'll enjoy this show. Lotsa folks slam her. I was especially surprised at how much flack her singing on the early records was given. Also, the bugging of her eyes. They never mentioned the little "hiccup" she later affected in live performances. Martha Reeves obviously has some bitterness towards Miss Ross (she & the Vandellas lost their hitmaking song-writers after H-D-H were given to The Supremes by Berry Gordy)--even Lamont Dozier tells a tale of how Ross sang "Where Did Our Love Go" with an attitude, after being told to tone it down. Her attitude produced exactly what he wanted.

Lotsa fun info...some gorgeous photos and some really bad ones, too!!!!

I taped it (of course).