Preacher Lawson Episode 16 (Almost Died)

Elizabeth Taylor: The Last of the Great Movie Stars

Glamour. Beauty. Diva. Icon. Star. Celebrity. Actress. Humanitarian. And the list goes on... With a live life to the fullest attitude and a no-nonsense approach to such, Elizabeth Taylor has to be the last of the great, big movie stars to pass on. In death, I am sure she will be both celebrated and remembered on many levels. She was definitely a celebrity unlike any other. Personally, I appreciated how real she would be in interviews, especially those with Larry King. Usually, a diva of her stature wouldn't be so forthcoming, human even.

As a performer, I appreciate her performances, primarily her bravura, Academy Award winning one for Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (her second in 1966; the first win was in 1961 for Butterfield 8 - for a total of five career nominations and the Jean Herscholt Humanitarian Award in 1992). I first discovered the film in high school and then studied it in an Acting class in college. Watching her and Richard Burton was like watching 'acting perfection' - seeing the two of them in their prime, both playing juicy roles to the hilt. It was definitely one of those 'ah-ha' moments of my life. Even now, when I see the film, I am just as excited and wowed by it. You would think I was at a sporting event watching the two of them.

Her White Diamonds commercials were always a guilty pleasure of mine. In fact, it is one of my favorite scents. Diva Kingsley introduced it to me one year when it was given to me as a Christmas gift. I was hooked instantly. I was also fond of all the work she did over the years for those living with HIV/AIDS, a cause she took hold of head on after her dear friend, Rock Hudson, died. She was a fearless activist and also covered a lot of the overhead cost of her Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation, so the monies raised would all go towards the research and outreach the organization does. I truly believe that work will mostly be her legacy.

Then just watching her through the years; she was always such a dynamic entity. While the naysayers would dog her out over her numerous marriages (8 total, twice to Richard Burton), her hospitalizations, addictions, you name it... Dame Taylor would seemingly dust herself off and face the crowd, as it were, every time. I, personally, found that to be one of her best qualities. Critics can say what they want, as they all do, but there will be no one like her. She truly does seem to be the last of the great Hollywood divas.

It is the end of an era.

Loleatta Holloway: Catch You on the Rebound, Sister

The news broke, for me, this morning. Soul singer, disco diva Loleatta Holloway has passed on to the other side. She, like so many other songstresses, is like an old friend. A lot of memories of Back Street and Menjo's in Detroit back in the day, with her wailing and Marky Mark's rap playing in the background - I am almost certain Diva Kingsley and I practiced our runway walk as their song thump, thump, thumped on the club's speaker system. Then my good friend, Cecil Gibbs, suggested I do her song Crash Goes Love on a show one night and I can't tell you how much fun of a lip sync that was for me. Nobody could holler, scream, belt, moan or even howl like Miss Loleatta Holloway. She had a signature style all her own.

To where one of her contemporaries may have sounded seemingly out of place, her delivery always made sense. It not only suited her, but it was expected. Then later in her career, she did a remake of Prince's I Wanna Be Your Lover, that I surely wore out at my drag shows here in South Florida. Her rendition is so smooth, yet upbeat and lively. I am also fond of her remake of You Light Up My Life (a lovely, soulful rendition of the Debby Boone hit), Madonna's Like A Prayer (from the tribute album Virgin Voices), Catch Me on the Rebound, Love Sensation, Hit and Run and Ride on Time (with Black Box) - all fabulous, disco/dance classics and chart successes. Not to mention all the countless times she has been sampled, remixed in to, out of, throughout, compiled, interpolated, et al.

There are so many more songs of hers that take me back, and that I still enjoy dusting off and listening to every now and then - or even do on a show on occasion. She is definitely one of my more fun 'voices' to do my female impersonation act to - and I just want to thank her - for the great songs, the fond memories at a club with friends ...and a fun, lively, on my toes lip sync for a show - either way she brought a lot of joy to so many lives.

Ms. Holloway was born November 5, 1946 in Chicago, Illinois. She got her start, rooted in gospel music with Albertina Walker and the group the Caravans. She enjoyed a long and storied career, that spanned over four decades and was a mainstay primarily on the Billboard dance chart. Loleatta Holloway died on March 21, 2011, after a brief illness and slipping into a coma due to heart failure. She will be missed, but the legacy of not only her songs, but her singing style will surely live on.