Jennifer Holliday

[TruthBTold]

Jennifer Holliday has pulled out as a performer at the Inaugural Ceremonies and has apologized to the LGBT community for accepting in the first place. She said, “I sincerely apologize for my lapse of judgement . . . for being uneducated on the issues that affect every American at this crucial time in history and for causing such dismay and heartbreak to my fans.” She is also going to be going on MSNBC's Morning Joy tomorrow at 9:00 AM ET to explain her position. It is hosted by Joy Reid and I recommend the show generally.

[jjkrkwood]

Jennifer Holliday has pulled out as a performer at the Inaugural Ceremonies and has apologized to the LGBT community for accepting in the first place. She said, “I sincerely apologize for my lapse of judgement . . . for being uneducated on the issues that affect every American at this crucial time in history and for causing such dismay and heartbreak to my fans.” She is also going to be going on MSNBC's Morning Joy tomorrow at 9:00 AM ET to explain her position. It is hosted by Joy Reid and I recommend the show generally.

 

 

Good for her. At least now she will be able to sustain some kind of career doing those gigs in Gay clubs. Yaassssss Ms Holiday, you GO gurl !

[bostonman]

My first time hearing her rendition of "And I Am Telling You" from Dreamgirls when I was a teen was one of those unforgettable moments when I knew I was listening to something historic. To this day I can't listen to that recording without getting goosebumps. I am relieved to hear that she is telling us she's not going.

[TruthBTold]

My first time hearing her rendition of "And I Am Telling You" from Dreamgirls when I was a teen was one of those unforgettable moments when I knew I was listening to something historic. To this day I can't listen to that recording without getting goosebumps. I am relieved to hear that she is telling us she's not going.

 

Me too. I usually well up. I call it the "gay national anthem." Well, actually I am not sure if it would be that or "Over the Rainbow," but let's not fight.

[+ WilliamM]

Me too. I usually well up. I call it the "gay national anthem." Well, actually I am not sure if it would be that or "Over the Rainbow," but let's not fight.

 

Back in 1999, I remember reading several sources mentioning "Over the Rainbow" voted the best song of the 20th century. I saw Garland and Holliday sing the respective songs in person, so for me it's a tie. (Judy Garland in 1961, Jennifer Holliday in 1981)

[tyro]

Hate me if you must, but...

"I Am Changing" is my fave.

T

[TruthBTold]

Well, if you must.

[Bearofdistinction]

Gay Anthems Change as the Years Progress and New Songs Come along

 

-Somewhere over the Rainbow - Wizzing on OZ

 

-I am What I am - Le Cage aux Folles

 

-And I am telling you -- NOT REALLY -- It is a great song but by a straight women about her man

 

-True Colors - Cyndi Lauper -- Part of a 3 year Celebrity Tour to benefit HRC written in honor of her lesbian sister

 

I am sure there have been others

[+ Italiano]

Mariah Carey should sing then. She would be great.

[+ sync]

This is one of my favorites of that song because, at the time, I was surprised to learn that Jake Gyllenhaal has a sense of humor.

 

[MEDIA=vimeo]94958219[/MEDIA]

[+ José Soplanucas]

This is one of my favorites of that song because, at the time, I was surprised to learn that Jake Gyllenhaal has a sense of humor.]

 

Damn, he looks so sexy in drag!

[+ sync]

Damn, he looks so sexy in drag!

 

Yes, that also surprised me.

[jjkrkwood]

Yes, that also surprised me.

 

REALLY ??? (some sources claim he has a little sugar in his tank, but you know how sources are ?)

[+ Eric Hassan]

Gay Anthems Change as the Years Progress and New Songs Come along

 

-Somewhere over the Rainbow - Wizzing on OZ

 

-I am What I am - Le Cage aux Folles

 

-And I am telling you -- NOT REALLY -- It is a great song but by a straight women about her man

 

-True Colors - Cyndi Lauper -- Part of a 3 year Celebrity Tour to benefit HRC written in honor of her lesbian sister

 

I am sure there have been others

 

Thank you for not adding "It's Raining Men" Or "Lady Marmalade" in this list of "anthems" - I would have had to shoot myself.

 

I saw Cyndi Lauper's tour at Radio City - it was fun, though I was worried that Debbie Harry might fall over - she had ginormous heels on and it looked kinda risky. Erasure were surprisingly boring but the Dresden Dolls did a better job than I expected.

[Bearofdistinction]

Thank you for not adding "It's Raining Men" Or "Lady Marmalade" in this list of "anthems" - I would have had to shoot myself.

 

I saw Cyndi Lauper's tour at Radio City - it was fun, though I was worried that Debbie Harry might fall over - she had ginormous heels on and it looked kinda risky. Erasure were surprisingly boring but the Dresden Dolls did a better job than I expected.

 

 

LOL Apparently Debbie Schlepped those heals across the country because I saw her in the same ones in Atlantic City

And Erasure was missing but the B-52s Were in the Love Shack and Margaret Cho was fabu especially when Carson Cresley (Queer Eye) joined her

[Larstrup]

Jennifer Holliday has pulled out as a performer at the Inaugural Ceremonies and has apologized to the LGBT community for accepting in the first place.

 

This move by Holliday, singling out our LGBT community to apologize to as her purpose for pulling out of the inaugural, while there were (are), especially for a woman of color, obviously so many other immediate and higher-profile concerns to do so is just baffling to me. While I appreciate her support, I feel there are more serious issues plaguing our politics which she could have based her reasoning on for this move.

[bostonman]

Gay Anthems Change as the Years Progress and New Songs Come along

 

-Somewhere over the Rainbow - Wizzing on OZ

 

-I am What I am - Le Cage aux Folles

 

-And I am telling you -- NOT REALLY -- It is a great song but by a straight women about her man

 

-True Colors - Cyndi Lauper -- Part of a 3 year Celebrity Tour to benefit HRC written in honor of her lesbian sister

 

I am sure there have been others

 

If you're going to make qualifications on "And I Am Telling You" then you have to do the same for "Over The Rainbow." There is nothing gay in the context of "Rainbow" at all - it is nothing more than a young girl's fantasy, yearning for something beyond her drab lonely home life. But - both songs, for whatever reasons, have been embraced by the gay community as having something to say. That's enough for me.

[mike carey]

If you're going to make qualifications on "And I Am Telling You" then you have to do the same for "Over The Rainbow." There is nothing gay in the context of "Rainbow" at all - it is nothing more than a young girl's fantasy, yearning for something beyond her drab lonely home life. But - both songs, for whatever reasons, have been embraced by the gay community as having something to say. That's enough for me.

We were reminded here today that the rainbow isn't just a gay 'thing'. We don't own it. There's an Australian foundation dedicated to organ donation that was set up in 2007 after the death of a seven year old (http://www.zaidee.org/) that uses rainbow cricket bat handle grips (rubber covers to the handles of cricket bats) and rainbow shoe laces as their fund raising method. Today, as a result of Australian cricket being broadcast in Ireland a cricket club there contacted the foundation to buy product and support them.

[+ glennnn]

Do any of you remember "Sad Young Men" from Roberta Flack's first album released in 1969? I think it was titled First Take. I was a long way from out in those days, but the song broke my heart. It's way too down to be an inspirational anthem, but a haunting commentary that became more and more poignant as the HIV epidemic became evident. It was the first piece by a mainstream artist that spoke directly to me.

[bigvalboy]

This move by Holliday, singling out our LGBT community to apologize to as her purpose for pulling out of the inaugural, when there were (are), especially for a woman of color, obviously so many other immediate and higher-profile concerns to do so is just baffling to me. While I appreciate her support, I feel there are more serious issues plaguing our politics which she could have based her reasoning on for this move.

 

Excellent point, and welcome BTW. You will be a valuable asset here.

 

She just finished briefly explaining this. She said that most of the tweets coming from the African American community were negative and directed at her personally, whereas the tweets and responses from the gay community asked her to look at the issues and the climate of the country politically. She said that it was that more constructive response that caused her to rethink her decision. When we, the gay community, stood in the streets of WEHO and LA to fight for gay marriage and equal rights and protection, it was the black churches and the African American community that fought us the hardest....I won't soon forget that.

[bostonman]

Do any of you remember "Sad Young Men" from Roberta Flack's first album released in 1969? I think it was titled First Take. I was a long way from out in those days, but the song broke my heart. It's way too down to be an inspirational anthem, but a haunting commentary that became more and more poignant as the HIV epidemic became evident. It was the first piece by a mainstream artist that spoke directly to me.

 

Actually, it didn't originate with Flack. It started in a 1959 Broadway show called The Nervous Set, score by Tommy Wolf and Fran Landesman. The writing duo are probably best known for one of their other songs, "Spring Can Really Hang You Up The Most," which became a jazz standard.

 

 

[+ glennnn]

Actually, it didn't originate with Flack. It started in a 1959 Broadway show called The Nervous Set, score by Tommy Wolf and Fran Landesman. The writing duo are probably best known for one of their other songs, "Spring Can Really hang You Up The Most," which became a jazz standard.

 

 

 

 

Thank you for the info! A beautiful, haunting song that moves me to this day. I'm going to do some research. I'm interested in the whole show and how this song fits into it. It seems pretty gritty and controversial for a 1959 show, and certainly deserves a mention as an important work about the gay experience.

[Larstrup]

Excellent point, and welcome BTW. You will be a valuable asset here.

 

She just finished briefly explaining this. She said that most of the tweets coming from the African American community were negative and directed at her personally, whereas the tweets and responses from the gay community asked her to look at the issues and the climate of the country politically. She said that it was that more constructive response that caused her to rethink her decision.

 

I would have preferred that she left the LGBT community out of her decision to rescind her performance and that she had relied upon her own 56 years of life experience as a woman of color to guide her conscience with this decision. The power of Twitter hate can be formidable, but your personal history and journey through life should be a more enduring justification for such a public decision of this magnitude.

 

Thanks for the welcome!

[actor61]

My first time hearing her rendition of "And I Am Telling You" from Dreamgirls when I was a teen was one of those unforgettable moments when I knew I was listening to something historic. To this day I can't listen to that recording without getting goosebumps. I am relieved to hear that she is telling us she's not going.

I agree. The first time I saw Holliday sing "And I Am Telling You" when Dreamgirls played the Shubert in Los Angeles, it was thrilling and very moving but now, her rendition has become a parody of the original. The mouth contortions, the slurred esses, the melodramatic swoops in notes and tone are just painful to watch. I think the woman is immensely talented but her technique has become so sloppy and over-the-top that I don't enjoy listening to her anymore and quite frankly, I have trouble understanding the words now which was never a problem in the 1980s. Sorry guys.

[+ WilliamM]

I would have preferred that she left the LGBT community out of her decision to rescind her performance and that she had relied upon her own 56 years of life experience as a woman of color to guide her conscience with this decision. The power of Twitter hate can be formidable, but your personal history and journey through life should be a more enduring justification for her decision

 

Jennifer Holliday's comments were made at the very end of Joy Reid's two-hour program on MSNBC this morning, which largely celebrated the great achievements of Martin Luther King and Michelle & Barack Obama. it was an excellent show. Jennifer Holliday had plenty of time to tone down her comments about the reaction of the African-American community.

 

She chose to speak about her personal reaction, which took a bit of courage.