That purr! That growl! Sorry Madonna but no one sang “Santa Baby” quite like Eartha Kitt, who died on Christmas day at the age of 81. She left behind a legacy of vampy, campy sexiness that even the stoic Batman couldn’t resist:
Love that nelly Rudy! And so did Kitt, whose later career arc saw her become a gay dance diva. She adored us and the feeling was mutual — after all, we all agreed on this:
As we lose an icon like Kitt, we’re left hoping that unstable celebs like Courtney Love can stand up for us against the likes of Kim Kardashian. I weep for the future!
Great performers are hard to come by. I wish I’d discovered this clip before the holidays but check out these two to see what I mean:
Can a straight guy be a diva? If so, New York Times columnist Frank Rich would be one of mine. On Friday, he delivered the last, best word on the Barack Obama/Rick Warren fiasco: “It’s bizarre that Obama, of all people, would allow himself to be on the wrong side of this history.”
No, for me, if we’re talking great female performers, I think Sigourney Weaver would be my diva. Comedy, drama, action — she’s an actress who can do anything and now, as producer and star, she’s turned the heartbreaking biography “Prayers for Bobby” into a TV-movie I will try my best not to cry through:
Damn! Too late!
Why you can trust Xtra
