VH1 Divas 2012 Recap: Whitney Houston and Donna Summer Remembered as Stars Celebrate Divas of Dance - East Idaho News
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VH1 Divas 2012 Recap: Whitney Houston and Donna Summer Remembered as Stars Celebrate Divas of Dance

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Getty 040412 WhitneyHouston?  SQUARESPACE CACHEVERSION=1355790812582LENNART PREISS/AFP/Getty Images(LOS ANGELES) — The stars of this year’s edition of VH1 Divas celebrated the music of the late Donna Summer and Whitney Houston on Sunday night, and paid tribute to the divas of dance, including Blondie and Madonna.

Demi Lovato opened the show at Los Angeles’ Shrine Auditorium with a somber dedication to the victims of Friday’s shootings in Newtown, Conn.

Here are some of the show’s musical highlights:

— Host Adam Lambert got things under way with a cover of David Bowie’s “Let’s Dance,” after having been put through his “diva” paces by NeNe Leakes and Paula Abdul in his dressing room during a sketch.

— The newly-engaged Kelly Clarkson flashed her ring as she performed her single, “Catch My Breath.”

— Ciara showed off her dance moves with a tribute to Michael Jackson’s “Billie Jean,” before breaking into her own “Got Me Good.”

— Sheila E introduced a video montage of hits by Donna Summer as the show remembered the disco diva, who passed away in May. Kelly Rowland, Keri Hilson and Adam Lambert then sang a medley of Summer’s songs, including “Love to Love You Baby,”  “Bad Girls,” “She Works Hard for the Money,” “Last Dance” and “Hot Stuff.”

— Kelly Osbourne introduced a tribute to Blondie by saying, “I always admired my dad but I really wanted to be Debbie Harry.” Canadian pop-rockers Metric played “Heart of Glass,” led by singer Emily Haines in front of a Parallel Lines black and white backdrop.

— Miley Cyrus boosted her pop-rock-goddess cred, dressed in leather and studs for a raunchy version of Billy Idol’s “Rebel Yell.”

— There was a version of Deee-Lite’s “Groove is in the Heart” by Natasha Bedingfield, Iggy Azalea and Parliament-Funkadelic bass player Bootsy Collins, who played on the original track.

— Glee’s Amber Riley introduced clips of Madonna’s greatest hits. Adam Lambert then hit the stage with his version of “Ray of Light.”

— The tribute to Whitney Houston, who died in February, was introduced by Brandy. A medley of Houston’s songs, including “I’m Every Woman,” I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me),” “It’s Not Right but it’s Okay” and “How Will I Know,” was performed by Jordin Sparks, Melanie Fiona and Ledisi.

— The show also featured performances by Demi Lovato, Paloma Faith and Pitbull, who gave a shout-out to the late Mexican-American singer Jenni Rivera, who perished in a plane crash last week. House DJ Havana Brown kept the wheels spinning throughout the night.

Copyright 2012 ABC News Radio

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