In All Of  The World So Far, I'm The Greatest Star.

The quandry ...

We've been on the net for several months now and during that time - we're proud to say - we believe that we have become well established as one of the premier sites covering the lives of the world's much loved divas. Witness the votes and comments flowing in from individuals and, more pertinently, as a result of diva megafans posting information on their personal favourite divas club pages and chat rooms. This is the case for two in particular - Diana Ross and Karen Carpenter. Obviously we welcome the appreciation and publicity given to the site but this does give rise to the problem of how the accolade of Diva Supreme is accorded and how the rankings are arranged. Does this phenomenon mean that those divas who do not have active appreciation societies or web sites devoted exclusively to them, will never rise in the rankings or attain the position of Diva Supreme?

The question we are asking ourselves here at Diva HQ is whether or not the biggest vote grabbers are receiving their votes on the basis of ALL the criteria laid out in The Diva Principle, our Bible, or whether these votes cover only one or two aspects of the subject's being. In the case of Miss Ross we would never argue that she does not fulfill all the criteria ... but KC? We would not deny that she has one of the clearest and most pleasing voices to have ever graced the airwaves and that her tragic and largely self- induced early death entitles her to a place in divadom

but ...

Has KC ever drifted through a hotel foyer dripping with diamonds and furs, paying haughty lip service to her adoring acolytes?

Have women throughout the world attempted to imitate the KC look and bearing?

Should the fact that there has never been the whiff of a tragic love affair, sex scandal or rocky abusive marriage have a bearing on her fans' claim to divadom?

This is not intended to detract from KC's greatness or immortality. Voicewise we would never deny her a place in the upper echelons of divadom but we have noticed that in her case, the majority of comments accompanying her votes encapsulate only her voice quality and make little refence to other conditions of divadom. We made it clear in The Diva Principle that this is not a site for voting for one's favourite singer, actress or politician - other sites admirably cover that - our brief is to rise above mundane personal preferences and to present these legendary ladies in the most objective form possible. 

... the solution

On the basis of these observations and questions, we have decided that, whilst the rankings within the categories will still be decided by popular acclaim, the position of Diva Supreme and the "You're the Top!" category, will, from now on, be decided at Sitemaster level. Undemocratic? Yes - but would any of our featured icons have ever had any time for popular opinion?

Whilst this painful decision is final, we still want to hear your views but please - not by Email, but on Divas - The Forum which is intended for this sort of discussion.

Even when she leaves, she still is there.
She's there!