New York (Top40 Charts/ VH1) - After a four year hiatus, "VH1 Divas" is officially back and better than ever! With a new crop of fresh, young, and talented female artists, "VH1 Divas" is gearing up to be an unforgettable night of girl-power at its best. For the first time ever Adele, Jennifer Hudson, Jordin Sparks,
Kelly Clarkson,
Leona Lewis and
Miley Cyrus will perform together live on the same stage at the Brooklyn Academy of
Music (BAM)
Howard Gilman Opera House in Brooklyn, New York. The fabulous
Paula Abdul is also set to join as Host for the evening. The "VH1 Divas" concert event will be televised live on VH1 on Thursday,
September 17 at 9:00pm.*
In addition to individual performances by the Divas, the show will also feature a lineup of incredible duets. India.Arie will sing with Adele, Stevie Wonder will sing with Jennifer Hudson, Martina McBride will sing with Jordin Sparks, Melissa Etheridge will sing with Kelly Clarkson, Cyndi Lauper will sing with Leona Lewis, and Sheryl Crow will sing with Miley Cyrus.
Newly announced musical guests include India.Arie, Stevie Wonder and The Rickey Minor Band as the "VH1 Divas" house band. Kathie Lee Gifford and Hoda Kotb will also grace the stage as presenters at "VH1 Divas" along with "Real Housewives" Bethenny Frankel, Kim Zolciak, and Nene Leakes. Other previously announced presenters include Kathy Griffin, Toni Braxton, Ryan Kwanten, Lauren Conrad, Whitney Port and the cast of the new MGM Film "Fame" (Asher Book, Anna Maria Perez de Tagle, Kherington Payne, Naturi Naughton, and Walter Perez).
Beginning at noon on Thursday, September 17, Divas' fans will join in on the conversation during the VH1 Divas Live Blog Party. In addition to receiving behind-the-scenes details from the Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM) Howard Gilman Opera House, users can chat with Divas' fans about the upcoming show. Then, at 7:30pm, viewers can join the pre-show fun as VH1.com begins its exclusive live red carpet footage from the event. VH1.com is the only place to see red carpet footage as its happening. Following the star-studded red carpet, VH1.com will be home to the Divas' Live Blog Party hosted by VH1.com, TheFabLife.com, BestWeekEver.TV, PopEater.com, HuffingtonPost.com and Jezebel.com. Editorial staff from all six sites will be contributing from inside the venue, giving Divas' fans a play-by-play of the event. Viewers can also chat with the blog party's commentators and others while they sit back and watch the live on-air premiere of "VH1 Divas" at 9:00pm. In conjunction with the on-air premiere and live blog party, VH1.com will stream footage from several alternate cameras within the venue giving users an insider's look of the show. "VH1 Divas" will be available in its entirety on VH1.com following the Thursday night on-air premiere.
Premiering on VH1 in 1998, "VH1 Divas" became synonymous with some of the most memorable live female vocal performances in television history. The show quickly became a highly anticipated annual phenomenon, generating speculation among music fans and industry executives on who would be part of that year's telecast. Previous featured performers over the years included Diana Ross, Tina Turner, Cher, Mariah Carey, Celine Dion, Aretha Franklin, Mary J. Blige, Shania Twain, Faith Hill, Whitney Houston, Beyonce, Chaka Khan and many more.
Fans can go now to Divas.VH1.com to submit a "Diva Stories" text or video testimonial that tells the world how their favorite divas have influenced their lives. VH1 wants to hear from all Divas' fans - favorite songs, favorite moments and the craziest things they've done to show their diva how they feel. Select testimonials may be featured online and on-air leading up to this year's live telecast. Divas.VH1.com has also launched close to 50 past "VH1 Divas" performances, featuring Diana Ross, Mariah Carey, Whitney Houston and many more. Join Divas.VH1.com on Thursday, September 17 for live blogging coverage before and during the live telecast. Users can also follow all show-related news by following the "VH1 Divas" twitter account at https://twitter.com/vh1divas.
"VH1 Divas" is executive produced by Lee Rolontz, Rick Krim and Patrizia DiMaria.
As in previous years, this "VH1 Divas" special will raise funds for the VH1 Save The Music Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to restoring instrumental music education in American public schools, and raising awareness about the importance of music as part of each child's complete education. Since VH1 Save The Music was created in 1997, more than $43 million worth of musical instruments have been donated to 1,600 public schools in 100 cities, improving the lives of more than 1.2 million children.
Exclusive VH1 Save The Music VIP tickets and Gold Circle ticket packages will offer premium seating to the live "VH1 Divas" concert plus pre and post party access and an exclusive gift bag. Event sponsorship opportunities are also available to the two distinctively different "VH1 Divas" Parties on the same night. For more information on tickets or to sponsor an event, please contact: [email protected] or at 212-846-7324.
"VH1 Divas" is sponsored by Garnier Fructis and CoverGirl.
VH1 connects viewers to the music, artists and pop culture that matter to them most with TV series, specials, live events, exclusive online content and public affairs initiatives. VH1 is available in 95 million households in the U.S. VH1 also has an array of digital channels and services including VH1Classic, VH1 Soul, VH1 Mobile, VH1Games and extensive broadband video on VH1.com. Connect with VH1 at VH1.com.
*All times ET/PT
