Bette Midler blasts MTV - VIDEO

That's what I love about Bette, so outspoken. I think there is room for the crappy singers like Britney and Miley, but there will always be people like Bette, Whitney, and all those other "divas" that can sing and have personallity that will *always* outshine the studio made singers.

Well, of course, to talk to the audience the way the Divine Miss M does, you kind of have to have a...personality. So, already Britney and Miley are in the hole.

Plus, c'mon: Bette honed her act in 1970s gay bath-houses, where you had to be quick with a one-liner or a response to the crowd. Britney and Miley honed their acts in production studios and in front of tweens...not the most challenging audiences.

I just saw a Tom Waits concert last month and aside from hearing masterful live versions of his classic songs (which is pretty much ALL of his songs), the performance and audience interaction were amazing all around.
She's right. I could have sat at home and listened to his albums (and been $200 richer) if all I wanted to do was to hear him sing.

In other news, Bette's looking awesome these days! I hope she gets another tv show soon.

I've seen Bette live at a charity event and she's spot on! She tells some of the funniest, baudiest, raunchiest jokes, and she really connects. However, sometimes I like the idea of a splashy production that mimics a video - see Kanye's live stuff.

At the same time I only go to rock concerts where the band just sits onstage and jams, so I don't know what I'm talking about.

MTV plays videos?

I've been saying the same thing for years. It's not about the ability to sing anymore. It's all about the artist as a visual product. They have to look a certain way. Whether they can sing is a secondary consideration. You almost never see any of this kind of artist perform live. they simply cannot reproduce the vocal that was created in the studio. And the ones that can, still can't do it on stage because they need backing tracks to make up for how winded they are from dancing.

Call me old school, but I like people who can stand on a stage and sing. Forget dancing. Just sing!

"Back in my day we really knew how to put on a show, not like today's kids with all their gyrating and boob flashing, no siree bob! Today all the kids wanna do is sing? Who wants to here people sing at a concert? Its rediculous! You can listen to the radio if you want singing. Anecdotes about my seven cats however, you can only hear on stage. I'm telling you, forget some big tour, the way for Britney Spears to come back on top is to tell baby stories to her audience. Pre-teens love baby stories too!"