LYCOS RETRIEVER 
Aretha Franklin: New York
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Diana Ross, Cher and Aretha Franklin are just a few of the divas that have graced the creations of Maria Contessa. A costume designer by nature turned mother of male couture has be influencing men from New York to South Beach for the past 2 decades.
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Aretha Franklin was an ideal choice to perform Monday night at the Althea Gibson tribute, and not just because of her pipes. Miss Franklin, as she was introduced at a news conference Monday night after her performance, is a knowledgeable tennis fan. She talked about following Rosie Casals, Ilie Nastase, Evonne Goolagong and Chris […]
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Aretha Franklin lives today in Detroit when not on tour. Because of her hometown roots, she joined Aaron Neville and Dr. John in performing the national anthem prior to Super Bowl XL on February 5, 2006, along with a 150-piece choir to conclude a pre-game tribute to nine-time championship game host city New Orleans, recovering and rebuilding after the plight of Hurricane Katrina.
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Aretha Franklin, a 17-time Grammy winner, will be honored as the 2008 MusiCares Person of the Year today, recognizing not only her music career but her work on behalf of a variety of charities. via LA Daily News
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Doubtless due to the retro-soul/neo-soul boom, Franklin's latest is a return to the gentle sounds and live instrumentation of her 70s releases. Unfortunately, flat songwriting makes it closer to La Diva and Almighty Fire than to Hey Now Hey or Sweet Passion. The producers - Troy Taylor, Ron "AMEN-RA" Lawrence, Gordon Chambers & Barry J. Eastmond - can't dredge up any originality or spark, just romantic clichés ("The Only Thing Missin'") and familiar-sounding melodies ("Ain't No Way"). Burt Bacharach's "Falling Out Of Love" is as predictable as virtually everything else he's done in the last thirty years. Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis's "Everybody's Somebody's Fool" is another in a line of their "boys will be boys" numbers going back to 1983's "Just Be Good To Me." The reward for wading through this sea of mediocrity is Norman West's gospel tune "Good News" and two songs written and produced by Franklin, "You Are My Joy" and the title track - slow testimonials like the rest, but put over by genuine feeling. Two songs are co-written and co-sung by Mary J. Blige: "No Matter What" is as dull as the rest, but "Holdin' On" is a highlight.
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In a way, the past and the future are coming together this year for Franklin. Before heading to New York for the Grammys two weeks ago, she sat down for lunch at the Golden Mushroom restaurant in Southfield, Mich., and talked about how she'd be keeping busy in coming months.
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