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An Interview with Diana Ross-FAILED!

Hi everyone,

About a week ago, I was given some great news. Not only was I going to receive a complimentary media ticket to the Diana Ross concert tonight, but after the show, I was going to be given 10-15 minutes for an interview with Miss Ross, to be held backstage in her dressing room.

This was to all happen tonight-I had even arrived in the area of the theatre hours beforehand for some other events. Unfortunately, I was hit with a double whammy. But I have realized that what happened might be a better story than an actual interview.

First, the marketing director at the theatre called me at about 3:45. She informed me that since Miss Ross lives near this theater, she was demanding 80 complimentary tickets for her friends and family, rather than the usual 50. Therefore, my media ticket was being revoked.

A few minutes later, I called Miss Ross's personal assistant, who I was supposed to contact after the show. I told her what had happened, and she then recommended that I stop by the theatre as soon as possible-Miss Ross was already in the building.

The assistant met me at the stage door, and we went in the elevator up to the dressing room area. In the elevator, she informed me of the "forbidden" topics for this interview, including the other members of the Supremes, Miss Ross's close friend Michael Jackson, and Motown founder Berry Gordy, who she had a well-known relationship with. I assured the assistant that none of these people would be mentioned.

Once we arrived at the dressing room, the assistant quickly went inside to inform Miss Ross that I had arrived. She then sternly told me "Miss Ross will see you now."

I walked in, and there she was-Diana Ross in the flesh. She looked absolutely stunning! Before I could say a word to her, she asked me a simple question: "WELL?"

I politely introduced myself, and told her how much of an honor it was to meet her. Miss Ross then questioned me: "You mean to say that YOU'RE the one that they sent for this interview?" I informed her that I am a freelancer, and I conduct and submit interviews pretty much when I feel like it. Nobody "SENT" me.

Miss Ross called her assistant into the room, and asked her: "Why did you send this CHILD into my dressing room?" Now, I may be fairly young, and I do have a "baby face", but these facts should have nothing to do with my interviews. The assistant asked Miss Ross what she should do about the situation, and the living legend told her to send me out.

Before I left, however, I asked Miss Ross to sign a quick autograph for me. She then told me, "I don't have time right now."

I don't understand what Diana Ross's deal is. Okay, it's true that she doesn't exactly have the best reputation among the press and those who work with her-in fact, many consider her attitude to be divalike.

However, she agreed to participate in a 10-15 minute interview that I would conduct, only to change her mind the minute she met me. It shouldn't really matter-or should it? I'd love to hear your opinions!

Views: 4643

Tags: diana, interview, ross

Comment by Anne Mary on December 29, 2014 at 4:21pm

Lynn, I went back and read the article, again, after reading your comments.  Diana initiated the rude behavior before David had a chance to react.  Yes, he reacted in anger/sarcasm, but it's pretty tough to deal with rude behavior  when he had been so looking forward to interviewing her.  She's a jerk and people get respect when they exemplify it.  I would think that's the case in the African American households, as well.

Comment by Mike White on July 8, 2017 at 9:07am

Steve, what Lynn offered here was something, but it wasn't insight into this situation.

The simple fact of the matter is that, in cases like this where there are multiple parties involved (the theater, Ms. Ross, Ms. Ross' assistant, etc.), sometimes wires get crossed. I've had it happen to me a handful of times (all with white people, I might add).

In fact, something nearly identical to this happened when I was scheduled for a phone interview with a famous female voice actress, right down to the "Well?". Seriously, it's uncanny.

My guess, for both my situation & David's, is that the interviewee wasn't actually well prepped for the situation, so they expected something different than they got. In David's case, the interview was scheduled for after the show and then moved up as soon as he relayed the situation to the assistant. I'd assume, based on that, that the assistant acted unilaterally in making that decision, which (trust me) never ends well.

There are plenty of reasons for this thing to have happened as it did (she's a diva, her assistant overstepped, she wasn't adequately briefed about who the interview was for or who was doing it, etc.) but there's absolutely no reason for "she's black" to find its way onto that list.

Comment by Pete D Moore on May 10, 2020 at 7:55am

Comment by Trevor Song on February 24, 2021 at 10:09pm

Old topic, but user "Lynn" wrote stuff that suggests either she is Diana Ross, a staff member involved in that situation, or an internet troll. What makes this worse is inputting race into this situation. Being a different color doesn't give you a license to act rude to people. "Lynn," you are a special kind of special.

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