At the beginning of a work week, I usually need more than coffee to get me moving. In fact, any time I’m required to do something constructive before 10 a.m., caffeine alone doesn’t suffice. But I have a secret weapon and her name is Aretha. Ms. Aretha Franklin, to be exact.

I got to have a little “Respect.” (Just a little bit.) And all I have to do is hear the first few bars to remember I have it, at least from myself. I consider “Respect” my theme song. Silly? Maybe. But it works.

The idea of a personal theme song certainly isn’t new, but I hadn’t thought of it until the Ally McBeal episode in which Ally’s therapist, Dr. Tracy Clark (played by Tracey Ullman), advises her to get her own theme song. That piece of advice actually worked for me — it’s one of my favorite memories of Ally. Besides this, of course:

If you watched the show, you may recall that Ally's theme song was “Tell Him” by The Exciters. (Does anyone know the story behind this music video? It's weird.) That song pretty much summed up what Ally wanted out of life: a man to love. … continue reading

It seems Aretha Franklin, often called the Queen of Soul, is not pleased that Beyoncé called Tina Turner the "queen"on the Grammy Awards broadcast.

"I am not sure of whose toes I may have stepped on or whose ego I may have bruised between the Grammy writers and Beyoncé," Franklin said in a statement issued by her publicist. "However, I dismissed it as a cheap shot for controversy."

Franklin apparently ended the statement with "love to Beyoncé anyway."

Sheesh, Aretha. It was an intro, not a review. And Beyoncé is a huge fan of Tina, so she was bound to praise her.

Plus, Beyoncé didn't refer to Tina as the Queen of Soul, specifically. She just said, "give it up for the queen."

And I'm happy to give it up, whatever it is, because I thought Tina's performance was incredible. She can still hit those high notes and do the moves — at 68 years old! Wow. … continue reading

Admittedly, I've been kind of cynical about love songs since a girlfriend gave me a Tuck & Patti cassette (yes, cassette) and said she wanted "You Take My Breath Away" to be "our song."

I was newly out and a novice in all things lesbian (well, most things lesbian), so I put aside my qualms about choosing a song in such a non-organic manner, thinking that perhaps this was The Sapphic Way. But Tuck & Patti's version of "My Romance" completely swept me off my feet, so I suggested we adopt it instead. GF acted affronted at the suggestion and said she really loved her choice. Well, OK. After we broke up, I learned that she gave that recording to each of her girlfriends and "My Romance" had already been allotted to a previous GF. That's the story of, the glory of, love.

That said, Entertainment Weekly's list of the top 25 love songs doesn't do much to inspire me. I mean, the No. 1 song, the Beach Boys' "God Only Knows" is the theme song to the No. 1 show about polygamy, Big Love.

Elvis Presley's "Can't Help Falling in Love" (No. 2) is better, although, at the risk of incurring all sorts of wrath, I like UB40's version better. But the first song on EW's list that I can really get down with is Aretha Franklin's "You Make Me Feel," which ranks fourth. … continue reading

In a recent interview, Aretha Franklin spoke about casting dilemmas for the TV movie version of her autobiography, From These Roots.

Billy Dee Williams and Terrence Howard have committed to play her father and Smokey Robinson, but the role still up for grabs is Aretha herself. Depending on who you listen to, that is. Jennifer Hudson is rumored to be already cast, but Franklin says nothing is set yet. If it were up to her, she'd have several women play herself at different ages. (Hey, that sounds familiar. But I would really have something to say if they cast Cate Blanchett for this one.) Here's Franklin's short list:

I know, I know. Jennifer Hudson, Fantasia Barrino and Halle Berry? Which one of these is not like the other? But let's start with Hudson. … continue reading

In the midst of headlines about Aretha Franklin's still-rockin' live shows and unfortunate health-related cancellations, anticipation for the yet unscheduled release of her long-delayed new album A Woman Falling Out of Love, and casting for a musical production of her biography From These Roots, Rhino Records is now set to release a collection of rare recordings from her days with Atlantic.

Phew. I'm tired just typing about all of that. But no complaints from me — Franklin's ten-plus Atlantic years were incredible, starting with her first major hit, 1967's "I Never Loved a Man (The Way I Love You)." Franklin soon followed up with "Respect," and before pop music knew what was happening, she was making history as a crossover R&B superstar.

Atlantic released a huge number of other classics — "Chain of Fools," "You Make Me Feel (Like a Natural Woman)," and one of my favorites, "Don't Play That Song." Watch a young Franklin work that piano (but be forewarned, the video cuts off abruptly): … continue reading

Tonight at the U.S. Open, the U.S. Tennis Association will honor Althea Gibson (1927–2003), who is sometimes called the Jackie Robinson of tennis. It's the 50th anniversary of the historic victory at the U.S. National Championships that made her the first African-American title holder in tennis, and as part of tonight's ceremony she is being inducted into the U.S. Open Court of Champions (an honor based on the result of an international media vote).

Not only was Gibson the first African-American athlete ever to enter the U.S. championships in 1950, but she also won 11 grand slams during her career, including five singles titles in a three-year period and doubles titles at Wimbledon with different partners three years running. (No wonder she's called one of the mothers of women's tennis.) As part of the opening night tribute, the USTA is holding a "Breaking Barriers" celebration honoring the careers of trailblazing African-American women. Aretha Franklin will be lending her vocals to the festivities. … continue reading

The idea of Aretha Franklin, Queen Latifah and Joss Stone on the same stage seems ridiculous. What will happen if all that soul is concentrated in one place?! Add hosts Whoopi Goldberg and Alicia Keys, and I do feel the need to pinch myself.

You can behold this dazzling array of talent on Sept. 18 if you go to the Martin Luther King, Jr. National Memorial Dream Concert at Radio City. Tickets are pricey (starting at $250), but very likely worth it. The event is a benefit for the building of the MLK, Jr. National Memorial on the National Mall. For more info, visit the official website.

Right off the bat, let me disclose that my taste in love songs is not always conventional; the song that consistently moves me to tears is "Commitment" from the musical 1776. (Picture John and Abigail Adams expressing their love by sending each other saltpeter and pins. It's very moving. Really.) But my idiosyncratic tastes aside, when I think of love songs, I think emotional, a little girly, occasionally bombastic. (Celine Dion's "My Heart Will Go On" immediately comes to mind.) So when I saw that Entertainment Weekly had compiled a list of the 25 Best Love Songs Ever, I expected a little girl power. However, it seems that songs become more "swoon-worthy" when they pass a bobbing Adam's apple on the way out. A full 78% of the songs on the list were recorded by men.

Women do occupy a few prominent spots. Most notably, Aretha Franklin comes in at spot number four with her version of "(You Make Feel Like) A Natural Woman."

Certainly no reasonable person could object to this placement. Also in the top 10 is Whitney Houston's version of "I Will Always Love You." … continue reading

Last night, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inducted a handful of new members, including Patti Smith, R.E.M., Van Halen, Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five (the first hip hop group to be inducted into the Hall of Fame), and The Ronettes.

Smith recalled that her late husband (Fred Smith) predicted she would one day be inducted, "He said to me, ‘Tricia, one day you're going to get into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame,' ” Ms. Smith said. “He asked me to accept it like a lady and not say any curse words and to make certain to salute new generations. Because it is the new generations that will redefine the landscape of rock 'n' roll.”

Smith then covered the Rolling Stones' "Gimme Shelter," then sang the hit she co-wrote with Bruce Springsteen, "Because the Night." Later, the ceremony closed with an all-star peformance of Smith's "People Have the Power."

Keith Richards inducted The Ronettes, telling the audience, "They could sing all their way right through a wall of sound...They didn't need anything. They touched my heart right there and then and they touch it still."

Front woman Ronnie Spector thanked pretty much everyone on the planet except her former husband/producer (and accused murderer) Phil Spector before taking the stage with The Ronettes to sing some of their biggest hits.

One of the many highlights of the evening was Aretha Franklin's performance of "I Never Loved a Man (The Way I Love You)" in tribute to the recently deceased Hall of Fame founder and record executive Ahmet Ertegun. The song was the first million-seller Franklin made with Ertegun.

The only real controversy during the ceremony was supplied by venerable drama queens Van Halen. Estranged front man David Lee Roth was invited to attend the ceremony but took his spandex and went home after an argument over what song he would perform with his house band for the evening, Velvet Revolver. Eddie Van Halen had just entered rehab and could not attend. Roth's one-time "replacement" (as if!) Sammy Hagar and recently fired bassist Michael Anthony ended up being the only VH members to attend. Hagar expressed regret that not all of the band members could be there, but added, “You couldn't get me from here with a shotgun.”

We know, Sammy, we know.

The ceremony was broadcast live on VH1 Classic and America Online, and VH1 will broadcast an edited version of the ceremony this Saturday at 9 p.m.