The Real Lady Marmalade

At this point, just about all of the life has been sucked out of the term diva. Everyone from Barbra Streisand to Little Richard to Tyra Banks has held the title. I've been thinking maybe the designation has totally lost its luster. We use the term so loosely now—there are fashion divas. There are cooking divas. There are furniture divas. And, I kid you not, there's even an autism diva (autismdiva.blogspot.com). The true diva has definitely been devalued. But when you think of chanteuse-actress extraordinaire Patti LaBelle, there's only one word that fully captures her essence—and it's diva. At 62, she's still got it—fabulous and fine. She's promoting her books, she's touring with Charlie Wilson of the Gap Band, and she's all over TV touting the benefits of OneTouch. It's only a true diva that can make poking yourself with a needle to test your blood glucose look good. Need some diva lessons? Patti LaBelle, along with Charlie Wilson, performs at the Nokia Theatre 8 p.m. Sunday. Tickets range from $39.50 to $59.50. Call 214-373-8000 or visit ticketmaster.com.
Sun., July 30, 8 p.m.