Thursday's Diva Dish

Bette Midler, who was nominated for Best Actress Oscars for The Rose and For the Boys, will for the first time ever perform at the Academy Awards ceremony on Sunday, March 2. Wondering what she's going to sing? So's The Divine Miss M! She tweeted: "Now that the news is out, what shall I sing at this year's Oscars?" No worries as the multi-GRAMMY and three-time Emmy winner has sold over 30 million albums worldwide with quite an impressive repertoire to choose from.

Craig Zadon and Neil Meron, producers of the 86th Oscars event, expressed confidence, telling the press, “We are thrilled to have Bette perform on the Oscars for the very first time...! We believe she will make our Oscar telecast an especially moving evening."

It's a lackluster week on the latest Billboard dance songs/club chart, meanwhile, that finds Mel B's "For Once in My Life" stalled at #2. She looked poised for #1 but was leapfrogged over by Sweden's Avicii with his single, "True." Meh. Cher and Gaga take a tumble down the chart with Beyonce ascendant with "Blow." As I said of that song last week, "...not impressed by mixes of Beyonce's 'Blow.' Blowing that one off."

However, it's Mardi Gras Down Under and rumors are rife that Cher will be performing in Sydney. Festivities began February 7 and continue through March 2. Though there's been no announcement, officially, that the diva will lend her talents to the tres gay event, Australia's Same Same is fanning the gay community's flames on this one.

Reports Same Same:

We’d love to see Cher join us for the Sydney Mardi Gras Party, and there’s a few good reasons to think she will.

Mardi Gras haven’t announced anything and won’t comment on special guest rumours… but they are making a lot of Cher-themed fuss this week.
 
On Sunday, dozens of drag divas dressed as Cher along with no shortage of sailors performed a Turn Back Time tribute to the star on board the HMAS Vampire in Darling Harbour [for a special video yet to be unveiled].

Welcoming the video tribute, Cher herself tweeted some encouragement to her two million followers:





Meanwhile, Cher’s son Chaz Bono is flying down for the Mardi Gras festival – could he be joining his mum on stage during the Party or on a float at the Parade?

As Mardi Gras points out, Cher’s always been a sterling supporter of the LGBTI communities, and made a special surprise appearance at New York Pride last year http://djbuddybeaverhausen.blogspot.com/2013/07/on-pier-with-cher-and-hot-cox.html.... Is Cher free for Mardi Gras? Yes, it appears so. Her ‘Dressed To Kill’ tour dates don’t [start] until March 22 in Phoenix.

After all this hype, Cher had better appear or there will be an awful lot of pissed off queens who will, indeed, be dressed to kill. And then, Shame Shame, Same Same. You'll want to Turn Back Time.