Here you can find stories about Prince Genevieve, and the twins. Everything from their first date, to their wedding, to Genevieve's album release, to the twins first day at school. Find it all here. (Requests accepted)
Genevieve sat in silence as the news played in the background. Tina Turner passed away. Tina was someone she looked up to as the pinnacle of strength, resilience, and being cool. She made a lot of money impersonating Tina when she was young. She's mimicked a lot of her career defining moments on stage down to the short wig and fringe dresses.
Genevieve smiled as she recalled telling Tina her story and how she played a part in it. Tina, always gracious, told Genevieve she was happy she could help a starving artist and that if she ever needed pointers to let her know.
Tina called every now and then to congratulate Genevieve and Prince, it saddened her to know she'd never get another phone call from the woman she admired for so long.
A few weeks after the announcement she received a call from Erwin, Tina's husband. He asked her to do something people had asked of her for her husband and her dear friends Michael Jackson and Whitney Houston, to do a tribute.
"Tina loved your impersonation of her. She truly believed that between you and Angela she would never be forgotten. The award shows are all trying to pull together tributes for this next awards season and I want you to do it."
"Erwin, I'm very honored but I don't know if they will let me just sign up for a tribute besides they've got all these new young singers they want to perform."
"We've already made some calls. BET and Billboard don't mind you doing a tribute to an old friend. These new singers will just put on gold fringe and sing whatever they've been asked but you're going to offer the same heart and soul Tina gave every time she performed." She thought for a moment.
How would the world react to 63 year old me half dressed singing and dancing?
"If you don't get up there and show them what Tina was all about who will?" Prince's voice whispers in the silence. He's become her conscience, keeping her encouraged day to day from beyond the stars.
"Okay, I'll do it. For Tina."
"For Tina."
Present Day
Genevieve sits impatiently in her chair. Her hair and makeup team cancelled at the last minute and now she must get ready to perform by herself. Sitting backstage she waits for her personal assist to return from the store with the products required to complete her look.
Frantic footsteps pummel down the long hallway as Rachel runs through the building. As she enters the room, she drops everything on the vanity and begins to pull items out of the bags.
"I got all the makeup you asked for, the straightener, the baby oil."
"Okay, good. Lay everything out while I put on my outfit then go and get a stage manager."
Genevieve slips out of her chair and walks over to the garment bag hanging on the rack in the corner. She had to call in several favors to get this dress made but she knew if it wasn't Bob Mackie it wasn't Tina. Originally she was going to do a leather look like one of Tina's short dresses of leather pants and a top but Bob hates the idea. He thought Tina would want her to be wild and have her legs out. Together they looked at old pictures of Tina and decided to recreate one of her looks from the late 70s.
"This is going to sound crazy but I need you to go buy a few cheap dresses and I'll cut away and add mesh until it's perfect for you." Bob said with a smile. Genevieve looked at him like he was crazy. "That's how we did it. She was worried about saving money in the divorce so she spent $20 maybe $30 on dresses in colors and fabrics she liked and I turned them into treasures. She gathered a few dresses in various colors and allowed him to work. They agreed not to recreate any of his old work but to pull inspiration from it and create something new.
They decided to base the look on the outfit she wore with Cher. The original was pink blue and black with small mirrors and a halter neck.
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
Bob created a similar dress for Genevieve in white, pastel teal and purple. They traded the halter for a deep v neck to give her something more open and he cut her slits a little higher to give her room to turn.
Bob loved it but Genevieve was convinced she looked like an old woman pretending to be young. Unsure of everything in the moment she called Cher and asked her for her opinion.
"I'm sorry. I'm not used to this electronic crap. I only use my phone to talk to my kids. Who is this?"
"Cher! Hello darling! How are you?" Bob says smiling into the phone.
"Oh Bob! How are you doing?"
"Great! Busy getting the stars ready for awards season."
"I don't miss that slice of hell." Cher says sipping from a glass of wine.
"We want your opinion. I have Genevieve Nelson in the shop today. As one of my muses, I need to know if you like this outfit on her." He shuffles around, turning the camera to face Genevieve. Cher places her hand over her heart and smiles.
"So the rumors are true. You're doing a tribute?" Genevieve nods shyly. They share a look of understanding. They represent a different era, a different time, and they both miss Tina. "I think it looks great. It looks like what we wore on my show. I like what you did with the neck. Your legs looks great. Yea, I think it's fabulous."
"Thank you." Bob and Genevieve smile.
"Genevieve, let's do lunch next time you're in Florida. I'll make all the arrangements."
"Of course." They all say their goodbyes and the phone clicks.
Genevieve looks at herself in the mirror as she tries to envision herself on the stage again. She's done a few interviews and some simpler dance demonstrations but she hasn't done a full performance in years, especially not as a singer. Would they receive her? Would they think she's too old? Would she mess up? Forget the words? Miss a step? Get injured?
She takes a deep breath and puts all her worries aside.
I can do this. I just have to push through for Tina.
