CLAWING TO THE TOP
By PHOEBE REILLY

December 8, 2002 -- Just who is the biggest diva of them all? Jennifer Lopez just released her new CD, "This Is Me . . . Then," her biggest record to date, selling more than 300,000 copies its first week. Last Tuesday, Mariah Carey released "Charmbracelet" - her first record since she suffered from "exhaustion" last summer - and went on a media offensive, telling both MTV and Matt Lauer that she is, in, fact, a "human being."

And this week, fresh off a staggeringly combative interview with Diane Sawyer, Whitney Houston releases her first record in four years. "Just Whitney" - which has been postponed three times - is already suffering from low expectations; the first single, "leaked" to radio stations last summer, was a cranky song about media scrutiny that critics and fans alike rejected. So who will emerge as the reigning diva? And are all three actually worthy of the title?

"I suppose you could make a case for all three as legitimate divas," says Alan Light, former editor in chief of Spin magazine. "But I think the combination of God-given vocal gift and erratic behavior make Mariah and Whitney much truer [divas] than Jenny. 'Diva' should mean a larger-than-life, dramatic, in some way outrageous, and indisputably talented, star."

Lopez has been trying to project a more humble, "I'm just a girl from the Bronx" image (although in her new video, "Jenny From the Block," she's cavorting with movie-star boyfriend Ben Affleck on a yacht and flashing her enormous diamond ring). But she still has a reputation for acting like a diva.

In November 2001, she showed up at a UK taping of "Top of the Pops" with an entourage of 70 people, and has been rumored to demand that stylists and other minions in her immediate vicinity do not speak to her directly but only to her assistant.

Still, Light thinks that such bratty behavior does not necessarily a diva make.

" 'Diva' is the most overused, devalued term in entertainment," says Light." J.Lo seems a little too professional, a little too together, and a little too vocally limited to really qualify, no matter how big a star she is."

But she's clearly got Carey (who's been dressing in very J.Lo-like track suits and Kangol hats) and the long-absent Houston worried.

Carey is coming off not just what was rumored to be a physical and mental breakdown, but last year's semi-autobiographical movie, "Glitter" (an instant camp classic); the "Glitter" soundtrack (also a bomb); and a truly bizarre episode of MTV "Cribs" in which she stripped down into a towel before submerging herself in her tub and later worked her Stairmaster in a strapless mini-dress and spike heels.

Still, the 32-year-old has a legion of devoted fans, and Carey has politely made the media rounds, dutifully attempting to complete the final "triumphant" act in her career narrative (girl from nowhere becomes big star; hits personal and professional lows; emerges unscathed and a bigger star than ever).

Even Carey's first single, "Through the Rain," is a typically vague Hallmark-card of a single about triumphing over adversity - in other words, tried-and-true Mariah.

It's the 39-year-old Houston who stands to lose the most. She hasn't appeared in public since performing at Michael Jackson's tribute to himself last year - not long after, rumors began circulating that she had died - and while her voice was amazing, she looked severely underweight.

And Houston's tell-all interview with Diane Sawyer this past week - which was meant to clear up rumors of drug abuse, marital discord and anorexia, among other things - was a catastrophe.

Husband Bobby Brown sat in the corner and admitted he still smoked pot. Houston stuttered through a lot of unfinished sentences and blamed fame for her problems before concluding, "My business is sex, drugs and rock 'n' roll."

Yet ultimately, Houston may be the only one of the three able to take such a blatantly unapologetic stand - her talent is that enormous. And that would make her the biggest diva of them all.

"Jennifer's record is the surest thing - she's the least likely to spin out or do anything to harm her sales," Light says. "But I don't think there's any question that as a pure singer, Whitney is the strongest one by a distance."

NEWSFILE: 8 DECEMBER 2002