'VH1 Divas' To Boogie With Dance Music Theme

VH1’s annual VH1 Divas special this December will pay homage to dance music with a special tribute to R&B/Dance music legends Whitney Houston and Donna Summer, the network announced Thursday.

The Dec. 16 live show will be hosted by American Idol contestant Adam Lambert and will feature appearances by Ciara, Miley Cyrus, Demi Lovato, Kelly Rowland and Jordin Sparks, according to network officials. As with past VH1 Divas specials, the Dec. 16 event will  benefit the VH1 Save The Music Foundation, which to date has provided more than  $49.5 million in new musical instruments to 1,850 public schools in more than 128 school districts around the country, said the network.

“We are extremely thrilled to have the extraordinarily talented Adam Lambert as our 2012 VH1 Divas host, says Lee Rolontz, EVP, Original Music Production & Development, VH1 and VH1 Classic in a statement. “The world has truly been inspired by dance music and what better way for VH1 to pay tribute than by honoring legends Whitney Houston and Donna Summer through song and dance.”

R. Thomas Umstead

R. Thomas Umstead serves as senior content producer, programming for Multichannel News, Broadcasting + Cable and Next TV. During his more than 30-year career as a print and online journalist, Umstead has written articles on a variety of subjects ranging from TV technology, marketing and sports production to content distribution and development. He has provided expert commentary on television issues and trends for such TV, print, radio and streaming outlets as Fox News, CNBC, the Today show, USA Today, The New York Times and National Public Radio. Umstead has also filmed, produced and edited more than 100 original video interviews, profiles and news reports featuring key cable television executives as well as entertainers and celebrity personalities.