A Small Victory

I really like Dido and Natalie Merchant.

Ella Fitzgerald, Johnette Napolitano, and various Donnas.

Hmm ... I'm with you on the actresses ... Katherine Hepburn is the only one that comes to mind.

For female singers, let's see ...

Sarah Vaughan
Nina Hagen
Aimee Mann
Shirley Manson
Siouxie

hmmmm ... must have Mountain Dew before trying this. Brain. not. working.

actresses?

Watching 6 Feet Under last night was a reminder of how good Lily Taylor used to be.

She was so great in Mystic Pizza, Say Anything and Dogfight and so incredibly awful in The Haunting.

The actresses these days get typecast into certain roles unless they consciously decide to do different parts. And there just aren't that many leading lady characters who can lead a movie.

Instead, you get Julia Roberts or Meg Ryan playing Julia Roberts or Meg Ryan. Hmmm. I'll have to think some more.

I'll second Natalie Merchant, and yay ani!

How about what's-her-name from Evanescence? Amy something or other. I love her voice. And for some reason, I've always liked Fiona Apple's voice, too. Oh, and Billie Holiday.

Kate Pierson (B-52s)
Little Richard

Julie Andrews. Totally. Queen of the Universe. Followed closely by Katharine Hepburn and Rosalynn Russell.

Also, Aimee Mann is amazing.

No Stevie Nicks? What's up with that after listing 3/5 of the Runaways?

At the risk of being beaten to death, I loathe Stevie Nicks. And Evanesence.

Comedian: Garafolo (sp?) has her moments.

There aren't alot of current female actresses that just jump out at me, but the ones I like from the old movies are Audrey Hepburn, Claudette Colbert, and Teresa Wright. Come to think of it, I really like Dame Judi Dench. She's a hoot in As Time Goes By on Public Television.

Personally, I'd pick Debbie Harry as my favorite from this list. I assumed Stevie Nicks was too important to be a non-deliberate omission. Same for Sheryl Crow?

Where's the love for Ronnie Spector (aside from her bad taste in men, of course)? Aretha Franklin?

I've always liked Mariah Carey's voice, I just don't like the kind of music she sings.

Vocalists:
Joss Stone
Enya
Norah Jones
Natalie Cole

Actresses:
Doris Day
Myrna Loy
Joan Hicks
Grace Kelly

Keep in mind it's a list of female singers I've known and LOVED. If it was just good female singers, there would be a lot of women I don't necessarily listen to, but whom are talented, on the list - like Christina Aguelhoweveryouspellit or Enya.

I totally agree with Tina's actress selection of Judi Dench. I think Nicole Kidman's pretty good, along with Cate Blanchett, Kate Winslet & Jodi Foster. Cristina Ricci (sp?0 is kinda interesting.

Female comedian? Almost an oxymoron.

I hate to disagree with a submission, but Enya is a cancer.

I'll second Aimee Mann and Kate Pierson

I don't know if I would call her a favorite but I have been impressed with Nicole Kidman. When she divorced Cruise she, or someone, commented that she had "put her career on hold for him." My inital reaction was "yeah, right" but she has proven me wrong.

I also like Natalie Portman's non-Star Wars work. (Too biased to judge Star Wars.)

"At the risk of being beaten to death, I loathe Stevie Nicks. And Evanesence."

I have to admit, that evoked a violent tendency initially, but it's cool. I feel a loathing of Courtney Love, Madonna, Diana Ross, and Meg-Ryan-twin Avril Lavigne.

Harriet Wheeler
Nina Simone

No Jessicka? No Tairrie B? I thought Jack Off Jill and My Ruin would be up your alley.

Female Singers that haven't been mentioned:

Kate Bush

Female Actors:

Linda Fiorentino - 'Gotcha!' and 'After Hours' set the tone.

Tori Amos?

Also I love Judi Dench, and I think Angelina Jolie is overlooked as an actress because she is so hot. (Or maybe I am blinded by her hotness, also possible. But she was great in Gia and Girl Interrupted.)

Joan Cusack/actress
Shelby Lynne /singer
Melissa auf der Maur /singer

Female vocalists not on your list:

Tori Amos
Stevie Nicks
Norah Jones
Diana Krall
Nnenna Freelon

and last but certainly not least ...

Ella Fitzgerald

Fmale singers?
Maggie Bell.
Lacy J Dalton

Elton John.

(oops... never mind the last one, I guess.)

Margo Timmons - her voice can melt me like butter.

Yay for Petula and Dusty! They don't make 'em like that any more...

Alison Shaw (Cranes)? (Oh, yeah. Not so good now as they were in the early to mid 90s, but still.)

Beth Orton?

Jarboe (ex of Swans)?

Those two chicks in Single Gun Theory?

Likewise, the womenfolk of Luscious Jackson?

margo timmons,
ani
Natlie Merchant,
Sade
Norah Jones
Harriet Wheeler

yep that would make a great Lilith Fest.

As far as actresses there is a difference between being hot and being good?
So that is why Halle Berry won after Monsters Ball?

How bout,
Natalie Portman (Beautiful Girls, Garden State, Closer)
Kate Beckinsale
Emma Thompson
Nikki Cox (okay maybe not the best actress)

female singers:
Shirley Manson (Garbage)
Louise Reny (Artificial Joy club)
Allison Krauss

Judi Dench for sure... also Joanne Woodward, Judy Davis, Kyra Sedgwick

Comedy:

Rita Rudner

Doris Day and Margo Timmins are good suggestions from the comments above.

My opinion - don't omit Elizabeth Fraser of the Cocteau Twins. Garlands is still one of my favorite albums and Shallow Then Halo is one of my favorite songs. I bet you likedd 'em too.

Oops. Forgot Kim Shattuck - The Muffs.

you have Joan & Pat, but not the 3rd runaway???

Lita Ford, of course.

"Went to a party last saturday night...
didn't get laid and I got in a fight!"

or

"Close my eyes foreever"

I reckon Sinead O'Connor and Nothing Compares 2 U is in Top 5 songs sung by women.

Jim S,

Pat wasn't a Runaway, Cherie Currie was. And Michael Steele (the Bangles) was in the Runaways for a short time, too.

Your singers list doesn't include Patti Smith. On accident, I have to assume.

Yah, that was defintely an accident. I think she was the first female I ever had a crush on. Then I realized I just wanted to BE her. Will add.

Gwen Stefani and Fiona Apple. I loathe Stevie Nicks too!

Dolly Parton, for the pipes, not just the jugs.

I've got lots of female singers in my music collection (Kate Bush, Sinead O'Connor, um -- Heart, and um... that goth chick...

Anyway, I have a few LPs and cds by female singers, but it occurs to me that the only female singer I really like is Lisa Gerrard (formerly of Dead Can Dance).

As for actresses...

.....

.....

I've really come to appreciate the work of Lauren Bacall. And Elizabeth Taylor in Antony and Cleopatra was not as bad as I thought she would be, but she was overshadowed by the ridiculously faboo outfits they had her kitted out in. When Richard Burton started clawing his way through the gauzy pink curtains around her bed, I half expected to hear a voiceover proclaiming "White Diamonds... the only way to conquer a conqueror!"

Parker Posey
Cate Blanchett

I suppose you could consider Monty Python for favorite female actors. ;-)

I always thought Eric Idle and Michael Palin were better in drag than playing the straights at times.

Lisa Gerrard (Dead Can Dance)
Terri Nunn (Berlin)
Lori Carson (Golden Palminos)
Alison Shaw (Cranes)
Harriet Wheeler (Sundays)
Siouxsie Sioux
Louise Post and Nina Gordon (Veruca Salt) early albums
Kate Bush
Pat Benatar
Toni Halliday (Curve)
Tanya Donelly
Kim Deal
Tina Root (Switchblade Symphony)
Meg Lee Chin
DEbbie Harry
Cindy Lauper
Hope Sandoval (Mazzy Star)
Sarah Fimm
Kristin Hersh

The Eyeliners!
Roach and Scampi Ghoulie of the Groovie Ghoulies
The Spazzys (great new band from Australia)
Manda Marble of Manda & The Marbles
Sabrina Stewart (formerly of The Flipsides)
Kitty Kowalski of The Kowalskis
Rachel Flotard of Visqueen
The Donnas
The Go-Go's
Kim Shattuck
Joan Jett
Hallie Bullit of The Unlovables
Michelle Paulhus and Jennifer D'Angora of The Dents
Lynda Mess of Fabulous Disaster
Linette of The Sweethearts
Liz Eldredge of Even In Blackouts
Wendy Case of The Paybacks
Wanda Jackson
Janis Joplin

Yeah, I do love the rock & roll girls.
;-)

I have had a crush on Stevie Nicks for the last 23 years, and probably will until I die. No other woman has ever had that kind of effect on me.

I make no apologies.

Female singers:
Fiona Apple
Ani DiFranco
I really like about half the album of this new artist Anna Nalick
Not as big into Tori Amos these days but I have certainly loved her in the past
That's probably about it if we're keeping it to loved singers.

Actresses:
Well, I don't think it's any secret that I love Natalie Portman, and not just because she's hot. (Not in the Star Wars movies, though.)
I love Sarah Michelle Gellar for Buffy (and thought her entertaining in Cruel Intentions) but otherwise I generally am terribly unimpressed and find her to sound incredibly stupid whenever she talks on a personal level, which is strange considering what an amazing job she did with Buffy.
Maggie Gylenhaal
Loved Scarlet Johanson (however it's spelled) in Lost In Translation, but I haven't seen her in too much else, except for Girl With A Pearl Earring, which I found to be interminable.
I guess there aren't many actresses that I love across their careers, but there are roles that I love. However, I'd be lying to say that attraction didn't often play a role.

One of my favorite female actresses just died - Anne Bancroft.

Damn, I can't believe I came to this a day and half late! That's what I get for having a life.

Female singers are my thing. Not already mentioned:

Maria McKee- greatest rock singer of ANY gender
Patti Griffin
Sarah Harmer
Beth Waters
Abra Moore
Kathleen Edwards

There are others, but we start to drift even further out of "rock" with some of them. All of these gals are SONGWRITERS as well, which IMO is crucial.

actress: Cate Blanchett
Kathy Bates
Angelica Houston
songstress:Annie Lennox
Shelby Lynn
Nina Simone

Jacqui Hunt of Single Gun Theory and one Delerium track

Kristy Thirsk, multiple Delerium tracks

Leigh Nash

Enya's older sister, Máire Brennan of Clannad

Saffron of short-lived band Republica

Shawn Colvin

Suzanne Vega for every song that ISN'T "Luka"