When the Broadway version of "Dreamgirls" debuted, in an effort to avoid legal ramifications, the producers and everyone involved insisted it was not a thinly-veiled retelling of Diana Ross and The Supremes’ journey through Berry Gordy’s Motown dyansty. Cut to two decades later and all pretenses that "Dreamgirls" isn’t based on the history of The Supremes have been stripped away in the big-screen adaptation starring Beyonce, Jamie Foxx, Eddie Murphy and Jennifer Hudson. In fact, not only is the eight-time Oscar-nominated film reportedly more overt about portraying real-life events from the Motown saga, there is a montage featuring Beyonce photographed in eerie replicas of several of Diana Ross’s album covers. In one shot, Beyonce’s skin is even bronzed to Ross’ skin tone.

When the "Dreamgirls" first came out, Diana Ross angrily denounced the play. However, her former Supremes mate Mary Wilson added veracity to the play’s genesis by boldly titling her later autobiography, "Dreamgirl: My Life as a Supreme."

Whether one believes "Dreamgirls" is a blatant rip-off of The Supremes/Motown saga or not, it’s certainly worth taking a look at how 20th century diva Diana Ross stacks up against new millennium diva Beyonce.

Pix of Diana Ross		Pix of Beyonce
Diana Ernestine Earle Ross Vital Statistics:    Birthplace: Detroit, MI    Birthdate: March 26, 1944		Beyoncé Giselle Knowles Vital Statistics:    Birthplace: Houston, TX    Birthdate: Sept. 4, 1981
Early Life: Raised in relative poverty in Detroit, Ross' family moved to the Brewster-Douglas housing project in her teen years. At 14, Ross hooked up with Mary Wilson, Florence Ballard and Betty McGlown to form a doo-wop quartet called The Primettes.		Early Life: Raised in an upper middle-class neighborhood in Houston, Knowles was attending dance school by the age of seven and was a soloist in the church choir. She hooked up with LaTavia Roberson, Kelly Rowland and LeToya Luckett to form a quartet called Girl's Tyme.
First big break: Signed with Motown in 1961, where Motown founder Berry Gordy took a personal interest in the group, changing its name to The Supremes.		First big break: Entered a "Star Search," competition, which they lost. However, Beyonce's father was prompted to leave his six-figure job at Xerox and become the group's manager.
Group changes: Original Primette Betty McGlown was replaced by Barbara Martin, who left the group shortly after it became The Supremes. In 1967, Florence Ballard was replaced with Cindy Birdsong, which would later become much-publicized drama.		Group changes: After the much-publicized drama behind the departure of LeToya Luckett and LaTavia Roberson, Destiny's Child became a trio with the addition of Michelle Williams.
Group successes: In 1963, the Supremes had their first hit with "When the Lovelight Starts Shining Through His Eyes" and went on to have an unprecedented ten number one hit singles on Billboard's Hot 100 hits with tunes like "Where Did Our Love Go," "Stop! In the Name of Love" and "You Keep Me Hangin' On." By 1967, the Supremes were Motown's top act.		Group successes: In 1998, Destiny's Child had its first hit with the number one R&B single, "No, No, No Part 2" and went on to) became the most successful R&B/pop acts of the early 2000s, charting four Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles, several top ten hits, and two number-one albums.
Steppin' Out: Gordy positioned Ross to begin a solo career in 1968 with TV specials like, "TCB" and "G.I.T. on Broadway" that put the spotlight on her. In 1969, Ross went into the studio do her debut solo album, "Diana Ross."		Steppin' Out: In 2002, Beyonce was featured on rapper Jay-Z's hit single, "03 Bonnie & Clyde." The next year, her duet with Luther Vandross on "The Closer I Get To You" earned a Grammy and she released her debut solo album, "Dangerously in Love."
Crossing Over: Ross made her acting debut in the 1972 film, "Lady Sings the Blues," garnering an Oscar nomination for her portrayal of late jazz great Billie Holliday. She went on to star with less success in such films as "Mahogany," "The Wiz." She garnered a Golden Globe nomination for the 1993 ABC telepic, "Out of Darkness," in which she portrayed a woman suffering from schizophrenia; and in 1999 played Brandy's MIA singing mother in another ABC TV movie, "Double Platinum."		Crossing Over: Beyonce made her acting debut in the 2001 MTV telepic, "Carmen: A Hip-Hopera." The next year, she starred in "Austin Powers: Goldmember," followed by 2003's "The Fighting Temptations" opposite Cuba Gooding, Jr. In 2006, she was featured in "The Pink Panther" with Steve Martin. Beyonce garnered two Golden Globe nominations for "Dreamgirls," a "Best Actress" nod and one for "Best Original Song."
Personal Life: Ross' long-denied relationship with her mentor Berry Gordy produced her first-born child, Rhonda. She went on to marry music manager Robert Ellis Silberstein in 1971. They split in 1977 and she became involved with actor Ryan O'Neal and KISS frontman Gene Simmons. In 1985, she was wed to Norwegian tycoon Arne Naess whom she divorced in 2000. Her unions produced five children, Rhonda, "Girlfriends" star Tracee Ellis Ross, Chudney Lane Silberstein, Ross Arne Naess and Evan Olaf Naess.		Personal Life: Beyonce and rapper Jay-Z have been a couple since 2002. Though constantly seen together, they keep the particulars of their relationship private. Jay-Z told People Magazine, "We don't play with our relationship."
Legacy: Named "The Female Entertainer of the Century" by Billboard magazine in 1976, Ross was also the first female artist in music history to have six singles at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 with her 1981 hit, "Endless Love." She was inducted into the Guinness Book of World Records in 1993 as the most successful female music artist ever with a combined total of 18 American number one singles.		Legacy: The multi-Grammy-winning Destiny's Child has now supplanted The Supremes as the best-selling female group ever with more than 50 million records sold. In 2001, Beyonce became the first African-American female songwriter and only the second female to win the "Songwriter of the Year" award from the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers Pop Music Awards. Her debut solo album, "Dangerously in Love" earned a record-tying five Grammy Awards in 2004. Her sophomore album, "B-Day," is nominated for another five Grammys this year.