Bette Midler has blasted singers including Britney Spears and Christina
Aguilera for not showing any "emotion" in their performances.

The musical legend - who is currently in Las Vegas completing her 'Showgirl
Must Go On' residency - argues young stars need to put more depth into their
shows.

She said: "They don't speak. They don't talk to their audience. They may
say, 'Hello, New York' or 'Hello, Las Vegas,' in the beginning, and 'Thank
you' in between songs, but they don't talk. They don't tell stories or take
the time to make a connection, build a rapport. There's no emotion."

Bette also blamed music video channel MTV for encouraging people to
lip-synch to their songs when performing 'live'.

She added to the New York Daily News: "Video really did kill the radio star.
After MTV came along, people were seeing their favourite singers in videos,
and suddenly there was a certain vision of a song - how it should sound, how
it should look.

"Then in concert, there was no room for improvisation - everyone wanted an
exact replica."