NEW YORK - You could call Taylor Swift baby Oprah, and the stage is her version of Winfrey's couch. Easily the most important pop star of today, now Swift's star power has reached even greater heights and stretched outside of music, thanks to her uber successful, star-studded 1989 World Tour. In typical Swift fashion, she has invited fellow radio-friendly singers to join her onstage, including Nick Jonas, Jason Derulo, John Legend and close gal pals Selena Gomez and Lorde. But Swift, 25, has also shared her stage with iconic folk singer Joan Baez and breakthrough acts like The Weeknd and Fetty Wap, who sang his hit "Trap Queen," a contemporary love song about cooking cocaine — among other things — with your lover. And then there were the tour's unorthodox moments: Ellen DeGeneres appeared onstage, Lisa Kudrow sang the memorable "Smelly Cat" from "Friends" at one show, and Kudrow's former co-star, Matt LeBlanc, hit the stage at a show with Chris Rock. Julia Roberts even walked the stage like a runway as Swift performed her hit "Style." The pop star also invited athletes to join in on the fun, from Kobe Bryant to Serena Williams to the U.S. women's soccer team, just days after they won the World Cup. And the models she calls her friends, from Gigi Hadid and Karlie Kloss. Other guests on the 1989 World Tour, which kicked off in Tokyo in May, have included Justin Timberlake, Alanis Morissette, Natalie Maines of the Dixie Chicks, Sam Hunt, Wiz Khalifa and Beck. "A lot of stars you can see maybe not wanting to kind of share the spotlight and not wanting to necessarily have other people up there with her, but Taylor's thrilled to do that," said Josh Duboff, who interviewed Swift for the cover of Vanity Fair's September issue. "She's kind of excited to share the stage, which I think is kind of unique right now." Mary J. Blige, who sang her songs "Family Affair" and "Doubt" at the Staples Center in Los Angeles with Swift, said the singer "was someone I always loved way before she invited me to her show." "It's amazing. She deserves it. She's a giver. She's a real sweetheart, big heart — so she's getting back everything that she is," the R&B diva said of Swift and her big-time tour guests. "People support her." - AP
