Showing up for an elegant private affair,
Whitney Houston was spotted at the Hotel Grand du Cap-Ferrat in
Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferra, France on Monday evening.
During the intimate concert, the “I Look To You” singer belted out several of her famous songs while donning a beautiful
white gown.
Coming up this weekend, Ms Houston is set
to attend Saturday’s Ball on the Mall in Washington D.C., but will be giving her
vocals a rest and putting on her dancing shoes.
The annual Ball on the Mall is a black
tie dance that benefits the Trust for the National Mall and is held under a tent
where guests dance to a swinging orchestra after dinner.
Just months after the superstar's death,
her relatives are using the singer to flog TV appearances, reality shows, and a
tell-all book. They say they want to protect the singer's name—but some just
need the income, says Allison Samuels.
Odds are that no matter the results of
the 2012 presidential election, singer Whitney Houston's death will still likely
be deemed one of the biggest stories of year. Not only was Houston one of the
most dominant superstars of a generation, she also died a rather tragic and
untimely death. Those dynamics make the story of her life and passing even more
fascinating to the masses.
Still, her demise following a long battle
with drugs won't be the only disturbing event remembered by fans and admirers of
the singer. The actions and reactions from her family, ex-husband, and former
cohorts in the aftermath of her death will surely go down in infamy as
well.
From the interview with Oprah on the OWN
network that showcased Houston's beloved only child Bobbi Kristina speaking for
the first time, to ex-husband Bobby Brown's appearance on The Today Show,
relatives of the late singer have wasted little time in their attempt to put the
"real story" of Whitney all out there for the world to see. Unfortunately each
version of the "real Whitney" appears to be tainted with inconsistencies and
half-truths. Pat Houston, the singer’s sister-in-law and manager, told Oprah
Winfrey the star was completely drug-free shortly before she died. Toxicology
reports and the fact that she was doing handstands at the hotel pool indicated
the opposite.
Bobby Brown, Houston's ex-husband, told
Matt Lauer on Today that he'd never done hard drugs until he met
Whitney—apparently suggesting New Jersey-born superstar was the one who led him
astray in the land of mischief and mayhem. Many close to Brown beg to
differ.
Making her triumphant post-baby stage
debut, Beyonce Knowles was in fine form as she took the stage for the first time
since giving birth to daughter Blue Ivy while putting on a concert in Atlantic
City, New Jersey on Friday night.
The 30-year-old singing sensation
confidently greeted the sold-out audience at Ovation Hall at Revel Resort &
Casino while opening up the show with fan favorite "End of Time" before
transitioning into "Love on Top".
When all was said and done, Beyonce had
cranked out a whopping 27 song setlist including covers of Whitney Houston's " I
Will Always Love You" and Lauryn Hill's "Ex-Factor".
Giving his lady a big thumbs up,
Beyonce's rapper hubby, Jay-Z, took to Twitter at the conclusion of the concert
while writing, "I'm gonna say this and then I'm gonna end mine. BEYONCE is the
best performer in the world. Period."
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In his first interview since his
ex-wife’s death, Bobby Brown sat down with the "Today Show's" host, Matt Lauer
to say, "I'm not the reason she's gone."
The R&B singer vividly opened up to
say that he’s "very much clean and sober from narcotics," and tells Lauer about
the last time he saw Whitney Houston and how he reacted when he found out about
her death.
The 54-year-old host confronted Brown
about the public's speculation that he is the reason the late singer's life took
a turn for the worse, and he responds, "It makes me feel terrible."
"If anyone ever knew us, if anybody ever
spent time around us instead of time looking through the bubble, they would know
how we felt about each other," he added. “They would know how happy we were
together."
Lauer asked Brown about the last time he
saw Houston, which was about a week before she died, and he said, "he had this
glow about her that was just, you know, incredible. I'm saying to myself, you
know, 'She must be ... she must be doing really well,' because she looked really
well."
Adding that he thought she was in a "good
place."The two were married for 15 years and he claims that he was not the one
who introduced her to narcotics, saying, "I didn't get high [on narcotics]
before I met Whitney," Brown said. "I smoked weed, I drank the beer, but no, I
wasn't the one that got Whitney on drugs at all."
He added that it was painful to see her
suffering and eventually lose her life as a result of the drug use.
"I was hurt. I was hurt ... because, you
know, me being off of narcotics for the last seven years, I felt that she was,
you know, I didn't know she was struggling with it still. But at the same time,
you know, listen, it's a hard fight. It's a hard fight to, you know, maintain
sobriety that way."
The 43-year-old performer said that based
on the last time he saw his ex-wife, it had to be the result of one day of
cocaine use, and not a long term effect. "It had to be that one, because that's
all it takes," Brown said. "One hit, you know ... it could definitely take your
life away from you. And, unfortunately, that was it."
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Just months after the tragic death of
singing legend Whitney Houston, TMZ has obtained the 9-1-1 calls that were
placed moments after her body was found.
The caller, who is a Beverly Hilton
security team member, advises the operator that a "46-year-old female" was
"found in the bathroom," adding he was "not sure if she fell or if she was in
the bathroom with the water."
When the 9-1-1 operator asks for more
information, the worker explains that he was originally notified by an "irate"
woman with whom he could not obtain much information from.
After inquiring a few last questions, the
operator says emergency personnel would be on their way to the hotel as soon as
possible, but at this point personnel is not informed that the "46 year-old
woman" was that of Miss Houston.
As previously reported by GossipCenter,
the "I Wanna Dance With Somebody" songstress died in an accidental drowning that
was "due to, or as a consequence of" the effects of atherosclerotic heart
disease and cocaine use.
Houston, who was 48 years-old at the time
of her death, passed away on the night of February 11 and was later laid to rest
in her home state of New Jersey.
Whitney Houston unexpectedly passed away
two months ago, and Whitney Houston's death has been under investigation ever
since.
And according to a newly-released report
from TMZ via the Beverly Hills Police Department, the "I Wanna Dance With
Somebody" songstress' demise didn't involve any foul play.
Up to this point, the LA County Coroner's
Office has ruled that Houston died as a result of drowning in her hotel room
bathtub.
Additionally, the cops found cocaine in
her room, and the coroner found the same drug in Whitney's
bloodstream.
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It's no secret that Bobby Brown has never
had a great relationship with his late ex-wife Whitney Houston's family, and
there's a whole new war on the horizon.
According to a report from TMZ, Houston's
mother Cissy is petrified that Brown is trying to get into the good graces of
his daughter Bobbi Kristina in hopes of padding his bank account with Whitney's
fortune.
And since Bobby is essentially broke,
it's no wonder he sees an opportunity. Whitney's estate is said to be worth $20
million, with the possibility that it could double with posthumous record
sales.
However, Brown's camp has declared that
he just wants to make amends with everyone during this difficult time, and that
he has no ulterior motive
It was a tremendous blow to her family
when Whitney Houston passed away earlier this year, and now the official death
report has shaken them once more.
According to a report from TMZ, the "I
Will Always Love You" songstress' Autopsy Report from the LA County Coroner's
office has "devastated" her mother Cissy Houston, leaving her
"inconsolable."
Mama Houston was reduced to hysterical
tears when she was told that the coroner found a white powder with a drug spoon
and other paraphernalia in the hotel room.
Cissy told her friends that she's afraid
people will only remember Whitney for her drug use, rather than her amazing
voice and loving spirit.
"This is the type of thing people should
remember Whitney for. No one's perfect. Only the Lord can judge" , said
Houston.
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After recently being nabbed for his
second DUI, Bobby Brown has now charged with driving under the influence and
driving with a suspended license on Wednesday (March 28).
As previously reported by GossipCenter,
the "New Edition" singer was stopped by the Los Angeles Police Department just
after noon on Monday for talking on his cell phone while operating his motor
vehicle.
The charges were then upped when
officials determined Brown was driving while on a then unknown substance, which
has now been confirmed to be alcohol - as he registered 0.12 on a BAC
test.
The arrest comes just six weeks after
Brown's former wife, singing legend Whitney Houston, passed away unexpectedly at
the Beverly Hilton Hotel.
After the recent tragic death of her
mother Whitney Houston, Bobbi Kristina Brown is looking to change her legal
name.
According to a report by TMZ, the singing
icon's daughter despises her last name because of the association it has with
her father, Bobby Brown.
The report tells that Bobbi has
reportedly told her friends that she has contemplated the name change since her
parents split, but has yet to do so because her mom preferred she stick with
Brown.
But, now that Whitney is no longer with
us, the 19-year-old is hoping to switch up her legal name to Kristina
Houston.
Though there is no definitive plans on
when the change will happen, friends say Bobbi Kristina is in a "better place"
and has made the decision with a clear and positive mind.
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Ray J had a very close relationship with
Whitney Houston before she died, and Ray J is furious about rumors that he gave
her drugs.
In the wake of reports that the late "I
Will Always Love You" songstress had cocaine in her system at the time of her
demise, Ray is vehemently denying that she ever obtained any illegal substances
from him.
Bobby Brown's sister Leolah Brown claims
she saw Ray leaving Houston's hotel on the day she died. "I saw Ray J coming out
of the hotel, hiding his head, being pushed into the car. Why? I looked and I
said, 'why is he hiding his face?' He's always trying to show his face when he's
around Whitney. Why now? Why are you trying to hide now Ray J?"
However, Ray's attorney declared that
Brown's interview was “rife with false statements. Even though Leolah Brown was
nowhere near the Beverly Hilton Hotel on the day Whitney Houston died, Ms. Brown
falsely claimed that Ray J was at the hotel and contributed to Whitney Houston's
death."
"Even the most minimal inquiry with
anyone actually in contact with Whitney would reveal that Leolah Brown had been
out of contact with Whitney for more than a year."
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Whitney Houston was a chronic cocaine
user who had the drug in her system when she drowned in a hotel bathtub,
coroner's officials said Thursday after releasing autopsy findings that also
noted heart disease contributed to her death.
The disclosure ended weeks of speculation
about what killed the Grammy-winning singer on Feb. 11 on the eve of the Grammy
Awards.
Houston was found submerged in the
bathtub of her room at the Beverly Hilton Hotel, and her death was ruled
accidental. Several bottles of prescription medications were found in her hotel
room, but coroner's officials said there weren't excessive
quantities.
"We are saddened to learn of the
toxicology results, although we are glad to now have closure," Patricia Houston,
the singer's sister-in-law and manager, wrote in a statement to The Associated
Press.
Beverly Hills police said in a statement
there was no evidence of wrongdoing in connection with Houston's
death.
Coroner's Chief of Operations Craig
Harvey said cocaine and its byproducts were found in Houston's system, and the
drug was listed as a contributing factor in her death. He said the results
indicated Houston was a chronic cocaine user.
Toxicology results also showed Houston
had marijuana, Xanax, the muscle relaxant Flexeril, and the allergy medication
Benadryl in her system. Houston died just hours before she was scheduled to
appear at producer Clive Davis' pre-Grammy Awards bash.
The singer also had buildup of plaque in
her arteries that can restrict blood flow. Assistant Chief Coroner Ed Winter
said the condition is common in drug users, although he said it wasn't clear
whether Houston had a heart attack on the day she died.
"It just beats up their heart and they
will go to use and they will have a heart attack," he said.
The exact amount of cocaine in Houston's
system was not disclosed Thursday but will be contained in a full autopsy report
to be released in about two weeks, officials said.
Cocaine use has been known to cause
damage to the heart and could have cause Houston's death, said Dr. Michael
Fishbein, professor of pathology at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA.
He had no role in the investigation.
He said a likely scenario was that
Houston's cocaine use interfered with the normal function of her
heart.
"There's no reason to drown in a bathtub
unless you're incapacitated," Fishbein said.
Family and friends said after Houston's
death that they didn't believe she was still abusing drugs.
"I don't think drugs was an issue for her
before her death. I don't know what happened that day," Patricia Houston said in
a recent interview with Oprah Winfrey.
Houston, 48, was buried in a New Jersey
cemetery next to her father after an emotional four-hour funeral service that
was attended by friends, family and superstars such as Oprah Winfrey, Tyler
Perry, Alicia Keys, Mariah Carey, Mary J. Blige, Jennifer Hudson and Roberta
Flack
Houston, a sensation from her first,
eponymous album in 1985, was one of the world's best-selling artists from the
mid-1980s to the late 1990s, turning out such hits as "I Wanna Dance With
Somebody," ''How Will I Know," ''The Greatest Love of All" and "I Will Always
Love You." But as she struggled with drugs, her majestic voice became raspy, and
she couldn't hit the high notes.
Interest in her music skyrocketed after
her death, pushing her songs back on to charts and into heavy rotation on the
radio.
She influenced a generation of younger
singers, from Christina Aguilera to Mariah Carey, but Houston's drug use
derailed her career and took a heavy toll on her once pristine voice.
But by the end of her career, she was a
stunning cautionary tale of the toll of drug use. Her album sales plummeted and
the hits stopped coming. Her once serene image was shattered by a wild demeanor
and bizarre public appearances. She confessed to abusing cocaine, marijuana and
pills and was eventually unable to hit the high notes as she had during her
prime.
"The biggest devil is me. I'm either my
best friend or my worst enemy," Houston told ABC's Diane Sawyer in an infamous
2002 television interview with then-husband Bobby Brown by her side.
She had been attempting a comeback when
she died. She had finished filming a remake of the movie "Sparkle" in which
Houston sang the gospel hymn "His Eye is on the Sparrow." Producers of the film
have said the singer was a complete professional on the set.
A representative for Whitney Houston’s
daughter Bobbi Kristina has dismissed reports suggesting the teenager is engaged
to her “adopted brother.”
Family sources have been releasing
statements to the media about the teen’s alleged romance with Nick Gordon, who
Houston informally adopted when he was 12, with some insiders suggesting the two
are planning to wed.
But, despite recent photos and video
footage that show Gordon and Bobbi Kristina holding hands and kissing, a rep for
the teenager insists there are no marriage plans.
The spokesperson tells UsMagazine.com,
“Bobbi Kristina is not engaged. It is not true.”
Another source tells the website that the
ring Bobbi Kristina has started wearing on her wedding finger belonged to her
late mother – and is not a gift from Gordon.
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According to a report published by Forbes
Magazine last week, sources at the Whigham Funeral Home in New Jersey know for a
fact that a man named Raffles van Exel is the person who sold the heart
wrenching photo of the late R&B icon Whitney Houston's body lying in her
golden coffin.
But who the hell is this guy?Forbes says
that Raffles van Exel, who also uses the aliases Raffles Benson and Raffles
Dawson, is a so called "lose friend"of Whitney' who attended not just one, but
TWO private viewings for the singer held at the Whigham Funeral Home in New
Jersey.
The first viewing was held on Friday,
February 17th, the night before the memorial service, and the second was held
Sunday morning before the burial.Staff at the funeral home — who have vehemently
denied having any involvement with the photo leaking throughout this entire
ordeal — say they noticed van Exel right away.
Though he' not a blood relative of the
Houston', his apparent close association with Whitney Houston allowed him to
travel with the family on a private jet from Los Angeles to New Jersey prior to
the services.
Van Exel was also literally the ONLY
non-family member who attended both viewings, and he also accompanied Patricia
Houston — Whitney's former sister-in-law and manager — in her car to those, as
well as the the funeral and burial services. One source says van Exel even had
his own bodyguard with him, which was a bit unusual.
Whitney Houston's death over the weekend
shocked fans.She died on Saturday in Los Angeles at age 48.In her teens she sang
backup for various music acts.Her first album was released in 1985. "Whitney
Houston" sold millions and spawned hit after hit. She went on to record dozens
of songs and albums.
1. " I Will Always Love You" (1992) –
Though many fans remember this as Houston's signature song, it was actually
penned by Dolly Parton. This song helped Houston win Grammys for Record of the
Year and Best Female Pop Vocal, and "The Bodyguard" won Album of the
Year.
2. " Greatest Love of All" (1986) –
According to information from About.com, this song spent three weeks at No. 1 on
pop charts.
3. " How Will I Know" (1985) – This fun
track help Houston prove she had it all: she could span genres from pop to
contemporary to R&B and now dance.
4. " I Wanna Dance with Somebody" (1987)
– Houston earned a Grammy Award for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance for this
song, which debuted on pop charts at No.1.
5. " Didn't We Almost Have it All?"
(1986) – This breakup song was nominated for a Grammy and spent several weeks on
top of the pop charts.
6. " So Emotional" (1987) – This song was
written for Houston by the musical geniuses behind Madonna's "Like a Virgin" and
became the singer's sixth consecutive No. 1 hit.
7. " Star-Spangled Banner" (1991) –
Houston performed the national anthem at the 1991 Super Bowl and later released
a single of the song to raise funds for soldiers in the Persian Gulf
War.
8. " Hold Me" with Teddy Pendergrass
(1984) – Critics said the Houston held her own against the R&B legend, and
fans agreed. The song was released on Houston's album "Whitney Houston" and
Pendergrass's "Love Languages."
9. " Saving All My Love for You" (1985) –
This was Houston's first No. 1 song and helped her win her first Grammy award.
It was originally performed in 1978 by Marilyn McCoo and Billy Davis
Jr.
10. " All the Man that I Need" (1990) –
This ballad about love during tough times featured a saxophone solo by Kenny
G.
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