14 replies to this topic

[Nippyislove]

I just found this article about BeBe Winans, he plans to write a book about his friendship with Whitney Houston, it will be called "The whitney I knew" and it is planned to be published in July: http://www.mediabist...iendship_b50555

[remamamama]

Gospel music star BeBe Winans has landed a book deal for a memoir about his friendship with the late singer Whitney Houston. Worthy Publishing will publish The Whitney I Knew in July, complete with photos and links to video performances.

Here’s more about his upcoming memoir:

Winans met Houston at a concert in Detroit 26 years ago and quickly developed a close bond. They considered each other to be family … Delivering a moving eulogy at her nationally telecast funeral, BeBe Winans affirmed the truth about the Houston he knew for so long, relaying stories laced with humor and strength of spirit that characterized her life. “She gave us plenty of memories. In my heart and mind, I have so many great, great moments to share,” said Winans.



I have mixed feeling about this. It's great that he's doing something to honor his friend in a positive light, but something's not right when the first thing you think about is cashing in on someone's death - unless the proceeds are going to charity. I just don't know. I hope he at least got Cissy's approval before writing this book.

What does he mean by "links to video performances". So he's going to include youtube links to "Hold Up The Light" in his book???? Sounds strange to me.

[Nippyislove]

Yes, that with the "links" confused me, too - it would be weird to do Internet links in a printed book, just because they often do change. I am not shure about his Idea to write a book about Whitney. On one hand I understand that he probably wants the public to know the "real" Whitney as a true friend, on the other hand it looks a little bit like capitalizing on her as it is so soon and so fast when the book will be available.

[tms78]

it's going to be a multimedia e-book.

I'm sure that everyone connected to her has been bombarded with offers like this. BeBe is one of the few that would pass the sniff test. He's practically family.

It's probably going to read like a late-80's conversation between Whitney and Arsenio.

[tms78]

Plus, he has his own massive family legacy to maintain. Nothing to worry about at all here. It's not like Leolah or Tina Brown are writing a memoir (which I'm sure they will do at some point, since Bobby is muted).

[truthspeaker06]

I don't have a problem with this. I believe it's way of defending her legacy as not only a mega superstar and the voice but as a human being & his sister. I mean she is the godmother of his daughter, she IS family to him.

[ILoveYouBack]

Think how much it pisses us off as fans of Whitney when people trash her or spread mistruths. Think how much we jump to make sure they hear and recognize what we know as the truth. I can't imagine how much it must infuriate the likes of BeBe and Cece who truly knew her on a family level to hear people reduce Whitney to her "troubles" and "demons."

I don't think he would be capitalizing on her death. I think he probably sees it as sticking up for his sister and letting people know who she was from someone who really knew her. I support this endeavor as a way to spread positivity while still being honest about her.

[mkko1]

ILoveYouBack, on 25 April 2012 - 11:50 PM, said:

Think how much it pisses us off as fans of Whitney when people trash her or spread mistruths. Think how much we jump to make sure they hear and recognize what we know as the truth. I can't imagine how much it must infuriate the likes of BeBe and Cece who truly knew her on a family level to hear people reduce Whitney to her "troubles" and "demons."

I don't think he would be capitalizing on her death. I think he probably sees it as sticking up for his sister and letting people know who she was from someone who really knew her. I support this endeavor as a way to spread positivity while still being honest about her.

Agreed. I don't see suspicion here and he doesn't get the side-eye from me.

[liz06]

I like this idea. I love the Winans. I think it's great for Bebe to do this, and it might be good for him as well.

[OES_Diva]

Cissy Houston Plans a Book on Her Daughter, Whitney, a k a ‘Nippy’
By JULIE BOSMAN

Reed Saxon/Associated PressWhitney Houston in 1998 with her mother, Cissy Houston, and her brother Gary.
Cissy Houston, the gospel singer and mother of Whitney Houston, met with publishers in New York this week to shop a book about her daughter, several people who were in the meetings said.
Affectionately calling her daughter “Nippy,” her childhood nickname, and appearing emotionally and physically drained, Ms. Houston met with publishers in a suite at the St. Regis Hotel, said the people, who declined to be identified because the negotiations were still going on.
Ms. Houston, 78, described the book in meetings as the real and definitive story of her daughter, the pop legend who died on Feb. 11 in Beverly Hills at the age of 48.
“It’s going to be the bad, it’s going to be the good,” she told one publisher.
How much Ms. Houston is prepared to disclose — and how candid she will be about her daughter’s troubled marriage and long pattern of drug use — could determine the amount of money a publisher would be willing to spend on the book. Bidding could easily go into seven figures, said the people who attended the meetings.
Two publishers said Ms. Houston appeared reluctant to address her daughter’s death and her drug habit.
The Los Angeles County coroner said last month that Whitney Houston died of accidental drowning in a bathtub at the Beverly Hilton hotel; cocaine use and heart disease also played a role in her death, the coroner said.
Talking about the book proposal to publishers, Ms. Houston seemed eager to set straight what she called “lies” about her daughter that have circulated in public discussion about her. “She said, ‘There are so many lies out there and I want to dispel all of those lies,’” one publishing executive said.
Ms. Houston was represented by Steve Fisher, a literary agent in Los Angeles, who is pursuing a deal for world rights to the book, publishers said. Mr. Fisher did not immediately return a phone call seeking comment.
She will use a ghostwriter for this book, though no writer has been named yet.Cissy Houston has already written a memoir, which was published in 1998, titled “How Sweet the Sound,” that told of her upbringing in a deeply religious family and her career in gospel. As a young singer, she helped form the Sweet Inspirations, a group that frequently sang backup vocals for Elvis Presley; she later won Grammys for her gospel albums.
Her book would not be the first about Whitney Houston to emerge since her death. Worthy Publishing, a small Christian publisher in Nashville, said last week it had signed the gospel singer BeBe Winans, whose memoir would tell the story of his longtime friendship with Whitney Houston.
The book, to be called “The Whitney I Knew,” will capture “Winans’s personal stories and anecdotes that reveal Houston’s warmth, generosity, and humor,” the publisher said in a statement. It is expected to be released in July.
http://mediadecoder....ey-a-k-a-nippy/

[NippyFanNy779]

I don't have a problem with any of this is just didn't expect it so soon. Wow

[Nippyislove]

http://www.etonline....over/index.html
They write in this Article that BeBe Winans Book will be available at the end of July.

[NippyFanNy779]

Whitney Houston Helped Bebe Winans Buy His First Home

Gospel superstar Bebe Winans has revealed late soul star Whitney Houston once helped him buy his first home.
Winans, who is also a pastor, delivered the eulogy at Houston's funeral in February (12) and admits he has always been one of the singer's closest friends.

And now, as he promotes his new book The Whitney I Knew, Winans reveals his late pal really helped him out of a financial fix at the beginning of his career.

He tells news show Access Hollywood Live, "I wanted a house and, being a musician, the banks look at you as a risk... I had $25,000, which they said I had to put down (as a deposit) and then they changed it... and said, 'You've gotta put $75,000 (down).'

"Whitney flew in... just to visit, and she said, 'Take me to that house that you're buying'. I took her to the house and while we were walking through the house... she would look at the staircase and she'd say, 'Oh, that looks like my brother's staircase!'

"We got to the end of the tour and she looks at me and reached into her purse and gives me an envelope and says, 'Open it'... It was the remaining $50,000 that I needed and I looked at her and said, 'I'm gonna pay you back,' and she said, 'Don't worry about it'.

"I sent her the first installment of $25,000 and she called me and said, 'Why did you do that?' I said, 'I told you I was gonna pay you back,' and she said, 'Yeah, but a lot of people say that and they don't.'"

[NippyFanNy779]

The more I continue to learn about Whitney the more my love for her grows.

[Petra]

How can you not love her after hearing all these stories? The fact that she had tons of money didn't mean she had to just give it away to anyone who was in trouble, but she did it anyway. I just love the person she was.