March 2002 Nippy News (Part II)

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2002/3/31
Dionne Duet: Whitney's cousin Dionne Warwick told newspaper The Jamaica Gleaner that she plans to record a duet with Whitney for her next album, "Dionne Sings Dionne," in which she will remake some of her greatest hits as duets with other singers. The album is expected to be released in November. The new report fills out some of Dionne's previously reported comments this year about her plans to work with Whitney. She also comments on her cousin's well-being.
2002/3/29
Star-Spangled Charity Funds: The April 5th edition of Entertainment Weekly reports on payouts to September 11 charities, to date, from various entertainment groups that released CDs to raise money for victims. Among a list of groups that have yet to distribute funds due to red tape, Whitney's rendition of "The Star-Spangled Banner" is cited as one of the few that has distributed proceeds. The article also notes a CD sales total that's a bit higher than last reported. The Nippy Events Calendar has been updated. Of note, the World Music Awards will include a tenth anniversary special presentation on April 21 showcasing some of its past, best musical performances, including Whitney. In addition, "The Bodyguard" is set to air numerous times in April on HBO. Music Charts Update: News from Sweden
2002/3/28
On the Charts: Whitney's rendition of "The Star-Spangled Banner" re-enters the Billboard R&B chart on improved sales, but slips a bit on the Hot 100. Read the statistics released today, plus news from Canada. Princess Update: "The Princess Diaries" has crossed the $30 million mark in VHS rentals. You can view two charts (1 & 2) to see how it is performing on video for the weeks ended March 16 and March 24. Check out Sene's revamped "Exhale Shoop Shoop" Whitney fanpage!
2002/3/25
Sightings: Only a couple of passers-by noticed Whitney Houston and hubby Bobby Brown having lunch Friday in Miami at the Tides. What appeared to be their children and parents periodically joined the controversial couple, who looked fine. [From The Deseret News]
2002/3/22
Whitney Album News: Arista's L.A. Reid says the Neptunes are writing for Whitney's next album. You can click the link above to read the full report, which highlights a few other points in the article where Reid mentions Whitney.
2002/3/21
On the Charts: Whitney's rendition of "The Star-Spangled Banner" holds steady this week at Billboard. Radio DJ Rick Dees' morning show had movie critics Roger Ebert and Richard Roeper as guests today. At one point, they started talking about singers-turned-actresses. Rick asked them whom they felt was the best actress among Barbra Streisand, Whitney Houston, Mandy Moore and Britney Spears. They said Mandy Moore. But then one of them said, "I wonder what happened to Whitney. She was at the brink of becoming a legendary Hollywood leading lady. But then she stopped acting." (Thanks Ralph M.) Princess Update: "The Princess Diaries" is still performing strongly on the VHS charts. You can view two charts (1 & 2) for the weeks ended March 9 and March 17.
2002/3/20
Liza Minnelli: Today, syndicated gossip columnist Liz Smith said "rumor has it [Whitney] was the only person to demand sky high perks" to appear at the wedding of Liza Minnelli and David Gest this weekend. In an unattributed move looking to counter the fact that Whitney cancelled because of her recording plans, an unnamed "insider" said Whitney "asked for a private plane (that's at least $25,000) and hotels, limos, security - but when she wanted $25,000 for a dress, that was too much! 'The total she demanded for singing one song at the wedding came to over $100,000.'" Gest wouldn't comment on the story, but Minnelli said the following to CNN talk show host Larry King tonight regarding the Whitney rumors:
MINNELLI: She really had something else she had to do. And I understand that. I'm in the same business that she's in. KING: So no hard feelings? Because there were stories in some papers that Whitney didn't come because she thought it was too much publicity? MINNELLI: No. Whitney's a good friend.
2002/3/17
Tentative Release Plan: Whitney's next album was covered last week at the National Association of Recording Merchandisers (NARM) convention in San Francisco. On a tentative basis, a single would be released this September, followed by the full CD in October. The promo set-up has begun. Whitney's project could be pushed back, but it would be released in the fourth quarter (October-December) if everything goes as planned with her recording schedule. (Thank you Ashle - from Arista) According to Jamie Foster Brown of Sister 2 Sister Magazine, Whitney and Bobby plan to renew their wedding vows in July, which will be their tenth anniversary. She says they're also looking for a house in Atlanta. (Thanks Carista)
2002/3/16
Wedding Follow-up: Whitney's spokesperson, Nancy Seltzer, said the following in today's PageSix column in the New York Post regarding Whitney's cancellation to sing at the wedding of Liza Minnelli and David Gest: "Several weeks ago, Whitney told David [Gest] she was recording and she didn't think she could make it. He tried to talk her into changing the recording session, but she cannot take time off from recording and make a proper professional appearance." Note: The complete article in PageSix actually was fully favorable to Whitney regarding the cancellation, but the rest of the story only quotes unnamed sources. Even though none of those unnamed sources said anything negative about Whitney, PageSix is so untrustworthy that I do not quote that column in the Nippy News unless it identifies the source. If you missed the earlier Nippy News, use the News Archive or the newslog.