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Whitney and Bobby in Las Vegas
submitted by: Sharon
source: Las Vegas Sun
Date: November 10, 2000
No Brown-out expected tonight
Whitney Houston and Bobby Brown are still on for tonight's concert at the Aladdin Theatre for the Performing Arts. Plagued by rumors of drug use, Houston had recently canceled a handful of appearances at the last minute (see story below) and some were worried that the couple's performance at the Aladdin wouldn't happen. But on Wednesday there she was, doing sound checks and rehearsing in the 7,000-seat theater.
Houston practiced what one insider called "a moving rendition of 'Amazing Grace,' " as well as her duet with Brown, "Something in Common." Brown also rehearsed his last major hit, 1988's "My Prerogative." [This is incorrect. Bobby had a number of hits after the release of this song.]
One spy who snuck into the sound check said Brown sounded solid and that Houston's voice was "definitely all there." But a brief video of the rehearsal, sent to media types by the Aladdin, showed Houston looking and sounding a little worse for wear. [Whitney does not appear "worse for wear" in the video. It was not a dress rehearsal.] The video also has some not-so-subtle promotional pitches for the concert, giving the appearance that it's nowhere near the sold-out marker.
Brown and Houston are set up in one of the Aladdin's swank suites and have hit the casino for a little gambling action. The pair were spotted at the tables in the hotel's London Club, the European-style high-roller area.
On Tuesday night, Brown and Houston crossed the Strip and dined at Aqua at the Bellagio. Accompanied by some businesspeople, the dynamic duo were dressed down in jeans as they noshed on lobster pot pie. Three burly bodyguards sat nearby.
Houston, we have a problem: Troubled star, husband Brown to play at Aladdin
By Kirk Baird
LAS VEGAS SUN
What's up with Whitney Houston?
Even as the singer-turned- occasional-actress and her husband, Bobby Brown, prepare to take the stage tonight for a joint concert at the Aladdin Theatre for the Performing Arts, the question still lingers as it has for several years. But now it seems to have reached the point of eclipsing her other accomplishments in the process.
Forget the 16 No. 1 hits, multiple Grammies and the title as the nation's reigning diva. It seems the country is more obsessed with her personal exploits.
And what exploits they've been.
From rumors of drug abuse, as well as battery and infidelity on the part of her husband, there's enough fodder to merit a People magazine cover story with the headline "What's up with Whitney?"
There is plenty to discuss.
For example, the recent charge of marijuana possession. Houston was in a Hawaii airport when she was stopped by security guards after 15.2 grams of marijuana were found in one of her bags. Houston left the bag at the security gate and was airborne by the time police arrived.
The singer -- who declined through an Aladdin spokesman to be interviewed for this story -- remained mum over the charges. But just last week her attorneys essentially admitted to the charge, resulting in a dismissal if she meets "certain probation-like conditions," as the Associated Press reported.
And last year amid much media scrutiny, the singer launched a 24-show tour, only to cancel five performances in the process.
Perhaps no episode was more troubling than her scheduled show at the Concord (Calif.) Pavilion which she bailed out of only 15 minutes before the show, citing illness.
The result was a loss of more than $100,000 for the Pavilion, including advertising fees for the show and preparation of the facility as well as catered meals for the pop diva and her crew, said Mark Devin, who oversees operations at the Pavilion.
And what about the infamous Oscar incident this year, when Houston was scheduled to perform "Over the Rainbow" but was replaced at the last minute by Faith Hill?
The rumors were Houston was unable to remember the words to the song, prompting Academy Awards music director Burt Bacharach to "fire" her.
"Whitney's chronic condition is very sad," he told People magazine.
A spokeswoman for the Academy said the source of Houston's problems, however, were from throat troubles. "The poor lady couldn't sing," the spokeswoman told People.
Shortly thereafter, there were reports of a family intervention to try and persuade Houston to seek treatment for chemical dependency.
Through it all the singer has remained reclusive to the media, perhaps taking a cue from her 1985 No. 1 single, "The Greatest Love of All," where she sang, "No matter what they take from me, they can't take away my dignity."
But Associated Press writer Larry McShane, who has written several articles about Houston, said all the negative talk batted around in the media hasn't hurt her yet.
"She put out a greatest hits album and it sold through the roof. So there's no fallout," he said. "Even when she was canceling shows, the others were still selling out."
Apparently, when Houston does sing, there isn't much of a problem. For example, her much-publicized appearance at Arista Records' 25 Years of No.1 Hits concert in April was critically lauded.
Of her 25-minute performance, USA Today referred to it as a "set of dramatic ballads and spunky dance-pop hits" that "stole the show" from other big-name artists, such as Santana, Alan Jackson, Brooks & Dunn and Sara McLachlan.
And in an Atlantic City concert in July, the Star-Ledger raved about Houston.
"Houston looked radiant in her silver floor-length gown and she sang from a seemingly bottomless reserve of vocal power. Dishing with the audience between numbers, Houston seemed a long way from the troubled diva who's been making tabloid headlines."
It's glowing reviews like those that once seemed destined for Houston.
A star is born
Born Aug. 9, 1963 in Newark, N.J., it seems almost natural for Houston to have found fame with her voice, considering her mother is gospel and soul singer Cissy Houston and her cousin is Dionne Warwick.
In her childhood Houston sang in her family's church and in her teens she began performing in her mother's nightclub act as well as embarking on a modeling career.
At 19 she was discovered by Arista president Clive Davis, who promptly signed her and bankrolled her debut album, "Whitney Houston," in 1985.
In was an investment that quickly paid off. The record went No. 1 spawning one top-5 single and three No. 1s. Houston was a rising star on the pop music and R&B scene, as her follow-up albums continued to top the charts, generating numerous top-10 hits in the process.
Adding to her growing status was Houston's stirring performance of "The Star Spangled Banner" at the Super Bown during the onset of Desert Storm in 1991. And then there was her starring role opposite Kevin Costner in the critically maligned but box-office smash, "The Bodyguard."
The soundtrack, of course, included Houston's remake of the Dolly Parton classic "I Will Always Love You," which stayed at No. 1 for a record-setting 14 weeks.
Houston was quickly becoming America's sweetheart. But that image began to change after she married Brown in July 1992.
Brown is best known musically for early hits in his first group, New Edition, as well as solo success such as 1988's "My Prerogative."
But considering his lack of success on the charts since, as well as a dearth of new material, Brown these days is known for two things: being Houston's husband and father of their daughter, Bobbi Kristina, now 7, as well as being a nefarious character.
Brown's image of course, has affected Houston, beginning with allegations of marital infidelity almost from the outset of the marriage. There were also reports of domestic abuse, such as in 1997 where Brown is said to have slapped Houston in a shopping-mall parking lot in Honolulu.
Later that year the couple separated for a month, Houston told Ebony magazine in 1998. But the couple seem more stable now.
In a subsequent interview with the Los Angeles Times in July 1999, Houston said Brown "inspires" her musically. As for the allegations of abuse, Houston said that was one of the biggest misconceptions about her husband along with alleged adulterous behavior.
"People are domestically abused every day of the week," she said. " I don't know what that's about. My husband never put his hands on me in his life. I have a father and two brothers who would kill you if you put your hands on me."
Meanwhile, Brown continues to have his problems.
In 1986 Brown was involved in an auto accident in which he was convicted of drunken driving two years later. He served five days' jail time and was put on a year's probation. In June of 1999 a probation officer said Brown tested positive for cocaine and a warrant was issued for his arrest.
In the latter case, Brown was apprehended in May and served 65 days of a 75-day sentence in a Florida jail.
But a jubilant Houston was waiting for Brown upon his release.
"I just want to be with my family and friends," Brown told the Associated Press. "I'm going home to spend the summer with my kids and work on my life."
The fallout
Despite the jokes that make the rounds of late-night television, Walt Love, urban radio music editor for Radio and Records Newspaper, an industry trade publication, said within the industry there's little talk about the couple beyond their professional lives.
And he doesn't see any permanent damage done to her career by the reports.
"I know she's a very talented singer. I know people like her. I know people want to see her perform," Love said. "And I also hear people always say, 'Oh gee, I hope her life goes well.' "I mean, she's got a little daughter. I think most of us, if we're any decent kind of human beings, want to see folks do well."
As for whether the allegations are true, Love, who has known Houston since childhood, said he doesn't know what's going on.
"I know her to be a very nice person and very talented individual as far as a professional singer is concerned," he said. "But I do know I'd like to continue to see her succeed and for whatever is going on for it to work itself out. But I am praying for her."
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