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Us Weekly Reports on BET Awards
submitted by: Lisa D.
source: Us Weekly
Date: July 1, 2001
WHAT ABOUT BOB?
Whitney Goes Stag On Her Big Night
WHITNEY HOUSTON GOT CHOKED UP WHILE singing her 1992 hit "I Will Always Love You" at the BET Awards on June 19 in Las Vegas and glowed as the crowd of 1,000 gave her a standing ovation. Houston's mother, gospel singer Cissy Houston, and 8-year-old daughter, Bobbi Kristina Brown, joined Houston onstage as Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds presented her with a lifetime achievement award. In her acceptance speech, Houston called Bobbi Kristina "the love of my life," which prompted one audience member to shout "What about Bobby?" Good question. Although organ-izers had previously announced that Houston's husband of nine years, singer Bobby Brown, would appear onstage during the presentation of her award, he was a no-show at the live two-hour telecast at the Paris Hotel Theatre. (The previous day, the two had been seen together poolside at the Bellagio hotel.) As Houston acknowledged a litany of her supporters, another heckler ordered her to "Thank Bobby!"
Finally, Houston snapped back, "I got this. You better lay low," and she had the last word by calling Brown "the R&B king. There's a lot of copies. but. . . only one original. I love you, honey." BET's first awards show, billed as an event where "black star power explodes," honored African-Americans in the fields of music, acting and sports and featured performances by Destiny's Child and by Gwen Stefani and Eve, who dueted on "Let Me Blow Ya Mind." But no one disputed that the night belonged to the 37-year-old Houston. Per-forming at her request were Christina Aguilera, who belted out Houston's "I Wanna Run to You," and Luther Vandross, who sang "All the Woman I Need," a twist on Houston's "All the Man I Need." "Whitney is the great-est female artist ever," said Vandross, who has known Houston since she was 11. "She set the standard for singers like Mariah Carey and Celine Dion. Whitney is a pioneer." Kelly Rowland of Destiny's Child counts herself among Houston's acolytes as well. "When she came out with 'The Greatest Love of All,' we all sang it at a talent show," she said. "She has inspired us all."
--KEN BAKER
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