Now that my memory has been refreshed, Bobby Brown has been arrested for battery on Whitney Houston while spewing "epithets," was arrested several times for drugs and DWI, arrested again for parole violation, and failed to pay child support. This is why I don't like him. I really hate it when people demonize white people as "bigots" while failing to notice that nobody dislikes, say, Oprah Winfrey or other black entertainers who are not criminals.
I love my people and am really tired of this racist crap. I loved Patti Labelle for thirty years until her thugs beat a white kid bloody--now I wouldn't cross the street to see her. I guess it's because she's black and I'm an evil white racist.
There are so many examples of criticism from both sides of the crossover debate. Dusty Springfield never sounded "black" to me, but she was often criticized as ripping off black singers in her heyday and clearly early in her career she was the first to admit how much Motown influenced her even though her roots were in folk music. I think Hall and Oates even got some such criticism back in the 80s. With the white singers, the accusation is usually that they're ripping off someone else's sound. I think this idea originated from the early days of rock and roll when Pat Boone and others "whitewashed" Little Richard's and others' music to make it more "palatable" for the white audience, though I don't think anyone ever accused Boone of sounding black!
From the other side, it seems the criticism is usually that of a "sell out" or that the black artists are not "true to their roots." This was often the type of criticism leveled at artists like the 5th Dimension, the Supremes to a degree and sometimes even artists like Nancy Wilson!
So I think both camps have suffered from these sorts of unfair criticisms. I remember one article about this from the New York Times where they posited that based on these kinds of conjectures, Leontyne Price should have been singing Motown songs!
And, those assault charges were dropped. They both did drugs and have been arrested. It's not like Whitney was any angel. That's my point. People have this idea that Bobby "ruined" Whitney, and i'm simply telling you why some people don't like him. You can whine about me being racist or whatever bullshit you want, but I stand by my words. I have no use for Patti Labelle, either.
People doesn't "sound black". That is plain racism. Nobody would have said that Leontyne Price, Grace Bumbry or Shirley Verrett "sounded black"!! Where is the colour line that divides voices? That idea that skin and voice can have "the same colour" is absurd. What about Mariah Carey, France Joli or Diana Ross? And Diana Ross's children: do they sound white or black? And I don't even talk about white jazz singers... Well, one, maybe: Anita O'Day who had to face racism almost all her life because she was white [[especially: booed for that reason one half hour long during a concert in Paris in 1970).
I think it's fair to say this was clearly a "toxic" relationship. Neither one is blameless. She was an adult with the luxury of a strong support system and finances to make other choices, had she wanted to. Many others in her situation would not have had the ability to leave, walk out, or whatever, because they would lack her resources. The fact that she stayed married to him for so long was sadly telling about her own lack of initiative in this regard, in my opinion.
We were writing our posts at the same moment basically :-)
Of course, I agree with you: you are 100% right!
I love the sentence "based on these kinds of conjectures, Leontyne Price should have been singing Motown songs": that is so unreal!
As a footnote, Grace Bumbry sang a non-operatic song in 1995, a duet with Dionne Warwick: "Just Like A Woman".
So what if the charges were dropped? That doesn't mean the assault didn't happen! It did happen and Whitney dropped the charges because they were both high when the incident occurred. In fact Whitney remarked that Bobby's favorite drug was weed laced with cocaine.
I know you weren't accusing me, directly, but you should not project racism onto any white person just because they don't like Bobby Brown. And even if someone doesn't like BB because he's black, too bad. That is their prerogative. I just read that Samuel Jackson voted for Obama because "he's black" and didn't "give a damn about his policies." No one said a thing about it. I don't like the double standard that whites are always under the microscope of racism but people like Jackson are not. We will never get along until this double standard is gone.
The makes me feel a great deal of respect for the Houston Family.
Hopefully, no garish repeat of remembrances by people that really weren't close to them. No more Jackson repeat.
Newark Mayor Whitney's Family Asked City to Cancel Public Memorial Plans
There will be NO public memorial service for Whitney Houston at the 18,000-seat Prudential Center in Newark, NJ ... because Whitney's family didn't want one -- this according to the City Mayor Cory Booker.
A rep for the Mayor's office tells TMZ, "The Houston family has no plans to set up a public viewing at the Prudential Center this Friday" -- despite several reports claiming there was going to be a massive public ceremony ... in addition to previously-scheduled private funeral arrangements.
The rep claims the family specifically asked the city NOT to plan a memorial event -- adding, "In compliance with the family’s wishes the city is not moving forward with any public ceremony."
The funeral is still set to take place this Saturday at New Hope Baptist Church.
[QUOTE=BobC;93246]So, if the charges were dropped, we will never know for sure if the assault did happen. Also, whenever both parties are under the influence, it muddies any legal charge. She did the same drugs as Bobby did. Again, neither one of them were innocent. All you are doing is taking sides, and you weren't even there to verify anything.So what if the charges were dropped? That doesn't mean the assault didn't happen! It did happen and Whitney dropped the charges because they were both high when the incident occurred. In fact Whitney remarked that Bobby's favorite drug was weed laced with cocaine.
A lot of Black people blame him too for the exact same reasons I outlined. It's proof to just how insidious racism is.I know you weren't accusing me, directly, but you should not project racism onto any white person just because they don't like Bobby Brown.
And, I say it was a stupid reason...if he was being sincere. He could have said it just to annoy White people. However, if Alan Keys had made the republiKKKan nomination ad had run against, say, Hilary Clinton, would he have still voted Black?And even if someone doesn't like BB because he's black, too bad. That is their prerogative. I just read that Samuel Jackson voted for Obama because "he's black" and didn't "give a damn about his policies." No one said a thing about it.
I don't like that Black people are always under the microscope for everything. And, if you think that Jesse Jackson hasn't been heavily criticized for racism, I would ask you what rock you have been living under all these decades.I don't like the double standard that whites are always under the microscope of racism but people like Jackson are not. We will never get along until this double standard is gone.
Whitney's death: Sad, but no shock
By LZ Granderson, CNN Contributor
February 13, 2012 -- Updated 1737 GMT [[0137 HKT)
Los Angeles [[CNN) -- I had just pulled up in front of my hotel in Los Angeles when I heard Whitney Houston had died at the Beverly Hilton, just a few blocks from where I was staying. I sat motionless in the car for a brief moment, not in shock, but temporarily paralyzed by a profound sense of sadness.
She was only 48.
Later that night, a large crowd of people hovered outside the site of her passing, some holding lit candles, others holding one another. It may be weeks before we officially know what happened. The autopsy is complete, but the toxicology report is still pending.
But many of us have already drawn our own conclusions based upon Whitney's well-documented -- and sometimes mocked -- struggle with drug addiction. I hope she can at last have the peace that seemed to avoid her over the last 15 years of her life: the marriage to Bobby Brown, the reality show, the erratic interviews and appearances, and the heartbreaking live performances that served only to remind us that her voice, The Voice, was gone, and Whitney was lost.
LZ GrandersonWe all could see she needed help -- but only she could seek it.
That's why if you didn't get goosebumps during Jennifer Hudson's Grammy tribute on Sunday, you may not be fully human. Hudson sang "I Will Always Love You," in a lower key than Whitney's signature version, but with a delivery that served a much higher purpose. We need to say our goodbyes and Hudson's performance was part of this process.
LZ: 'There is always room for Whitney' Buying Whitney's music is another, as evidenced by the presence of all of her classic singles currently occupying the iTunes chart.
My favorite?
"The Greatest Love of All," mostly for the line,"Learning to love yourself is the greatest love of all." So prophetic, so empowering. I can't help but think if she had lived by those words she might never have lost her magnificent voice. She might still be with us today.
All weekend long, we've seen clips of her Diane Sawyer interview from 2002, in which she talked about her struggles. Many of us were not very kind afterward, joking about her "crack is wack" line, and wondered how someone so beautiful and talented, rich and famous, could struggle. From the outside looking in, it looked as if she had it all. If there's ever been an example of money not buying happiness, the Whitney Houston tragedy would be it.
There was a moment when no other singer on the planet possessed her range, power and vocal clarity. True, she didn't always record the most groundbreaking material. In fact, an argument can be made that the arrangement of some of her most successful singles epitomized the radio-friendly manufacturing that choked a lot of creativity out of late '80s music. And certainly the rise of grunge and hip-hop in the '90s served as a rebellion against the numbing sound of that predictability.
But there was always room for Whitney because her voice made room. Two of her biggest hits -- "The Greatest Love of All" and "I Will Always Love You" -- were originally recorded by George Benson and Dolly Parton, two very successful artists.
But once Whitney got hold of those songs they became hers. So, with all due respect to Adele and Hudson and all the other powerhouse vocalists today, it's doubtful anyone can take a Whitney Houston song and make us forget it is a Whitney Houston song.
In fact, the kiss of death for any contestant competing on "American Idol" or any of its copycats is to try to sing Whitney. I don't know why they even try. The competition is tough enough without the added, self-imposed pressure of trying to reach a bar so high that many use the word "angelic" to describe it.
If I remember correctly, there was a time in which the angels themselves would gather round to hear Whitney sing.
Although some of her most fanatical fans are very upset the funeral isn't open to the public. Perhaps instead they should make a pilgrimage to the Apollo in Harlem? An impromptu memorial has been set up outside the theater. That would seem to be a fitting place for Houston fans to gather to remember and mourn and play her music on the same day of the funeral which would allow her family and friends to grieve in private.
Whitney Houston's downfall was her 'marriage' to Bobby Brown;
that was the result of quelling the rumours about Whitney and her
very close friend/assistant Robyn, with her mom Cissy warning her
about the damage to her career;
Brown was down on his luck at the time, in need of $$$$ and Whitney
was in need of a husband, pronto,and they married, pronto..
in my opinion, ultimately, Whitney Houston's death was initially induced
by homophobia, especially coming from the 'church/spiritual' background
she came from...if this is true, it's more tragic than anyone can know
It is NOT true. How do people come up with this stuff? The two got married in 1992 when Bobby was doing fine with his third album "Bobby" with the hit single "Humping Around". As been stated in the legit press repeatedly, they were very compatible. And, one more time: Bobby did not drag her down. On another thread, BobC got pissed at me for saying what causes some people to hate Bobby so much. I stated one of the reasons. It's not the only one, but one of them. It is clearly ignorant fanatics who start this crap.
Everybody cannot be pleased, oversinging, and being claimed as a lily white sounding
artist are both ridiculous observations. Whitney was an artist raised on gospel
was discovered by Clive Davis who dressed her music up in beautiful orchestration and whitney put her brand of over reaching on those songs. Something Berry did not think was good for his crossover artists, but by the 80's we were in a new type of getting songs over the top and Whitney came along and brought this brand of singing overreaching, and it caught on like wildfire. Mariah Carey,[[pop) Mary J [[soul) followed suit and the rest is history, whether you like it or not this is the story, and Whitney HOuston sold her craft whether it was pop ballads, or rocking pop uptempo she made them songs anthems and thats all folks. she was not a lily sounding artists she was an artist who happened to be black and worked her magic guided by Clive who knew how to sell her.
In the future, someone like Clive Davis can put on a concert to honour Whitney and he'll be able to get everyone out.
The spectacle funerals ~ where they drag out Al Sharpton and all the quasi celebs that didnt really know the person plus all the relatives that want to use the funeral to give their career a boost ~ are an embarrassment. As we know with Michael Jackson, those that really knew and loved him didn't participate in the public spectacle ~ Elizabeth, Liza, Quincy and Diana. The majority of his family weren't seeing him day to day anyway.
Thank you for being the first to offer this perspective. There was somehow, some issue there that I believe ripped at Whitney. Now, ain't nobody calling nobody a "lebisian", but imagine if you will for one second that Whitney felt she had to betray Robyn's love to save her career? That's broken heart territory right there. Just a thought, no one care say for sure....but still...
Last edited by Sugarchilehoneybaby; 02-15-2012 at 03:18 AM.
I second that emotion! If Berry had had Diana's vocal takes edited to include some of her more soulful moments [[like what Ashford & Simpson brought out in her), instead of editing to get the perfectly-enunciated MOR comp vocal, it may have worked. Or perhaps the public wasn't ready yet until Whitney.
I don't want to get to deep in this discussion out of respect, because Whitney hasn't even been buried yet. But, I will say that this is not totally out of left field. I have heard about this story before. Cissy is very religious, and they say she put pressure on Whitney to live "the right way". I've read where she even slapped Whitney over her friendship with Robin.
I disagree with your remarks about Michael Jackson's televised memorial. It was very well done and quite appropriate. Those that were there and those that participated REALLY knew and REALLY loved him. His mother, his father, his children and all of his siblings were there. Those other people, those old celebrities that you cited are suspect in my opinion.
No one suffered more or felt the impact of his death more than his family!
I agree that it was done tastefully and with restraint. My only problem with it [[albeit a big one) was that the tax payers had to pay for it, including all the security, etc., when the Jackson family is so wealthy. I mean, he was a pop star, not a head of state, after all!
why did MJ marry Elvis' daughter?..oh yes, they were in LOVE!!!!!....lol...get a grip on reality kids...Robyn was Whitney's quit significant 'other'...everyone who was around knew that...including her mother..
Does anyone think that Cissy Houston could be a classic stage mother monster in the vein of Mama Rose or Judy Garland's mother, whom Judy described as the "real wicked witch of the west"?
she clearly was; there's a distinct sea change/difference in Whitney during Robyn and after Robyn/during Bobby Brown..even someone who's blind can see that..
Hats off to he Houston Family and especially to Cissy for the private funeral. A true class act.
and you're basing that on what? AN INTERVIEW?..DID SHE CONFIDE IN YOU?
she also loved her German Shepard... Lisa was looking to show her spirit of rebellion to her mom at the time, and the MJ hookup did the trick..the two of them had pajama parties, like Stockard Channing and Olivia Newton John in "Grease"..
And I suppose you have proof to the contrary...
If someone in the situation says something repeatedly, and sounds sincere, i'll have to take their word for it. Even after MJ's death, she still says the same things, and I don't think she has any reason to lie. And, she did mention his obsessions with kids and using drugs.
But, if a few crazed fans come up to me and say that Whitney's drug addiction was all Bobby's fault with nothing to back it up with, I will not believe it unless you produce proof. All I keep seeing and hearing is stuff that contradicts the assertion.
Last edited by soulster; 02-15-2012 at 10:44 PM.
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