Whitney

When I felt my phone vibrate, I had no idea what I was going to read.  There was a tweet from Harvey Levin at TMZ that said Whitney Houston is dead.  I was stunned but thought it was a mistake, so I picked up my computer and Googled Whitney.  There was no news about her death. There were headlines about her being considered a judge for the X Factor.  I tried to call a friend who lives in L.A. and thought he'd have news, but couldn't reach him. I Googled again and there it was: Whitney Houston Dead at 48.  Stunning, shocking, and so, so tragic.  

Whitney Houston's meteoric rise to stardom was as fast as was the fast flame out.  In 1986 she won her first Grammy Award for Saving All My Love For You. Her last Grammy win was in 2000.  Her 15 year marriage and relationship with Bobby Brown was a disaster. She and Bobby were drug addicts. We all got to see the struggle play out in public. It was a painful and shockingly unhappy relationship. They had a daughter together. Whitney put out an album in 1997 to little fanfare. She tried to do a European concert tour, which was panned and booed by many. I felt terrible for her. Her handlers should never have let her go back on stage unless she was physically and emotionally prepared.  The YouTube videos of her performances were laugh out loud distressing.  Whitney Houston, once the voice of an angel, had completely trashed and destroyed her voice. What should have been a triumphant return to touring was an excruciating failure.  

I don't know how stars are supposed to trust the people they pay if all they ever say to them is how great they are, how beautiful they are, you've never sounded better, you are the greatest star of all, and it's all B.S. I was angry at Whitney's team for letting her put herself in front of adoring audiences, only to be booed and mocked.  It is such a waste and tragedy to have lost Whitney so suddenly. Rumors are swirling that she partied a lot this week; others saying that she was on her way back.  I am a Pollyanna. I wanted to believe that she was beating down her demons. Whitney's new movie being released in August is called Sparkle. It could have turned her life around, now it may be a posthumous triumph.  

Whitney Houston's rendition of the Star Spangled Banner is stellar and will live on. It also singlehandedly changed how singers approach the song.  She raised the bar. She raised the bar for female singers everywhere.

Whitney Houston gone too soon. 

Sidebars:  The Grammy Awards had so many highlights.  LL Cool J did a great job of hosting and setting the tone for the night. Bruno Mars, Katy Perry, Bruce Springsteen, Adele (her first public performance since vocal surgery), Glen Campbell, Paul McCartney, and The Beach Boys to name some of the great performances of the night.  One thing, did they forget that it was an awards show? It seemed more like the Grammy Performances with a few awards doled out.  Entertaining, thoughtful. Great finale with Paul McCartney.  

Not to be disrespectful and no surprise, the networks are absolutely going to beat a dead horse with the untimely death of Whitney Houston. They have compiled hour specials, interviews from everyone, and repetitious reporting. I guess it is always like that, but there is something yucky about the capitalization upon someone's death. 

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