Clive Davis, the Sony mogul and Whitney Houston’s mentor and guide of her career for decades, paid an emotional tribute at the star’s funeral and tell the story of singer’s final days.
“You wait for a voice like that for a lifetime. You wait for a face like that, a smile like that, a presence like that for a lifetime. And when one person embodies it all, well it takes your breath away,” Clive Davis recalled.
“That’s the way I felt in 1983 when in the middle of your act at Sweetwater’s, Cissy, your daughter stepped forward and shattered me with her version of Greatest Love Of All.”
“And that night we connected and then we connected with each other every night thereafter for the rest of her life,” Clive Davis added.
It was Clive Davis’ annual pre-Grammy party that Whitney Houston was getting ready for on Saturday February 11 when she ran a bath in her room at the Beverly Hilton hotel but never made it out.
The Sony mogul said being in the church was helping him and told of how he lost his mother as a teen when his mother was 47 and he lost his father the following year.
“I’ve felt my mother’s guidance and she’s helped me through my life,” Clive Davis said.
Clive Davis, the Sony mogul and Whitney Houston’s mentor and guide of her career for decades, paid an emotional tribute at the star’s funeral and tell the story of singer’s final days
Clive Davis added a recent memory of Whitney Houston’s final days: “Whitney and I spent the Tuesday afternoon before she died in my bungalow at the Beverly Hills Hotel.
“I looked at her on the couch, saw that she had applied a little makeup and was once again taken aback – she was one beautiful woman.
“We talked nonstop music, a subject we both fervently loved. And, as we spoke, I couldn’t help but silently reminisce about all that we had shared together over the years.
“When she broke that record of 7 consecutive number ones. We felt utter disbelief. We pinched ourselves. She was never arrogant.
“Whitney held my hand when I worried about her getting The Bodyguard, I worried about her transition from music to film.
“But who can ever forget how she looked when she mesmerized everyone in that stunning headdress with I Have Nothing, how she dazzled in her close-ups during Run To You, how she reinvented I’m Every Woman and how she captured the world forever with I Will Always Love You.
“Is there anyone who has sang Star Spangled Banner that remotely compares to her? Will there ever be?” Clive Davis mused.
Clive Davis spoke about the songs they listened to and recorded over the years and said the songs were “scorching his brain” right now.
“Yes she spoke to Oprah about her searing battles but when I needed her she was there. She was there for me. An entirely loyal friend,” Clive Davis said.
“I believe in you and me.
“I was her industry father and was so proud of it. And Bobbi Kristina – she loved you so very much. She defined not only pure talent but true heart and soul. Always be proud of your mother. She will forever be looking after you and never let go of your hand.
“She came to see me and was excited about the new cuts from her new movie Sparkle,” he said of the soundtrack.
“I’ve been swimming every day,” Whitney Houston told Clive Davis.
“I’m committed to getting my high notes back. No cigarettes. Clive I’ll be ready by August.”
“Well Whitney I will be ready by August. Everyone in heaven including God are waiting. And I just know you will raise the roof like no one has done before.”
Bobbi Kristina “Krissi” Brown is said to be encouraged by Whitney Houston’s family members to enter a live-in rehab facility as soon as possible.
According to TMZ, Whitney Houston’s relatives want Bobbi Kristina to seek drug treatment, but they are holding off on telling her until after Whitney’s funeral today.
Sources connected to Whitney Houston’s family told TMZ that the 18-year-old Bobbi Kristina has struggled with substance abuse issues for the last three or four years.
Now family members are urging Bobbi Kristina to get professional help at a 60-day live-in treatment facility before her alleged drug use gets worse.
But they want to give Krissi time to grieve, and will not push the issue until after Whitney Houston’s funeral.
Whitney Houston's daughter, Bobbi Kristina, is said to be struggling with substance abuse issues for the last three or four years
Last March Bobbi Kristina Brown took to Twitter to deny claims she had checked into rehab after pictures surfaced that allegedly showed her snorting lines of cocaine.
Whitney Houston, who struggled with her own battle against drug addiction up until her death, was said to have desperately pushed the teenager to seek treatment last year, but Krissi pushed back.
Bobbi Kristina tweeted: “Excuse me, but I’d like to say that I am NOT going to rehab? I’m perfectly healthy and I am not addicted to anything but life.”
The National Enquirer, which first published the scandalous pictures, reported that Whitney Houston had attempted an intervention of sorts.
The publication quoted a source as saying: “She called a family meeting and sobbed as she told Krissi, <<I don’t want to lose you>>.
“Whitney called Bobby [Brown], and they agreed that Krissi needs rehab,” the friend was quoted as saying.
“They also agreed on a tough-love move to shake Krissi up, and Whitney returned a Lexus convertible that she’d bought for Krissi’s birthday.”
As Whitney Houston’s silver casket was carried out of the New Hope Baptist Church, her unforgettable voice could be heard singing her greatest hit I Will Always Love You, reducing many mourners to tears, as the star made her final journey before being laid to rest.
The singer’s mother Cissy Houston followed right behind the casket and had to be supported by two helpers as she tearfully watched her only daughter’s coffin being taken out. Bobbi Kristina followed closely behind.
Whitney Houston will be laid to rest tomorrow alongside her father John Russell Houston Jr.
Among the mourners at today’s highly-charged service, were singers Chaka Khan, Brandy, Roberta Flack, Jordin Sparks and Jennifer Hudson. Singer Ray J, who spent time with Houston during her last days, broke down crying before the service had even begun.
Cissy Houston and daughter Bobbi Kristina Brown were in the front row, both in black, both with heads bowed in grief.
Whitney Houston’s casket was carried out of the church while her unforgettable voice could be heard singing her greatest hit I Will Always Love You
Whitney Houston’s ex-husband Bobby Brown was seen storming out of the church shortly before the service began. He was driven away from the funeral but later returned in time for the start of the going-home service.
TMZ reported that Bobby Brown got into an argument with Whitney Houston’s family over whether or not he could bring nine people into the church with him. Bobby Brown was invited and told he could bring two people but instead showed up with an entourage of nine.
Bobby Brown reportedly became upset when he was told his party could not be seated. He was also refused to sit beside his daughter Bobbi Kristina in the front row.
In a statement put out by his representative after the funeral ended, Bobby Brown explained: “My children and I were invited to the funeral of my ex-wife Whitney Houston. We were seated by security and then subsequently asked to move on three separate occasions.
“I fail to understand why security treated my family this way and continue to ask us and no one else to move. Security then prevented me from attempting to see my daughter Bobbi-Kristina. In light of the events, I gave a kiss to the casket of my ex-wife and departed as I refused to create a scene.
“My children are completely distraught over the events. This was a day to honor Whitney. I doubt Whitney would have wanted this to occur. I will continue to pay my respects to my ex-wife the best way I know how.”
Nick Vujicic, a limbless motivational speaker from California, and his new wife spent their honeymoon on a beach in Hawaii.
Nick Vujicic, 29, was born with no limbs, a crippling disability that meant he had little hope of ever living a normal life.
Tetra-amelia syndrome is a rare disorder characterized by the absence of both arms and legs.
Nick Vujicic was born to Serbian immigrants in Melbourne, Australia, but the couple now lives in California.
Nick Vujicic, a limbless motivational speaker from California, and his new wife spent their honeymoon on a beach in Hawaii
Now a best-selling author, Nick Vujicic suffered from depression as a child, but as he got older he eventually began to embrace his disability.
The teen mastered life’s daily tasks and went on to show that he can do everything that able bodied people can do-including writing, typing, play drums, brush his teeth.
Now a best-selling author, Nick Vujicic suffered from depression as a child, but as he got older he eventually began to embrace his disability
Aged 17, Nick Vujicic began giving talks at a church group and went on to found a non-profit to use his experience to help others.
In 2005 Nick Vujicic was nominated for the “Young Australian of the Year” Award.
But the preacher and author of “Life Without Limbs” has now found true happiness – he last week got married.
And today, the bestselling author and his beautiful new wife Kanae Miyahara, were seen having the time of their lives, as they began married life in Hawaii.
The agile Nick Vujicic had no difficulty taking using his camera to take photos of his stunning bride.
The couple got engaged in August and married on February 10th in California.
On Nick Vujicic’s Facebook page, congratulatory remarks poured in from fans from around the world. He has addressed over three million people in 25 countries.
Cissy Houston, Whitney Houston’s mother, paid an emotional tribute to her beloved daughter today as family, friends and some of the biggest names in the music world gathered at New Hope Baptist Church in Newark, New Jersey, for the singer’s funeral.
Among the mourners at today’s highly-charged service, were singers Chaka Khan, Brandy, Roberta Flack, Jordin Sparks and Jennifer Hudson. Singer Ray J, who spent time with Houston during her last days, broke down crying. His sister, singer Brandy, put her arm around him.
After a brief welcome by City Mayor Cory Booke, Pastor Joe Carter took to the alter to read some scripture and start the celebration of Whitney Houston’s life.
Gospel singer Donnie McClurkin was the first soloist to sing. He performed Stand which was a request from the Houston family. As he came up to sing he briefly stopped to greet Whitney Houston’s mother Cissy and her daughter Bobbi Kristina who are sitting next to each other on the front row of the church.
Members of the congregation stood up and started raising their hands and praising as Donnie McClurkin sang to the congregation accompanied by the large gospel choir.
Dionne Warwick, who is officiating the service and introducing the guests to the congregation, told Donie McClurkin after his performance: “This song means a lot to Cissy and a great deal to Whitney so thank you.”
She then invited Tyler Perry to come and say a few words.
Tyler Perry started by saying: “It was Pat [Whitney’s sister-in-law] that introduced me to Whitney. I met her a few years ago. She told me about things that she went through. I saw this sadness and heaviness.
“But before she would say what was bothering her she would interrupt and say <<But the Lord… But my Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ>>. I’m thankful for all that God has done in her life.
“There was a grace that followed her through her life. There was a grace that kept on carrying her. She loved the Lord.”
Tyler Perry ended by saying: “God bless you family. We love you Whitney.”
Dionne Warwick said: “That’s someone who truly knew Whitney. He loved the lord and still does.”
She then invited gospel singer Bebe Winans to come up and sing.
Bebe Winans and his sister CeCe Winans came up to the altar. CeCe was a close friend of Whitney Houston’s and is Bobbi Kristina’s Godmother.
“Whitney invited us over to her home and we sat in her closet. It was a huge closet,” Bebe Winans said.
He told the story of how Whitney Houston changed her tour so they would be the ones to headline instead of her which made “Clive Davies” mad.
Bebe Winans said that Whitney Houston was doing it because they were “poor” and she was “rich” and she wanted to help them and get them more exposure.
He told the story through tears and laughter at how giving their long term friend was.
Bebe Winans sang a heartfelt rendition of I Really Miss You. The lyrics of which speak of how much he will miss her “wit, charm, just want to hold you in my arms”.
“I’ll miss her voice when she will call. I’ll miss her smile most of all. I’m gonna miss you.”
During the song, his voice broke as he became emotional and he ended the song in tears.
Dionne Warwick then invited renowned pastor Bishop T. D. Jakes to the pew who met her on the set of the remake of Sparkle, Whitney Houston’s final movie which will be released in August, which he helped to produce.
“I really the dichotomy at this time. Surrounded by friends and admirers enthralled by the beautiful Whitney Houston. But that’s not what brings you here because you knew who she was. Not what she did. You shared her with the world and we just want to take a moment to say thank you,” he opened up with saying.
He embarked on a sermon where he talked about the Bible speaking of love being stronger than death.
“One day you’ll be driving and hear Whitney’s voice in your head, something that she said or did, and you’ll giggle. They may leave you outwardly but they never leave you inwardly.”
Kim Burrell was next to take to the altar. The gospel singer and pastor says Whitney Houston helped her in the start in her career.
She was supposed to sing I Believe In You and Me, a favourite of Whitney Houston’s, but she instead did a personalized version of A Change Is Going To Come, where she sang that a change had to come in Whitney’s life.
Her lyrics were directed to Cissy Houston and sang about how she would get on her knees and pray for her daughter during all the trials and tribulations in her life.
“Whitney a change has come,” she ended the song and then went and gave Cissy Houston a huge hug.
The Bodyguard co-star Kevin Costner got up to share memories of his time with his beloved friend Whitney Houston
The Bodyguard co-star Kevin Costner got up to share memories of his time with his beloved friend.
Kevin Costner started by saying: “I would like to thank Cissy and Dionne for the honor of being here. Everyone treating my wife and I so gracefully.”
“The song I Will Always Love You almost wasn’t. She was meant to sing What Becomes of the Broken Hearted. So what becomes our broken hearts.
“For a moment we should dry our tears, suspend our sorrow and anger. Never forgot that Cissy and Bobbi Kristina are sitting among us.
“Your mother and I had a lot in common,” Kevin Costner said to Bobbi Kristina.
“He’s a boy, she’s a girl. I’m white, she’s black. You’d think we had nothing in common but we did.
“We both grew up in a Baptist church. My grandmother led the choir and played the piano.”
Kevin Costner told stories of his childhood in the church that Whitney Houston enjoyed him telling her when they worked together including him “drinking grape juice” in the back of the church.
He laughed: “I can see her as a skinny girl running around this place, using her smile to get out of trouble and Cissy having enough of it. Whitney said she was waiting no whisper, her mother Cissy and cousin Dionne.
“As I’m sure of Whitney’s place in musical history. I’m also sure of how she felt about her mother. Was she good enough. Could I have done better. Did they really like me or were they just being polite because they’re scared of you Cissy?”
The actor spoke about how there was initial anxiety about Whitney Houston, a black woman, to play alongside Kevin Costner.
He said that there was a sigh of relief when it turned out that Whitney Houston was going to be able to do The Bodyguard because she was going to be one tour. But Kevin Costner said he would wait a year for so she would be available.
“Whitney was nervous and scared that she wasn’t good enough for the role. But I told her I would be with her every step of the way.
“I wanted to tell her that the fame was rigged. That I didn’t care how the test went, that she could fall down and start speaking in tongues. That somehow it was a kind of acting method.
“The Whitney I knew despite her worldwide fame always worried. Am I good enough. Am I pretty enough. Will they like me. The part that made her great and the part that made her great was also the part that made her stumble.
“A lot of men could have played my role. But you Whitney were the only person who could have played Rachel Marron. People didn’t just like you Whitney. They loved you. I was your pretend bodyguard once. And now you’re gone too soon.
“What you did was the rarest of achievements. You set the bar so high. That your colleagues don’t even sing that little country song. What’s the point.
“I think Whitney would tell you, little girls wanting to become singers. Guard your bodies and guard the precious miracle you have.”
Fighting back tears Kevin Costner said: “Off you go Whitney, off you go. Escorted by an army of angels to your heavenly father. When you sing before him. Don’t you worry. You will be good enough.”
Singer Alicia Keys was next to perform and, introducing her Dionne Warwick said she was “a young lady that Whitney adored”.
Alicia Keys was tearful as she walked to the piano and spoke about her friendship with the singer.
“We called each other Meema. She was such a beautiful human being. Call you for no reason at all but just to say hi. And that’s rare I think sometimes.
“I feel like in so many ways she reached back to me and to Michael and Brandy and Jordin and all these young artists and made us feel strong and capable and loved. I think she is an angel to us. She has been an angel to us.”
Alicia Keys then sang a medley of songs on the piano starting with Send Me An Angel, changing the lyrics to Whitney is an Angel.
Whitney Houston’s distraught ex-husband Bobby Brown was seen storming out of the New Hope Baptist Church in Newark shortly before the service began.
Bobby Brown was driven away from the service but it is believed he later returned in time for the going-home service.
Last days it has been claimed that Cissy Houston was doing her best to stop Bobby Brown from getting closer to their daughter Bobbi Kristina, for fear it is a ploy to get his hands on Whitney Houston’s fortune.
Bobby Brown was driven away from the New Hope Baptist Church but it is believed he later returned in time for Whitney Houston’s going-home service
A source told TMZ.com that friends of the family have contacted Bobby Brown to tell him he’s not welcome at her funeral, and should not increase his part in Bobbi Kristina’s life.
However, a friend of Bobby Brown’s is said to have told TMZ that Bobby is keen to “bury the hatchet for the sake of his daughter”.
Bobby Brown, 43, was cheered by fans as he arrived to the church, but according to a mourner, at the service family became “frustrated” inside.
The woman, who declined to give her name, said that Bobby Brown got agitated at something and walked out with his female companion behind him.
It is unclear whether Bobby Brown had an altercation with one of Whitney Houston’s family members – who are not on good terms with Brown.
The mourner said: “He was frustrated about something, maybe somebody said something to him or he was in a mood, I don’t know, but he came back a little while later.”
Meanwhile, the outspoken Reverend Al Sharpton revealed he had spoken to Bobby Brown in an attempt to calm him down.
Rev. Al Sharpton tweeted: “I am at Whitney’s funeral. I spoke with Bobby Brown trying to calm him down and not distract from the services. Today is about Whitney!”
Early reports suggest Bobby Brown, who became divorced from Whitney Houston in 2007, was denied entry to the New Hope Baptist Church in Newark, New Jersey.
Shortly after the service began Bobby Brown was seen leaving the church with a grim expression on his face accompanied by a female companion.
They stood outside for a few moments before getting in to a waiting SUV and drove off.
Bobby Brown, who Whitney Houston’s family blamed for her drug addiction, had reportedly been invited after her family put aside their differences and begrudgingly said he could come.
As Bobby Brown was waiting outside the church an unidentified man stood next to him crying uncontrollably.
Bobby Brown himself appeared to be wiping away a tear as he got into his car.
Whitney Houston’s funeral service began in New Hope Baptist Church shortly after noon today.
Dressed in white, dozens of gospel singers performed traditional gospel songs including Grateful, by Hezekiah Walker, in keeping with a traditional “home-going” service which is common among the African American community. It is based on death being a time of rejoicing because the person is going on to a better place.
After a brief welcome by City Mayor Cory Booke, Pastor Joe Carter took to the alter to read some scripture and start the celebration of Whitney Houston’s life. Pastor Joe Carter said: “Whitney you are the only woman who could bring all of us together, Whitney today is your day.”
Pastor Joe Carter took to the alter to read some scripture and start the celebration of Whitney Houston's life
Some mourners stood in the aisles in the full church. Others were more mournful. Singer Ray J, who spent time with Whitney Houston during her last days, broke down crying. His sister, singer Brandy, put her arm around him.
A program featuring a picture of Whitney Houston looking skyward read “Celebrating the life of Whitney Elizabeth Houston, a child of God”. Pictures of Whitney Houston as a baby, with her mother, gospel singer Cissy Houston and daughter, Bobbi Kristina Brown filled the program.
The service program featured a picture of Whitney Houston looking skyward read “Celebrating the life of Whitney Elizabeth Houston, a child of God”
“I never told you that when you were born, the Holy Spirit told me that you would not be with me long,” Cissy Houston wrote her daughter in a letter published in the program.
“And I thank God for the beautiful flower he allowed me to raise and cherish for 48 years.”
“Rest, my baby girl in peace,” the letter ends, signed “mommie”.
Whitney Houston’s flower-covered casket arrived this morning at the church where her powerful voice first wowed a congregation as family made final preparations to remember the pop superstar in her hometown.
Mourners at the New Hope Baptist Church, including the Rev Jesse Jackson, fell quiet as three police officers escorted Whitney Houston’s silver casket, draped with white roses and purple lilies, a couple of hours before the service.
It is thought the Houston family arrived in four limousines and was given a police escort with motorcycle outriders and two police cars at the front and the back of their convoy.
Mourners, officers and the choir gathered inside the New Hope Baptist Church at Whitney Houston’s home-going service
Whitney Houston’s ex-husband Bobby Brown arrived shortly before noon. It was reported earlier this week that the singer’s family had banned him from attending the service.
But on account of his connection with daughter Bobbi Kristina, Bobby Brown was later told he would be able to pay his last respects to Whitney Houston – who he was married to for 14 years.
According to CNN, guests held in their hands an invitation with a cover featuring a photo of a smiling Whitney Houston. The six-page funeral program contained color family photos and a note from Cissy Houston, the singer’s mother.
The funeral service marks exactly one week after the 48-year-old Whitney Houston -one of music’s all-time biggest stars – was found dead in Beverly Hilton Hotel in California. A cause of death has yet to be determined.
Whitney Houston’s casket arrived at the church where her powerful voice first wowed a congregation as family made final preparations to remember the pop superstar in her hometown.
Mourners at the New Hope Baptist Church, including the Rev Jesse Jackson, fell quiet as three police officers escorted Whitney Houston’s silver casket, draped with white roses and purple lilies, a couple of hours before the service.
White-robed choir members began to fill the pews on the podium. As the band played softly, the choir sang in a hushed voice: “Whitney, Whitney, Whitney”.
Ray J – who was thought to have been dating Whitney Houston when she died – sister Brandy and singer Mary J. Blige were some of the first celebrities to arrive at the church.
Family prepared a service where singer Dionne Warwick, Whitney Houston’s cousin, music mogul Clive Davis, who shepherded singer’s career for decades, actor Kevin Costner and sister-in-law Patricia Houston were to speak.
Stevie Wonder, Alicia Keys, R. Kelly and gospel stars CeCe and Bebe Winans are expected to sing. Whitney Houston’s voice, a recording of her biggest hit, I Will Always Love You, is expected to be played at the end.
Close family friend Aretha Franklin, the singer’s godmother, whom Whitney Houston lovingly called Aunt Ree, was expected to sing at the service, but she is too ill to attend, said a person close to the Houston family who was not authorized to talk about Franklin’s decision and spoke on condition of anonymity.
The service marks exactly one week after the 48-year-old Whitney Houston – one of music’s all-time biggest stars – was found dead in a Beverly Hills hotel in California. A cause of death has yet to be determined.
“She always had the edge,” Rev Jesse Jackson said outside the church on Saturday.
“You can tell when some kids have what we call a special anointing. Aretha had that when she was 14. Whitney cultivated that and took it to a very high level.
“The memories are so powerful, the music will be with us forever. We have a lot to rejoice about. Today we praise, we preach and we appreciate.
“Whitney had that special something.”
Elton John, Oprah Winfrey, Beyonce and Jay-Z, actor-producer Tyler Perry and American Idol musical director Rickey Minor were all expected to attend Saturday’s invitation-only service.
Whitney Houston’s ex-husband Bobby Brown also is expected to attend, along with the couple’s only child, Bobbi Kristina.
According to the invitation issued to the singer’s friends and family, the ceremony will be seen as a “going home” service rather than a funeral.
The invitation, featuring a picture of the smiling star that appears to date back to the peak of her success in the early 1990’s, states: “With heartfelt gratitude, the Houston family requests the honor of your presence at the going home service for Whitney Elizabeth Houston.”
According to the invitation issued to Whitney Houston's friends and family, the ceremony will be seen as a “going home” service rather than a funeral
Pastor Joe Carter, who will read the scripture, said the service will be a musical celebration of Whitney Houston’s life.
Whitney Houston’s South Orange grade-school principal Henry Hamilton said outside the funeral home: “It’s a beautiful day, the sun is shining, she’s up there, this is Whitney’s day.”
Traffic cones lined the street outside the church where those attending would be dropped off for the service.
The electronic sign outside the front simply read “Whitney Houston” followed by her date of birth then the words: “We will always love you.”
The streets around the building were closed off for six blocks on either side to ensure the public had no access to the surrounding area.
Most had also apparently followed police instructions not to attend. But small pockets of fans got as close to the church as they possibly could.
Her fans had already covered the front of the church in dozens of balloons, flowers and card that formed a deep 12ft by 6ft blanket by the entrance.
On the streets there was a heavy police presence with mounted officers patrolling around, a police helicopter flying overhead and police cars by barricades.
Whitney Houston’s fans were so desperate to be at the service that some journeyed 500 miles from Canada or slept in their cars overnight by the church to be there.
With no single point of focus, they ended up grouping in bunches of 50-100 at various points around the perimeter of the fenced off zone singing Whitney Houston’s hits like I Will Always Love You and I’m Every Woman.
Vendors sold T-Shirts and posters with Whitney Houston’s name on them whilst one man used a pair of opera glasses to see what was going on. Others had radios they were carrying around with Whitney Houston’s music blaring out of them.
Most of the fans wanted to be there on what they said was a “historic day” but there was also frustration and anger that they had been kept back at least three blocks from the church with one man claiming the star’s mother, Cissy Houston, had “betrayed” them.
Whitney Houston’s flower-covered casket arrived at New Hope Baptist Church where her powerful voice first wowed a congregation as family made final preparations to remember the pop superstar in her hometown.
Whitney Houston's casket arrived at New Hope Baptist Church in her hometown Newark, New Jersey
ORDER OF SERVICE
New Hope Mass Choir and The New Jersey Mass Choir sings The Lord Is My Shepherd
Pastor Joe Carter reads scripture
Solo – Donnie McClurkin sings Stand
Tribute by Tyler Perry
Solo – BB Winans sings Home
Bishop TD Jakes speaks
Solo – Kim Burrell sings I Believe In You And Me
Tribute by Kevin Costner
Tribute by Clive Davis
Solo – Stevie Wonder sings Ribbons In The Sky
Tribute by Ricky Minor
Solo – Alicia Keys sings a medley
Solo – R. Kelly sings I Look To You
Whitney Houston’s family speaks
Final words by Dionne Warwick
Whitney Houston’s body will be laid to rest tomorrow
British researchers claim that drinking just three cups of tea a day may protect against heart attacks and type 2 diabetes.
A review shows regular drinking of black tea, with or without milk, can reduce the risk of heart problems by cutting levels of bad cholesterol and blood sugar.
Experts say the benefits of tea are largely due to the flavonoid content – antioxidant ingredients that counteract cardiovascular disease.
One cup of tea provides 150-200mg of flavonoids and it is one of the best sources of antioxidants in the diet. In terms of the delivery of antioxidants, two cups of tea is equivalent to five portions of vegetables.
A review in the journal Nutrition Bulletin found drinking three or more cups of black tea a day protects against heart disease and two or more cups a day may protect against type 2 diabetes.
In addition, a 12-week study in 87 volunteers found that drinking three cups of tea a day produced a significant improvement in various cardiovascular risk factors.
Overall, flavonoids found in tea are thought to control inflammation, reduce excess blood clotting, promote blood vessel function and limit furring up of the arteries.
British researchers claim that drinking just three cups of tea a day may protect against heart attacks and type 2 diabetes
British nutritionist Dr. Carrie Ruxton, co-author of the latest review and a member of the industry-backed Tea Advisory Panel (TAP), said: “There is far more to the nation’s favourite drink than we realize.
“With its antioxidant flavonoids, black tea packs a powerful punch with many health benefits particularly for the heart. And recent studies show that the flavonoids work their magic whether or not we choose to add milk.”
Dr. Tim Bond also from TAP, added: “Black tea flavonoids are thought to be the compounds responsible for the protective effects of black tea on health.
“Chronic conditions such as heart disease, stroke and diabetes are associated with inflammatory processes and the presence of excessive pro-oxidant free radicals in the body.
“The proven antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects of black tea flavonoids may therefore be responsible for the positive health effects of black tea.”
World Health Organization experts have delayed a decision on whether controversial research into the H5N1 bird flu virus should be released.
It had been looking at how the work could be released while guarding against its abuse by bioterrorists.
But talks at the World Health Organization (WHO) in Geneva decided more discussions were needed to see if it could be possible to publish in full.
One of the two journals which want to publish has already agreed to wait for talks to be complete.
The controversy is centred on two research papers – one of which was submitted to Science, the other to another leading journal, Nature, last year.
The two papers showed that the H5N1 virus could relatively easily mutate into a form that could spread rapidly among the human population.
World Health Organization experts have delayed a decision on whether controversial research into the H5N1 bird flu virus should be released
The studies prompted the US National Security Advisory Board for Biotechnology (NSABB) to ask both journals last November to redact some sensitive parts of the research, which it believed could be used by terrorists to develop such a virus.
The request caused outcry among some scientists who believed that it was an infringement of academic freedom.
Some pointed out that the scientists had given presentations about their work at conferences and the details were already widely circulated, so redaction would have little purpose.
The scientists who carried out the research, and the journals concerned, have been considering the request and listening to suggestions as to how the research results could be redacted in the scientific journals, but distributed to bona fide researchers who urgently need the information.
The information is vital to develop a vaccine to any human form of bird flu, and it would enable surveillance teams to see if the bird flu virus was mutating into a form that could be transmissible to humans.
But such efforts have been put on hold for four months as governments, scientists and the journals decide what to do.
The Geneva meeting of 22 scientists and journal representatives agreed that publishing only parts of the research would not be helpful, because they would not give the full context of a complete paper.
It agreed to extend a temporary moratorium on research using lab-modified H5N1 viruses, but also recognized that research on naturally occurring virus “must continue”.
Dr. Keji Fukada, assistant director-general of health security and environment for the WHO, said: “Given the high death rate associated with this virus – 60% of all humans who have been infected have died – all participants at the meeting emphasized the high level of concern with this flu virus in the scientific community and the need to understand it better with additional research.
“The results of this new research have made it clear that H5N1 viruses have the potential to transmit more easily between people underscoring the critical importance for continued surveillance and research with this virus.”
Dr. Keji Fukada added: “There is a preference from a public health perspective for full disclosure of the information in these two studies. However there are significant public concern surrounding this research that should first be addressed.”
Experts will now look at what information is already in the public domain and how that relates to the contents of these research papers.
A further meeting is likely to happen in a couple of months’ time.
Nature has said it is happy to wait – if there is a chance it will able to publish in full.
Science’s editor Dr. Bruce Alberts, had previously said it also wanted to publish full details of the work, unless progress was made on how to circulate details of the findings to scientists.
Japanese Emperor Akihito has undergone a successful heart bypass operation at a hospital in Tokyo, the palace says.
Emperor Akihito’s surgery lasted just over five hours at the University of Tokyo Hospital.
The emperor, 78, who has suffered from poor health in recent months, plays a largely ceremonial role but is respected deeply by many Japanese.
Akihito ascended the throne in 1989 following the death of his father, Emperor Hirohito.
Emperor Akihito was accompanied by his wife Empress Michiko when he checked into the hospital on Friday morning.
Japanese Emperor Akihito has undergone a successful heart bypass operation at the University of Tokyo Hospital
The operation began at around 09:30 a.m. on Saturday and ended at around 15:30.
“The operation went smoothly as planned,” one of the three surgeons, Minoru Ono, told a news conference.
“We confirmed a sufficient blood flow back in the arteries.”
Emperor Akihito had reportedly nodded and he told his wife and daughter “it feels good” as he emerged from the effects of the anaesthetics.
But another surgeon, Atsushi Amano, said it was too early to talk confidently of the operation’s success, saying it would be “measured by whether the emperor can regain the normal lifestyle he had wished for”.
“We are looking forward to that day, but until then, we’ll use the word success sparingly,” Dr. Atsushi Amano said.
Emperor Akihito is expected to remain in hospital for about two weeks, during which time his first son Crown Prince Naruhito will handle official duties.
Doctors decided to carry out the operation after tests earlier this month showed emperor’s heart condition had worsened since a year ago.
Dr. Minoru Ono said two of the three coronary arteries were repaired using a blood vessel from another part of his body.
Last year, Prince Akishino, who is second in line to the throne, called for debate on a retirement age for the head of state, who spent almost three weeks in hospital in November 2011.
Emperor Akihito also had surgery for prostate cancer in 2003 and suffered stress-related health issues in late 2008.
In 2009, the Imperial Household Agency said Emperor Akihito would cut back on official duties such as speeches and meeting foreign dignitaries.
Under Japan’s 1947 Imperial House Law, the emperor is succeeded on his death by a male relative. Crown Prince Naruhito is first in line to the throne, followed by his younger brother Prince Akishino.
Women cannot inherit the Japanese throne and so Princess Aiko, the daughter of Crown Prince Naruhito, cannot succeed her father.
Third in line to the throne is Prince Hisahito, Prince Akishino’s son.
Robyn Crawford, Whitney Houston’s former personal assistant, had been the singer’s secret lover for many years, claims gay rights campaigner Peter Tatchell.
Peter Tatchell claimed Whitney Houston attended an AIDS event in London, in 1991, with a gay partner. Though he declined to identify her, the organizer – respected gay rights and equality consultant Vernal Scott – said that Peter Tatchell was referring to Robyn Crawford.
Robyn Crawford and Bobby Brown – who is a volatile product of the Boston ghetto – apparently once fought for Whitney Houston’s affections.
So, if they will meet again in the febrile ambience of the singer’s funeral, one shudders to imagine what might happen.
Another person that is not welcomed at the funeral is Whitney Houston’s “wicked step-mother”, Barbara.
Barbara Houston married John Russell Houston Jr., amid much familial rancor, just months after he and Cissy were divorced in 1992.
At the time Barbara was a single mother in her mid-20s, and John Russell Houston Jr. was 71, and their relationship began when she worked as his cleaner. After his death, eight years ago, Barbara sued Whitney Houston for the right to remain in the plush apartment the singer had bought for her father. The case finally resolved, in a defeat for Barbara Houston, only a few weeks ago.
The great irony – and perhaps the greatest tragedy – is that at the peak of her fame in the 80’s and early 90’s, Whitney Houston was held up as the ultimate female role-model.
Whitney Houston was also seen as a unifying force, the trailblazer for the color-blind, classless society that then seemed to be evolving on both sides of the Atlantic. Her appeal transcended not just musical tastes but ethnicity and age, and she was hailed as the first “crossover” pop-star.
When Whitney Houston starred opposite Kevin Costner (who will deliver a eulogy today) in the $400-million-grossing movie The Bodyguard, their mixed-race screen affair was heralded as a ground-breaking cinematic event that would change perceptions forever.
During the early 90’s, when people started to recoil at her image, Whitney Houston attempted to enhance her “street-cred” by recalling her tough upbringing.
“I’m nobody’s angel,” Whitney Houston proclaimed.
“I can get down and dirty.”
Robyn Crawford (right) did not say whether she had a relationship with Whitney Houston and she has never commented on the rumors
However, her mother’s lucrative singing career and her father’s keen business nose afforded Whitney Houston a comfortable upbringing.
Soon after the riots of 1967, Houston family fled burnt-out Newark for nearby East Orange; now plagued by drugs and crime but then a thriving, middle-class town.
Whitney Houston attended the best school and hoped to become a teacher or a vet, singing purely for joy with her mother in the gospel choir before her celestial voice came to the notice of recording executives. She also landed a modeling contract with a top New York agency, when she was 16.
Her formative years seem to have been so perfect. Those who knew her then say she was remarkably modest. She worked prodigiously, obeyed her parents, dressed demurely, and was always impeccably behaved.
Was it all a façade? Certainly that is the view of Robyn Crawford, who became inseparable from the 16-year-old Whitney Houston when they did summer work together at a community centre.
“When my mother first met her, she laughed and said: <<You look like an angel but I know you’re not>>. And she wasn’t,” Robyn Crawford recalled this week, speaking about their close relationship for the first time.
“People thought they had to protect her. She hated that. She was always the one doing the driving. Nobody kept Whitney from doing anything. She did what she wanted to do.”
Whether this extended to having a gay relationship, Robyn Crawford did not say – she has never commented on the rumors, which began after she was employed by Whitney Houston (rising to become her omnipotent “creative director”) and were aired most compellingly in Kevin Ammons’ unauthorized biography of the singer, Good Girl, Bad Girl.
Kevin Ammons is the boyfriend of Whitney Houston’s long-time publicist, Regina Brown, whose silence Whitney is said to have bought with fabulous gifts, including a gold Mercedes, diamond-jewellery and rent-free apartment.
He also claimed Cissy Houston was distraught by the relationship, and urged her daughter to end it.
If Whitney Houston was secretly gay, or at least bi, and felt forced to live a lie, this might – as Peter Tatchell suggests – have led her to take refuge in the drink and drugs that killed her.
David Roberts, Whitney Houston’s former bodyguard, who shadowed her between 1987 and 1995, when her popularity was at its height, said he saw absolutely no evidence of a romance between the singer and Robyn Crawford, even though he traveled the world with them for eight years.
“If you’re looking for the day Whitney’s demise began, it’s simple,” David Roberts said. “Just check the date on her marriage certificate.”
Whitney Houston and Bobby Brown certainly made an unlikely pair, as he really is a product of the ghetto.
At ten year old, Bobby Brown was reportedly selling drugs in Boston’s tough Roxbury neighborhood, and at 16 was slung out of the band New Edition for performing lewd antics on stage.
His success as a solo artist has been marred by drug abuse and convictions for drunken driving and failing to pay child support (Bobby Brown has five children by three women), and when his brother-in-law was shot dead in his car during a gangland feud, Bobby Brown was there beside him.
Bobby Brown first met Whitney Houston at a soul awards event in 1989. The singer was supposedly then dating Eddie Murphy, but when Bobby Brown sent her 400 red roses and asked her to dinner she promptly ditched Murphy. Three years later Whitney Houston and Bobby Brown were married.
The date David Roberts pinpointed was July 18, 1992, and though Whitney Houston always denied her husband was a malign influence, although her former bodyguard says he watched her alarming descent begin soon afterwards.
Such is the bodyguard’s contempt for Bobby Brown that he threatened – in all seriousness – to use him as a human shield if anyone shot at Whitney Houston, and he now refers to him simply as “the Brown character”.
David Roberts admired and liked Whitney Houston, and claims Bobby Brown subjected her to years of “emotional abuse”, driven, he surmises, by his resentment of her vastly greater fame.
“He brought her down to his level, and it couldn’t be much lower,” David Roberts says. He recalls how Bobby Brown turned up on the maternity ward stinking drunk shortly before a terrified Whitney Houston was due to give birth to Bobbi Kristina by Caesarean section in 1993.
Two years later, David Roberts says, he took Whitney Houston aside and warned her that her husband was “leading her down a road to destruction”.
David Roberts also raised his concerns with her company executives – who thanked him, then dispensed with his services.
At least twice, in 1999 and 2005, Cissy Houston grew so desperate of Whitney’s drug addiction she staged legal “interventions” forcing her to complete a recovery program
Quite how the couple managed to raise their daughter, as they sank into co-dependent drug addiction, is anyone’s guess, but Whitney Houston’s mental and physical deterioration was most apparent and by the time they divorced, 14 years later, she was pitiful to behold.
Bobby Brown’s sister, Tina, sold photographs revealing how Whitney Houston had turned the bathroom in her mansion into a crack-house.
Whitney Houston teeth had fallen out due to her use of crack, and she constantly lost her $6,000 dentures. She was incontinent and wore a nappy. She was so paranoid she bored a hole in the wall to spy on callers.
As a baby, Bobbi Kristina was nursed by a family friend known as “Aunt Bae”, and though Whitney Houston won custody of her then 14-year-old daughter after the divorce, she was frequently farmed out to her grandmother Cissy.
Though Bobbi Kristina aspires to be the family’s next diva, it’s small wonder she has followed her mother in all the wrong ways.
In 2008, Bobbi Kristina Brown reportedly attempted to stab Whitney Houston and slash her own wrists with a razor blade and was admitted to a psychiatric hospital.
Then, last year, a tabloid published photographs of Bobbi Kristina Brown using cocaine, and she was charged with possessing alcohol as a minor.
Whitney Houston’s response was to march her to a rehab clinic in Malibu and, to set what she thought was the right example, she booked herself into another nearby.
During her final decade, Whitney Houston surely clocked up more hours in rehab than Michael Jackson and Elizabeth Taylor combined. She invariably waltzed out after a few days, however, and at least twice, in 1999 and 2005, her mother grew so desperate she staged legal “interventions” forcing her to complete a recovery program.
Accompanied by a sheriff, Cissy Houston arrived at Whitney’s mansion in Georgia with a court order, requiring her daughter to be treated at Eric Clapton’s world-renowned Crossroads treatment center in Antigua. Whitney Houston complied, but soon returned to same behavior.
Whitney Houston, it seemed, was a dead woman walking.
And yet, sources close to Whitney Houston insist there is something odd about the timing of her death. After many false dawns, she had of late made genuine efforts to get clean. A starring film role even promised an unlikely career revival.
Al Bowman, Whitney Houston’s former chauffeur, has revealed the depths that the legendary singer sunk to as she was gripped by her drug addiction.
Al Bowman claims that Whitney Houston was by far the worst behaved star he had in the back of his limo.
He claims to have driven the singer to run down ghettos to pick up crack from dealers and that the star had smoked crack in front of her daughter.
Al Bowman told the Daily Mirror: “I couldn’t believe my eyes, here was Whitney Houston in the back of my limo smoking crack with her six or seven-year-old daughter sat next to her playing with a doll, it was heart-breaking, out of control.
“I’ve driven some big stars over the years – Michael and Janet Jackson, Ozzy Osbourne, Motley Crue – but Whitney was by far the worst behaved.
“It was tragic to see. Here was this glamorous superstar adored around the world, but in the back of my car she was a rambling drug addict, a complete train wreck.
“It was so sad, I wanted to help her but she was just too out of control and wouldn’t listen to anyone.”
Al Bowman later added: “Their daughter Bobbi got into the limo with them. Then they would smoke crack right in front of her.
“Whitney would just say, <<Baby, Mommy and Daddy are doing adult things>>, it wasn’t anything major to her.”
Meanwhile it has been claimed that Whitney Houston binged on cocaine, alcohol and pills in her final months.
Insiders say that after months of sober living during 2011, Whitney Houston fell off the wagon.
A source told Star magazine: “The last three months of Whitney’s life were truly tragic.”
Whitney Houston was found dead in the bathtub of her Beverly Hilton hotel in Los Angeles on the eve of the Grammy Awards.
Eyewitness told Star magazine about Whitney Houston partying at Hollywood club Playhouse on January 2.
“Whitney got buck-wild. She drank cognac and champagne and seemed completely out of it from the moment she arrived until the moment she left at 2:30 a.m.”
The reports go on to detail her partying at the luxury Beverly Hills hotel, the Beverly Wilshire.
“Whitney was in a lounge chair drinking pina coladas all afternoon,” another eyewitness told the Star magazine.
“Once in a while, she would get on her cell phone and start screaming at someone. She seemed almost manic at moments and practically unconscious the next.”
Whitney Houston’s wild behavior continued right until her death
It has been claimed that those close to Whitney Houston, including her daughter Bobbi Kristina wanted her to seek treatment in rehab in the weeks leading up to her death, it has been reported.
An insider told RadarOnline.com: “Bobbi Kristina, Clive Davis, and members of Whitney’s closest advisers were urging her to go back to rehab because people close to her saw her downward spiral into drugs and alcohol.
“It was extremely hard for Clive in particular to see Whitney under the influence again. He was absolutely powerless to stop her. Clive and Whitney had a very close relationship, but her addiction to drugs and alcohol did a lot of damage to that.”
RadarOnline.com also claims that Clive Davis was willing to pay for the treatment but Whitney Houston is said to have refused the help.
CNN anchor Don Lemon claimed he saw Whitney Houston doing somersaults in the pool just days before she died – saying she had been drinking alcohol from as early as 10:00 a.m.
On Friday, cardinals new and old attended a closed-door meeting pondering how to bring back faith in increasingly secular countries
Pope Benedict XVI has recognized 22 new cardinals – his closest aides – at a ceremony in St. Peter’s Basilica at Vatican.
The new “princes of the church” will be given red hats called birettas and gold rings at the “consistory”.
On Friday, cardinals new and old attended a closed-door meeting pondering how to bring back faith in increasingly secular countries.
New York Archbishop Timothy Dolan said a “creative strategy” was needed.
Giving the keynote speech at the meeting, Archbishop Timothy Dolan said the Church should accentuate its positive side, and would accomplish what it terms the “new evangelization” with “a smile, not a frown”.
The popular 62-year-old archbishop – who is reportedly being followed by about a dozen US television crews – is one of those set to become a cardinal.
Others include Hong Kong Archbishop John Tong Hon and Berlin Archbishop Rainer Maria Woelki.
After Saturday morning’s lavish ceremony, the Roman Catholic Church will have a total of 213 cardinals – including 125 who are under the age of 80 and could therefore take part in the conclave which will meet to elect a new pope once Pope Benedict XVI dies.
Pope Benedict XVI, who will shortly celebrate his 85th birthday, is visibly slowing down.
Media reports speak of cardinals and their supporters jockeying for prominence as the Pope’s strength declines.
Seven Italians – many of them holding influential positions inside Church government – are among the new cardinals, increasing the possibility that the next Pope could once again be an Italian.
That reflects what will be a strong European presence among the 125 “cardinal electors”, despite the fact that the regions of growth for Roman Catholic congregations are Africa and Latin America rather than Europe.
The consistory is taking place against a background of disquiet inside the Vatican.
Confidential internal memos alleging corruption among top clerics and some laymen who advise the Pope have been leaked to the media.
The Vatican spokesman said – using a colorful metaphor – that “wolves were on the prowl in the frescoed palace of the popes”.
A galaxy of stars is expected today to pay tribute to Whitney Houston at her funeral in a gathering not seen since the death of Michael Jackson.
David Bowie will supposedly be among those attending the private service as will Janet Jackson, rapper Jay-Z, Mariah Carey and R n B singer R Kelly.
Alicia Keys will reportedly perform, as will Stevie Wonder and Aretha Franklin, who was Whitney Houston’s godmother.
Whitney Houston’s husband Bobby Brown will also be attending after her family put aside their grievances and begrudgingly sent him an invitation.
It had been thought Bobby Brown would be kept away amid resentment he led Whitney Houston astray and fears he was trying to get his hands on her $40 million fortune.
The 90-minute service will take place at 12:00 p.m. local time at the New Hope Baptist Church in Newark, New Jersey, where Whitney Houston was first discovered as a teenager.
It will reportedly be a mixture of religious music and celebrity tributes including a speech from Kevin Costner, Whitney Houston’s co-star in The Bodyguard.
The church’s choir will perform the processional and the opening and a house band will be on stage throughout.
The song list and who will be in the backing cast for each artist has not yet been worked out.
A galaxy of stars is expected today to pay tribute to Whitney Houston at her funeral in a gathering not seen since the death of Michael Jackson
Among the others who will reportedly attend the service are Dionne Warwick, Whitney Houston’s cousin, Bill Cosby and U.S. chat show queen Oprah Winfrey.
R n B singer Brandy will be there as will The Reverend Jessie Jackson, Chaka Khan and US X Factor judge Antonio “L.A.” Reid.
Sir Elton John has denied reports he will be there.
The eulogy will be read by the Pastor Marvin Winans, who married Whitney Houston and Brown in 1992.
All the proceedings will be streamed live on the Internet and roadblocks will be in place around the church to keep the public back and ensure those attending can get there on time.
Just hours later Bobby Brown, 43, will apparently split from the rest of his grieving family and travel to Connecticut – where he will play a lucrative concert at a casino.
The funeral comes one week after Whitney Houston was found dead in the bath of her hotel room in Los Angeles.
Police have reportedly obtained the singer’s medical records and are investigating what drugs were supplied to her in her final days.
No cause of death has been identified yet and officials are waiting for the results of toxicology tests.
Ray- J, Whitney Houston’s boyfriend, was seen at LAX airport on Friday catching a flight to New Jersey ahead of the singer’s service today.
It has also revealed yesterday that Mel Gibson reached out to Whitney Houston a few years ago to try and deal with her addiction issues.
Mel Gibson was invited to the funeral by Whitney Houston’s family but is unable to attend because of prior family commitments, TMZ reports.
Whitney Houston’s family members, including her mother Cissy and daughter Bobbi Kristina Brown, took the opportunity to pay their respects in private at Whigham Funeral Home, Newark, New Jersey, yesterday.
Millions of viewers are expected to witness Whitney Houston’s funeral at noon today.
Bobbi Kristina Brown, 18, who made her first appearance since being rushed to hospital after collapsing through stress following her mother’s passing, was seen arriving at Whigham Funeral Home in Whitney Houston’s hometown of Newark, alongside her tearful grandmother Cissy Houston.
They were later joined by famous faces including Whitney Houston’s life-long friend and mentor Clive Davis and as well as the singer’s cousin Dionne Warwick.
Bobbi Kristina Brown, 18, who made her first appearance since being rushed to hospital after collapsing through stress following her mother's passing, was seen arriving at Whigham Funeral Home in Whitney Houston's hometown of Newark
Funeral director Caroline Whigham told the crowd gathered outside that the viewing “was done in privacy between a mother, a daughter, two brothers and a family,” according to People magazine.
The mourning family was also accompanied by a strong police presence which ensured the large crowds of fans who gathered outside the home kept their distance.
The heavy officer presence comes amid police warnings for fans to stay at home to watch the service rather than scramble for a place near the New Hope Baptist Church. Authorities say fans will not even be able to get within six square blocks of the church.
Cissy Houston was escorted into the building by a priest and held hands with a woman in a crisp white shirt. The former gospel singer was dressed smartly in a black coat with an orange and brown leopard print scarf wrapped around her shoulders.
Cissy Houston was escorted into Whigham Funeral Home by a priest and held hands with a woman in a crisp white shirt
Whitney Houston’s daughter Bobbi Kristina Brown, pictured in public for first time since she was rushed to hospital following the singer’s death in a Beverly Hills hotel, arrived at the funeral home in dark jeans, white vest and a black jacket.
Bobbi Kristina Brown appeared controlled as she entered the funeral home. “There are moments when she is strong and moments when it all hits her,” a source told People magazine.
“She can’t escape it.”
Bobbi Kristina is the daughter of Whitney Houston and her former husband Bobby Brown. It has been reported that the teen will now live with her grandmother “indefinitely” according to HollywoodLife.com.
However, a new report on TMZ.com this morning claimed that Whitney Houston’s family are keen for Bobbi Kristina to enter a “live-in rehab facility” as soon as possible, but are willing to wait until after the funeral to allow the teenager time to grieve her mother’s passing.
TMZ claims that Bobbi Kristina has, for the past three of four years, struggled with “substance abuse issues”, and her family are said to be keen for her to seek help before her problems get any worse.
Bobbi Kristina Brown hid her eyes between a pair of sunglasses and held the hand of a friend as she walked past security. Family and friends were greeted by what appeared to be an Egyptian-decorated casket outside the home.
As well as close family of Whitney Houston in attendance friends also gathered together to pay their respects.
Whitney Houston’s cousin Dionne Warwick was seen arriving and had wore a white shirt and a pair of dark trousers.
The late singer’s mentor and life-long friend Clive Davies also made an appearance as reports have emerged the music producer tried to get the singer to enter rehab in the weeks leading up to her death.
Whitney Houston’s on-off boyfriend Ray-J was seen making his way through LAX airport with his sister Brandy on their way to New Jersey ahead of the funeral.
Kevin Costner, who starred opposite Whitney Houston in the 1992 film The Bodyguard, was also seen making his way east at the airport.
Fans gathered outside where they signed a book of condolence and laid tributes, including flowers, balloons and teddy bears.
It is expected that fans will be blocked off the site once Whitney Houston’s family arrives for her wake ahead of today’s funeral.
Wire fraud and additional criminal copyright infringement counts have been added to the US case against file-sharing site Megaupload.
New details have emerged as officials filed a 90-page superceding indictment against the company and its founder Kim Dotcom.
Megaupload is accused of costing copyright holders more than $500 million in lost revenue.
The company says it was diligent in responding to pirated material.
In the indictment, the Department of Justice alleges that Megaupload organized the company’s computer system’s architecture around the “rapid and repeated distribution” of copyrighted works.
The company allegedly reproduced materials from other websites, including YouTube, and made them available on Megaupload.
The new wire fraud charges are based on communications from the company to copyright holders.
In those emails, defendants falsely represented that infringing content had been removed when it had not been removed, Justice Department officials say.
US prosecutors filed a 90-page superceding indictment against Megaupload and its founder Kim Dotcom
The document also highlights one account holder that uploaded 16,950 files to sites the company owned, generating more than 34 million page views over the course of six years.
User “VV” was subject to numerous requests for removal, but records show no deletions of any of VV’s uploaded files.
Megaupload paid user VV $3,400 through its rewards programme over the course of two years.
The indictment also contends that Megaupload did not have as many registered users as they claimed, and that of the 66 million registered accounts, only 5.4 million had ever uploaded a file to the service.
The Department of Justice has also added various properties, jet skis and jewellery to the list of assets subject to forfeiture.
Earlier this month, Kim Dotcom was denied bail in New Zealand.
Kim Dotcom has denied the charges and has said he would fight an extradition application by the US.
New reports claim that Whitney Houston binged on cocaine, alcohol and pills in her final months.
Insiders say that after months of sober living during 2011, Whitney Houston fell off the wagon.
A source told Star magazine: “The last three months of Whitney’s life were truly tragic.”
Whitney Houston was found dead in the bathtub of her Beverly Hilton hotel in Los Angeles on the eve of the Grammy Awards.
Eyewitness told Star magazine about Whitney Houston partying at Hollywood club Playhouse on January 2.
“Whitney got buck-wild. She drank cognac and champagne and seemed completely out of it from the moment she arrived until the moment she left at 2:30 a.m.”
Whitney Houston, pictured here with her daughter Bobbi Kristina, was said to have binge on cocaine, alcohol and pills in her final months
The reports go on to detail Whitney Houston partying at the luxury Beverly Hills hotel, the Beverly Wilshire.
“Whitney was in a lounge chair drinking pina coladas all afternoon,” another eyewitness told Star magazine.
“Once in a while, she would get on her cell phone and start screaming at someone. She seemed almost manic at moments and practically unconscious the next.”
Whitney Houston’s wild behavior continued right until her death.
CNN anchor Don Lemon claimed he saw Whitney Houston doing somersaults in the pool just days before she died – saying she had been drinking alcohol from as early as 10:00 a.m.
Whitney Houston will be laid to rest tomorrow after a funeral service at New Hope Baptist Church in her hometown of Newark, New Jersey.
Meanwhile Ray J, who was dating Whitney Houston in the months before her death, has finally broken his silence.
Ray-J, 31, released a statement that said: “Over the past few days, I’ve tried to process the emptiness that I am experiencing. What my heart feels cannot be expressed in words. The world lost an icon, but I lost my close friend.”
Alluding to a nickname given to Whitney Houston by her father he added: “Nippy, I miss you so much!”
“You were so happy and full of love. Your smile will live in my heart forever.”
Ray-J was seen at LAX airport today catching a flight to New Jersey ahead of Whitey Houston’s funeral tomorrow.
There will be a galaxy of stars paying tribute to Whitney Houston including Kevin Costner, Aretha Franklin and Stevie Wonder – the final duo who will be performing.
Today it has been revealed that Mel Gibson reached out to Whitney Houston a few years ago to try and deal with her addiction issues.
Mel Gibson was invited to the funeral tomorrow by Whitney Houston’s family but is unable to attend because of prior family commitments TMZ reports.
FBI has arrested a man near the US Capitol building as part of an anti-terror investigation, US officials say.
Amine El Khalifi, 29, of Alexandria, Virginia was taken into custody by the FBI.
Officials told US media the man thought he was heading to carry out a suicide attack on the Washington DC building, home to the US Congress.
El Khalifi was “closely and carefully monitored” for weeks, according to the FBI and US Capitol police.
Authorities say the public was never in any danger.
El Khalifi allegedly thought undercover FBI agents he was working with were members of the al-Qaeda network.
However, he was not believed to have any known existing connections to al-Qaeda, officials said.
FBI has arrested a man near the US Capitol building as part of an anti-terror investigation
El Khalifi was said to have overstayed a visitor visa for years, and was under investigation for more than a year, according to the Associated Press news agency.
He carried a vest he thought was packed with explosives, reports said, but had in fact been supplied and made harmless by undercover agents.
“Explosives the suspect allegedly sought to use in connection with the plot had been rendered inoperable by law enforcement and posed no threat to the public,” a spokesman for the US Justice Department said.
El Khalifi was not arrested on the Capitol grounds and had been under surveillance for several weeks, AP reported.
US law enforcement officials routinely carry out sting operations in an effort to stop potential terror suspects.
In one of the most recent incidents, in September 2011, 26-year-old US citizen Rezwan Ferdaus was arrested for allegedly plotting to fly explosive-packed, remote controlled planes into the Pentagon and the Capitol building.
Prince Johan Friso, the second son of Queen Beatrix of The Netherlands, is in a critical condition after being hit by an avalanche while on a skiing holiday in Lech, western Austria.
According to Austrian officials, Prince Johan Friso was buried under the snow for about 15 minutes before being rescued.
Prince Johan Friso, 43, was resuscitated at the scene and taken to hospital in Innsbruck – the Dutch government said he was stable but “not out of danger”.
Several members of the Dutch royal family had been on holiday together in the resort of Lech, in the Austrian Alps.
Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte confirmed that the queen was there but had not been involved in the incident.
Dutch Prince Johan Friso is in a critical condition after being hit by an avalanche while on a skiing holiday in Lech, western Austria
Stefan Jochum, a spokesman for the ski resort, said Prince Johan Friso had been skiing with a small group off the marked pistes when the avalanche hit shortly after midday local time. No-one else was injured, he said.
The Austria Press Agency quoted Lech’s mayor, Ludwig Muxel, as saying the prince had been buried by an avalanche measuring about 30 m wide by 40 m long.
The Dutch government said Prince Johan Friso’s condition was stable but that he was “not out of danger”. An earlier statement said he was in intensive care and that his life was “at risk”.
The statement said Queen Beatrix and Princess Mabel, prince’s wife, were with him but that it would be several days before a full prognosis could be given.
The Austrian Alps have been hit by particularly heavy snow this winter and numerous avalanches. Parts of Voralberg were cut off by the snow this week and an avalanche warning was in place around Lech.
Several people have been killed across Europe this year in avalanches.
Prince Johan Friso gave up his rights to the Dutch throne in 2004, when he married human rights activist Mabel Wisse Smit.
Holland’s government had refused to give its support to the marriage, because the couple had given misleading information about the bride’s relationship with a dead gangster.
Under Dutch law, royals who aspire to the throne must receive permission from the government and parliament to marry as the cabinet will bear responsibility for their actions.
Prince Johan Friso and Princess Mabel have two young daughters, Luana and Zaria.
Kevin Ammons, author of the Whitney Houston unauthorized biography, “Good Girl, Bad Girl,” claims that singer’s mother, Cissy Houston, had an open disapproval of Houston’s former close friend Robyn Crawford.
On more than one occasion, Cissy Houston allegedly told Whitney, “get rid” of Robyn Crawford or she would destroy her career, saying it wasn’t “natural” for two women to be so close.
Kevin Ammons also mentions that Robyn Crawford allegedly became upset when Bobby Brown had sent Whitney Houston four hundred roses before their marriage.
Kevin Ammons, author of the Whitney Houston unauthorized biography, “Good Girl, Bad Girl,” claims that singer’s mother, Cissy Houston, had an open disapproval of Houston’s former close friend Robyn Crawford
The author also said that Regina Brown, Whitney Houston’s former publicist, told him, the story of a very public altercation between Whitney and Robyn Crawford at the 1991 Super Bowl, where the singer sung the national anthem.
Regina Brown allegedly said that M.C. Hammer appeared, he and Whitney Houston went off by themselves, talking and laughing and Robyn Crawford allegedly flipped.
After M.C. Hammer left, Robyn Crawford went and grabbed Whitney Houston’s arm and pulled her aside and started screaming at her. Then, Robyn Crawford allegedly screamed: “Don’t ever disrespect me like that!”
Whitney Houston allegedly jerked away and told her to go to hell and Robyn Crawford hauls off and slaps Whitney.
Cissy Houston allegedly yelled: “Don’t you ever put your hands on my daughter!”
Then Cissy Houston slugged Robyn Crawford in her right jaw with her fists and Robyn falls to the ground. Cissy Houston kept punching and kicking her, yelling: “I’ll kill you, you stupid b**ch!”
Onlookers had to pull Cissy Houston off Robyn Crawford.
Kevin Ammons also claimed that Regina Brown once told him, one of the conditions of working for Whitney Houston was that she never said a word about Robyn Crawford to anyone.
To allegedly insure her silence, Whitney Houston had given Regina Brown many expensive presents: a gold Mercedes-Benz, a diamond studded cross, a corporate credit card, a calling-card account, diamond earrings, free air travel, $125,000 a year salary and free rent on her luxurious apartment.
Robyn Crawford, Whitney Houston’s friend and former personal assistant, says the singer chose the life she led.
While others want to dwell on the bad things that might have led to Whitney Houston’s untimely death, Robyn Crawford has chosen another path.
While it’s true that part of Whitney Houston’s life was full of hardship and trouble, Robyn Crawford told Esquire magazine that’s not how she’ll remember Whitney Houston.
To illustrate that, Robyn Crawford published some of her most cherished memories with her friend.
Whitney Houston and Robyn Crawford met years before Whitney became a huge star. In fact, the singer was just 16. However, Whitney Houston and Robyn Crawford formed a quick friendship and a bond that grew and blossomed. The singer even hired Robyn Crawford to work with her.
Robyn Crawford (right), Whitney Houston’s friend and former personal assistant, says the singer chose the life she led
Robyn Crawford recounts a certain trip around the world they made together. She flew first class with Whitney Houston and stayed in the same hotels as she did.
“She fed everybody with her love,” Robyn Crawford says.
“Deep down inside that’s what made her tired.”
There’s no denying that Whitney Houston loved the high life, but she also shared it with those she cared about. As for her work life, Robyn Crawford says Whitney Houston always gave whatever she was doing 100 percent of her energy. Whitney Houston worked as hard as she played.
“It was never easy. She never left anything undone,” says Robyn Crawford.
Referring the Whitney Houston’s film The Bodyguard, she noted: “…she did the film, she did the music, she did everything….”
Robyn Crawford also compared Whitney Houston’s performance of “I Will Always Love You” to that of an athlete at the peak of his or her career.
Still, Whitney Houston’s death was a shock. Robyn Crawford says February was a special month to her friend. Whitney Houston released her first album on Valentine’s Day.
It was a Grammy month and the time of her mentor, Clive Davis’s, big party. Those were all things to which Whitney Houston looked forward to.
Robyn Crawford hopes that people will remember Whitney Houston for her talent and her drive and not just for the fact she took drugs.
“A lot of people take drugs…,” Robyn Crawford notes.
“I just hope she wasn’t in pain and that she hadn’t lost hope.”
Trained Steller sea lions took part in a Canadian experiment designed to find out why the species is dying out.
The Canadian research team strapped cameras and tracking equipment onto endangered Steller sea lions to see how they dived for food.
Early results from the project indicate that overfishing might not be the main factor in their decline as had previously been thought.
Male Steller sea lions measure 3m (10ft) and weigh more than 950kg.
This makes them the biggest of all sea lions.
These marine mammals once thrived on the shores of the North Pacific Ocean. Now their numbers have dwindled to around 100,000. But no one knows why they are dying out.
To investigate why, Prof. Andrew Trites, a marine mammal specialist from the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, has recruited some of them to help him with his experiments.
Trained Steller sea lions took part in a Canadian experiment designed to find out why the species is dying out
Sea lions are well known for their ability to learn tricks. But with the help of trainers from Vancouver Aquarium, Prof. Andrew Trites has trained four females to follow voice commands and hand gestures that enable them to take part in scientific experiments.
“The Steller sea lions are rare in the wild and even rarer in captivity,” explained Prof. Andrew Trites.
“In order to get into their heads you need access to them 24-hours-a-day and that’s what we have here.”
It’s the first time that sea lions have been used in this way. They have been trained for the project since they were pups 15 years ago. According to one of the trainers, Troy Neil, it has been a long, hard process.
“It’s not been easy. It’s taken a lot of time and patience. At times it feels I’ve been spending more time with them than my family,” he joked.
His equally dedicated colleague, Nigel Walker, agrees: “Sometimes I forget it’s not normal to hang out with 500lb seals.”
Then, to prove the point, one of the sea lions raises herself on her hindquarters, approaches Nigel Walker and plants a firm kiss on his lips.
These seals seem happy in their scientific work.
Once the seals are fitted with their sensors, they are taken out to open water on their own personal speed boat, the Steller Shuttle.
They speed into the breathtaking fjords of British Columbia, where the icy waters are more than a mile deep. It is the perfect place to study how these animals hunts for food.
The Steller Shuttle reaches its destination – a small research platform. One of the sea lions, Hazy, eagerly dives into the still waters and, as instructed, makes her way into an enclosure which serves as a kind of underwater laboratory.
On the platform, researchers push pieces of fish down a pipe that goes right to the bottom of the water. Then Hazy is told to dive deep into the water.
Her sensors measure precisely the amount of energy she uses as she speeds down to catch the fish.
Hazy is equipped with a camera so that the researchers witness the transformation from a playful seal to a speeding torpedo.
The research team has discovered that it is much harder for her to feed close to the surface – a possible clue to why her kind is dying out.
Another early result from these experiments, according to Prof. Andrew Trites, is that these mammals are suffering because they may be eating the wrong kind of food.
“It’s called the junk food hypothesis,” he said.
“These animals need oily fish such as herring, sand eels and salmon to thrive. But instead they are eating pollock and the animals are full before they get enough calories.”
For the first time, researchers are looking at the world through the eyes of Stellar sea lions to see if they can reverse the decline of these magnificent creatures.
