Actress Jackée Harry takes the credit of bringing Whitney Houston and Bobby Brown together and revealed how she did it Sunday on Bravo‘s late night talk show “Watch What Happens Live! with Andy Cohen.
Apparently, there was an after party for the 1989 film “Harlem Nights” and Jackée Harry and Whitney Houston were hanging out at the celebrity-filled shindig. Whitney Houston zeroed-in on the former New Edition member and pleaded with Jackée Harry to introduce her to Bobby Brown who had a highly celebrated solo career at the time. Bobby Brown was still riding high off his 1988 multi-platinum breakthrough album “Don’t be Cruel.”
Bobby Brown at the time was a notorious womanizer and was never without a bevy of females around him.
Actress Jackée Harry takes the credit of bringing Whitney Houston and Bobby Brown
Jackée Harry, who referred to herself as “the only known hoe in the group,” not only introduced Whitney Houston to her future husband that night but to comedian Eddie Murphy as well, who also attended the party and starred in the film.
Although Whitney Houston had been romantically linked to Eddie Murphy, she actually went on to marry Bobby Brown in July 1992 after a three year courtship. The couple produced one child Bobbi Kristina.
Whitney Houston and Bobby Brown had a tumultuous relationship which resulted in alleged physical abuse, drug and alcohol binges.
Bobby Brown had several run-ins with the law that included jail time. After years of public battles and turmoil, the pair went their separate ways in September 2006 and Whitney Houston filed for divorce a month later. The divorce was finalized in April 2007 and Whitney Houston was granted custody of Bobbi Kristina.
Jackée Harry not only introduced Whitney Houston to her future husband that night but to comedian Eddie Murphy as well
When Andy Cohen asked Jackée Harry, who is best known for her roles on the sitcoms “227″ and “Sister to Sister,” if she blamed Bobby Brown for Whitney Houston’s drug use, the Emmy-winner replied that she did not.
Jackée Harry also talked about the strong similarities between herself and Whitney Houston, how they both came from the ghetto and how their lives had been “accelerated” and when they tried to go back to where they came from, they no longer fit in. There was an inference that perhaps that was a problem with Whitney Houston.
Whitney Houston was found dead on February 11 at The Beverly Hilton Hotel after a member of her entourage discovered her body in the bathtub. It is believed that the legendary singer died as the result of alcohol mixed with prescription drugs.
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Eddie Murphy resigned from his role as host of 2012 Academy Awards yesterday as the heavyweight producer Brian Grazer has been drafted in to produce next year’s Oscars.
Brian Grazer, the man behind Apollo 13 and A Beautiful Mind has stepped into Brett Ratner’s shoes after his resignation.
The Academy Awards president Tom Sherak announced the news yesterday:
“Brian Grazer is a renowned filmmaker who over the past 25 years has produced a diverse and extraordinary body of work. He will certainly bring his tremendous talent, creativity and relationships to the Oscars.”
Brian Grazer has scooped his own Oscar and in 2002 he won Best Picture for A Beautiful Mind.
Brett Ratner handed in his resignation from the event on Tuesday after apologizing for a gay slur he used during a screening of his latest film.
Eddie Murphy resigned from his role as host of 2012 Academy Awards
Eddie Murphy and Brett Ratner were set to work together on the February 26 ,2102, TV broadcast of the Oscars after working together on the recent action movie Tower Heist.
Curiously Brian Grazer was listed as a Producer on Tower Heist.
Brett Ratner stepped down two days ago after sparking outrage by using a gay slur at a screening his new action comedy.
A replacement host was not immediately named.
Academy president Tom Sherak said yesterday: “I appreciate how Eddie feels about losing his creative partner, Brett Ratner, and we all wish him well.”
Brian Grazer, the man behind Apollo 13 and A Beautiful Mind has stepped into Brett Ratner’s shoes after his resignation
In the joint statement, Eddie Murphy added: “First and foremost I want to say that I completely understand and support each party’s decision with regard to a change of producers for this year’s Academy Awards ceremony.
“I was truly looking forward to being a part of the show that our production team and writers were just starting to develop, but I’m sure that the new production team and host will do an equally great job.”
Tom Sherak said Brett Ratner “did the right thing for the Academy and for himself”.
“Brett is a good person, but his comments were unacceptable.”
Brett Ratner was named Oscar producer in August along with TV veteran Don Mischer.
He issued an open letter explaining his resignation.
The letter read: “I called [the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences president] Tom Sherak this morning and resigned as a producer of the 84th Academy Awards telecast.
“Being asked to help put on the Oscar show was the proudest moment of my career.
“But as painful as this may be for me, it would be worse if my association with the show were to be a distraction from the Academy and the high ideals it represents.”
Brett Ratner also apologized for using a gay slur during a question-and-answer session at a screening for his new film Tower Heist.
He used a pejorative term to describe gay men in response to a question asked at a screening of his latest movie.
Eddie Murphy signs on to host 84th Academy Awards ceremony, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced Tuesday, September 6.
In a press release on Tuesday, Eddie Murphy said:
“I am enormously honored to join the great list of past Academy Award hosts from Hope and Carson to Crystal, Martin and Goldberg, among others.”
Eddie Murphy will host 2012 ceremony of the Annual Academy Awards
Eddie Murphy, 50, was reported to be the Brett Ratner’s top choice to host the 84th Academy Awards show.
Brett Ratner, who is the “Rush Hour” director and recently directed Eddie Murphy in the upcoming movie “Tower Heist”, is producing the ceremony.
“Eddie is a comedic genius, one of the greatest and most influential live performers ever,” Brett Ratner said in a press release.
“With his love of movies, history of crafting unforgettable characters and his iconic performances – especially on stage – I know he will bring excitement, spontaneity and tremendous heart to the show.”
This will be Eddie Murphy’s first hosting stint on the Oscars.
Eddie Murphy earned an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor in 2006 for his role in “Dreamgirls.”
Previously, there were rumors that Billy Crystal, who hosted the awards show eight times between 1990 and 2004, was to be in the running for hosting duties before Eddie Murphy was officially tapped to host.
Eddie Murphy began his career at the age of 15 as a stand-up comedian. In 1980, at the age of 19, he joined the cast of “Saturday Night Live,” becoming the show’s youngest cast member to that point, and bringing to life many of the show’s most memorable characters. His 1983 album “Eddie Murphy: Comedian” won a Grammy Award for Best Comedy Recording. It included portions of his groundbreaking HBO special “Eddie Murphy Delirious.” In 1987, “Eddie Murphy Raw” was theatrically released and went on to gross over $50 million. Murphy made his feature film debut in 1982 with the classic “48 Hrs.” and would go on to star in such box-office hits as “Beverly Hills Cop” and the “The Nutty Professor” and “Shrek” franchises. All told, movies in which he has performed have earned in excess of $7 billion worldwide during their theatrical releases.
The 84th edition of the Annual Academy Awards for outstanding film achievements of 2011 will be presented on Sunday, February 26, 2012, at the Kodak Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Center, and televised live on the ABC Television Network. The Oscar presentation also will be televised live in more than 200 countries worldwide.
