In related news, Hudson says there is one singer who has kept her going over the years -- Whitney Houston.
"I sang a Whitney song on ‘American Idol’ and we have been in contact ever since. I wouldn’t be here without her. There has been nothing better than having her support.
Who needs movies on a plane when Whitney Houston's sitting nearby?
The “I Will Always Love You” songstress was on a New York to L.A. flight earlier this week with daughter Bobbi Kristina when they gave an impromptu concert to at least one passenger within earshot.
“Whitney and Bobbi Christina are singing the new Ne-Yo song,” the passenger emailed from the plane (they hadn’t taken off yet). “I am dieing!”
And I’m happy to report Houston was looking healthy and well rested. She also enjoyed some Ben & Jerry’s ice cream. “She looks fab,” my source wrote. “She’s in a white top, black pants and dark shades—and a great bob wig!”
Whitney is currently in the studio working on her much-anticipated comeback album. Sounds like she's off to a good start.
It is unrecognisable as anything described by Kazakhstan's most famous, albeit fictitious, resident, Borat, who portrayed his country as little more than a collection of peasants in tumbledown shacks. In reality, riches from vast Caspian Sea oil reserves have enabled an elaborate building programme in its new capital city of Astana. Today, Whitney Houston will perform outside this impressive building, the Presidential Palace, to mark the tenth birthday of the city and the 68th of the president, Nursultan Abishuly Nazarbayev, who was elected in 1991 when Kazakhstan achieved independence following the collapse of the Soviet Union. Building work on his official residence, with a 43,916sq yd floor plan, began in September 2001 and took three years. In design terms it appears to have drawn inspiration from eclectic sources - the White House and Senate in Washington, Istanbul's Blue mosque and a hint of a Holiday Inn. Towering over the surrounding flat and barren plain, the palace has two basement levels and five overground storeys topped by a blue-and-gold dome - the colour of the Kazakh flag - rising 260ft into the air. The building is constructed from monolithic concrete blocks but the brilliant white exterior colour is from a cladding of Italian marble, which ranges from 8in to 16in thick. The interior is no less lavish. As well as residential areas and offices, there are 13 large state rooms, including a 956sq yd ceremonial area, a library, a winter garden, the Solemn Hall, Gold Hall and the Halls of Extended Negotiations. These feature chandeliers, marble inlays and elaborate parquet flooring. The Eastern Hall has been designed to resemble an ostentatious version of a yurt - the traditional tent of the Kazakh steppe nomads.
In June issue of "M" magazine there is interview with Diane Warren in which she talks about her current projects including Whitney:
"So Diane is set to play a key part in Whitney's return, whether that comes later this year or early next, and sure enough, she's written her a big ballad. 'Clive thinks it's her comeback song .' she says. 'When she sings it, people are just going to lose it. A lot of times I don't write specifically for somebody, but this one I did. It was something I wanted to her to say.'"
Whitney On The Record (An Old Interview but Worth the Read)
The Diva Reflects And Rages On Rumors And Her Music
WHITNEY HOUSTON IS A LITTLE wound up. Sitting in an elegant suite at the St. Regis Hotel in New York, she's got the wear and tear of recording an album, as well as keeping up with her 5-year-old daughter and the rest of her family, written across her face. Houston has been busy promoting her fourth album,""My Love Is Your Love,'' her first non-soundtrack CD in eight years. The singer rounded up the brightest stars of R&B and hip-hop to write, sing and produce, and the result is all the ""flava'' a fan could want. Houston's voice is a treasure and is only highlighted by mellow tracks like ""Heartbreak Hotel,'' which couples her with Faith Evans and Kelly Price. Rapper-producer Missy Elliot offers up two saucy tunes, ""In My Business'' and ""Oh Yes.'' And Lauryn Hill and Wyclef give the album a funky, multicultural vibe. But Houston's at her best when in the loving care of her longtime collaborators Babyface and songwriter Diane Warren. She sat down with NEWSWEEK'S Allison Samuels to talk.
NEWSWEEK: Some people describe ""My Love Is Your Love'' as a hip-hop album because you have Wyclef, Faith and Lauryn Hill.
Houston: Well, I've gone from singing too white to R&B diva, and now I'm hip-hop. I guess it's flattering to know that I can sing it all. My mother always said if you can sing you can sing. Having a church background has allowed me to be able to sing every note, every lyric. I'm not a hip-hop buyer. But I love Mary J. Blige--I love the best of hip-hop. To me, Wyclef is not hip-hop--Faith is not hip-hop. Music is a wide range. My husband can rap, sing and dance. He can do it all, and that's what I think of all these artists--they can do it all.
Is this album more about your life than the last three soundtracks [""The Bodyguard,'' ""Waiting to Exhale'' and ""The Preacher's Wife'']?
All those songs were me. I've turned down thousands of songs because they aren't me. All the characters in the films I've done were, in a sense, really me. ""Preacher's Wife'' was definitely me. I have to feel songs, or I won't sing them. ""Why Does It Hurt So Bad'' [""Waiting to Exhale''] was a song that Babyface wrote years ago, and I didn't sing it because I hadn't hurt that bad. But ""Face'' just held on to it, and then of course one day I hurt so bad and it was time to sing that song.
There's more of the interview if you click the link :) [newsweek]
Elton John, Courtney Love and Whitney Houston are among a long list of musicians whose pasts are set to be revealed in a new celebrity tell-all book.
All three artists have endured widely-publicised struggles with substance abuse - and the details will now be published in upcoming tome 'The Curious World of Drugs and their Friends', which claims to uncover "fun and fascinating facts" about "every conceivable kind of drug and the people who use them".
Authors Adriano Sack and Ingo Niermann write of John's alleged admission to his former drug addiction: "I did not know how to speak to anyone unless I had a nose full of cocaine."
The book - scheduled for release in August - also features the addictions battled by celebrities including George Michael, Amy Winehouse and Beach Boys' singer Brian Wilson.
STREETLY’S singing starlet Connie Talbot is set to perform a duet with troubled pop diva Whitney Houston.
The seven-year-old who captured the country’s hearts when she starred on Britain’s Got Talent, will sing with the American superstar at a German charity event.
Connie will sing I Will Always Love You with Whitney at the November event after covering the hit on her debut album.
Connie’s mother, Sharon Talbot, said: “It is so exciting for all of us, we can’t believe it.
“Connie likes all the singers with the big voices like Maria Carey and Leona Lewis but she thinks Whitney is the best singer in the world.”
She added: “I will be the one who will be star struck but Connie treats absolutely everyone the same, she does not think she is any better or more special than anyone she meets.”
Whitney shot to fame in the 1980s and then went on to star in Hollywood films in the 1990s. But her troubled marriage to Bobby Brown led to drug addiction and personal problems.
Continuing our celebration of Black Music Month, this week’s featured moments are dedicated to the best chart topping, record breaking, and soul stirring R&B/Soul singers from Whitney and Mary to Aretha and Chaka. Plus get the lowdown on the latest news and upcoming projects from each featured Diva.
Whitney Houston - “I Will Always Love You”
Kicking off the week, who can forget Whitney Houston’s record shattering #1 hit “I Will Always Love You.” Houston’s cover of the 1974 Dolly Parton original was released in 1992 as a feature on the soundtrack to the hit film The Bodyguard, which Houston starred in alongside Kevin Costner.
“I Will Always Love You” debuted at #40 that year and two weeks later rocketed to the # 1 spot, spending a then record fourteen weeks atop the Billboard Hot 100, becoming Houston’s longest run at #1 and surpassing her previous 1986 hit “Greatest Love of All.”
The single continued to dominate the industry that year, selling well over six million copies worldwide, making it the third best selling single in the world. “I Will Always Love You” also remains the biggest selling single by a female artist to this day.
In contrast, the soundtrack album for The Bodyguard held on to the #1 position on the album charts for twenty weeks selling over 42 million copies world wide and spawned three other singles including “I Have Nothing,” “Run To You,” and a re-cut of the Chaka Khan hit “I’m Every Woman.”
Houston closed out 1993 with two Grammy Awards including Record of the Year and Best Female Pop Vocal Performance along with two American Music Awards, four Billboard Music Awards including Top Selling Single, Top Hot 100 Single, Top R&B Selling Single, and Top R&B single of the year. “I Will Always Love You” also picked up a Soul Train Music award, MTV Movie Award, and the World Music Award’s #1 Single of 1993 award.
Today:
Known as “The Voice” Whitney Houston’s 20 + year career takes a new turn this in 2008 as she plans to release her “comeback” album rumored to be titled “Flawless.” Helmed by Clive Davis, Houston’s new album due in November features an A-List of producers rumored to include Ne Yo, Will.I.Am, Sean Garrett, Akon, Timbaland, The Clutch, and R. Kelly
Although a tracklisting has yet to be finalized the Davis has said that four songs have been confirmed – "We're not going to compromise who she is to fit into today's hip-hop radio market," Davis said. "The public wants Whitney material."
What do you think, can Whitney Houston reclaim her thrown as Mariah has?
In the typically male-dominated industry of professional songwriting and producing, it is refreshing to come across a female songwriter such as Tamara Savage, who is not only one of the most successful R&B/Pop songwriters at present, but also one of the youngest. She co-wrote her first hit single, "The First Night" by Monica (which reached #1 Pop & R&B), when she was only 19. She has also co-written such hits as "Heartbreak Hotel" for Whitney Houston, and "When I Close My Eyes" for Shanice.
Born in California and raised in a musical family filled with songwriters, singers and musicians, Savage had aspirations at a young age of a career as a recording artist. "My family is very musically inclined," she explained. "We've got music professors, musicians, songwriters and vocalists. Being able to write has always been part of our background, and we all do it in different ways."
In order to express herself, she enrolled in a light opera program, studied theatre at USC and even performed in musicals. She won the lead role in the musical Once On This Island by singing over the phone to the producers of the play. While she was in college, she started writing and demoing more songs, and was introduced to her manager through a few friends.
"I was introduced to a man named Ray Brown, who became my manager," said Savage. "He believed in what I was trying to do at the time, and helped me out by putting me with some producers who were looking for singers to demo their songs. I started going to the studio and demoing my voice onto their tracks, and later on I started writing with some of those producers."
Soon, fate intervened when another mutual friend introduced Savage to Big Jon Platt, Senior Vice President of Creative at EMI Music Publishing. "There aren't many music publishers who are willing to take a chance on new writing talent, but Big Jon does," said Savage. "He's one of the few publishers I know that signs writers and really develops them."
When he first met Savage, Platt was looking for a new writing talent, and recognized that even in her rough demos, she had strong potential as a writer. He signed her to a development deal with EMI while she was still in college, and immediately began working with her.
"It wasn't easy for me in the beginning," recalled Savage. "Big Jon would sit down with me and go through my songs. He'd tell me that certain parts of the songs needed more work, such as the hook or parts of the verses. However, he wouldn't completely shoot me down, and his criticism really helped take my writing to the next level. I knew then that what I’d been writing previously wasn't what I was truly capable of."
As soon as Platt felt Savage was ready, he started setting up collaborations between her and such hit EMI writers as Soulshock & Karlin, and Jermaine Dupri. "I went from working with [unknown] writers to working with Jermaine Dupri," she said with a laugh. "I was so nervous."
Nevertheless, EMI flew Savage to Atlanta to co-write a song with Jermaine Dupri for the South Park soundtrack, which would potentially be sung by Janet Jackson. But when Savage began working with Dupri, they decided to focus first on writing a song for Monica. "Jermaine and I went into the studio and wrote ‘The First Night,’ which was the first song we wrote together," recalled Savage. This song was selected as the second single from Monica's album, The Boy Is Mine. In mid-1998, the song become a #1 hit on both Billboard’s "Hot 100" singles chart and the R&B chart.
"When the song went #1 R&B, I didn't know what to say," said Savage. "Before 'The First Night,' the only single that I had out was 'Take Me There' from the Rugrats soundtrack. That was one of my first crossovers, but it didn't reach the Top 10. So when 'The First Night' became a #1 pop hit, I nearly died from shock. I was excited, but I really didn't know how to express myself. I don't think it had hit me yet."
Since achieving this breakthrough hit, Savage has been working literally non-stop. She has had cuts with Deborah Cox, Destiny’s Child, Shiro, TLC, Tatyana Ali, Tracie Spencer, Juice, Mya, Mary Mary, LaTocha Scott & Chante Moore, DJ Quik, Toni Estes and Tamar Braxton (Toni's sister).
In 1999, one of the first songs she had written with Soulshock & Karlin, "Heartbreak Hotel," was released as a single by Whitney Houston. This song became a worldwide hit, reaching the Top 5 on the Billboard "Hot 100" and staying atop the Billboard R&B chart for seven weeks. "I was so grateful for the exposure that I received from the Whitney cut," said Savage. "When the song was recorded for the album, I really didn't know if it would be released as a single. I don't take anything for granted, and it really felt great to work so hard and see the rewards start coming."
The success of the "Heartbreak Hotel" was soon followed by her song, "When I Close My Eyes" (co-written by Warryn Campbell), which was recorded and released as a single by Shanice. "When I Close My Eyes" subsequently became Savage’s second hit single that year. Her list of collaborators has also grown. Along with Soulshock & Karlin, Jermaine Dupri, Warryn Campbell and Teddy Riley, she has also written with Anthony Nance (who collaborates with Babyface), Guy Roche (Christina Aguilera), Cutfather & Joe, K.G., Rodney Jerkins and new writers such as Joey Elias, Damon Crawford and Jazz Nixon.
"It's just really weird how all this worked out," said Savage. "I was writing and demoing songs to get myself a recording deal, I got a publishing deal first, and it all kind of went backwards. But I wouldn't have it any other way. Since I started writing songs and giving them to other artists to record, I've started enjoying what I do even more. I can't wait to hear different artist versions of my songs, even though most of the time they sing it like I've done on the demo anyway," she said with a laugh.
Savage is also looking to take a more hands-on approach in the studio with artists, in terms of producing the overall track and arranging vocals. "A lot of times I write and I run; I write the song and then I have to dash off," explained Savage. "But now I'm working at being more one-on-one with the artists. Also, I don't really place any importance on writing specifically for artists. I really don't want to focus on, 'Oh, I'm going to write a Toni Braxton type song or a Whitney Houston type of song.’ I just want to focus on writing good lyrics and melodies, and then [the songs] get placed with the artists," she said.
Although Savage admits that sometimes she feels like taking a break from her busy schedule, she currently has songs set for release on new albums by Faith Evans (Bad Boy/Arista), Mary Mary (Columbia), Monica (J Records), Nicole Wray (Elektra), So Plush (Columbia), H.E.A.T. (Columbia), Kenny Lattimore (Arista), and TLC (Arista). She is also writing songs for O-Town (J Records) and the new Whitney Houston album.
"My advice for any young person who wants to be a professional writer, is to truly work hard at it," said Savage. "Don't be lazy. You've really got to give it everything you've got, and when you've had some success, then work even harder to stay there. It's a really fickle industry; I may have a few hot songs now but no one knows what could happen tomorrow. Don't take anything for granted, or quit when things get too hard. You will also need to find that one person who sees some hope in your writing, who is willing to help you out. Stay humble, get good people around you, and don't ever doubt your talent."
For many pop songwriters, the ultimate dream would be to place their song on a superstar artist for a spectacularly successful project. It is a dream that rarely comes true, but it happened for the songwriting team of Jud Friedman & Allan Rich. This Los Angeles-based duo placed their song "Run To You" with Whitney Houston for "The Bodyguard" soundtrack, which became one of the biggest-selling, most prestigious albums of the decade.
In a recent interview, Friedman & Rich recalled the entire story of "Run To You." They described how they first created the song, how it was placed, and how they had to rewrite the entire song so it would fit into the film. Finally, they recalled the tremendous joy they felt upon witnessing Whitney Houston record the song, watching the album become a massive hit, and then receiving Academy Award and Grammy nominations.
Friedman & Rich had previously written a #1 hit for James Ingram ("I Don’t Have The Heart"), but that didn’t necessarily give them an edge in placing a song for "The Bodyguard." After all, they were competing with many of the top songwriters in the industry for this hot soundtrack project.
Houston’s label, Arista Records, had notified publishers and writers that they needed songs for "The Bodyguard," thereby initiating a massive song search. Arista was specifically seeking four key songs for Houston to sing, which would fit different scenes in the movie.
"The project was very wide open," recalled Rich. "It seemed like everyone and their mother was trying to place their songs with Whitney. Jud and I zeroed in on a specific scene towards the end of the film, which was a break-up type song, with the theme of ‘I love you, but you’re going away’."
Rich began working on the lyrics for "Run To You." "I was going through a break-up in my life at the time, which may have helped me write a lyric which reflected the feelings I was experiencing," said Rich. "I wrote the lyric in a few days, then I presented the lyric to Jud."
"I thought Allan wrote a beautiful lyric for "Run To You," said Friedman. "It inspired me to run over to the keyboard and start writing the music. I wrote most of the music, then we finished the song together. When it was completed, we recorded a very simple demo, with just piano, guitar samples and strings. Then we brought in a wonderful vocalist, Valerie Pinkston, to sing the demo. She sang the song beautifully, and we were very happy with the way it came out."
Rich then delivered the demo to his publisher, Carol Ware, Vice President of Creative at MCA Music. She loved the song, and immediately sent the tape to Gerry Griffith, Vice President of A&R at Arista Records. Griffith loved the song also, and played the demo for Clive Davis, the Chairman/CEO of Arista.
It was shortly thereafter that Rich received a momentous message on his phone machine. "I got a wonderful phone message, and I still have the tape of that message," said Rich. "I came home one day and the voice on the machine said, ‘I hope this is Allan Rich that I’m calling. This is Clive Davis, and I think you’re going to like this message. Whitney and I love your song "Run To You." Please call us as soon as possible.’ And I flipped out!"
Rich & Friedman then called Davis back and he confirmed the good news. Eventually, the song was not only approved by Davis and Houston, but by Mick Jackson, the director of "The Bodyguard," actor/producer Kevin Costner and Gary LeMel, President Of Music at Warner Bros. Pictures. "There are so many people who have to approve a song for a major film & soundtrack," said Friedman. "Everything has to fall in place just the right way. We were very fortunate because everybody got it."
With their song seemingly set for the film, Friedman & Rich began working on other projects. But about a month later, they received a phone call from director Mick Jackson. "Jackson called and said, ‘We still love your song, but there’s just one little detail,’" recalled Friedman. "Already my hands are starting to sweat; I’m bracing for the news. Jackson said, ‘We love the song so much, we want to use it earlier in the movie when they fall in love, instead of when they’re breaking up. So could you change the lyric to make it a love song instead of a break-up song? It should be pretty easy, right?’ My response of course was, No Problem! Then we got off the phone and basically collapsed on the floor in shock. Our songwriting lives were passing before us."
"Then we picked ourselves off the floor and made some phone calls. We spoke to Clive. He said, ‘I love the song the way it is; it’s a hit. Of course, take a shot at rewriting the lyric, but whatever you do, don’t lose the hitness of it. If the rewrite doesn’t work, we can use the song on a future Whitney project, maybe her greatest hits album.’ When we got off the phone, we said there is absolutely no way we’re going to miss this chance. We knew we might never get a cut with Whitney. We had to seize the moment."
Rich & Friedman ultimately rewrote the entire lyric except for the title. They then redemoed the song and sent the new version to Davis. Davis, Jackson and everyone involved loved the new version of "Run To You," so the song was finally set for the movie.
Soonafter, producer David Foster started plans for recording "Run To You." Because he loved the arrangement of the original demo, he hired Friedman to do the programming and playing on the record. When the tracks were completed, it was now time for Houston to record her vocals for the song.
"It was on a Friday night that Whitney came into the studio," said Friedman. "It was great to meet her, and she was just a pleasure to work with. She was totally professional. Whitney actually had a cold that night, and her speaking voice was whispery and hoarse. But when she started singing, she sounded incredible. For Allan and I to be in the studio to hear her sing our song so beautifully, it was one of the greatest moments in our lives."
Finally, "The Bodyguard" movie and soundtrack was released in late 1992. The album quickly became a blockbuster, eventually selling about 30 million units worldwide. Friedman & Rich subsequently received two nominations for "Run To You": one for "Best Original Song" by the Academy Awards; and for "Best Song Specifically Written for a Motion Picture or Television" by the Grammy Awards.
"It was a fantastic time for us," said Rich. "We went to the Academy Awards, the Academy Award Nominees luncheon, and the Grammy Awards. I took my publisher Carol Ware to the Nominees luncheon as my date. I wanted to thank her for all her help and friendship during the five years I had been at MCA. When they called my name, and I went to the podium to receive my nomination award, Carol and I had tears in our eyes. We were both so happy."
Now, when Friedman & Rich look back on their success with "Run To You," they are very grateful to have had the opportunity to place their song. "There were so few slots for outside writers to get in on this project, especially considering that two of the main cuts ("I Will Always Love You" and "I’m Every Woman") were remakes," said Friedman. "In truth, it was a miracle that our song made it. Yes, we put in a lot of hard work, and we were very proud of our song. But we didn’t have any ego about it. In fact, we felt humbled by this process, because we knew our song made it against such unbelievable odds."
Jeremy Piven, who plays ruthless Hollywood agent Ari Gold on the hit series, took some cues from his frenzied character when he happened upon the singer on a recent flight from Las Vegas to Los Angeles.
According to gossip blogger Janet Charlton, they were seated next to each other aboard Planet Hollywood's private jet when "they started chatting about 'Entourage' and Jeremy suggested that it would be fun to have Whitney make an appearance on the show. Whitney liked the idea."
Piven then reportedly went into Ari mode to close the deal.
"Jeremy was overheard calling a producer and telling him about Whitney as soon as the plane touched down in LA," Charlton wrote.
Legendary singer Whitney Houston is planning to duet with British reality show winner Leona Lewis in a bid to boost her comeback, according to reports. Houston is back on stage this year after a lengthy break in her career, during which she battled alleged drug addictions. A new album is being planned for release in late 2008.
Known as Houston's mentor, music mogul Clive Davis wants to give the diva's comeback a helping hand by teaming her with "Bleeding Love" singer Lewis, reports the New York Post.
Since winning British talent show "The X Factor" in 2006, Lewis has dominated the charts in both Britain and the U.S. and drawn numerous comparisons to Houston and Mariah Carey.
The 23-year-old reportedly suffers from stress-related chronic throat problems, which doctors have confirmed can only be cured permanently by surgery.
