Bob, seems like a lot of effort just to appear busy...
Ok
Bring It On Down
OASIS
What was that sound ringing around your brain?
Today was just a blur, you've got a head like a ghost train
What was that sound ringing around your brain?
You're here on your own who you gonna find to blame?
You're the outcast - you're the underclass
But you don't care - because you're living fast
You're the un-invited guest who stays 'till the end
I know you've got a problem that the devil sends
You think they're talking 'bout you but you don't know who
I'll be scraping your life from the sole of my shoe tonight.
Bring it on down. Bring it down for me
Your head's in a fish tank
Your body and your mind can't breath
Bring it on down. Bring it down for me
Your head's in a fish tank
Your body and your mind can't breath
You're the outcast - you're the underclass
But you don't care - because you're living fast
You're the un-invited guest who stays 'till the end
I know you've got a problem that the devil sends
You think they're talking 'bout you but you don't know who
I'll be scraping their lives from the sole of my shoe tonight
Love Street
She lives on love street
Lingers long on love street
She has a house and garden
I would like to see what happens
She has robes and she has monkeys
Lazy diamond studded flunkies
She has wisdom and knows what to do
She has me and she has you
She has wisdom and knows what to do
She has me and she has you
I see you live on love street
There's this store where the creatures meet
I wonder what they do in there
Summer sunday and a year
I guess I like it fine, so far
She lives on love street
Lingers long on love street
She has a house and garden
I would like to see what happens
La, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la
La, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la
The Doors
Well, folks. It seems as though Letty has some catching up to do. Never have I been so hot, but at least, Raggedy, I left you laughing.
Dear hawkman. Thanks again for the bio's and the secret ways we have of looking busy. Love the last line, and Rex is right. Too hot to look busy.
Back in a minute to check out Try's song, but I feel like Shakespeare, "hot" in love.
A little bit of serious here, listeners:
Fear no more the heat o' the sun
Fear no more the heat o' the sun,
Nor the furious winter's rages;
Thou thy worldly task hast done,
Home art gone, and ta'en thy wages;
Golden lads and girls all must,
As chimney-sweepers, come to dust.
Fear no more the frown o' the great;
Thou art past the tyrant's stroke:
Care no more to clothe and eat;
To thee the reed is as the oak:
The sceptre, learning, physic, must
All follow this, and come to dust.
Fear no more the lightning-flash,
Nor the all-dreaded thunder-stone;
Fear not slander, censure rash;
Thou hast finished joy and moan;
All lovers young, all lovers must
Consign to thee, and come to dust.
No exorciser harm thee!
Nor no witchcraft charm thee!
Ghost unlaid forbear thee!
Nothing ill come near thee!
Quiet consummation have;
And renownéd be thy grave!
-- William Shakespeare
Well, Try and Rex, Oasis and Love street are not good companions today. I do believe that they are mutually exclusive. <smile>
Thanks for the hot and the cool, however.
For once, I didn't mind the high cost of power, but that petrol has got to give. $3.00 a gallon now, folks.
Need a lunch break, so I'll be back after trying to look busy.
Boy! That is some lunch break, I wish I could get me a job like that.
Tina Turner (Just came on a rival station)
River Deep Mountain High
When I was a little girl I had a rag doll
The only doll I've ever owned
Now I love you just the way I loved that rag doll
But only now my love has grown
And it gets stronger in every way
And it gets deeper let me say
And it gets higher day by day
Do I love you my oh my
River deep, mountain high
If I lost you would I cry
Oh how I love you baby, baby, baby, baby
When you were a young boy did you have a puppy
That always followed you around
Well Im gonna be as faithful as that puppy
No Ill never let you down
Cause it goes on and on like a river flows
And it gets bigger baby and heaven knows
And it gets sweeter baby as it grows
Do I love you my oh my
River deep, mountain high
If I lost you would I cry
Oh how I love you baby, baby, baby, baby
I love you baby like a flower loves the spring
And I love you baby like a robin loves to sing
And I love you baby like a schoolboy loves his bag
And I love you baby river deep mountain high
Well, Try. I got fat and full in the middle of the day, and had to take a cat nap. <smile>
Cat Stevens Wild World lyrics
Now that I've lost everything to you
You say you wanna start something new
And it's breakin' my heart you're leavin'
Baby, I'm grievin'
But if you wanna leave, take good care
Hope you have a lot of nice things to wear
But then a lot of nice things turn bad out there
Oh, baby, baby, it's a wild world
It's hard to get by just upon a smile
Oh, baby, baby, it's a wild world
I'll always remember you like a child, girl
You know I've seen a lot of what the world can do
And it's breakin' my heart in two
Because I never wanna see you a sad, girl
Don't be a bad girl
But if you wanna leave, take good care
Hope you make a lot of nice friends out there
But just remember there's a lot of bad and beware
Chorus
Baby, I love you
But if you wanna leave, take good care
Hope you make a lot of nice friends out there
But just remember there's a lot of bad and beware
Chorus
Ah, there's our Brit with a moon marble. Thanks, London. I guess that's our clue to play a moon song. What shall it be, John?
Giant steps are what you take
Walking on the moon
I hope my legs dont break
Walking on the moon
We could walk forever
Walking on the moon
We could live together
Walking on, walking on the moon
Walking back from your house
Walking on the moon
Walking back from your house
Walking on the moon
Feet they hardly touch the ground
Walking on the moon
My feet dont hardly make no sound
Walking on, walking on the moon
Some may say
Im wishing my days away
No way
And if its the price I pay
Some say
Tomorrows another day
You stay
I may as well play
Giant steps are what you take
Walking on the moon
I hope my legs dont break
Walking on the moon
We could walk forever
Walking on the moon
We could be together
Walking on, walking on the moon
Some may say
Im wishing my days away
No way
And if its the price I pay
Some say
Tomorrows another day
You stay
I may as well play
don't trip up just tread with care
Well, John. Ella says it's too high:
How High the Moon
(From the album "ELLA FITZGERALD [ASV/LIVING ERA]")
Somewhere there's music
How faint the tune
Somewhere there's heaven
How high the moon
There is no moon above
When love is far away too
Till it comes true
That you love me as I love you
Somewhere there's music
How near, how far
Somewhere there's heaven
It's where you are
The darkest night would shine
If you would come to me soon
Until you will, how still my heart
How high the moon
Somewhere there's music
How faint the tune
Somewhere there's heaven
How high the moon
The darkest night would shine
If you would come to me soon
Until you will, how still my heart
How high the moon
Good morning, Raggedy and WA2K listeners and contributors.
Well, PA, I am right here, dear, but got carried away with the biography of Conrad Aiken and the seduction of destruction. I was fascinated with his lifestyle and his diffidence. If anyone here has ever read the short story, "Silent Snow-Secret Snow", you will understand.
I do believe that most of us know every single celeb, honey. Thanks again for the lovely collage.
Anyone remember this?
Spanish Ladies
Traditional - Lyrics from Shanties from the Seven Seas, by Stan Hugill
Farewell an' adieu to you fair Spanish ladies,
Farewell an' adieu to you ladies of Spain,
For we've received orders for to sail for old England,
An' hope very shortly to see you again.
We'll rant an' we'll roar, like true British sailors,
We'll rant an' we'll rave across the salt seas,
'Till we strike soundings in the Channel of Old England,
From Ushant to Scilly is thirty-four leagues.
We hove our ship to, with the wind at sou'west, boys,
We hove our ship to for to take soundings clear.
In fifty-five fathoms with a fine sandy bottom,
We filled our maintops'l, up Channel did steer.
The first land we made was a point called the Deadman,
Next Ramshead off Plymouth, Start, Portland, and Wight.
We sailed then by Beachie, by Fairlee and Dungeyness,
Then bore straight away for the South Foreland Light.
Now the signal was made for the Grand Fleet to anchor,
We clewed up our tops'ls, stuck out tacks and sheets.
We stood by our stoppers, we brailed in our spankers,
And anchored ahead of the noblest of fleets.
Let every man here drink up his full bumper,
Let every man here drink up his full bowl,
And let us be jolly and drown melancholy,
Drink a health to each jovial an' true-hearted soul.
here's something by a French lady:
Des yeux qui font baisser les miens
Un rire qui se perd sur sa bouche
Voilà le portrait sans retouche
De l'homme auquel j'appartiens
{Refrain:}
Quand il me prend dans ses bras,
Il me parle tout bas
Je vois la vie en rose,
Il me dit des mots d'amour
Des mots de tous les jours,
Et ça me fait quelque chose
Il est entré dans mon cur,
Une part de bonheur
Dont je connais la cause,
C'est lui pour moi,
Moi pour lui dans la vie
Il me l'a dit, l'a juré
Pour la vie.
Et dès que je l'aperçois
Alors je sens en moi
Mon cur qui bat.
Des nuits d'amour à plus finir
Un grand bonheur qui prend sa place
Des ennuis, des chagrins s'effacent
Heureux, heureux à en mourir
{au Refrain}
{Nota: variante pour le dernier couplet:}
Des nuits d'amour à en mourir
Un grand bonheur qui prend sa place
Les ennuis, les chagrins s'effacent
Heureux, heureux pour mon plaisir
Oh, my Gawd! A turtle that speaks French. Is that better than a talking geco? <smile>
Well, it sounds a little like La vie en rose, but who knows, m.d.
If we can have a tri-lingual shell man, we can certainly have a lark:
For Robbie:
Skylark, have you anything to say to me?
Won't you tell me where my love can be?
Is there a meadow in the mist
Where someone's waiting to be kissed?
Skylark, have you seen a valley green with spring
Where my heart can go a journeying
Over the shadows and the rain
To a blossom covered lane?
And in your lonely flight
Haven't you heard the music in the night,
Wonderful music,
Faint as a will o' the wisp, crazy as a loon,
Sad as a gypsy serenading the moon.
Oh, skylark, i don't know if you can find these things
But my heart is riding on your wings.
So if you see them anywhere
Won't you lead me there?
Oh, skylark, i don't know
If you can find these things
But my heart is riding on your wings.
So if you see them anywhere
Won't you lead me there?
by Johnny Mercer
Robert Shaw
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Robert Shaw (August 9, 1927 - August 28, 1978) was an English stage and film actor and writer.
Robert Shaw was born in Westhoughton, near Bolton, Lancashire, England in 1927 to Thomas (a doctor) and Doreen Shaw. He had three sisters and one brother. At the age of seven, the family moved to Stromness, Orkney Islands, Scotland. At the age of 12, his father died (his death was apparently related to an alcohol problem), and the family moved to Cornwall, where he went to school in Truro. Robert Shaw's best-known film performances include a turn as the dangerous enemy secret agent Red Grant in the James Bond film From Russia with Love (1963); the relentless Colonel Hessler in Battle of the Bulge (1965); a young Henry VIII in A Man for All Seasons (1966); Lord Randolph Churchill, in Young Winston (1972); the ruthless and intelligent Doyle Lonnegan in The Sting (1973); and the 'working class hero' with the interesting scars, Quint in Jaws (1975).
Shaw was nominated for the Golden Globe Award and the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role A Man for All Seasons.
Shaw performed on stage in England and on Broadway. He was also an accomplished writer as well as a respected actor, adapting his own novel The Man in the Glass Booth for the stage but asking for his credit to be removed from the filmed version.
He was married three times,
Jennifer Bourke (1952-1963); four daughters.
Mary Ure (1963-1975); four children
Virginia Jansen (1976-1978); one child.
Robert Shaw died from a heart attack in Tourmakeady, County Mayo, Ireland, aged 51. A Wetherspoons pub has been named after him in his home town. One of his sons, Ian Shaw, is also an actor.
Sam Elliott
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Sam Elliott (born Samuel Pack Elliott on August 9, 1944 in Sacramento, California) is an American film and television actor, usually recognised by his tall, thin, rough-hewn physique, a thick handlebar moustache and a gruff speaking voice.
Film
He began his career as a stage actor, but his appearance naturally suited cowboy and adventurer movie roles. His first movie appearance was in 1969 as a card player in Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, where on set he met his future wife, actress Katharine Ross. They married in 1984, the same year their daughter, Cleo, was born.
Some of his more well-known film roles include: Gar, in Mask (1985); the bouncer Wade Garrett, in the cult film Road House (1989); Virgil Earp, in Tombstone (1993); and General John Buford, in Gettysburg (1993). He also had a small but memorable role as "The Stranger" in the Coen Brothers' film The Big Lebowski (1998), in which he narrated the movie. His appearance made him an obvious casting choice as General Thaddeous "Thunderbolt" Ross in Hulk (2003), and won acclaim playing Sergeant-Major Basil L. Plumley in Randall Wallace's Vietnam War film We Were Soldiers (2002), playing opposite Mel Gibson.
TV
During 1970-71, Elliott starred as Doug Robert in the hit TV series Mission Impossible and later played "sexy" killers in the miniseries Murder in Texas (1981) and A Death in California (1986). He has made guest appearances on shows such as Felony Squad, Gunsmoke, Lancer and Hawaii Five-O and has featured in many TV movies, for instance as Wild Bill Hickock in Buffalo Girls (1995).
In 2006, he starred in the TNT TV movie Avenger.
Trivia
Elliott's voice can be heard in as the voiceover narration for commercials from time to time. In the past he has lent his voice to campaigns for Chevy, IBM, Union Pacific, and, most notably, took over as the voice of the American Beef Council after Robert Mitchum.
The young Sam Elliott was often cast for his "beefcake" appeal. In his early movies -- "The Games," "Frogs," "Molly and Lawless John" -- he performed a number of scenes without his shirt. Then, in "Lifeguard," he appeared in much of the movie wearing nothing more than a pair of swim trunks. Next, in "The Legacy," he shed all his clothes for a gratuitous nude scene which, even though it only featured rear views, still earned the highest rating (3 stars) from "The Bare Facts," a book devoted to nudity in the movies. As late as 1996, when he was in his early 50s, Elliott still managed to strip to the waist for a scene in "Dog Watch." Unlike many actors, Elliott never shaved his chest, thus making him a hero to those who prefer their males hirsute.
Melanie Griffith
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Melanie Griffith (born August 9, 1957) is an American film actress. She is the daughter of actress Tippi Hedren who is of Swedish, German and Norwegian descent and Peter Griffith of English descent.
Griffith began working in films at an early age as an extra on Smith! (1969) and The Harrad Experiment (1973). Her first major role was in Night Moves in 1975. Other major roles include Body Double (1984), Something Wild (1986), Working Girl (1988) for which she received an Academy Award nomination as Best Actress, The Bonfire of the Vanities (1990), Milk Money (1994), Another Day in Paradise (1998) and Cecil B. DeMented (2000).
Griffith has been married four times. She was briefly married to Don Johnson in 1976. She was married to Steven Bauer from 1980 to 1987. She remarried Johnson in 1989. The couple divorced again in 1996 and Griffith married her current husband Antonio Banderas that same year. Griffith has three children by three husbands: Dakota Mayi Johnson, Alexander Griffith Bauer, and Stella del Carmen Banderas. Dakota followed in her mother's footsteps and served as Miss Golden Globe at the 2006 Golden Globes award ceremony. Griffith was Miss Golden Globe in 1975.
She received an Emmy nomination as Best Supporting Actress in HBO television movie, RKO 281 (1999). She is currently seen on The WB sitcom Twins, in which she plays Lee, the mother of the show's main characters played by Sara Gilbert and Molly Stanton.
Sex scandal allegations
In her book A Paper Life, the Oscar-winning actress Tatum O'Neal alleges that Griffith dragged her, at age 12, into an opium-fuelled orgy in Paris, along with another actress and the boyfriend of one of the actresses. Tatum also alleged that she walked in on Melanie while she was in bed with her father Ryan O'Neal.
Cosmetic surgery
She has a reputation for overusing cosmetic surgery.[1]
Whitney Houston
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Whitney Elizabeth Houston (born August 9, 1963) is an iconic American pop and R&B singer, songwriter, actress, film producer, and former model. Houston debuted in 1985 with the release of her self-titled album, and later released a record seven consecutive number-one hits on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart. She was also one of a few African-American artists who received heavy rotation on early MTV in the 1980's. Houston continued her success in the 1990s with the release of several films and soundtracks, particularly The Bodyguard (1992), which became one of the best-selling albums of all time, and spawned her highly successful signature song "I Will Always Love You" (a remake of Dolly Parton's original). Her personal life became the subject of controversy due to allegations of drug abuse. Houston has sold over 140 million albums and 50 million singles worldwide[1] and is the only female artist to have two entries in the top thirty-five of the best selling albums in the U.S. She has influenced a generation of singers and has won twenty-one American Music Awards (a record for a solo artist), and six Grammys.
Biography
Early years
Houston born in Newark, New Jersey to John and Cissy Houston. Although she was a Baptist, she attended a Catholic high school.
Houston's mother, first cousin (Dionne Warwick) and godmother (Aretha Franklin) were all established Gospel/R&B/Soul singers, and at the age of eleven Houston started performing as a soloist in the junior gospel choir at the New Hope Baptist church in Newark, New Jersey, and would later go on to accompanying her mother in concert. After singing background on her mother's 1978 album Think It Over, she started as a back up singer for many other established acts, such as Chaka Khan, Jermaine Jackson, and Lou Rawls.
She was featured as the lead vocalist on the Michael Zager Band's single "Life's a Party" in 1978, and Zager was so impressed that he offered to obtain her a record deal but she declined. In the early-1980s, she started appearing as a model in various magazine advertisements and snagged the cover of Seventeen magazine, Vogue Magazine and Glamour Magazine by the age of 19.It was due to her beautiful smile, personailty and 6 foot tall frame. During these modeling years, she also continued to balance her burgeoning singing career by working with producers Michael Bienhorn, Bill Laswell and Martin Bisi on an album they were spearheading called One Down, credited to the group Material. It was planned to contain eight songs, each one featuring a different lead vocalist. Houston contributed the ballad "Memories," which received favorable reviews from the Village Voice when the album debuted.
1983?-1991: Early music career
Whitney Houston (1985)Houston had been offered record deals previously (from Michael Zager in 1980, and Elektra Records in 1981) and in 1983 an A&R representative from Arista saw Houston performing with her mother in a nightclub in New York City. The representative convinced the head of the label, Clive Davis, to take time to see her. Davis was convinced of her talents and offered her a worldwide-contract, which Houston signed. Her debut album took over two years to complete. Houston's first taste of commercial success was with "Hold Me", a duet with Teddy Pendergrass (which first appeared on his album, Love Language) which peaked into the top fifty on the U.S. pop chart and the top five of the R&B chart. It was during this time that Houston auditioned for acting roles, including the part of Sondra Huxtable on The Cosby Show, which was won by Sabrina Le Beauf. She earned roles on episodes of Gimme a Break, Silver Spoons, and a Canada Dry soft drink commercial.
Houston's self-titled 1985 debut album initially had a slow rise up the album chart until the success of its single "You Give Good Love", which gave Houston her first top five hit on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100. Follow-up singles "Saving All My Love for You", "How Will I Know" and "Greatest Love of All" all went to number one on the pop charts, and Whitney Houston eventually topped the album charts. The album went on to sell twenty-four million copies worldwide (with over thirteen million copies being sold in the U.S. alone),[citation needed] making it the best-selling debut album by a female artist at the time (Britney Spears a decade after broke this record with her debut album ...Baby One More Time which sold 25 Million world-wide). Houston received a "Best Female Pop Vocal Performance" Grammy Award for "Saving All My Love for You" and an Emmy Award for "Outstanding Individual Performance in a Variety Program on TV", and her first worldwide tour, "The Greatest Love Tour", took place in 1986.
Houston's second album Whitney (1987) debuted at number one in the U.S. and the UK, the first album by a female artist to do so, and it eventually went on to sell over nineteen million copies worldwide (with over nine million copies being sold in the U.S. alone).[citation needed] the singles "I Wanna Dance with Somebody", "Didn't We Almost Have It All", "So Emotional" and "Where Do Broken Hearts Go" brought her total of consecutive Hot 100 number-one hits to seven, breaking a record previously shared by The Beatles and The Bee Gees (with six). Houston embarked on the worldwide "The Moment of Truth" tour and won the "Best Female Pop Vocal Performance" Grammy for "I Wanna Dance with Somebody", as well as several American Music Awards. During the 1988 Olympics event, her single "One Moment in Time" peaked in the U.S. top five and reached number one in the UK.
Houston's third album I'm Your Baby Tonight (1990) featured collaborations with Stevie Wonder and Luther Vandross and reached number three on the U.S. Billboard 200. It did not sell as highly as her first two albums, but was still successful, with twelve million copies sold worldwide (four million of those in the U.S.).[citation needed] The first two singles, "I'm Your Baby Tonight" and "All the Man That I Need" went to number one in the U.S., but "Miracle", "My Name Is Not Susan" and "I Belong to You" were less successful. Houston embarked on the "I'm Your Baby Tonight" world tour, and afterwards received four Billboard Music Awards. Her performance of "The Star-Spangled Banner" at Super Bowl XXV in January 1991 was released as a single and reached the U.S. top twenty chart, and all proceeds went to the American Red Cross. Her concert at Norfolk, Virginia as she welcomed back U.S. troops returning from the Gulf War received high ratings on the HBO network.
1992?-1997: Successful acting career
The Bodyguard Soundtrack (1992)Houston's debut film, The Bodyguard (co-starring Kevin Costner), was released four months after she married R&B singer Bobby Brown on July 18, 1992. The film was commercially successful, grossing over $120 million in the U.S. and $410 million worldwide, but reviews were mixed, and Houston received three Razzie Award nominations. The soundtrack to the film (see The Bodyguard (soundtrack)) was also very popular: it sold over thirty-nine million copies worldwide (with over nineteen million copies in the U.S.)[citation needed] and became the biggest selling soundtrack and the biggest selling female album of all time. Houston's remake of Dolly Parton's "I Will Always Love You" spent a record-breaking fourteen weeks at number one on the Billboard Hot 100 and broke numerous chart records all over the world; it also sold over nine million copies worldwide, making it still the best-selling single by a female artist ever and one of the most-played songs of all time. Her next singles ?- "I'm Every Woman" (her remake of Chaka Khan's 1978 song), "I Have Nothing", "Run to You" and "Queen of the Night" (which she co-wrote) ?- were also radio, chart, and club hits.
On March 4, 1993 she gave birth to her first and only child, Bobbi Kristina Houston Brown. During this period she and her husband Bobby wrote the song "Something in Common", which reached the UK top twenty on release. Houston won numerous awards following The Bodyguard, including Grammy Awards for "Best Female Pop Vocal Performance", "Record of the Year" and "Album of the Year", a record eleven Billboard Music Awards in 1993 and a record eight American Music Awards in 1994. That year she became the first American singer to perform in post-apartheid South Africa, and her concerts raised money to aid South Africa's children.
Houston starred alongside Angela Bassett in the 1995 film Waiting to Exhale, on which she served as executive producer. The film was another success in the U.S., grossing over $70 million, but it made just $10 million elsewhere. One of three songs Houston recorded for its soundtrack, "Exhale (Shoop Shoop)", debuted at number one on the Hot 100 and became the single with the longest time spent at number two in music history. "Count on Me" (a duet with CeCe Winans) was another top ten hit, though "Why Does It Hurt So Bad" only reached the top forty. Houston won three NAACP Image Awards for "Outstanding Female Artist", "Album of the Year" and "Best Soundtrack Album", two American Music Awards for "Favorite Adult Contemporary Artist" and "Favorite Soundtrack" and a Soul Train Music Award for "Best Female R&B/Soul Single".
The 1996 film The Preacher's Wife had Houston star along Denzel Washington. It grossed nearly $50 million in the U.S., and the soundtrack saw Houston returning to gospel music. Songs like "I Believe in You and Me", the Annie Lennox-penned "Step by Step", and "You Were Loved" were popular, and the soundtrack eventually became the biggest selling gospel album of all-time with over five million copies sold worldwide.[citation needed] The film and soundtrack won three NAACP Image Awards in 1997 for "Best Actress" (Houston), "Album of the Year" and "Gospel Artist of the Year" (Houston). During that year, she teamed up with Brandy, Jason Alexander, Whoopi Goldberg, Bernadette Peters, and Victor Garber for a made-for-television remake of Rodgers & Hammerstein's Cinderella. Released in November 1997 to the American Broadcasting Company, the film attracted a record-breaking television audience of over sixty million U.S. viewers, won an Emmy Award and holds the record of the highest selling video of of a made-for-TV film.
1997?-2002: Career development, controversy, and a mega deal
Just Whitney (2002)My Love Is Your Love, Houston's fourth studio album, was originally conceived as a greatest hits album with a handful of new tracks, but the recording sessions went more smoothly than expected and produced enough new material for a full-length album. Recorded and mixed in only eight weeks, My Love Is Your Love was released in 1998 and sold over eleven million copies worldwide. Co-produced by Houston, it was more hip-hop and R&B driven and saw her branching out musically with collaborations with producers such as Wyclef Jean, Missy Elliott, Lauryn Hill, and once again Babyface. The song "When You Believe" (a duet with Mariah Carey recorded for The Prince of Egypt soundtrack) won an Academy Award, while "Heartbreak Hotel" (with Faith Evans and Kelly Price), "It's Not Right, but It's Okay", and "My Love Is Your Love" all reached the U.S. top five. All but one of the album's singles become number-one dance hits, establishing Houston's presence on the U.S. club scene. After the "My Love Is Your Love Tour", Houston received an MTV Europe Award for "Best R&B Artist", two NAACP Image Awards, a Grammy Award for "Best Female R&B Vocal Performance" ("It's Not Right, but It's Okay") and a Soul Train Music Award for "Artist of the Decade". She also performed on the VH1 Diva's Live '99 special with artists such as Mary J. Blige, Tina Turner, Cher & Chaka Khan.
Shortly before the release of the CD and DVD Whitney: The Greatest Hits in April 2000, airport security discovered several grams of marijuana in Houston and husband Bobby Brown's luggage at a Hawaiian airport, but they boarded the plane and departed before police could arrive. Charges were later dropped against her and Brown but other rumors about drug use developed around the couple, and Houston also became infamous in the industry for cancelling appearances. In a statement Houston explained that a number of tour dates were cancelled due to air pollution, which had a negative effect on her vocal cords. 'Whitney: The Greatest Hits' was a success, selling over eleven million copies worldwide and spending two weeks at number one on the UK chart. The compilation included duets with Enrique Iglesias ("Could I Have This Kiss Forever"), George Michael ("If I Told You That") and Deborah Cox ("Same Script, Different Cast"). In August 2001 Houston signed the biggest record deal in history with Arista/BMG: she renewed her contract (worth an estimated $100 million) to deliver six new albums on which she would earn royalties. Two months later, she re-released her version of "The Star Spangled Banner" after the September 11th attacks; it reached the U.S. top ten, and its platinum sales were donated to a relief fund. 2001 also saw Houston receive the "First Annual Lifetime Achievement" at the BET Awards and she undertook her first major film producing assignment: the Disney comedy The Princess Diaries starring Anne Hathaway and Dame Julie Andrews. The film grossed over $100 million at the U.S. box office, and her production company Brownhouse received a percentage of the profits.
Shortly before the December 2002 release of her fifth studio album Just Whitney, Houston gave an interview with Diane Sawyer (where she discussed drug allegations and marriage issues) . Houston denied using crack cocaine when questioned by Sawyer, stating that "Crack is wack". Just Whitney received very poor reviews and, although it reached the top ten on the Billboard 200, it failed to reach the top seventy-five in the UK and sold just three million copies worldwide (less than a million of which were in the U.S.). The singles "Whatchulookinat" (co-written by Houston), "One of Those Days" and "Try It on My Own" failed to reach the top forty on the U.S. Hot 100, and "Try It on My Own" and "Love That Man" only achieved substantial success on the Dance/Club Play Chart.
2003?-2005: One Wish
One Wish: The Holiday Album (2003)Houston produced two other projects for Disney: the 2003 television film The Cheetah Girls (starring Raven-Symone) and the sequel The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement, which was almost as successful as the first film. In November 2003 she delivered her sixth studio album, a Christmas release entitled One Wish: The Holiday Album which consisted of covers of Christmas songs. Though the single "One Wish (for Christmas)" (a cover of the Freddie Jackson song) reached the top twenty on Billboard's Adult Contemporary chart, the album itself failed to achieve gold status in the U.S.[2] (Houston's first studio album not to do so). After a five-day stay at a drug rehabilitation facility in March 2004 (which was repeated in March 2005 for about two months), Houston embarked on an international "Soul Divas" tour with Natalie Cole and cousin Dionne Warwick which lasted throughout the summer. In September 2004 she made a surprise performance at the World Music Awards, in tribute to long time friend Clive Davis. During this period she appeared on her husband's television program Being Bobby Brown, which provided a view into the domestic goings-on in the Brown household.
2006: Currently
As of May 2006 Houston is recording a new album, although there has been little press interest surrounding the project. In the new issue of XXL's Hip-Hop Soul Bryan Michael Cox said that they were "making great music. Whitney's going to be a surprise", and predicted a career comeback for Houston on the scale of those staged by Mariah Carey and Mary J. Blige. The album has been in production for over two years and will feature contributions from Jermaine Dupri, Lil Jon, Babyface, Pharrell Williams, Scott Storch, Rodney Jerkins, Diddy, Bryan Michael Cox, Timbaland and Missy Elliott.[citation needed] In 2004 Houston received a trophy at the Womens World Awards in Europe, and she performed live at the 2006 Winter Olympics in Torino, Italy where she recerived very poor reviews, could not remember the words to her songs, and received poor attendance as well.
Subsequent news outlets reported that Houston is again fighting drug addiction. The National Enquirer published pictures of a bathroom (puportedly Houston's) littered with drug paraphernalia, and credited the pictures to Tina Brown (Bobby Brown's sister). Tina Brown also said that there were holes drilled in the walls of her apartment so Houston could see if anyone was entering. The story has received substantial coverage in the media,[3] [4] [5] [6] and in April 2006 it was rumored that Houston had returned to drug rehabilitation for the third time, but in an interview with S2S Magazine Houston's friend (1980s star Cherelle) denied the story. Cherelle stated that Houston has been rehabilitated for a long time now. It has also been reported that Houston was suffering from a brain tumour; however, Houston's website issued the following statement: "Please note that reports on Whitney's health circulating in the media at present are not true and totally unfounded."[7]
A source told In Touch magazine that Bobby Brown could have cheated on Houston with America's Next Top Model contestant Tiffany Richardson while he was on the road [8]. The eyewitness said that both were spotted at 4:30 the next morning of one of his shows emerging from the elevator and going into Bobby's cabin. According to the witness, they were seen together for the next few days in the casino and the dining room. When Tiffany was asked how she thought Bobby's wife Houston might feel about her hanging around with him, she said: "She's not here".
Vocal Profile
Some of the information in this article may not be verified by as reliable a source as would be preferred. It should be checked for inaccuracies and modified as needed, citing more reliable sources.
Whitney is known for her powerful mid belt and range. Her lowest note in recordings is a D#3 in the song "I Learned from the Best". Her highest belting note is G5 in "Love Will Save the Day". Her highest falsetto note is C6 in "I Wanna Dance with Somebody". It was reported that earlier in her career she also sang a Eb6 in a performance of "I Wanna Dance with Somebody". In her earlier years Whitney could have been classified as a mezzo-soprano. Whitney Houston is currently classified as a Full Dramatic Soprano
