www.classicwhitney.com - Archive Newsfile

Fur Real...

[Page Six Report]

She's Fur Real

February 19, 2006 -- WHITNEY Houston isn't afraid of PETA. The diva-stating singer, who has lately denied rumors that she and hubby Bobby Brown are splitting, will wear a full-length, $25,000 white fox coat by Russian designer Helen Yarmak when she sings at the Winter Olympic Games in Turin today. If she gets attacked by the PETA protesters who pelted Paris Hilton and designer Julien McDonald with "flour bombs" last week in London, our bets are on Houston. Her wig may be askew these days, but the feisty singer can still throw down with the best of them.

NEWSFILE: 19 FEBRUARY 2006

Bryan-Michael Cox On Board...

[EURWeb Report]

PRODUCER/SONGWRITER BRYAN-MICHAEL COX SEES GOLD AT GRAMMYS: Gets Best Contemporary R&B Album Grammy for Mariah's 'The Emancipation of Mimi.'

New York City -- The Midas touch continues as Mega-Producer/Songwriter Bryan-Michael Cox received the Grammy for Best R&B Album of the year for the second year in a row, during last nights show.

Cox co-wrote and produced several songs, on what many called the biggest music comeback of the decade, Mariah Carey's "The Emancipation of Mimi." Bryan Michael Cox and his Midas touch helped catapult Mariah Carey's album, as two of the golden boy's songs ended up as consecutive No. 1 Billboard hits for Carey, including "Shake It Off" and "Don't Forget About Us." An outstanding achievement as Carey attained her 17th No. 1 single poising her to surpass the King of Rock, Elvis Presley, as the artist with the most No. 1 hits in this era.

In 2005, Bryan Michael Cox garnered four Grammy Nominations, two with Mariah Carey's, "The Emancipation of Mimi," one for "Best R&B Album" with Fantasia and another for "Best Contemporary R&B Album" with Destiny's Child.

Bryan is sure to be invited back to the Grammy's next year for his work on Mary J. Blige's "The Breakthrough," as he wrote and produced the break-out single, "Be Without You." Immediately after hitting the street in December, the hot single sky-rocketed the Hip-Hop Queen's album to the No.1 spot on the Billboard R&B charts, propelling sales to over 727,000 in the first week. A historical career achievement for Blige as this marks her most 1st week albums sold in her entire career.

In 2006, Cox will reach even greater heights as he is currently in the studio working on future chart toppers with mega-stars Whitney Houston and Toni Braxton. Bryan Michael Cox has become one of the most influential producers as he continues to jumpstart the comeback of Icons and creates today's newest stars, while changing the landscape of R&B music.

NEWSFILE: 16 FEBRUARY 2006

Dionne Defends Whitney...

[ET Report]

Dionne Defends Whitney

February 15, 2006

DIONNE WARWICK is well into her fourth decade as a performer, and the Grammy® winning chanteuse sat down with ET's own MARY HART to talk about her 45th Anniversary celebration in music -- and her famous cousin, WHITNEY HOUSTON, who has made more headlines as of late for her tumultuous relationship with hubby BOBBY BROWN and time in rehab for substance abuse than for her feats as a singer.

"Of course, she's family; but it's life, isn't it?" says an especially candid Dionne. "You have your ups and downs. Some have bigger ups, and some have bigger downs."

"Anyone can rebound," she continues. "As long as they have the desire to, and as long as they have the encouragement to, so I think that what we have to do is start encouraging her to look at who she is; don't forget who you are."

Dionne had a little run-in with the law herself when, six years ago, she was detained by airport security after a lipstick tube containing marijuana was found in her bag.

"I don't know what happened; somebody dropped it in my bag," says the 65-year-old Dionne. "There were no handcuffs, no finger prints, no mug shots -- I was detained."

Perhaps best known for her collaborations with songwriter BURT BACHARACH, Dionne's music has straddled the worlds of pop and R&B since the '60s with hits like "Walk on By," "I Say a Little Prayer" and "Do You Know the Way to San Jose." Currently, she's at work on a new album of duets, and she recently performed a star-studded, special 45th Anniversary career retrospective at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood.

"[I find energy in] doing what I love to do," says Dionne, adding with a laugh, "The hardest part of what I do is trying to get through security at airports and making the flight on time!"

Sales Update...

An update on Whitney Houston's sales in the US for the week ending 12 February 2006 according to Neilson Soundscan:

1. The Greatest Hits (Album): 864 (+2%)
2. The Bodyguard: 232 (-1%)
3. The Greatest Hits: (Video): 187 (-23%)
4. Whitney Houston: 148 (+3%)
5. The Preacher's Wife: 107 (-13%)
6. My Love is Your Love (Album): 82 (+17%)
7. Whitney: 79 (-31%)
8. Just Whitney: 73 (+24%)
9. The Star Spangled Banner: 41 (-21%)
10. I’m Your Baby Tonight: 16 (+433%)
11. One Wish: 9 (-47%)

[Thanks Jim R.]

NEWSFILE: 15 FEBRUARY 2006

Whitney Returning To Studio...

[World Entertainment News Network Report]

Houston plotting comeback

Pop star Whitney Houston is heading back to the recording studio next month to put down her first all-new album since 2003.

The 42-year-old star's bedraggled appearance recently sparked concerns for her health, but music mogul Clive Davis insists the My Love Is Your Love hitmaker is plotting a huge comeback.

Davis says, "We've already selected two thirds of the material, and we're about five weeks away from going into the studio."

NEWSFILE: 2 FEBRUARY 2006

Whitney Teams With Clive...

[National Ledger Report]

Whitney Houston Teams With Clive

By Marilyn Beck and Stacy Jenel Smith
Feb 1, 2006

Whitney Houston heads back into the recording studio next month to record her first all-new album since her 2003 Christmas disc, reports music industry titan and Houston career godfather Clive Davis. "We've already selected two-thirds of the material, and we're about five weeks away from going into the studio," he notes. As far as the songs, "They're going to be major, long-lasting copyrights, in the tradition that we've established."

Davis is entitled to make such a prediction, with no less than 28 nominations among the artists in his J Records stable going into next week's Grammy Awards. His annual pre-Grammy party, which is legendary for its superstar performances and celeb turnout, promises to be one of his biggest ever -- as Clive allows that the Feb. 7 event will be a reflection of the kind of year his company's had. That also includes the chart-topping success of Jamie Foxx's "Unpredictable," the top country music position of Carrie Underwood's record, Rod Stewart's and the Foo Fighters' success in 2005 …

Plus, "We're really convincing skeptics what we can do with 'American Idol,'" adds Davis, who is chairman and CEO of BMG North America -- which produces the winner's CD. "Kelly Clarkson had an amazing year. Bo Bice's single is beginning to show itself. Fantasia has been nominated for several awards ... "

MEANWHILE:

Clive is happy to report that Barry Manilow's "The Greatest Songs of the Fifties!" album took the No.1 spot in Amazon.com preorders well before its release yesterday (1/31). It was he who gave Manilow the idea for the collection, about a year ago after one of Manilow's shows in Las Vegas. "Since we hadn't worked on an album together in five or six years, he was surprised and touched," recalls Davis. "He called me the next morning and said he didn't sleep all night; he'd been going over all the material, arranging and producing the songs in his mind."

NEWSFILE: 1 FEBRUARY 2006