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[Associated Press Report] [Thanks MG] Also... [From Billboard Online] NEWSFILE: 5 DECEMBER 2000
A night of showstoppers - NJPAC gala will pay tribute to
the great Paul Robeson
[MTV News/VH1 Report] Whitney, Bobby To Play Paul Robeson TributeR&B superstar Whitney Houston, her husband, R&B singer Bobby Brown, and her mother, gospel legend Cissy Houston, will perform as part of a star-studded salute to the life of fellow New Jersey native Paul Robeson on November 28 at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center in Newark, the city where both Houstons were born. Along with the Houstons and Brown, singers Angela Bofill, Denyce Graves and Melba Moore, actors Avery Brooks, Ossie Davis and James Earl Jones, dancer/actor Gregory Hines, the Dance Theater of Harlem, jazz saxophonist Branford Marsalis, the Duke Ellington Orchestra and Paul Robeson, Jr., will take part in a multi-media presentation of images of Robeson. "Paul Robeson was the most distinguished performing artist of his time,'' Cissy Houston said last week. "Every black American — no, every person — should take strength from his fight for equality for all people.'' Robeson (1898-1976), the distinguished, Princeton-born athlete, scholar, singer, actor and humanitarian, whose activism on behalf of civil rights, anti-colonialism and the Soviet Union engendered controversy, is being honored as the "Voice of the Millennium'' at the gala. There is a personal bond between the Houstons and Robeson, Cissy Houston said. Robeson, a personal friend of Whitney Houston's paternal grandparents, was godfather to Whitney's father, John Houston. Whitney Houston will sing "I Loves You, Porgy,'' from "Porgy and Bess,'' and she will participate in the evening's grand finale, according to the event's director, Curtis Farrow of the Jersey City-based production company Irving Street Rep. If the singer appears as planned, the event will be her first performance at the Newark theater. She had scheduled a show there in July, 1999, but she canceled minutes before show time, citing throat problems as the reason. That show has not been rescheduled. Several other missed performances last year and this year — including a high-profile withdrawal from March's Academy Awards ceremony — have led to intense media speculation about Houston's condition, especially in light of her pleading no contest earlier this month to marijuana-possession charges she faced in a January incident in which security guards at Hawaii's Keahole-Kona International Airport seized her handbag, suspecting she was carrying the drug. A judge in Hawaii on November 2 agreed to let the charges be dropped if Houston stays out of legal trouble for three months. Brown has had his own recent troubles with the law; he was released from a Florida jail in July, after spending a little more than two months behind bars for several parole violations stemming from a 1998 DUI conviction. "We're all very supportive of [Whitney], and the charges are being dismissed,'' said Patricia Houston, the singer's sister-in-law and a spokesperson for the event. "She's going to be among friends and family ... she's America's sweetheart.'' Proceeds from the night, which will be taped for airing on PBS in March, will benefit inner-city students of Newark's Rutgers University, Robeson's alma mater, and the Paul Robeson Foundation, which teaches people about Robeson's life. Tickets range from $75 to $1,000. For more information ,call the theater, (888) 466-5722, or the event's hotline, (201) 659-4901. otline, (201) 659-4901. NEWSFILE: 13 NOVEMBER
2000
Jersey-born activist as 'Voice of Millennium' JAY LUSTIG 10/21/2000 The Star-Ledger Newark, NJ Further evidence that it really is a small world, after all: Whitney Houston's grandparents were friends of Paul Robeson. That is one of the reasons the East Orange native will perform at "Paul Robeson: Voice of the Millennium," an all-star concert taking place Nov. 28 at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center in Newark. ''It's close to her heart," said Patricia Houston, the singer's sister-in-law, who is a publicist for the event. "Paul Robeson was her father's godfather. She's an avid admirer of Paul Robeson, and has been for a very long time." The show, organized by the New York-based Paul Robeson Foundation, will be taped for airing on PBS in March, with NJN as the host station. Proceeds will benefit inner-city students at Rutgers University in Newark and the Paul Robeson Foundation Educational Mission, which teaches people about the life of the controversial Princeton-born singer, actor, athlete and activist. Houston will sing "I Loves You, Porgy" from "Porgy and Bess," and possibly participate in the show's grand finale, said event director and associate producer A. Curtis Farrow of the Jersey City-based production company, Irving Street Rep. Houston has no other shows scheduled for this fall, except for a Nov. 10 concert with her husband, Bobby Brown, in Las Vegas. Her last tour included an appearance at NJPAC that was canceled minutes before show time in July 1999 and never rescheduled. Other participants will include Cissy Houston (Whitney's mother), Gregory Hines, James Earl Jones, Ossie Davis, Melba Moore, Branford Marsalis, Angela Bofill, Denyce Graves, the Duke Ellington Orchestra, the Marble Collegiate Community Mass Choir, actor Avery Brooks and the Dance Theatre of Harlem. It will be a multimedia show, using vintage films, live satellite feeds of choirs from Wales and South Africa, and even a 3-D fantasy film sequence of Robeson, Langston Hughes and Duke Ellington visiting the Cotton Club in Harlem. (Audience members will be given 3-D glasses.) Paul Robeson Jr., a consultant to the Paul Robeson Foundation, said the seeds for the event were sown during the celebration of the centennial of Robeson's birth. The celebration took place in 1998 in New York. ''Not to knock New York, but he was born in New Jersey," said Robeson Jr. The idea, he said, was to "break new ground, and do a definitive, new-technology show, with all the bells and whistles, and with Paul Robeson coming home to his roots." The show's title, "Voice of the Millennium," is deliberately ambiguous, said Robeson Jr. "The idea is that he bridges both (millenniums): He was in the last one, but his vision was of this one." The event is "long overdue," said Newark native Melba Moore. "I'm surprised there hasn't been a lot more done for Paul Robeson." She said she admires "his integrity: being able to stand alone, go against the tide and stick to your guns during a time when you really didn't get any support." The 8 p.m. show will be preceded by a 6 p.m. dinner and awards ceremony at the Robert Treat Hotel in Newark. Tickets are $75 to $1,000, with the top price also including admission to the dinner. They are available through the New Jersey Performing Arts Center at (888) 466-5722 or (201) 659-4901. Whitney Houston, whose grandfather knew Paul Robeson, is one of many performers taking part in the show at NJPAC. NEWSFILE: 25 OCTOBER
2000
Whitney Houston & Bobby Brown pictured at the Million Family March, 16 October 2000.
[Billboard Online Article] NEW YORK (Billboard) - Mary J. Blige and Macy Gray are among those confirmed to perform at the Million Family March in Washington, D.C. Organized by Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan, the event will take place Oct. 16, on the fifth anniversary of the Million Man March. Other performers will include Kelly Price, Reverend Run of Run-DMC and Erykah Badu. Russell Simmons, founder of 360HipHop.com, is leading an effort to bring the hip-hop community to the rally. "I believe this march will have a dramatic effect on race relations," Simmons said. "It's a march about the human family, rising above color and religion, symbols and creed." Simmons and his wife, Kimora Lee, are heading a committee to encourage entertainment industry support of the event. Also serving on the committee are Will Smith and Jada Pinkett-Smith, Whitney Houston and Bobby Brown, Vanessa L. Williams and her husband Rick Fox (Los Angeles Lakers), Sean "Puffy" Combs, Queen Latifah, University Music Entertainment CEO/President Haqq Islam, and actor/comedian Chris Tucker. NEWSFILE: 22
SEPTEMBER 2000 Whitney Houston and Bobby Brown will participate in the Million Family March celebration, the anniversary of the Million Men March. A Who's Who of R&B artists will be participating in the even including Mary J Blige, Kelly Price, Wyclef as performers. The entertainment for this event will be handled by Russell Simmons of Def Jam Records. A Report about the event: FAMILY MARCH IS BACKED BY ENTERTAINMENT
MOGULS There is currently a massive entertainment contingent backing the efforts of the Louis Farrakhan brainchild, The Million Family March. Organizers will mobilize around the National Agenda centered on public policy issues that impact the quality of life for people of all races. "I believe this march will have a dramatic effect on race relations. It's a march about the human family, rising above color and religion, symbols and creed," said Russell Simmons. Simmons and his wife, Kimora Lee, will be heading the co-chair committee along with Will Smith, Jada Pinkett-Smith, Whitney Houston and Bobby Brown, Sean Puffy Combs, Queen Latifah, Haqq Islam and Chris Tucker. NEWSFILE: 21 SEPTEMBER 2000
Page Six NEWSFILE: 27 JUNE 2000
Whitney Houston is scheduled to appear on Queen Latifah's talk show on 28 March 2000 at 09:00EST. The show will centre around tonight's Oscar performance. NEWSFILE: 26 MARCH 2000
A medley by Grammy-sweeping Santana is expected to lead the hit parade on 25 Years of No. 1 Hits: Arista Records' Anniversary Celebration, a two-hour special airing May 15 on NBC. The all-star concert, taping April 10 in Los Angeles, showcases the label's artists performing their hottest singles. New additions are Toni Braxton (Un-break My Heart) and Puff Daddy (joined by Faith Evans and rap titans on I'll Be Missing You). Whitney Houston, Aretha Franklin, Sarah McLachlan, Patti Smith, Kenny G, Carly Simon and Alan Jackson also are on the bill. NEWSFILE: 21 MARCH 2000
Attraction at park: Whitney, Bobby & Co. "My knees were just shaking. It was so cool," Said Patsy Bouzianis of Sanford. "Everyone just went nuts"! NEWSFILE: 20 MARCH 2000
MTV News... Whitney, Queen Latifah To Participate In Oscar MedleyWhitney Houston and Queen Latifah has joined Garth Brooks, Dionne Warwick, Burt Bacharach, Isaac Hayes, and Ray Charles as performers for the 72nd Annual Academy Awards, being presented on March 26. As part of the show, the pop-country-soul ensemble will sing a medley of tunes that have been nominated for Oscars over the last 70 years, as well as the songs that are competing for this year's award for Best Original Song. According to "Variety," Bacharach and the event's musical director, Don Was, have already selected the songs that the group will perform, including "Alfie,'' which Warwick and Bacharach first performed at the Academy Awards back in 1967. Bacharach and Was will also play in the backing band for the musical program, with Bacharach leading the group from his piano stool while Was mans the bass. Veteran session musicians will fill out the rest of the band. To catch Whitney and Queen Latifah's Oscar performance, be sure to tune into the telecast of the 2000 Academy Awards, airing live on ABC on March 26 at 8:30 p.m. (ET) -- David Basham NEWSFILE: 19 MARCH 2000 Oprah... Whitney Houston is scheduled to appear on the Oprah Show on 9 May 2000. NEWSFILE: 9 MARCH 2000
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