Whitney Steps In...

Telegraph: Robbie Williams and Whitney Houston 'to step in for Michael Jackson at O2'

Robbie Williams and Whitney Houston have been lined up to fill Michael Jackson's cancelled dates at the O2 arena, it has been claimed.
By Matthew Moore
Published: 7:00AM BST 31 Jul 2009

The promoters AEG hope that both stars will launch their comeback tours at the 20,000 venue in Greenwich, south east London.

They have reportedly been pencilled in for dates in January, February and March next year – when Jackson was due to perform the second batch of shows in his 50-date residency.

AEG refunded all tickets after the King of Pop's death last month and faced a bill of up to £300 million for the cancelled concerts.

Yesterday a source at the US entertainment giant indicated that Williams and Houston were ready to step in.

"Robbie's eagerly-awaited album will be out soon and he is likely to be touring Europe next year. It will be perfect for him to start with shows at the O2," they told the Evening Standard.

"Whitney Houston has been on our wish-list for a while – she has the voice and the hits to sell the arena out several times over."

Former Take That member Williams has amassed a fortune estimated at around £80 million thanks to solo albums including Life Thru a Lens, I've Been Expecting You and Sing When You're Winning.

Soul singer Houston is the voice behind I Will Always Love You, one of the best-selling singles in history.

Publicists for the two singers declined to comment.