Whitney Houston

Whitney Elizabeth Houston (born August 9 1963 in Newark, New Jersey) is an American pop, R&B, and soul and gospel singer, songwriter, record producer, and actress. She was one of the most popular and successful singers of the 1980s and 1990s, and has received multiple Grammy Awards, American Music Awards, Billboard Music Awards, two Emmy Awards, an MTV Video Music Award, and an MTV Movie Award. Also two songs which she performed have been nominated for an Academy Award, although she herself has not.

Controversy and a new beginning

In the year 2000 Houston's public image became tarnished when it was revealed that she had been battling spousal abuse with her husband. Additionally she had clearly lost a great deal of weight and this, coupled with shaky (sometimes cancelled) public performances gave way to rumours of cocaine addiction. Many thought that her vocals sounded strained, and that her voice was worn down.

Related Topics:
2000 - Cocaine

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2001 brought Houston her first major producing assignment: the hit teen Disney comedy The Princess Diaries starring Anne Hathaway and Julie Andrews, which grossed over $100 million dollars in the box office. She also produced two other major assignments for Disney: the 2003 TV film The Cheetah Girls, about the tribulations of an all-girl pop group, starring Raven-Symone, and ' (2004) grossed over $100 million. Although these efforts were successful, Houston was criticized by her fans for producing "bubble-gum pop-ish" material.

Related Topics:
2001 - Disney - The Princess Diaries - Anne Hathaway - Julie Andrews - 2003 - The Cheetah Girls - Raven-Symone - 2004

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In 2002, Houston admitted in a television interview with Diane Sawyer to abusing cocaine, marijuana, and various other drugs. She claimed to have stopped using illegal drugs, but seemed to be making the admission to address the rumours circulating about her lifestyle. During the interview, Houston's comment about having never used crack cocaine because it was "for poor people" caused a new uproar. In March 2004, Houston entered a drug rehab program in California. Over the Spring and Summer of 2004, Houston performed at a few concerts in Europe (the Soul Divas Tour with Natalie Cole) and her own concert tour in Asia. In September 2004 she made a surprise appearance at the World Music Awards to sing for Clive Davis. They announced that they would soon start working on a new album for Houston, to be released in 2005, in which a duet with Alicia Keys is rumored to be featured. In March 2005, Houston's chances at a comeback appeared slim when she entered rehab for the second time. However, she finished rehab in May 2005. In an interview with Access Hollywood, Davis announced that he was returning to the studio with Houston to finish the album they had begun before she had started rehab.

Related Topics:
2002 - Diane Sawyer - Marijuana - Crack cocaine - Drug rehab - Natalie Cole - 2005 - Alicia Keys - Access Hollywood

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(http://www.accesshollywood.com/music/4496021/detail.html) As of the summer of 2005, a total of 10 tracks have been recorded and the photo shoot for the album booklet has been completed. It is predicted that the album will come out in either late-2005 or early-2006.

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