WHITNEY HOUSTON: Documentary made over family objections
An unauthorized documentary on Whitney Houston has ruffled feathers in the late entertainer's family.
Set to premiere April 26th at New York's Tribeca Film Festival, Whitney: Can I Be Me uses footage of Houston's 1999 tour and conversations with her friends, who defied Whitney's estate request that they not participate.
Filmmaker Nick Broomfield -- whose previous work includes films on Kurt Cobain and Courtney Love and the late rappers Biggie Smalls and Tupac Shakur -- explained to Billboard, "We tried to tell it from her point of view as much as possible, to get her voice in there. We asked ourselves at the end of every scene, 'Do we understand where Whitney’s heart is?'" Viewers will find her "very alive in the film. She’s anything but dismissed as a drug addict -- you can’t help but have respect for her."
But the film does point out the hangers-on in Whitney's life -- which could explain why her more than $200 million fortune melted away. Broomfield notes, "All her friends and family had cars and houses, and she basically was paying for it all. She was a generous person, but that was a big drain."
STYX: Dennis DeYoung comments on on Steve Perry
Former Styx member Dennis DeYoung felt the need to comment on Steve Perry's decision not to perform with Journey this month when they were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
He says, "I felt bad for Steve Perry when Arnel Pineda took his place in the Journey mini-concert. I'm no genius, but I gotta believe if he were capable he would have performed. Remember, Arnel only has a job because of what Steve did."
But DeYoung has harsher words for the critics who say Journey doesn't deserve to be in the Hall. "It's disgusting that Journey would have to answer any query that would question their induction credibility. If you make music that has been incredibly popular for 40 years both on radio, TV and in concert, then the world is upside down, and those who question prove conclusively that they were wrong then and remain so. Congrats, guys, to you and all the others."
STEVIE WONDER: Is he running for President?
Does Stevie Wonder want to become the next entertainer-turned-politician?
At Saturday's ASCAP Expo in L.A., the Motown icon and activist said, "I’m practicing to become President myself." What's in his platform? "We’ll be building love bombs.”
Upset with "all the negativity, the people that felt they wanted to make America great again when America already is great," Stevie offered up “Where Is Our Love Song,” a new song inspired by current events. (Variety)