Source: WENN

Yesterday the late Whitney Houston’s sister-in-law, Pat Houston sent family members into panic-mode after she posted a message to her Facebook that seemed a bit suicidal, which eventually led to the authorities being called to her Georgia home, reports TMZ.

“Sometimes you just feel like giving up on life and its many challenges. And for the first time in my life…I’m tired…and I want to finally rest. I love you guys,” is the message Pat posted to her Facebook page that initially got the attention of her family members.

A source says the family grew fearful that Pat was contemplating taking her life and  immediately began calling her and sending text messages to her cell phone. When Pat didn’t respond, several family members rushed to her home where they found her passed out in her bed with a bottle of pills not too far away. Frightened by the scene, her family called 911.

The source says that Pat woke up as soon as cops arrived on the scene and expressed that she had just taken pain medicine for her back and turned her phone off so that she could get some rest. The insider says Pat suggests that this was all a misunderstanding and that her Facebook post was not a suicide note, just a result of stress and an effort to let off some steam. Authorities say as a precaution, Pat was taken to the hospital and was released not long after.

We’re sure that this was a frightening experience, as the Houston family suffered the loss of Whitney a little over a year ago. We’re glad Pat is okay. Something about this story seems a tad suspect though.

Thoughts?

What were you doing on February 11, 2012, when you heard Whitney Houston had passed? I was personally out to dinner and had missed all the phone calls and texts trying to inform me of the terribly sad news. When I finally put two and two together on the taxi ride home, I was heartbroken–”Not Whitney, man…”

Well, as for Tyler Perry, he was trying to get mentally prepared for the birthday of his late mother, which is on February 12. He also received a bevvy of phone calls and texts, many that he initially ignored as he was trying to sleep, and when he finally picked up his phone, he got the bad news. Unlike all of us, Perry was asked by Pat Houston, Whitney’s sister-in-law and manager, to come to the Beverly Hilton Hotel, where her body still was, and what he saw was nothing short of a whirlwind mess and media circus. In trying to make it through the one-year anniversary of Houston’s death, Perry decided to take to his website and pen an open letter called “Whitney. Still Praying.” about that fateful night and the person he knew Whitney to be–a fighter. Some of the most interesting aspects of his letter include him recounting the scene at the Hilton when he pulled up to head to Whitney’s hotel room, the same hotel where Clive Davis and friends were having a ball a few floors below for his annual pre-Grammy party:

I went to the Beverly Hilton Hotel, got out of the car and I thought it was some kind of sick joke. There were hundreds of people standing around, laughing, drinking and screaming for autographs from celebrities as they arrived for a Grammy party. People were screaming my name and taking pictures as I pushed through the crowd. I went up to the floor and saw the police and coroners outside of the room. I went into the room and Whitney’s family was broken down, inconsolable. We must have been right above the party because there was a glass of water on the nightstand that was vibrating from the bass and the screams below. It was so surreal. Such a juxtaposed position to see this family breaking down and hear laughter and cheers from below us. It really made me think about her life. While her voice brought so much joy, there was so much sadness inside of her.

Perry also discussed the many things that can be done to honor the memory of Whitney and to help her family, and that includes praying for the Houstons and young entertainers put in a similar position as Houston was.

As I am seeing all these tributes to her on this one-year anniversary of her death, I want you to know something: Whitney was a fighter. She really tried to get herself together. She really tried to overcome. She really wanted to, and I also know that, like me, a lot of you were praying and rooting for her. So, for all of us that were praying for Whitney’s full recovery, for all of us who cared that she was on this planet, for all of us who loved her, I just want you to know that even though she is gone, there are still things that we can do for her. We can keep her daughter and her family lifted up in prayer. We can also pray for other people in this business, especially these young people who come in so bright eyed and eager, only to have it tear at their very souls.

Perry wrapped up his open letter by touching on the very hard battles people in Hollywood deal with, and how their spirits and who they are as a whole being can be broken down. Definitely a poignant message:

I thank God I didn’t become successful until I was older. The younger you are when you start in this business, the more at risk you are.  Speaking of that, we can also pray for the children of these people. If you only knew what people in this business have to endure to sit in their seat. I’m not asking you to feel sorry for anyone. I’m simply asking you to pray for us all. God bless. Miss you Whitney.

If you want to check out Perry’s letter in full, you can click over to his website. What do you think about his open letter, and how are you honoring Whitney on the one-year anniversary of her passing?

Derrick Salters/WENN.com

From ESSENCE

Clive Davis’ 2012 Pre-Grammy Party will always be remembered as the event where the world lost a legend. Whitney Houston was found dead in her hotel room in the same venue where the party was to take place just a few hours later. This year, Cissy Houston says there’s no way she’d be able to attend Davis’ annual bash.

The music mogul extended a personal invitation for Houston to attend his affair, to which Houston politely declined.

“I got an invitation to the party, which is the most obscene thing. I don’t know why they would want me to come to the party in which she died, you know? Unheard of,” Houston told Access Hollywood. “I guess maybe he just sent me a copy for remembrance sake.”

Ms. Cissy is a classy woman but holds no punches. You know who did accept the invitation? Gary and Pat Houston. For more check out ESSENCE.

Do you think Clive Davis was just trying to be courteous and respectful by sending them invitations to his annual party?

Source: WENN

From BlackVoices

Most people would give their right arm to snag a coveted invitation to Clive Davis’ Grammy party — but not Cissy Houston.

The mother of the late Whitney Houston, who died last year on the night of Davis’ shindig, expressed offense at having been invited to the record executive’s annual celebration, calling the invitation “unheard of.”

“I got an invitation to the party, which is the most obscene thing,” Houston, 79, told “Access Hollywood” on Thursday. “I don’t know why they would want me to come to the party in which she died, you know? … I guess maybe he just sent me a copy for remembrance sake.”

Check out the full story and why Pat and Gary Houston will be attending the party on BlackVoices.com.

With iconic wax figure-making Madame Tussauds, a lot of the celebrities that are immortalized in wax can be a huge hit or a miss, but the four new figures made to honor Whitney Houston are all on point. So much so that it’s kind of creepy…

Made in London, the four figures, which cost $1.2 million to make, are all an ode to some of Whitney’s most iconic moments, including her 1991 Super Bowl performance of the national anthem, a version of the singer dressed as she was in the video, “I Wanna Dance With Somebody,” her role as Rachel Marron in The Bodyguard, and a figure that is supposed to be Houston wearing a gold dress for a photo shoot for her final album in 2009. This is the first time in about 200 years that Madame Tussauds has made multiple figures at one time for the same person, and all four of these bad boys are going to different cities.

You can catch Super Bowl Whitney whenever you’re at the Madame Tussauds in Washington D.C., the “I Wanna Dance With Somebody” figure in Las Vegas, Bodyguard Whitney in Hollywood, and Whitney in all her gold sequin glory in New York. They will be doing a big reveal here in NYC today.

In a statement to Madame Tussauds, Whitney’s sister-in-law and manager, Pat Houston, said that the idea to honor Whitney’s career and do so at almost one year since her death was something they knew her fans would appreciate. “We were extremely honored when Madame Tussauds approached us about doing four figures of Whitney from different points in her 30-year career. This is something we are excited to do for the fans.”

So what do you think of the wax figures? I personally think they’re fabulous and spot on, especially the one in the gold dress and Whitney at the Super Bowl, but how about you? Let us know below! And get more information on her figures at Madame Tussauds’ website.

Source: WENN

Though Madame Noire isn’t too sold on the concept of Lifetime’s newest reality show following Whitney Houston’s family, plenty of other people are, as evidenced by the ratings for the show’s premiere episodes.

According to The Examiner, “The premiere of the Houston family series, ‘The Houstons: On Our Own,’ was strong for Lifetime Wednesday.” The Futon Critic puts the 9pm debut at 1.333 million viewers and the second episode at 9:30pm came in just under that with 1.313 views. I’m assuming either some people didn’t realize there were two back-to-back half-hour episodes or a couple hundred thousand people decided not to keep watching the train wreck that is the Houston family.

The show immediately came under criticism as being exploitative of Whitney Houston’s death and her daughter, Bobbi Kristina’s, obvious struggle to cope. But the leading voice of the family, Pat Houston, shut those accusations down about this show coming too soon after the singer’s passing, saying:

“I don’t know when would be the right time. When would be the right time? You don’t know. You just continue what you always do and that is try to live. Taking one day, living one day at a time. And that`s all we are doing.”

It appears some 1 million viewers agree with her. Did you catch the first two episodes of “The Houstons?” What did you think?

Bobbi Kristina and the family are just weeks away from debuting their new reality show on Lifetime, “The Houstons: On Our Own.” The show follows the family of the late, great Whitney Houston, including her daughter Bobbi Kris, of course, her boyfriend Nick Gordon, Pat Houston and her family, and the matriarch of the clan, Cissy.

Though the show was originally pegged as a series showing how the family is getting on after Whitney’s passing, from the clips that have been released it appears the focus of the show is on Bobbi and Nick’s relationship. At one point the family clearly tells Nick they never expected him to go from a Godson to a boyfriend, all of which is eclipsed by Bobbi Kristna’s shocking confession at dinner one night:

“We’re engaged.”

Rumors have circulated for months that the pair had taken that next step and this reality show appears to confirm those stories. What remains to be seen is whether their relationship will continue to tear the family apart as it is now. It also appears we’ll gain insight into Bobbi’s estranged relationship with her father, Bobby Brown, and whether she really is spiraling out of control, and “grieving the wrong way,” as her aunt Pat worries.

“The Houstons: On Our Own” is set to debut Wednesday, October 24 on Lifetime. Check out the clips below and tell us what you think. Will you tune in?

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**Update: Pat Houston responds**

The Houston family appears to have a knack for bullying people out of their seats. We know Bobby Brown says “security” was the one who kept asking him to move during Whitney Houston’s funeral, but I wouldn’t be surprise if someone from the family was the one directing security to force Bobby into a game of musical pews—especially after this news from last night’s billboard awards.

Pat Houston was reportedly not pleased with her seating at last night’s ceremony because she, Bobbi Kristina, and other members of her clan were next to Ray J, the man she says was a bad influence on Whitney. According to TMZ, Pat pulled another debo move and asked security and uniformed officers to physically remove Ray J from his seat. Brandy’s little brother refused to budge and just as things were about to get messier, security warned Pat that things would likely get physical and it was pretty much a given that it would be caught on video, just as Whitney was about to be honored—not a good look. Sources say at this point Pat begrudgingly allowed Ray J keep his seat, while he told friends:

“Pat ruined what was a great opportunity to honor the woman who I loved.”

This news does not help Pat’s already suspect reputation. People have been giving her the side-eye for her influence over Whitney about as much as Bobby Brown and rumor has it the Ray J incident wasn’t her only problem at the Billboard’s last night. Pat reportedly wanted to be the one to accept the Millennium Award on Whitney’s behalf, despite the show’s wishes for Bobbi Kristina—you know Whitney’s daughter—to come on stage and give a speech. The compromise seemed to be to have both women on stage and I have to say from the acceptance speech this story seems very true. I really couldn’t understand why Pat was there and had to speak first and almost introduce Bobbi Kris like she was a child and no one knew who she was. All of this on top of the new reality show makes Pat look like a very shady character who’s trying to soak up all the limelight after Whitney’s tragic death. She might need to have a seat in one of those vacant chairs she keeps moving people from.

*********

After hearing the rumors going around about her, Pat spoke to HipHollywood.com to tell her side of the story, which honestly doesn’t sound all that different from prior reports—except for Ray J possibly stepping out of line.

“Pat explained that she had possession of six tickets for seats near the front of the stage at the Billboard Music Awards Show. Sitting in those seats were, Bobbi Kristina, her boyfriend Nick, a friend and two seat-fillers. At some point, Ray J moved from his original location to an open seat near Bobbi Kristina.

“The production staff saw Ray J move and asked him to please return to his original seat. We’re told Ray J refused. Hotel staff/security witnessed Ray J’s refusal and stepped-in to ask him to return to his seat. Ray J again reportedly refused. After multiple attempts to get Ray J to return to his seat with no success, the Las Vegas Police were called by production staff to remove Ray J. Upon their arrival, Pat Houston was made aware of the situation, and told her security to inform the Police to ‘stand-down’ and that as the ticket holder, she would allow Ray J to remain in the seat.

“Pat did not want Ray J removed and says all claims are completely FALSE, telling us, “I’m a woman of order and dignity, I would have not had anything to do with that.’”

Mhhhhmmmm. Does that clear anything up for you?

Brande Victorian is a blogger and culture writer in New York City. Follower her on Twitter at @be_vic.

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Source:Gossiponthis.com

For once, rumors about the Houston family actually have some truth to them. For a while there was talk that Bobbi Kristina would be starring in a reality TV show but now we know that’s only half of the truth. The show is a family affair and not only will Bobbi Kris be in the new series, so will Cissy, Pat, and Gary Houston.

According to Deadline.com, Lifetime’s Exec. VP just announced that the network has picked up a new docu-series with the working title, “The Houston Family Chronicles,” and here’s what it’s all about:

“It will follow the lives of Pat Houston, Whitney’s sister-in-law and manager, who now manages her estate; Pat’s daughter Rayah; Whitney’s brother Gary; daughter Bobbi Kristina; and mother, Grammy-winning singer Cissy Houston, as they try to pick up the pieces after the pop star’s untimely death. The series will follow Pat and her husband, Gary, as they try to support Whitney’s teenage daughter Bobbi Kristina. In that, Pat enlists the help of her and Whitney’s inner circle, including Grammy-winner Dionne Warwick and gospel legend CeCe Winans.

“A mother to her own teenage daughter, Rayah, Pat understands the difficulty of raising a young woman in a world where social media and peer pressure are the norm. As she tries to guide her own daughter into womanhood, Pat also has the responsibility of raising Bobbi Kristina, who, while trying to move forward with life and make decisions about her future, must also learn to cope with such a devastating loss. With the certainty of a microscopic lens focused on this young woman and her every move, Pat, Gary and their tight-knit group of family and friends are committed to seeing that Bobbi Kristina can grow and experience life unscathed. A true believer in the bond that women share called sisterhood, and a self proclaimed ‘woman’s woman,’ Pat enlists the help of her and Whitney’s inner circle, including Grammy Award winner Dionne Warwick and Gospel legend CeCe Winans, to assist her in such difficult times.”

Am I the only one thinking too soon? I’m also surprised Cissy is having anything to do with this but maybe she thinks this is a way to have real control over how her family is depicted, although we all know that’s the understood joke of reality TV. So far, the network has ordered 10 episodes of the show which you can pretty much guarantee will be a hit this close to Whitney’s passing. Pat says that wasn’t the motivation for the show though, claiming that the project had already been in the works for years.

“The unexpected passing of Whitney certainly affects the direction of the show,” she said. “However, it is my hope that others will be enlightened as they watch our family heal and move forward.”

Let’s hope this turns out far better than Whitney and  Bobby’s show. What do you think about the family doing this show so soon?

Brande Victorian is a blogger and culture writer in New York City. Follower her on Twitter at @be_vic.

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