Whitney Houston

BIOGRAPHY

For a while there, it seemed Whitney Houston was like Midas on HGH; everything she touched turned to gold or platinum. But like that mythical character, Whitney’s power eventually overwhelmed her and nearly destroyed her life. Bad news for her, but fun, juicy news for celebrity bloggers.

Things started off decently. Whitney was born into a poor area of Newark, New Jersey, but was surrounded by loving family who took great pride in their faith and their gospel. With Grammy award-winning gospel singer Cissy as her mother, Dionne Warwick as her cousin and Aretha Franklin as her godmother, Whitney certainly had the pedigree to make it as a singer. And when the diminutive little starlet let loose in church, anyone within earshot (basically within five square blocks) knew she had the pipes to do it, too.

WHITNEY HOUSTON SIGNS HER FIRST CONTRACT
Her mother may have opened a lot of doors for her, but it was Whitney’s undeniable star power that garnered her a worldwide contract from Elektra Records. She had dabbled in modeling and sang in a few nightclubs, but when the legendary president of that aforementioned record label, Clive Davis, saw Whitney Houston perform at a New York club, he knew she had something special. She signed on the dotted line and was appearing on The Merv Griffin Show in no time.

Whitney Houston's self-titled debut album was released in 1985 and produced three No. 1 hits, including “Saving All My Love For You” and “How Will I Know?” Combine that with MTV’s emerging influence and Whitney’s camera-friendly look, and you’ve got one big debut. It seemed the sky was the limit for this diva-in-training, but there were dark, crack-colored clouds on the horizon.

WHITNEY HOUSTON CARRER TAKES OFF
The next decade was a blur of platinum albums, No. 1 hits and backstage meltdowns for Whitney Houston. Not quite happy with dominating pop music, Ms. Houston dabbled in acting, appearing in Waiting to Exhale and The Bodyguard. A phenomenal singing career, A-list status in Hollywood -- it seemed like the only way Whitney Houston could possibly derail her career was to marry a deadbeat loser and become addicted to drugs.

WHITNEY HOUSTON MARRIES BOBBY BROWN
They had dated for years, but when Whitney finally took the plunge with former New Edition star Bobby Brown, her inner circle clucked, tutted and generally disagreed, but love is blind. At first, her meteoric rise continued unabated, then our girl started showing up late to interviews, missing performances and dropping weight faster than a bulimic counselor at a Fat Camp.

Whispers of a drug problem began, but since she was raking in millions for everyone attached to her, no one spoke out against Whitney. Recipe for disaster, anyone?

WHITNEY HOUSTON HITS ROCK BOTTOM
Whitney Houston’s PR spin doctors successfully managed to deflect drug accusations until Whitney appeared on a prime time television special with Diane Sawyer in 2002. Doing her journalistic duty, Sawyer pressed Houston on the rumors. Much to the chagrin of her handlers, Whitney spouted off pseudo-denials using tactful language like “crack is wack” and “crack is a ghetto drug.” Had YouTube existed back then, the clip would have been a viral smash. Even then, it was replayed nonstop for days, and Whitney’s tarnished image was further sullied.

WHITNEY HOUSTON ONLY HAS ONE WAY TO GO
The next few years saw Whitney Houston mail it in with greatest hit albums, Christmas albums and one tabloid encounter after another. She was in real trouble of falling completely off the radar. The pop culture-consuming public is always willing to give celebrities second, third -- heck, even eighth chances, and Whitney’s handlers were putting together a plan to revive her career. Step one of Whitney Houston’s rise from the ashes was to shed herself of Bobby Brown.

WHITNEY HOUSTON'S COMEBACK
Step two was to get Whitney back where she belonged. Clive Davis took the frail singer back under his wing and ushered her back into the studio in 2007. That record-setting team clearly meant business this time, because they have been recording ever since. On August 31, 2009, the album, I Look to You, was released. Whitney is also booked on Oprah in mid-September, her first TV interview since that infamous “crack is wack” fiasco. It should be the final piece of her comeback puzzle, unless she jumps up and down on Oprah’s couch and confesses her love for the pipe.

FROM : http://www.askmen.com