VIA EURWEB:
Oprah Winfrey is in full promotion mode for her two-part season premiere on Sept. 14 and 15 featuring Whitney Houston, who gives her first sit-down interview since battling back from substance abuse.
“I think it’s the best interview I’ve ever done. But I guess you’re supposed to let other people say that about yourself. I can’t think of a moment, ever, when I had a stronger connection to the person I was interviewing,” Winfrey said in a statement to “Access Hollywood.”
“My approach to this interview was to not be judgmental in any way, and not to go in trying to get her to say things to make a ‘moment.’ I just wanted to be able to have an honest conversation with her. One woman to another woman,” she continued. “And the day of the interview I literally prayed about that all day long. I just wanted a connection between the two of us. And that is what happened.”
According to “Access,” Houston “brought down the house” on “Oprah” with an emotional performance of “I Didn’t Know My Own Strength” from her new album “I Look To You,” which is expected to debut at No. 1 on the Billboard charts.”
“I think whether you liked or loved Whitney Houston before you will certainly have a deeper appreciation for what she has been through as a human being,” Winfrey continued. “And I mean, the fans are just going to love her even more.”
VIA SINGERSROOM:
Jennifer Hudson and Sheryl Crow are among several recent additions to VH1’s forthcoming VH1 Divas presentation.
Hosted by Paula Abdul, the forthcoming VH1 Divas will feature performances from both divas, in addition to guest appearances from Cyndi Lauper and Toni Braxton, September 17.
Slated to air at 9pm, VH1 Divas will also include Live! performances from previously revealed singers Adele, Leona Lewis and Jordin Sparks.
As in previous years, this “VH1 Divas” special will raise funds for the VH1 Save The Music Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to restoring instrumental music education in American public schools, and raising awareness about the importance of music as part of each child’s complete education.
Since VH1 Save The Music was created in 1997, more than $43 million worth of musical instruments have been donated to 1,600 public schools in 100 cities, improving the lives of more than 1.2 million children.
VIA BBC NEWS:
A live video feed of guests arriving at Glendale Forest Lawn Memorial Park had been provided, but ceased as the star’s body arrived for privacy reasons.
But a camera on a hovering helicopter kept filming the ceremony, leaving him “dismayed”. It had “severely disrupted” the service, he said.
Jackson has requested the media stop showing that footage.
In a statement, the former Jacksons singer said: “I was dismayed last night and again today at the coverage I saw on television of our ceremony for Michael.
“We had asked the media to respect the privacy and the sanctity of this event; to give us one moment of privacy to mourn as a family out of the public spotlight.
“Unfortunately, despite a no-fly zone around Forest Lawn, many media organisations decided to ignore our wishes,” he said.
