Thursday, September 14, 2006

Whitney is free at last!


And I know what most of us are thinking: "It's about @!%#$& time!" Right?

(Don't know what I'm talking about? Read this.)

This is a photo of Whitney Houston with her soon-to-be-ex husband Bobby Brown at one of his many court hearings for vulgar stage behavior, or violating parole, or some fight or some car wreck or some drug-related incident. Whatever. (Dude probably has his lawyer's number tattooed on a bicep, so he'll never lose it.)

I sat down to write a scathing entry about Whitney's wasted years, about her descent into appearing (and probably being) cracked-out and crazy, but as I look at this photo, all that venom just drains away. Because you know what? Even though it took her 14 years, the sister finally got away. She grabbed her purse and her child and went to California, where she's working on a new album. If her voice ain't totally shot from all the years of her doin' whatever she's been doin', she might have a chance at comeback success.

Ultimately, I think what got Whitney into this mess was something a lot of chicks struggle with: The allure of the Bad Boy. Let's face it, few guys are as bad as Bobby baby-daddy-uncontrollable-pelvis-too-good-for-New-Edition-ever-sweating-King-of-R&B (Not!) Brown. And once she hitched herself to his downhill-careening wagon, she did what, again, lots of chicks would do: She stood by her man, stubbornly refusing to see what a mess he really was, even when he reportedly hit her.

She made a lot -- A LOT -- of bad decisions. She refused the help of friends and family. She brought up her child in what, from our viewpoint, looked like sketchy conditions that probably would have gotten a regular kid snatched away and put in foster care. She allowed anyone with a strong enough stomach to watch "Being Bobby Brown" know that he helped her with particularly difficult bowel movements.

In other words, she shamed herself -- and her momma, and her cousin, Dionne Warwick.

But now ...

She's extricating herself from a jacked-up relationship. She's hopefully seeing a therapist and getting herself clean. She's trying to get her career going again.

At the base of it all, Whitney Houston is a woman who did a lot wrong that she is trying to make right. I'm willing to send her good vibes and hope for the best.

5 comments:

PopCultman said...

Have you seen the new Vibe with Bobby Brown on the cover? Talk about timing.

Anonymous said...

I dont get it. Why is everyone so"Whitney is free of Bobby". True Bobby was less talented than Whitney, but both were just as crazy. You say Whitney made some mistakes, you are correct. She made some big ones. But so did Bobby. He never held a gun to her head and made her stay. She wasnt a prisoner. She was, and probably still is as crazy as Bobby. Everyone (including me) was surprised when Americas sweetheart married Americas-what-the-hell. Everyone assumed she would "straighten him out" or leave him in a year or so. Everyone was surprised when we found out she was as What-the-hell?! as he was. It taught me just because someone had a great voice and a spotless image doesnt mean that person isn't crazy.To many people think that if you put out great music you're a great person. Untrue, that just means your PR person deseves their paycheck. Bobby didnt force her to do drugs. Whitney did it on her own. Bobby didn't force her to throw her career away, she did it on her own. Bobby didnt give her a reputation for being a overbaring diva with a sense of entitlement, Whitney did it on her own. In conclusion Whitney isnt free, Bobby isnt free. We just have one crazy on each coast rather than two crazies on one

Anonymous said...

To Nate, a lot of folks, who follow celebrity gossip, are interested in this story, as am I. America's Sweetheart marries R&B's No. 1 Bad Boy, and this is the result. A long saga, a roller-coaster ride. True, I may not want others in my business, but I am not a celebrity...lack of privacy comes with being famous. As for Whitney, I say it's about time...maybe she can pull herself together and be back on top again in a few years. Maybe Bobby will do better too. Together they were just a mess.

Anonymous said...

Nate - you give up your right to your life not being everyone's business when you make a TV about it!

Anonymous said...

Maybe she is leaving bobby to marry Osama!