While most will remember a lovely tribute to Whitney Houston, Bobby Brown will carry a different memory. The ex-husband of the pop icon departed early from the funeral service in Newark, New Jersey, after bringing a large group of guests with him. The New Edition singer arrived at the New Hope Baptist Church to pay his respects to his former wife and became visibly upset when he was told by security that everyone in his party could not be seated. He walked out of the church and later released a statement.
Archive for February 18th, 2012
ALICIA KEYS, R. KELLY & STEVIE WONDER PERFORM AT WHITNEY HOUSTON’S HOMEGOING
Whitney Houston’s loved ones gathered to say farewell to the legendary singer they called “Nippy” at a private funeral in her hometown of Newark, New Jersey, on Saturday. Her fans across the world were able to view the homegoing service, which was broadcast globally from the New Hope Baptist Church, where Whitney grew up.
Following remembrances from her family and friends including Pastor Marvin Winans, Kevin Costner, Clive Davis, and cousin Dionne Warwick, some of music’s greatest voices performed emotional tributes to “The Voice” including Alicia Keys, R. Kelly, Stevie Wonder, Kim Burrell, and the Winans family.
Alicia Keys fought back tears as she shared memories of the woman she affectionately called Meema. “I feel like in so many ways, she reached back to so many people,” said Alicia, who sang “Send Me an Angel.” “She reached back to me, she reached back to Monica and Brandy and Jordin [Sparks] and all these beautiful young artists, and made us feel strong and capable and loved. She’s an angel to us and she’s been an angel to us. I think we’ve been sent an angel for a long time.”
Stevie Wonder personalized his classic “Ribbon in the Sky” for his dear friend. “This is such an emotional moment,” said Wonder. “I want to just stop and give all praise to God for just allowing me to be in life at the same time as Whitney.”
A visibly shaken R. Kelly performed “I Look to You,” the song he penned for Whitney’s 2009 album. “We love you, Whitney. Rest in peace,” he said.
Other celebrities paying their respects included Oprah Winfrey, Gayle King, Tyler Perry, Mariah Carey, L.A. Reid, Monica, Brandy, Ray J, and Diane Sawyer.
If you were unable to see the live stream earlier today, catch the performances below.
BEHIND THE SCENES: TEAIRRA MARI “U DID THAT” VIDEO SHOOT

Oh, Teairra Mari! Now that the recent season of ‘Love & Hip Hop’ has concluded, she is ready to shift gears back to her singing career. Joining forces with rapper 2 Chainz, Mari does her best to sell sex and get peoples attention in the music video for her new single, “U Did That.” Welp! If all else fails go to the clearance rack at Victoria Secret.
Watch the behind the scenes footage of Mari’s “U Did That” video below:
THE 43RD ANNUAL NAACP IMAGE AWARDS PERFORMANCES
On Friday night NBC aired the 43rd NAACP Image Awards held at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles. Following a montage of music icon Whitney Houston’s achievements, Yolanda Adams performed the gospel song “I Love the Lord, He Heard My Cry.” “We love you, Nip,” said Adams, in reference to the singer’s childhood nickname.
Jennifer Hudson and Ne-Yo honored George Lucas by dueting on “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough,” while the filmmaker sang along in the audience. Jill Scott had everyone counting their blessings as she performed the uplifting “So Blessed” off her album The Light of the Sun.
In the music categories, winners were, Cee Lo Green (Outstanding Male Artist), Jill Scott (Outstanding Female Artist), and Jennifer Hudson (Outstanding Album, Outstanding Music Video).











