Can Whitney Houston Be Saved?
Whitney Houston is in trouble, although
this time things might be better than usual.
Houston called the Atlanta police department the night
before last and told them her husband, Bobby Brown hit her.
She showed police the bruises. According to the police report:
"She further
advised that Mr. Brown stated he was going to "beat her a--" and then struck
the left side of her face with an open right hand. The victim had visible
injuries to her face, which included a bruise on her left cheek approximately
one inch in diameter and a cut upper-lip (on the inner, upper left portion of
her mouth). The victim further advised that Mr. Brown left the location at
approximately 20:25 hours for the Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson International
Airport for a flight to Los Angeles. A victim rights pamphlet was issued."
Later last night, Brown was officially charged with battery
against Houston by the Atlanta police.
The best thing about this is that Houston finally called
the police on him and admitted to what happened. One can only hope this is a
first step toward sanity for this monumentally talented singer. Perhaps she's
had an epiphany that Brown has all but ruined her life and her career. Maybe
she's taking responsibility for herself.
What's happened to Houston is not something I would have
predicted back in 1989 when we first met. She was happy, shy and insulated
from the real world. Even though it seemed doubtful, she told me she had had a
relationship with Jermaine Jackson. The two of them had
performed a duet on her debut album.
Back then, abuse of any kind seemed extremely remote in
Houston's world. She was surrounded by a loving family. Her focus was on work.
But then she met Brown and since then her life has been a regular soap opera.
Brown has been in and out of jail. He fathered a child with another woman at
the same time that Houston was pregnant with their daughter. And there have
been numerous strange incidents, not the least of which was their interview
with Diane Sawyer.
Who knows what Whitney and Bobby were arguing about this
time? It could be that she realized that her reputation is so badly damaged
that even a Christmas album, released a couple of weeks ago, is not a
chart-topper. The public is not interested in Houston's work because of her
negative publicity. Getting rid of Brown and turning her life around are the
only answers to Whitney's dilemma. She could still make a stunning comeback.
She is Whitney Houston, for God's sake. But she seems to the only person in
the world who doesn't recognize her worth.