Pubdate: Sun,  8 Dec 2002
Source: Detroit Free Press (MI)
Contact:  2002 Detroit Free Press
Website: http://www.freep.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/125
Author: Rochelle Riley

THE INTERVIEW SHOULD HAVE BEEN CANCELED 

The last thing I want, Whitney Houston, is to feud with you. 

First, I've admired your God-given talent for too long to just stop caring.
Second, even when you were at your nuttiest, with the stupors and strange
utterances and concert cancellations, I didn't criticize. I was worried
about you. 

But after watching your exclusive,
all-the-world-has-been-waiting-to-hear-the-truth interview with ABC-TV's
Diane Sawyer, all I could think of was: Girl, what were you thinking? 

First, you were too hoarse, and I don't care how powerful Diane is, you
should have told her to come back next Tuesday. 

Second, as a diva, you're entitled to tell all your business on national
television. But just remember that when you do, we're watching all your
actions, like the way you moved slightly away from your husband when he
joined you on the sofa, and how you looked at him when he disputed your
claim that he's jealous of your career. 

We know he's on drugs and has deluded himself into believing he's still
selling records. But girl, you know we both know better. 

Body Language Says Trouble

And another thing. I saw how you yawned when he was talking about how big
his talent is. We yawn the same way. So is that why you say you hit him,
because every now and then he pretends that he's supporting the family? 

Body language is powerful. You know that. You know that surge that goes
through your body when you sing. We can see it, the way you lower your head
just a little to look right at the audience and then hold your head straight
up so that bolt flies right out with those big, high notes. 

But the body language that millions of us saw last week was that of a woman
in trouble. If you're not on drugs, you shouldn't appear to be. You seemed
half asleep, overly defiant, slightly paranoid and quite frankly, a little
out of it. At one point, you said you wanted to see the receipts for a drug
dealer you paid $700,000 to. Baby, drug dealers don't keep receipts. 

And when someone shows you a photo where you appeared to weigh 80 pounds,
don't pretend you can't see it. Don't tell her you've always been skinny, as
if what we saw on the Michael Jackson special was "skinny." It was skeletal.
It was frightening, and we thought we'd be reading your obituary within
weeks. 

If you're clean, don't be enabled by a husband who says he doesn't smoke pot
every day, but maybe "every other day." 

Speaking Of Marriage Vows

And speaking of drugs, when you're trying to convince the world that you
understand the seriousness of drug habits, why say you don't smoke crack
because "crack is cheap" and beneath you -- like cocaine is OK because it's
expensive? 

Drugs are a serious problem for millions in this country. It costs those of
us who don't use them billions in health care and penal hotels. It isn't
funny. 

And finally, let's talk a minute about marriage vows. I admire that you
believe that they're forever. They are. For Diane Sawyer. For your mom. For
me when I take them. But that doesn't mean your husband needs to be the
monkey on your back. 

If you need to live in the Atlanta area and he needs to live in rehab -- and
I don't mean visit, but reside -- that's OK. You're staying true to your
vows and he's giving his addictions the actual time they need to heal. 

And girl, if any man ever put his hands around my leg and said, "This is
mine," referring to me, I'd slap him. 

But then again, maybe that's why you did.
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