Althouse: Come on, everyone in the world, let's all go to the New Hope Baptist Church in Newark, New Jersey today.

February 18, 2012

Come on, everyone in the world, let's all go to the New Hope Baptist Church in Newark, New Jersey today.

There's a big funeral, and you're all invited.

Oprah Winfrey will be there. And Alicia Keys. Dionne Warwick. And the love of a lifetime, Bobby Brown.

40 comments:

rhhardin said...: It was all over the news so I turned the radio off.

John and Ken got suspended from KFI ("You can't spell backfire without KFI"), some woman program director, for having improper opinions about the whole thing.

It must be a girl thing.; 2/18/12, 8:26 AM
KCFleming said...: At least she died doing what she loved.; 2/18/12, 8:29 AM
JAL said...: /s ?

(Weird when captcha is longer than one's comment.); 2/18/12, 8:37 AM
Tim said...: Why does anyone care?

"Talented performer discovers drugs, ruins life, dies young."

It is now completely mundane.; 2/18/12, 8:41 AM
JAL said...: So instead, if you want to do something useful today, spend an hour and a half entering names into a database for the Wisconsin recall petition verify folks.

Doing so will help the Professor be able to check to see if someone signed her name.

Sign up here.

Hat tip William Jacobson at Legal Insurrection.

(This is not a paid political announcement.); 2/18/12, 8:44 AM
KCFleming said...: Monetized funerals are always the best.; 2/18/12, 8:44 AM
JAL said...: As for Whitney I saw a fan comment yesterday moaning that it wasn't fair.

And these people vote?

Leave the family alone and go watch The Bodyguard for crying out loud.; 2/18/12, 8:45 AM
Tank said...: I suspect people care because they derived a great deal of joy from her singing, songs and performances.

Black people probably identified with her as one who escaped Newark and was successful.

I have client with a Judgment against the New Calvary Baptist Church. Wrong church. Damn, we coulda collected today. Maybe. Would the Sheriff show to collect the collection baskets at a Houston's chuch? Prolly not.; 2/18/12, 8:46 AM
Tim said...: "Black people probably identified with her as one who escaped Newark and was successful."

And yet she's as dead as any other addict.

Ironic, eh?; 2/18/12, 8:49 AM
HT said...: Stop caring so much Tim.

The risk you run in truly not caring is that no one knows (on a blog) that you do not care.; 2/18/12, 8:52 AM
deborah said...: Maybe it wasn't so much what they said, as the jackass guffawing that went along with it.; 2/18/12, 8:54 AM
ricpic said...: "James Brown, the hardest woikin' man in showbiz, comin' back from duh daid, gonna give Whitney duh sendoff she desoive! Dat's right! I said James Brown. Not dat no good Bobby Brown done messed mah Whitney up bad! Can I get an Amen?"

"Amen."

"Can I get an Amen?"

"Amen."

James Brown gonna send mah Whitney off IN STYLE!; 2/18/12, 8:55 AM
garage mahal said...: So instead, if you want to do something useful today, spend an hour and a half entering names into a database for the Wisconsin recall petition verify folks.

Hehe. That's an hour and a half you'll never get back.; 2/18/12, 9:00 AM
deborah said...: Right on!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ROzGihgCj8; 2/18/12, 9:01 AM
Tim said...: "The risk you run in truly not caring is that no one knows (on a blog) that you do not care."

Touche!; 2/18/12, 9:01 AM
Tank said...: I would not say ironic so much.

I would say more tragic.

She could have been one of many trapped in the misery that is much of Newark, but she was fortunate to have a gift that lifted her out of that, and gave her the opportunity to give so many others so much joy.

And all of that is wasted because she could not overcome her suceptability to drugs. A shame. for her and those she previously entertained.

While some may be, it is a mistake to think that, in general, people who succumb to drugs are worthless pieces of shit. JMHO. YMMV.

I'm not even a fan of hers. Lots of people were.; 2/18/12, 9:08 AM
deborah said...: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SoFTCuMyDCs; 2/18/12, 9:11 AM
Michael said...: Will Mr Brown supply the crack?; 2/18/12, 9:12 AM
chickelit said...: Step on some crack, break your mama's back.; 2/18/12, 9:22 AM
Curious George said...: "garage mahal said...
Hehe. That's an hour and a half you'll never get back."

Says the guy who spent 12 months to end up with thish or this!

That's gotta hurt.; 2/18/12, 9:23 AM
Anonymous said...: May she rest in peace.; 2/18/12, 9:34 AM
Fen said...: "Talented performer discovers drugs, ruins life, dies young." It is now completely mundane.

I keep going back to the E-Trade Baby commerical where he says this is my shocked face; 2/18/12, 9:50 AM
edutcher said...: "Black people probably identified with her as one who escaped Newark and was successful."

As they once said in Le Premiere Regiment Etrangere Parachutiste, "Whiskey Tango Foxtrot?".

Her mother was a highly successful gospel and pop backup singer. She probably wanted for nothing in her early life.

JAL said...

As for Whitney I saw a fan comment yesterday moaning that it wasn't fair.

And these people vote?

We also let them drive and procreate, which is just as scary.; 2/18/12, 10:06 AM
Tank said...: You could be right on that ed.

On the other hand, she was still living in Newark.

You ever been to Newark? If so, you know what I mean.; 2/18/12, 10:20 AM
Brian Brown said...: Tim said...

And yet she's as dead as any other addict.

Ironic, eh?

You can take the kid out of Newark but not the Newark out of the kid...; 2/18/12, 10:28 AM
Brian Brown said...: It must be a girl thing.

Yeah, saw some girls blaming her ex husband for "getting her involved with drugs"

Do women ever do anything wrong?; 2/18/12, 10:29 AM
Brian Brown said...: Oh, and of course Jessie Jackson is there.

He's a Reverend you know!; 2/18/12, 10:30 AM
write_effort said...: Whitney was a generous performer and individual. For the first half of her career she seemed to have a greater purpose and pursued it. Her decline into what I consider mental illness was tragic. She became the antithesis of herself. At least she has the film Sparkle coming out in August. That project at least represents a bit of the best that WH was.; 2/18/12, 10:39 AM
DADvocate said...: The U.S. entertainment industry must be the most narcissistic entity in the universe. I'm so sick of this adoration of drug/alcohol addicted entertainers I can puke. I think CNN had all Whitney, all the time yesterday. That's all I saw every time I flipped past it. The industry should start drug testing like the NFL and quit all this self-adoration. Barf.; 2/18/12, 10:51 AM
edutcher said...: Tank said...

You could be right on that ed.

On the other hand, she was still living in Newark.

You ever been to Newark? If so, you know what I mean.

Like our own Ann, she moved as a yoot - to East Orange, in her case.; 2/18/12, 10:57 AM
sakredkow said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 2/18/12, 11:09 AM
MadisonMan said...: The industry should start drug testing like the NFL and quit all this self-adoration.

If they couldn't buy drugs, then what would they spend their money on? Annuities?; 2/18/12, 11:11 AM
JAL said...: So Garage, you are fine with petitions requesting significant (and expensive) legal actions -- in this case overriding a legal election -- signed by anyone who wants to scribble any name just to get a number?

I am sure most of the signers are real. But to marginalzie (great prog word) voters with other people signing fake names or even carelessly identifying themselves is not a very responsible position.

I realize you are a partisan hack (now that's something I have never written before about anyone, congratulations) but you may not. Some of the libs on Althouse comport themselves very well.

You, somewhat sadly, unless you are talking about fishing, don't.; 2/18/12, 12:05 PM
sakredkow said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 2/18/12, 12:43 PM
garage mahal said...: I am sure most of the signers are real. But to marginalzie (great prog word) voters with other people signing fake names or even carelessly identifying themselves is not a very responsible position.
.

86,000+ people signed the senate recall petitions, and only fake name was even challenged. And it turned out to be legit. No challenges on people's names being signed against their will either. It's all noise from people that really have nothing else. Sorry.

Walker has millions to pay people to pour threw these petitions if it is so important, but he won't spend it. He is either cheap, stupid, or not really worried about it.; 2/18/12, 1:00 PM
Lem Vibe Bandit said...: garage.. you at a funeral.. for pete's sake.. take it outside ;); 2/18/12, 1:22 PM
LoafingOaf said...: I suspect people care because they derived a great deal of joy from her singing, songs and performances.

But the media doesn't seem to realize how many people didn't like (or even loathed) Whitney Houston's music and the dominance music of that ilk had on the airwaves to the exclusion of most everything else. To a lot of people her rise to mega-stardom is an example of why it's wonderful to see the recording industry being crushed by the internet.

BTW, Whitney Houston was booed at the 1989 Soul Train Awards by the predominately black audience.

Anyway, the media cares so much because she died at a young age. The media is mostly filled with people around Whitney Houston's age or younger, so she hit the sweet spot of when to die. Some celebrities, in contrast, tragically out-live their fame and don't get much of a fuss when they go out at age 80 or 90.; 2/18/12, 5:22 PM
Joe Schmoe said...: phx, just what did Alicia Keys do to make you cry and shit? Whatever it was, that's gotta be uncomfortable. Hope you feel better.; 2/18/12, 6:24 PM
el polacko said...: it's always a bit of a shock when a person passes at a relatively young age...and, of course, i do have sympathy for her family and loved ones...BUT what's up with all this public weeping, wailing, and flag-lowering over a faded pop star from the 80's? if she was 'the greatest singer of all time' and such an integral part of everyone's life, then why has it been some 30 years since the woman has had a hit song? as bette davis says in 'all about eve', "i detest cheap sentiment."; 2/18/12, 6:24 PM
Michael Haz said...: The woman who wrote "I Will Always Love You" was not invited to the Whitney Houston funeral.

Her name is Dolly Parton.; 2/18/12, 6:47 PM