15 February 2012
VVN Music
Bobby Brown and the family of Whitney Houston appear to be at odds on a number of issues. According to TMZ, Brown arrived in New Jersey on Sunday but the family has not allowed him to see his daughter Bobbi yet. Brown had canceled out of a New Edition dates to be with her.
The site also says that the family has made it clear that Brown is not welcome at the private memorial to be held for Houston on Saturday. While they have not officially said no, sources have relayed their feelings to Bobby. Brown had hoped that they could put their differences behind them so that he could support his daughter during the ceremony.
Chaka Khan told Piers Morgan on CNN that she was very upset that Clive Davis decided to go ahead with his pre-Grammy party in the same hotel on the same day that Houston died. "I thought that was complete insanity. I don't know what could motivate a person, to have a party, in a building, where the person, whose life he had influenced so enormously, and whose life had been affected by her...I don't understand how that party went on."
Tuesday was Tony Bennett day in San Francisco. Mayor Edward M. Lee made the declaration and held a ceremony at city hall to celebrate Valentine's Day and Bennett's ode to the city, I Left My Heart in San Francisco, which celebrates its 50th anniversary this year. He also asked every radio station in the city to play the song at Noon.
In a Billboard interview, Talking Heads drummer Chris Frantz said that three of the four members of the band would be more than willing to reunite, if only David Byrne had some interest.
Frantz said "since shortly after the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame thing (in 2002), when I said, 'This is so much fun, why don't we continue with this a little bit?' I was kind of met with, shall we say, a lot of resistance, and sometimes it's best to leave well enough alone. We all hope David will one day wake up and say, 'Boy, I should call Chris and Tina (Weymouth, Frantz's wife) and Jerry (Harrison)...' That's the only way anything will happen."
The Ray Charles Foundation is demanding that Georgia's Albany State University return $3 million that the late singer donated ten years ago for the building of a performing arts center in his name. The foundation said in a statement that the center exists only "on the drawing board and in an unapproved downsized plan. It is incomprehensible that Albany State University failed to use the money in the manner Mr. Charles wanted. Mr. Charles would find ASU's behavior unacceptable."
