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Whitney Houston has died

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You could see it coming. Great talent wasted away on drugs and a shit life which starts with Bobby Brown. Its a loss but not in the way it would have been if it was unexpected.

Really, so you're telling me that heard of her issues, the first thing that came to mind is she will probably die young. Because shouldn't Robert Downey Junior be dead already.
 
The Bodyguard is what I'm mostly referring to. I Will Always Love You was played sooo many times on the radio. Also, I'm Dutch and in my early 30s. So while she might have been bigger in the '80s in the US, she definitely was very big in the '90s in NL.

I see. Cool man. Here in the states, it was all about the 80s. Of course, I grew up on her 80s music so yea. The Bodyguard soundtrack is probably her most well-known work, but her best works were her 80s releases without any doubt.
 
She just looks drunk/wasted. Remember those pics of herself while she was at her lowest? Yeah, those were "terrible" indeed.
I saw those pictures yesterday, and am still completely shocked by the news. She just looked like someone bombed, coming out of a club at 2am. I've seen worse. Hell, I've probably looked worse.

Whitney's first television appearance: Singing Home from the musical The Wiz on the Merv Griffin Show at the age of 21.

This is my second favorite version after Jazmine Sullivan. So good.
 
she had a crazy run of 7 - 8 or number one singles in a row... yeah, she threw away her life, but let's not say she wasted her life and talent. she put out a lot of great shit for 7 -8 years before falling off. it's a shame she ended up destroying her voice, body, and ultimately her life. she could've transitioned into more soulful and nuanced music with age. the price of fame.
 
This defined the 90s.

salt_n_pepaundated-chain-link-fence-bgrd-med-wide.jpg
Not so fast..

Kurt-Cobain-Wallpaper-96.jpg
 
What pisses me off about society's reaction to a celebrity drug user's death is how unabashedly hypocritical it is. Before they die, their life-threatening lifestyles are the butt of every joke in tabloids, sketch comedy shows and stand-up comedy sets, but now everyone is suddenly heartbroken and saddened? We made "Jacko's" life hell on earth with constant bleached skin jokes and pedophilia references, but we did everything but build our own candle-lit vigil when he passed away. We watched YouTube videos of Amy Winehouse snorting cocaine off of her sleeve at a live concert and pissed ourselves laughing, but she dies and she's suddenly an R&B icon along the lines of Janis Joplin. I get it; the jokes aren't so funny when someone dies, but still getting a laugh out of it doesn't make you any more of an asshole than when you laughed at it before.

I do hope Whitney Houston, Michael Jackson, Amy Winehouse and other troubled celebrity souls like them rest in piece, but that doesn't mean I'm going to scowl every time I watch a comedian do a bit about one of them, or throw a fit because SNL or MadTV made fun of someone's ill-minded drug addiction. We used to laugh at those jokes when we knew in the back of our minds that those very same entities could die from the things that made them funny. Suddenly it's a problem now?

In the case of Whitney Houston, this is the very same person that paraded around the Paparazzi stoned out of her cranium. This is the same person that willingly signed a contract for a reality show that she had to have known would depict her in the most negative, but entertaining light possible. One could argue that drugs impaired her best judgment; but at the end of the day, this is a celebrity who willingly put her life, and her life's problems on display for all to point and laugh at. And you know what? I laughed... a lot.

I take nothing away from her musical legacy. As cliche as it is likely to be, her voice will live on through her music for years to come -- there's no discrepancy about it. She'll get her much deserved respect through award show tributes, memorial services and Hall of Fame inductions. It's beyond deserved. But, stop saying any and all Whitney Houston jokes are in poor taste or too soon. She was the butt of every crack joke for the last ten years... you sure about that "too soon" thing?

Let one of the lesser known members of N*SYNC die, and lets see how long it'll take before someone makes a "Bye, Bye, Bye" joke. I'll bet that joke will go over a hell of a lot better than the Whitney ones. Oh, but they weren't as big a deal as Whitney Houston, right? No, no... you can't use that argument, because the jokes are supposed to stop being funny when somebody dies, isn't that correct?

We're picking our battles, people. We were falling out of our chairs laughing at Houston's infamous 20/20 "Crack is Wack" interview, but now we're building a mental shrine on her behalf? Jeez... I might be an asshole, but at least I'm consistent.

Yeah you're consistent alright. It's in poor taste to laugh at someone's hardships while they're alive and even worse to do so once they've passed away. Who are you to judge and laugh at somebody? Show some class.
 
I never listened to Whitney Houston because I have good taste, but RIP.

This is what I will remember her for:

American Psycho - Whitney Houston
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bcxP6vC6zog

"It's hard to choose a favorite among so many great tracks, but The Greatest Love of All is one of the best, most powerful songs ever written about self preservation, dignity."


And the Portlandia episode from just last week:

Portlandia - Shooting Star Preschool
http://www.ifc.com/portlandia/videos/portlandia-shooting-star-preschool

"What that is is a gateway to other mediocre pop music... It's poetry in the same way The Greatest Love of All is poetry. It is pablum, it is juvenile."


Not so fast..

Kurt-Cobain-Wallpaper-96.jpg

+1
 
Ok, maybe I should have said she helped define the music of the '90s. Together with a bunch of other artists. Come on people, stop derailing the thread
 
She was good singer. The world lost a great voice. I wasn't really into her type of music but god damn at some of the rude bullshit in here.
 
Next to MJ she was one of the top singers on the radio/tv during the late 80's and early 90's.

I remember her being popular among girls I knew and my mum / older women back then but she wasn't the 80's or 90's for me.

That bodyguard song did my bloody head in, she was a great vocalist but I think that song put me off whitney.


Anyway, enough of that........ RIP
 
What pisses me off about society's reaction to a celebrity drug user's death is how unabashedly hypocritical it is. Before they die, their life-threatening lifestyles are the butt of every joke in tabloids, sketch comedy shows and stand-up comedy sets, but now everyone is suddenly heartbroken and saddened? We made "Jacko's" life hell on earth with constant bleached skin jokes and pedophilia references, but we did everything but build our own candle-lit vigil when he passed away. We watched YouTube videos of Amy Winehouse snorting cocaine off of her sleeve at a live concert and pissed ourselves laughing, but she dies and she's suddenly an R&B icon along the lines of Janis Joplin. I get it; the jokes aren't so funny when someone dies, but still getting a laugh out of it doesn't make you any more of an asshole than when you laughed at it before.

I do hope Whitney Houston, Michael Jackson, Amy Winehouse and other troubled celebrity souls like them rest in piece, but that doesn't mean I'm going to scowl every time I watch a comedian do a bit about one of them, or throw a fit because SNL or MadTV made fun of someone's ill-minded drug addiction. We used to laugh at those jokes when we knew in the back of our minds that those very same entities could die from the things that made them funny. Suddenly it's a problem now?

In the case of Whitney Houston, this is the very same person that paraded around the Paparazzi stoned out of her cranium. This is the same person that willingly signed a contract for a reality show that she had to have known would depict her in the most negative, but entertaining light possible. One could argue that drugs impaired her best judgment; but at the end of the day, this is a celebrity who willingly put her life, and her life's problems on display for all to point and laugh at. And you know what? I laughed... a lot.

I take nothing away from her musical legacy. As cliche as it is likely to be, her voice will live on through her music for years to come -- there's no discrepancy about it. She'll get her much deserved respect through award show tributes, memorial services and Hall of Fame inductions. It's beyond deserved. But, stop saying any and all Whitney Houston jokes are in poor taste or too soon. She was the butt of every crack joke for the last ten years... you sure about that "too soon" thing?

Let one of the lesser known members of N*SYNC die, and lets see how long it'll take before someone makes a "Bye, Bye, Bye" joke. I'll bet that joke will go over a hell of a lot better than the Whitney ones. Oh, but they weren't as big a deal as Whitney Houston, right? No, no... you can't use that argument, because the jokes are supposed to stop being funny when somebody dies, isn't that correct?

We're picking our battles, people. We were falling out of our chairs laughing at Houston's infamous 20/20 "Crack is Wack" interview, but now we're building a mental shrine on her behalf? Jeez... I might be an asshole, but at least I'm consistent.

I'm not one of those that were laughing at her, never watched the reality show. And of what I have seen on the news I didn't think what I saw was funny. Maybe I'm weird because I don't see no humor in tearing people down even if they're the blame.
 
Being a rich popstar doesn't seem to be such a great thing.

Perhaps it is hard to come down back to earth after massive popularity fades and you are just an elder from the previous music generation?
 
JUST got the news. My mom called me, not about this but just to touch base or whatever, she asked me about this and I was fucking shocked. I told her about MJ's death, and she told me about this. Cot damn.

Beautiful voice, I have an older sister and we used to always watch "The Bodyguard" together, way back in the day. Terrible.

"I Will Always Love You" : One of the GOAT vocal performances. RIP
 
I was never really listened to her music that much but this is sad. Drugs are a terrible thing and it's a shame that this happened to such a talented person. My mom is pretty bummed out/shocked by this news as well.

UACrK.jpg
 
Better not be well known and die. GAF'll getcha. Nothing like posthumous shots from people who say they don't really care.
 
If you're wondering why Reznor gets a pass and aeiko got creamed...it's all in the approach. I might disagree with their sentiments, but at least one wasn't a total asshole about it.

Anyways. Sad, but not unexpected. An incredible body of work that will live on long after the TMZ-style horseshit fades into the background. I'll miss what she brought to the table, and hope that her family can find some peace in a difficult time.

If I see anyone but her real contemporaries (ie. no Christina horning in on the action) performing at the funeral, I may just have an aneurysm.
 
whitney to us is mariah carey is to some and to beyonce to others, we lost a legend. I know not all grew up in whitney's time, but imagine losing a mariah or beyonce ......
 
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