Am I the only one who thinks the Whitney Houston coverage is too much?

[amldaley]

I get it that it may a slow news day. And yeah, she was a good singer who charted well. But the fact is, she was a drug addict, a alcoholic. She did about the same amount of philanthropy as many of her peers.

She was a singer, not a saint.

I have been in my car most of the morning and I usually listen to CNN, Fox News & Headline News (alternating to avoid commercials) and I can not escape the Whitney Houston coverage! If I hear one more snippet of either "The Greatest Love" or "One Moment in Time", I am going to rip my own ears off.

Yeah, I guess it is sad when someone dies. But COME ON.

Am I the only one who finds this coverage and all the tributes and interviews excessive? I don't find it "tragic", unless you are using the classic, literary definition of the word tragic.

[lizzywednesday]

You're not the only one who finds any and all coverage of celebrity anything "excessive."

I've managed to avoid most of it, but, then again, it's been Sprout and Nick Jr. 'round these parts all day! (Oh, and the Good Eats special that I recorded on Sunday night ... )

[SnuggleBuggles]

Right there with you.

[elektra]

And yeah, she was a good singer who charted well.

Well, I'd have to say that this is a pretty big understatement. Whitney Houston was a fabulous singer- I think every pop star dreams of singing as well as she once did, and maybe Mariah Carey has come close but not many others have.

With the Grammy's just out, I think it's a story that is easy to tell and with the general increase in music interest around this Grammy's time, people do want to hear more.

I am personally getting some pleasure in remembering the old Whitney days, and am not really sick of it yet.

ETA: I think I am more "mainstream" in my appreciation of pop culture, TV, sports, etc. than many of the BBB'ers. You will never hear me mentioning the lack of a television in my home for instance.

[BabyBearsMom]

I don't watch much TV so I haven't seen much of the coverage. But I can empathize with your POV. When Michael Jackson died, I remember thinking "Okay, he was a great, if not the greatest pop star, but he was also a child molester as far as I am concerned. I don't need to mourn his death." I think its sad that Whitney Houston died, especially since she squandered her gifts with drugs and alcohol, but I also don't feel the need to cry about it (whereas half my facebook feed is "Just hear the Greatest Love Of All and am crying my eyes out.").

[Green_Tea]

There are many great singers out there, but Whitney Houston was astoundingly talented. I kind of like the coverage. Her voice was tremendous, and I like hearing so much of it, especially the songs I grew up rewinding over and over again. She's only been gone since Saturday, and today is Monday, so less than 72 hours. I'm sure we will have moved on to something else before the end of the week.

[Giantbear]

I think the coverage is overdone and the morning and reaction melodramatic and overstated. This is not a tragedy, a tragedy are all the kids killed this year at the hands of their parents. A tragedy is almost 20,000 dead in Japan or the almost 300,000 dead in 2004 from the Indian Ocean Tsunami. This was just another junkie finally succumbing to her addiction. Why should her vocation make this any different than the bum on the street who dies the same way? did they not have wasted potential too? I think too many are blinded by the celebrity and do not see this for what it really is.

[Green_Tea]

I also don't feel the need to cry about it (whereas half my facebook feed is "Just hear the Greatest Love Of All and am crying my eyes out.").


Guilty as charged. :ROTFLMAO:

[marymoo86]

I will agree with you. I have been thinking the same thing.

In general, I don't understand the whole celebrity adulation thing anyway - alive or dead.


A big :yeahthat: to Giant Bear's post.

[SnuggleBuggles]

I think what pushed it over the top was that my local news was hyping a segment on the news after the Grammy's where local fans shared their Whitney stories. That's news? Really? Not that I think much of the local news any day but that seemed like a big stretch.

[BabyBearsMom]

Guilty as charged. :ROTFLMAO:


I don't think you said you were crying your eyes out though! :wink2:

[scrooks]

Well, I'd have to say that this is a pretty big understatement. Whitney Houston was a fabulous singer- I think every pop star dreams of singing as well as she once did, and maybe Mariah Carey has come close but not many others have.

With the Grammy's just out, I think it's a story that is easy to tell and with the general increase in music interest around this Grammy's time, people do want to hear more.

I am personally getting some pleasure in remembering the old Whitney days, and am not really sick of it yet.

ETA: I think I am more "mainstream" in my appreciation of pop culture, TV, sports, etc. than many of the BBB'ers. You will never hear me mentioning the lack of a television in my home for instance.

:yeahthat: i tend to agree with this. I grew up listening to Whitney and compared to most stars our there today she was unbelievably great. I am not tired of it yet. But i can see how others may be.

[BDKmom]

I have heard several people expressing the same sentiment today as OP. Personally, I'm with the pp who said all celebrity coverage is over done, and I think everyone likes a good train wreck. With Whitney, though, I think people are honoring/remembering the Whitney that was. It seems like every piece wants to look back at her glory days. If you look at the past 10 years, I don't think this ending comes as a suprise to anyone. I don't know that I think she should be celebrated in the way that is going on right now, but I felt the same way about Michael Jackson. I think she was a great talent who threw it all away. I feel for her daughter and family, but I don't feel the need to personally grieve her death.

[buddyleebaby]

I think that anytime a celebrity dies the news coverage is excessive. Double the excessive if it's an unexpected death. (Michael Jackson, Anna Nicole Smith, Heath Ledger, etc...)

Breaking into Charlie Brown...come ON! Absolutely ridiculous and kind of disturbing.

That being said, while yes, she was a drug addict, she was more than that. I don't think she was a saint, but I do think she had a huge impact on pop culture, and was one of the biggest musical stars of our time, and her later decline, and the fact that she lost her voice, doesn't negate that. She has always been in a league of her own.

[Green_Tea]

I don't think you said you were crying your eyes out though! :wink2:

True. Not crying. :D But still a little sad - her music was what I discovered and loved when I was old enough to know my own taste. The first concert I ever attended was Whitney Houston, live in New Haven. I have a picture of myself in front of a giant poster of her, all permed out and wearing pink (!) pants with pastel rainbow suspenders (that's what *I* was wearing - Whitney looked much better!). I remember seeing The Bodyguard with my high school boyfriend, and sobbing like a baby at the end. Almost every one of her songs brings me back to a place in time between the ages of 10 and 18. It's been a walk down memory lane.

[amldaley]

Would everyone be mourning her like this if she had died 5 or 6 years ago during her reality show phase when she was high as a kite, three sheets to the wind, tripping and traipsing around the world, spouting the unitelligible babble of an egotistical drug addict?

[scrooks]

Would everyone be mourning her like this if she had died 5 or 6 years ago during her reality show phase when she was high as a kite, three sheets to the wind, tripping and traipsing around the world, spouting the unitelligible babble of an egotistical drug addict?

I actually think so....she was THAT good....

[marymoo86]

Would everyone be mourning her like this if she had died 5 or 6 years ago during her reality show phase when she was high as a kite, three sheets to the wind, tripping and traipsing around the world, spouting the unitelligible babble of an egotistical drug addict?

I don't know about "mourning" but I suspect the infotainment coverage would have been more and bigger.

[lfp2n]

Move to my town- its just wall to wall lacrosse murder trial here :(

[AnnieW625]

No you are not and I have not seen much, but am in the general LA area so I will have to avoid the local news altogether. I am usually not much of a Debbie Downer, but honestly we all knew it was bound to happen to her whether or not she was truly trying to make a comeback or not. I will continue to listen to my Whitney Houston cds like I do with Michael Jackson, but yeah I just don't get it. She was a great person who lived a hard life, but made those choices to make her life hard were done on her own.

I do agree with Elektra that denying she is one of the best female singers the world has ever heard would just be wrong, she was larger than life and Didn't We Almost Have it All, and The Greatest Love of All will still give me chills as they did when I was a teenager and first heard those songs. I wonder if the same comments were made about Billie Holiday when she passed on way too young. I wish Whitney would have been able to live a longer life like the other R&B icons (some of who have made bad choices including her aunt Dionne Warwick) like Diana Ross, Gladys Knight, and Aretha Franklin, but I am just glad she left this life with a wonderful catalog of music and a great movie as her legacy.

[amldaley]

Move to my town- its just wall to wall lacrosse murder trial here :(

Yeah - that was all over the news last week and then it just disappeared with Whitney Houston coverage drowning it out. I know how that is when a BIG case happens in a small or insular community...you sort of drown in it.

[Kindra178]

Well, I'd have to say that this is a pretty big understatement. Whitney Houston was a fabulous singer- I think every pop star dreams of singing as well as she once did, and maybe Mariah Carey has come close but not many others have.

With the Grammy's just out, I think it's a story that is easy to tell and with the general increase in music interest around this Grammy's time, people do want to hear more.

I am personally getting some pleasure in remembering the old Whitney days, and am not really sick of it yet.

ETA: I think I am more "mainstream" in my appreciation of pop culture, TV, sports, etc. than many of the BBB'ers. You will never hear me mentioning the lack of a television in my home for instance.

Agree. 100%. She was too young and overwhelmingly talented.

[maylips]

Agree. 100%. She was too young and overwhelmingly talented.

She WAS overwhelmingly talented. I hear so many people on TV saying how they are mourning the loss of that great voice. Well, that "great voice" (admittedly, the best one we've ever heard in our lifetime) was lost a long time ago. Her comeback a couple of years ago proved that she had abused it for far too long to ever have the same range it did back in her glory days. All these talking heads should have mourned it then.

[Jo..]

Yup. She was amazingly, insanely talented. But she wasted it. A blip on the radar.

[Naranjadia]

I totally get and respect the response that it's too much, though I have been reminiscing this weekend, thinking and listening to her songs. I do think her voice was special and I also felt that way when Etta James died a few weeks back. Two extraordinary voices lost.

I will say that how we view her addiction may also be about how we view addiction in general. Some buy that it's as a disease, others view it as a moral failing. Having known people who have struggled with it, I think there are moments when addiction overwhelms ones ability to choose.

[arivecchi]

The coverage is there because many people are obviously interested in her - failings and all. I don't get all the negativity displayed here.

I felt like the royal wedding coverage was excessive, but I know many people were super interested. I simply changed the channel or turned off the TV.

[daisysmom]

I agree that she was a remarkable singer.

But honestly, I think the reason why a lot of people have been "mourning" and "reliving" (at least my facebook friends) as it has thrown us back to the 1980s and 1990s. We are all in our 40s now, overworked, exhausted, tired of winter, etc. It has been a nice way to take a quick flight back to our younger years. Everyone is talking about when they loved those songs (and which boyfriends they symbolized). For me, that has been nice. I am sorry to see her (or anyone not famous) throw their lives and talent away.

[amldaley]

I will say that how we view her addiction may also be about how we view addiction in general. Some buy that it's as a disease, others view it as a moral failing. Having known people who have struggled with it, I think there are moments when addiction overwhelms ones ability to choose.


I did an internship for my B.S. in an outpatient drug and alcohol rehab center. I do believe and understand the disease of addiction. I still think the media coverage is excessive and I still think there are more newsworthy topics to discuss.

[Giantbear]

I will say that how we view her addiction may also be about how we view addiction in general. Some buy that it's as a disease, others view it as a moral failing. Having known people who have struggled with it, I think there are moments when addiction overwhelms ones ability to choose. The truth is, it is both. It is a disease which needs treatment, and it is moral failing in that many addicts choose to not get the help they need. Every day that an addict chooses to not get help is a day they choose to be an addict. An oversimplification to some, but sometimes simplifying an issue is a way to get to its core. Kicking an addiction is not easy. It takes hard work, soul searching, a complete re-evaluation of how you approach life. But it also takes a decision to want to kick the addiction.

[rlu]

I will say that how we view her addiction may also be about how we view addiction in general. Some buy that it's as a disease, others view it as a moral failing. Having known people who have struggled with it, I think there are moments when addiction overwhelms ones ability to choose.

I think the outpouring is, to an extent, relief (permission?) to enjoy & mourn Whitney for what she was instead of what she became.

[kijip]

The coverage is there because many people are obviously interested in her - failings and all. I don't get all the negativity displayed here.

I felt like the royal wedding coverage was excessive, but I know many people were super interested. I simply changed the channel or turned off the TV.

I totally agree. It can't be excessive if you don't watch it. There is a lot of interest in her and for a reason. She was not my favorite singer but she was in a league of her own.

I think the negativity comes from the fact that in our culture we treat addiction as a crime and/or a personal failing. It is a medical issue and to me drug addictions are tragic regardless of how common. She did not get her act together but her addiction was not all she was.

That said I am not watching the coverage. I generally would rather have dental work than watch tv news.

[kijip]

I have been reminiscing this weekend, thinking and listening to her songs. I do think her voice was special and I also felt that way when Etta James died a few weeks back.

When Etta James died I was truly heartsick. Most have listened to all of her music that we own for several solid days. And yeah, I posted to my Facebook! ;)

[amldaley]

I totally agree. It can't be excessive if you don't watch it. There is a lot of interest in her and for a reason. She was not my favorite singer but she was in a league of her own.

I think the negativity comes from the fact that in our culture we treat addiction as a crime and/or a personal failing. It is a medical issue and to me drug addictions are tragic regardless of how common. She did not get her act together but her addiction was not all she was.

That said I am not watching the coverage. I generally would rather have dental work than watch tv news.

But my original point was that I could not ESCAPE the news coverage. I was seeking NEWS and every place I turned to was all about Whitney Houston.

FWIW....I ended up listening to Martha Stewart radio instead.

[BabyMine]

I'm not glad that she died but at least it gave a break in the GOP debates.

I grew up with her so, just like MJ, her songs bring back memories. As a mom I feel sad for her daughter and think of my own kids. Then because she was young it reminds me of my own immortality.

I remember when Princess Diane died and then shortly Mother Theresa died. There was more coverage of Princess Diane than there was of Mother Theresa.

[Naranjadia]

I think the outpouring is, to an extent, relief (permission?) to enjoy & mourn Whitney for what she was instead of what she became.

That's a great point. I've seen the national anthem Youtube shared about 20 times on my FB feed, and it truly is to enjoy her at her finest.

[Canna]

I've never cared much for her style of music or singing and I'm finding it really annoying having to flip from radio station to radio station trying to avoid her music! At times it's on two stations at once!

I agree - total overkill.

[PunkyBoo]

But my original point was that I could not ESCAPE the news coverage. I was seeking NEWS and every place I turned to was all about Whitney Houston.

FWIW....I ended up listening to Martha Stewart radio instead.

I have to agree (I have not read all the replies...). I get she was very talented, beautiful, I feel awful for her poor daughter, but I don't need a full hour of news telling me that she died, she was talented, she was beautiful, and oh, how sad for her poor daughter. I really just wanted to watch the news, see what was going on in the world and if it was going to rain today. DH and I discussed it last night - he thinks we had more coverage here in the LA area because this is "Hollywood", and I think generally it all got more coverage because it coincided with the Grammy award coverage. But I'm sick of hearing about it. When I turn on the news, I want to hear NEWS. It will be news when they get the autopsy and toxicology report, it is news that her daughter was rushed to the hospital again, it is NOT news that she was talented and beautiful and had demons.

[KLD313]

The truth is, it is both. It is a disease which needs treatment, and it is moral failing in that many addicts choose to not get the help they need. Every day that an addict chooses to not get help is a day they choose to be an addict. An oversimplification to some, but sometimes simplifying an issue is a way to get to its core. Kicking an addiction is not easy. It takes hard work, soul searching, a complete re-evaluation of how you approach life. But it also takes a decision to want to kick the addiction.

I don't think it's that easy to get help when you have no money to get into a good rehabilitation program. My mother friend daughter is in a program right now, at no cost to her, and it is disgusting what is going there. I won't get into but there is no way she will last in that facility and what will happen to her when she gets out is anyone's guess.

As for the original question, the only reason I think it's excessive is because every little detail shouldn't be shared with the general population. Out out of respect for her family, we dont need to see her body under the white sheet, the coroners van pulling away, that her head was underwater but her feet were up in the air.

I have a personal prejudice against the media. When my dad died the media got ahold of the story and ran with it. He was a private pilot, he was flying with his business partner and another friend on their way to play golf and they crashed. A horrible storm was going on but we really dont know what happened for sure. The media was calling my mothers house before his death was even confirmed offering their condolences and looking for an interview. They knocked on neighbors door and reported on anything they heard. Neighbors flat out lied saying they were at the house earlier and talking about my mothers state of mind, it was all lies but it was on the 11 o'clock news. A lot of what was said was hurtful to hear. I still don't get to this day why this story was newsworthy, the NY Times did a story about. People are fascinated with death. They talked about my dad for at least four days and he most certainly was not famous.

I don't think Whitney's addiction should overshadow her talent and be what she was remembered for. I don't mind the tributes but the details are too much. It doesn't matter how she died, it doesn't change the end result. A mother lost her daughter, a daughter lost her mother, loved ones lost a love one period, end of story. It's sad.

[liamsmom]

I'm not glad that she died but at least it gave a break in the GOP debates.

I grew up with her so, just like MJ, her songs bring back memories. As a mom I feel sad for her daughter and think of my own kids. Then because she was young it reminds me of my own immortality.

I remember when Princess Diane died and then shortly Mother Theresa died. There was more coverage of Princess Diane than there was of Mother Theresa.

:yeahthat: I was going to mention Diana, because that's (at least it seems to me) where media coverage over a celebrity's death became a non-stop free-for-all. I think that situation was a little different however. Mother Teresa was in her 80s and had health problems. I'm sure some media outlets already had her obituary written. Diana's death was a true surprise that no one saw coming.

I think part of the media blitz has to do with the timing of the Grammy's and it made perfect sense to honor her--she was literally an inspiration to a lot of the artists there. And there's something salacious about the details, how she died hours before she was suppose to perform, with her bodyguard in the next room, etc. (I've seen a lot of jokes about how Kevin Costner would have done a better job on FB.) It hasn't changed my life at all, but I won't not call it a tragedy. Poor Bobbi Kristina.

[g-mama]

When Etta James died I was truly heartsick. Most have listened to all of her music that we own for several solid days. And yeah, I posted to my Facebook! ;)

See now, I only ever knew one song of hers. And I am much older than you.

Whitney, though, was the soundtrack to my teen years. Every one of her songs reminds me of a specific phase in my life. I remember crying my eyes out to "Didn't We Almost Have It All?" when I broke up with my high school sweetheart. :rotflmao: I have a much more emotional reaction because of the time in my life when she was so vibrant and popular. I think that is a large part of the public mourning.

[amldaley]

I have to agree (I have not read all the replies...). I get she was very talented, beautiful, I feel awful for her poor daughter, but I don't need a full hour of news telling me that she died, she was talented, she was beautiful, and oh, how sad for her poor daughter. I really just wanted to watch the news, see what was going on in the world and if it was going to rain today. DH and I discussed it last night - he thinks we had more coverage here in the LA area because this is "Hollywood", and I think generally it all got more coverage because it coincided with the Grammy award coverage. But I'm sick of hearing about it. When I turn on the news, I want to hear NEWS. It will be news when they get the autopsy and toxicology report, it is news that her daughter was rushed to the hospital again, it is NOT news that she was talented and beautiful and had demons.

Thank you for articulating it far better than I did. This is **exactly** my sentiment.

[kijip]

See now, I only ever knew one song of hers. And I am much older than you.

Whitney, though, was the soundtrack to my teen years. Every one of her songs reminds me of a specific phase in my life. I remember crying my eyes out to "Didn't We Almost Have It All?" when I broke up with my high school sweetheart. :rotflmao: I have a much more emotional reaction because of the time in my life when she was so vibrant and popular. I think that is a large part of the public mourning.

:yeahthat:The age that you were when you discovered a particular music determines your attachment to it. Ages 14-16 are apparently when you form the biggest attachments to the music you listen to. I started listening to Etta James when I was a teenager (I was an odd teenager :hysterical:) I never listened to a lot of Whitney Houston, though I am familiar with her work. By the time I was a teenager though, Greatest Love of All was the cliche song you had to sing at your school choir concert. Like We Are The World, but different. :ROTFLMAO:

[wellyes]

It's like the coverage for Michael Jackson. A weeklong outpouring of love- more, sadly than he experienced in the last 20 years of his life. LOVE the point about her death being permission to look back fondly on the high points of a very strong career.


But my original point was that I could not ESCAPE the news coverage. I was seeking NEWS and every place I turned to was all about Whitney Houston.
I never, ever watch CNN or Fox News or any other TV magazine news show. They're not worth your time.

Would everyone be mourning her like this if she had died 5 or 6 years ago during her reality show phase when she was high as a kite, three sheets to the wind, tripping and traipsing around the world, spouting the unitelligible babble of an egotistical drug addict?

Gotta be honest, I assume the last 25 or so years of her life have been "drugs, rehab, comeback, drugs, rehab, comeback, drugs". It's all the same, really. She was a superstar, then a mess. Death any time in the "mess" phase is pretty much the same.

[kijip]

I never, ever watch CNN or Fox News or any other TV magazine news show. They're not worth your time.



:yeahthat:

If it is not Whitney Houston it is some other celeb dying or getting divorced or contrived political "scandal" or gruesome murder. News is not really found on most TV shows at all, regardless of who just died. And pretty much, most of the time, SOMEONE has died or a pretty white female has been killed or missing or they find a way to tack the word "gate" onto the end of some really not much of a deal political junk. No real politics or discourse. No real information. Infotainment.

[boilermakermom]

I couldn't agree more. Whitney's passing has been dominating the news since her passing. However, not much on the news about those who have passed in Syria. Sad.

[artvandalay]

Would everyone be mourning her like this if she had died 5 or 6 years ago during her reality show phase when she was high as a kite, three sheets to the wind, tripping and traipsing around the world, spouting the unitelligible babble of an egotistical drug addict?

Here's the thing... she was a mess right up until the very end. I had read this story right before she died.. it's what she looked like at a pre-grammy party:

First she first visited Brandy, Monica, and Clive Davis at rehearsals for the mogul's pre-Grammys party, where a Los Angeles Times (http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/music_blog/2012/02/whitney-houston-dead-erratic-behavior.html) reporter described her as reeking of alcohol, "visibly bloated," and "disheveled in mismatched clothes and hair that was dripping wet with either sweat or water." According to the Times, when Houston wasn't mugging and gesticulating wildly for Brandy and Monica — who were doing a media junket, as well as preparing a duet — she was alternately skipping around the lobby or "wandering aimlessly" around the Beverly Hills Hotel grounds. Reportedly, guests had even called security to report the singer doing handstands by the hotel pool.
Houston's Thursday was about to get worse… way worse. That evening, she attended a party headlined by Kelly Price at the Tru nightclub in Hollywood. As she exited, seeming intoxicated, photographers took close-ups of her legs (http://www.zimbio.com/Whitney+Houston/articles/cc5aMsAH9KV/Whitney+Houston+Nightclub+Pictures+2+Nights), which appeared to be spotted with blood streaks, along with scratches on her wrists.

taken from: http://music.yahoo.com/blogs/stop-the-presses/blood-sweat-dishevelment-whitney-houston-tumultuous-final-days-144148765.html

So bizarre... and sad. I had mentioned in the other Whitney post that when she died I was seeing a ton of comments on FB or articles saying, "Whitney died because of Bobby". That's not the case. Whitney died because of Whitney.

[AnnieW625]

It's like the coverage for Michael Jackson. A weeklong outpouring of love- more, sadly than he experienced in the last 20 years of his life. LOVE the point about her death being permission to look back fondly on the high points of a very strong career.
I felt the same way about Michael Jackson, and for the last years of his life wanted him to be able to an international super star again. I felt so sad for him because he was constantly the butt of people's jokes and these people were most likely the same fans who mourned him. Imagine if MJ had been able to go into the future and see the outpouring of support from his fans at his funeral and the months to come after his death. Even though his death has now been linked to the hands of someone else it makes me wonder if he could have turned his life around if he had the chance to see just that in the future. The same thing goes for Elvis, if Elvis had known how much he meant to his fans once he was dead I wonder if he would have tried to turn his life around in order to avoid turning his life upside down with drugs and letting himself deteriorate like he did.


I never, ever watch CNN or Fox News or any other TV magazine news show. They're not worth your time.
She was probably just watching the local news, it was all that was on last night, constant Whitney. It was on all five local news shows last night (ABC, CBS, NBC, FOX, and the CW) Sunday night news is usually just constant fluff around here so the producers and reports were probably very happy that they had something else to cover than twiddle their fingers until the weather report started.

[Kindra178]

Here's the thing... she was a mess right up until the very end. I had read this story right before she died.. it's what she looked like at a pre-grammy party:

First she first visited Brandy, Monica, and Clive Davis at rehearsals for the mogul's pre-Grammys party, where a Los Angeles Times (http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/music_blog/2012/02/whitney-houston-dead-erratic-behavior.html) reporter described her as reeking of alcohol, "visibly bloated," and "disheveled in mismatched clothes and hair that was dripping wet with either sweat or water." According to the Times, when Houston wasn't mugging and gesticulating wildly for Brandy and Monica — who were doing a media junket, as well as preparing a duet — she was alternately skipping around the lobby or "wandering aimlessly" around the Beverly Hills Hotel grounds. Reportedly, guests had even called security to report the singer doing handstands by the hotel pool.
Houston's Thursday was about to get worse… way worse. That evening, she attended a party headlined by Kelly Price at the Tru nightclub in Hollywood. As she exited, seeming intoxicated, photographers took close-ups of her legs (http://www.zimbio.com/Whitney+Houston/articles/cc5aMsAH9KV/Whitney+Houston+Nightclub+Pictures+2+Nights), which appeared to be spotted with blood streaks, along with scratches on her wrists.

taken from: http://music.yahoo.com/blogs/stop-the-presses/blood-sweat-dishevelment-whitney-houston-tumultuous-final-days-144148765.html

So bizarre... and sad. I had mentioned in the other Whitney post that when she died I was seeing a ton of comments on FB or articles saying, "Whitney died because of Bobby". That's not the case. Whitney died because of Whitney.

I don't think the wrist/forearm slashes are weird. It looks to me like an oven burn, like when you reach in and touch a hot surface by accident.

[KLD313]

I don't think the wrist/forearm slashes are weird. It looks to me like an oven burn, like when you reach in and touch a hot surface by accident.

Yes, i agree and not to be gross but Whitney has always been sweaty. Look at any of her live performances and you'll see her dripoing with sweat so that doesnt raise any red flags for me either.

[TwinFoxes]

She was probably just watching the local news, it was all that was on last night, constant Whitney. It was on all five local news shows last night (ABC, CBS, NBC, FOX, and the CW) Sunday night news is usually just constant fluff around here so the producers and reports were probably very happy that they had something else to cover than twiddle their fingers until the weather report started.

But you're in the LA market. Local LA news covers celebs like nowhere else...it's a company town. It's like Detroit stations covering the auto industry. I didn't find the coverage here in the DC metro area to be for a majority, or even that large of a chunk of the newscasts here.