We’ll always love Whitney

“If I should stay, I would only be in your way. So I’ll go but I know I’ll think of you every step of the way.”

— I Will Always Love You, Whitney Houston

MANILA, Philippines - Late pop diva Whitney Houston’s name has resurfaced, but not just to mark her demise exactly three years ago yesterday, Feb. 11.

As of presstime, only daughter Bobbi Kristina is in a medically-induced coma after being found unconscious and face down in her Georgia home bathtub.

In an eerie parallel, Whitney was also found unresponsive in a bathtub at her Beverly Hotel room hotel just prior to the Grammy Awards she was set to appear in. Official findings indicated that the singer died of accidental drowning exacerbated by drugs in her system such traces of cocaine, marijuana, Benadryl and Xanax.

In time to commemorate Whitney’s passing, entertainment channel Lifetime releases a special tribute to the her, the Guinness World Record holder as the Most Awarded Female Act of All Time. The one-hour Lifetime Original Movie, titled Whitney, chronicles the success of the diva while revealing the personal struggles in her marriage and addiction. When Whitney premiered in the United States last month, 4.5 million viewers tuned in — making it the most-watched telecast for the channel across all demographics since Flowers in the Attic.

The tribute looks back at the success Whitney enjoyed and offers a look at her personal life, including her tempestuous marriage to singer Bobby Brown. Young actress Yaya DaCosta (The Kids Are Alright) plays Whitney and is partnered on-screen with Arlen Escarpeta (Final Destination 5, Star Trek into Darkness) as Bobby Brown. Suzanne Douglas appears as Cissy Houston while Whitney’s vocal performances were interpreted by Grammy nominee Deborah Cox.

However, not everyone was impressed by the Lifetime depiction. Ahead of its showing, the Houstons issued a statement on WhitneyHouston.com. Patricia Houston, married to Whitney’s brother Gary, warned fans: “If you watch this movie, watch it knowing that Lifetime is notorious for making bad biopics of deceased celebrities, and brace yourself for the worst.”

The Philippine STAR recently corresponded with Whitney director Angela Bassett via e-mail through Lifetime. When asked to comment about the negative feedback from the Houstons, the channel opted not to respond to questions.

But Bassett shared what she knew about Whitney — her co-star in the movie Waiting to Exhale. “She loved her daughter Bobby Kristina, she loved her family, she loved her God, she loved her man,” she began. “She loved singing for her fans, she loved singing. Magnificent talent, gone much too soon and all of our hearts were broken.”

Bassett was originally asked by the film’s producer to suggest names of possible directors for the film. She wondered aloud if she could be able to direct it. “It would be an interesting project and she certainly was a beautiful woman.” A couple of days later, she got the call — and the go signal to direct.

A Golden Globe Best Actress awardee herself, Bassett asked to read the script to see if it would “degrade the memory of Whitney.” “(If it did), it would be something I wouldn’t be interested in at all. It would be easy for me to say no and walk away… It wasn’t my desire, as an African-American woman, to degrade in cinema, in celluloid, the image of another African-American woman. Of you know, someone who was immensely talented and gifted.

“So I read it, and I found that it was even-handed. It was a love story between her and one of the most significant people in her life, the father of her child. Her one and only husband… there was a lot of energy that came against them from the public. Not just from their family, and from people who knew them, but from strangers – from fans!”

Bassett handpicked her old friend Cox to sing some of Whitney’s hits in the film, including The Greatest Love of All, I’m Every Woman, and I Will Always Love You. “In production, I know that this was going to be the make-or-break part, because I could not imagine that we would be able to find an actress that would resemble Whitney enough. We asked our musical supervisor how difficult would it be to find someone who could mimic these songs… and he says Deborah Cox. I say, ‘Stop right there. I know Deborah Cox. Deborah Cox is a friend of mine. I am going to call Deborah Cox right now.’ She came to Los Angeles two weeks later, and she did a magnificent job. Magnificent! She sang those songs, and I could not imagine this project without her.”

For her directorial debut, Bassett researched more about Whitney, who she describes as a “very spiritual person” who often spoke about singing her first solo in church where her mother was choir mistress. “When it’s all been said and done…the most importing thing is love,” she notes about what she hopes viewers can take away from the film, “For yourself, for your family, for mankind and for your God…the most important thing is love… you know it just comes to you later.”

A special, titled Remembering Whitney, will be shown prior to the movie. The first hour of the tribute will show archival footage of performances and interviews while hearing from the family of the superstar. Fans will know more about the celebrity’s rise to fame, career milestones and deeply personal encounters from Whitney’s brother Gary, mother and gospel singer Cissy, manager and sister-in-law Pat Houston and daughter Bobbi.

After watching Whitney though, one could understand why the family would take umbrage at the bio-pic. Whitney and Bobby are depicted snorting cocaine — almost matter-of-factly at times.

Still, while Whitney loved the music and career, it seems that she would have chucked it all away for her only daughter. Famous record producer and music industry executive Clive Davis, Whitney’s famous handler, had to appeal to Bobby to get the singer to tour in support of the Bodyguard soundtrack.

But the downward spiral for Whitney and Bobby is abrupt as it is predictable — fueled by a cocktail of drugs, envy and jealousy. Thankfully, the movie spares us from her much-too-public demise, and instead regales us with a fleeting farewell of our Whitney, resplendent in a white gown, singing I Will Always Love You.

Towards the film’s end, Bobby and Whitney are distraught by what has happened to their relationship. “This was supposed to be forever. I love you,” he says to her in desperation.

It was forever.