PATTY JACKSON'S 4-1-1
WEEK ENDIING:February 17th, 2012

Did Whitney Houston have to die? As we continue to deal with the aftermath of the pop diva’s death at the age of 48, there are a lot of unanswered questions about her final days. Houston died at the Beverly Hills Hilton Hotel Grammy weekend, and prescription drugs were reportedly found in her hotel room. Did Houston die from a lethal combination of prescription drugs and alcohol? Houston had a history of alcohol and drug abuse. While she may have stopped using hard illegal drugs, sources fear she never stopped drinking and turned to prescription pills to deal with anxiety and stress. What went so wrong for one of the greatest singers in the world? Houston had the voice of an angel, but over the past 20 years battled a lot of demons. There was a lot of excitement over her new movie Sparkle. She looked great and appeared to be getting her life together. But, friends say once filming wrapped, she went back to her old ways. Who were the people in her life in her final days? Why did they let her continue to destroy herself? A lot of people in her circle are talking, but who would step in and stop the madness? Her mentor, Music Mogul Clive Davis, saw firsthand how out of control she was in the days leading up to his famous Grammy Awards Party. Cameras captured her strange behavior on the day she died. Davis held his party anyway, even though she was upstairs dead inside the Beverly Hills Hilton.

Houston leaves behind a family torn apart with a lot of bickering and finger pointing. Who could have saved Whitney Houston? Her last days were crazy, and the end result: she’s dead at the age of 48. A lot of criticism and blame has been aimed at her exhusband Bobby Brown. Brown, who has battled his own demons, cannot be blamed for her demise. They had a tumultuous relationship and marriage from 1992-2007. They had a daughter Bobbi Kris. The split wasn’t pleasant, and they both moved on with their lives. Their relationship was well chronicled in the reality show Being Bobby Brown. Brown is devastated. Over the past year, he has lost both his parents and now his ex-wife. He is going to have to be strong for his daughter, who needs him right now.
Brown is currently on tour with New Edition. Look for the leeches to come out of the woodwork to sell their stories about Houston. Those around her have a lot to say, but who could have stepped in to really help her? A lot of people who were close to her are feeling guilty, and wondering what they could have done to really help Whitney Houston. One of the greatest voices ever: she may be gone, but she’ll never be forgotten.

Filmmaker Tyler Perry took care of the arrangements to have Whitney Houston’s body flown back to New Jersey. The funeral service is set for this Saturday at Newark's New Hope Baptist Church, which holds about 1,500 people. As of press time the family has decided not to have a public memorial, but hold an invitation-only, private service. As a child, Houston sang in New Hope’s choir as did both her mother Cissy Houston and her cousin Dionne Warwick. The family is asking for any donations made in her memory go to The Whitney Houston Academy Of Creative And Performing Arts in East Orange, NJ. There was earlier talk in the media that ex-husband Bobby Brown was banned from the funeral but sources close to Brown deny those rumors. ABC News will air a special edition of 20/20: One Moment In Time: The Life Of Whitney Houston this Friday. Talk is already circulating about Houston’s estate. With her record sales and memorabilia expected to soar, Houston’s daughter Bobbi Kristina is expected to be receive some part of that financial benefit possibly near $10 million.

Is it cheaper to keep her? This is the question being asked by L.A. Lakers Star Kobe Bryant, who was seen kissing his soon to be ex-wife Vanessa. Vanessa filed for divorce in December, and it was agreed that she would get the three mansions, share custody of their two daughters and get half his fortune to the tune of $75 million. Their divorce was supposed to become final in June, but now they are on the brink of reconciling. Did somebody play Kobe that classic Johnnie Taylor song and get him to thinking?

Is Halle Berry trying to leave the country with her daughter Nahla? Berry says she wants to move to France for her safety. Berry has had to deal with stalkers. She wants to move with her boyfriend French Actor Olivier Martinez. The two are rumored to be engaged. Close friends believe Berry wants to sever the ties with her baby’s daddy Model Gabriel Aubry. Berry is locked into a bitter custody battle with Aubry. A judge recently ordered Berry, Aubry, and their three-year old daughter Nahla into therapy. Will a judge rule in her favor and let her leave the country with their child?

Samuel L. Jackson is the cover story for the new issue of Ebony magazine. In an explosive interview, he talks politics, The President, and he uses the N-word a lot.

Alicia Keys’ Broadway show Stick Fly is closing February 26th. The much hyped show, starring Mekhi Phifer and Dule Hill, will conclude its run only after only three months due to low ticket sales.

Get ready for Karate Kid II. Yes! It’s a sequel to the popular 2010 film which made $218 million. The movie stars Jaden Smith and Jackie Chan will be returning. The movie is in the early stages of development with Will and Jada Pinkett Smith producing. Jaden is currently filming the movie After Earth with his dad Will.

HBO is producing a new cable movie about Muhammad Ali. Muhammad Ali’s greatest fight details and his refusal to fight in the Vietnam War will be among his many life experiences chronicled.

Chad Ochocinco is going back to being Chad Johnson. Chad is changing his name back for his soon to be wife. The wide receiver for the New England Patriots is getting married to Basketball Wives Reality Star Evelyn Lozada. The wedding is supposed to happen in July. There is no word on whether VH1 will pick up their proposed reality show.

Get ready for the story of Full Force in a new book entitled Not Just A House Party. The story of Full Force is amazing. They recently had the highest rated episode of TV One’s UnSung with their show. I had no idea the guys did so much producing. They wrote for James Brown, Patti LaBelle, Samantha Fox, The Backstreet Boys, The Force M.D.s, U.T.F.O. and Lisa Lisa & Cult Jam.They were amazing and who could forget the hits Head To Toe; Roxanne, Roxanne; All Cried Out; I Wanna Have Some Fun; Static and Lost In Emotion. Full Force created such a great musical legacy. Shout out to Bow-Legged Lou, who is a regular reader of the 4-1-1. Love you Lou!

Congrats to Actress Nia Long! She married her baby’s daddy Basketball’s Ime Udoke. They recently eloped in Las Vegas. They are the proud parents of a baby boy, Kez Sunday, born late last year. Nia has an older son, Massai Zhivago, from a previous relationship.

Denzel Washington is set to star with Mark Wahlberg in the movie 2 Guns.

Jet magazine pays homage to Soul Train Creator and Host Don Cornelius in a special tribute issue. Cornelius was cremated in a private ceremony. He died earlier this month a victim of suicide.

I had a chance to talk with Cedric The Entertainer, and he’s gearing up for his new TV Land sitcom with Neicy Nash. The show about an R&B singer who becomes a preacher is set to debut later this year.

:::::: UNDERGROUND BUZZ ::::::

This young Singer is looking to have his comeback stay solid. His bad temper blew it for him before. After a big performance, did he let a twitter rant show fans those temper issues might still be a problem?