Whitney | |
---|---|
Genre | Biographical drama |
Based on | Whitney Houston and Bobby Brown |
Written by | Shem Bitterman |
Directed by | Angela Bassett |
Starring | Yaya DaCosta Arlen Escarpeta Yolonda Ross Suzzanne Douglas |
Theme music composer | RedOne Wuff Dan Sundquist Travon Potts |
Country of origin | United States |
Original language | English |
Production | |
Producers | Larry Sanitsky Kyle A. Clark Lina Wong |
Cinematography | Anastas N. Michos |
Editor | Richard Comeau |
Running time | 88 mins |
Distributor | Lifetime Television |
Release | |
Original release |
Arlen Escarpeta, Actor: The Oath. Arlen Escarpeta was born in Belize, Central America as Arlen Alexander Escarpeta. He is known for his work on Whitney (TV Movie) (2015), Final Destination 5 (2011), Into the Storm (2014) and Friday the 13th (2009). Dec 05, 2014 Thank you, Buzzfeed. Source: http://www.buzzfeed.com/jarettwieselman/whitney-houston-lifetime-movie-trailer. The Lifetime movie 'Whitney Houston,' which is currently a working title, reunites the actress with executive producer Larry Sanitsky and screenwriter Shem Bitterman, who worked with her on the.
Whitney Houston Lifetime Movie 2015
Whitney is a 2015 American biographical film directed by Angela Bassett based on American recording artist Whitney Houston and her turbulent marriage to R&B artist Bobby Brown that premiered on Lifetime in North America on January 17, 2015.[1]Whitney received mixed reviews from critics, with praise going to DaCosta's performance as Houston and Bassett's direction of the film but criticism of Escarpeta's casting and the film's accuracy.
The movie stars Yaya DaCosta as Houston, Arlen Escarpeta as Brown and Yolonda Ross as Houston's longtime friend and road manager Robyn Crawford. Whitney is set in a period of five years (1989–1994) when Houston was catapulted in the worldwide success of her film debut The Bodyguard and its subsequent soundtrack. Filming took 20 days to shoot and was primarily filmed in Los Angeles and Santa Clarita, California.
Canadian R&B singer Deborah Cox performs all of Houston's vocals in the film, including 'I Will Always Love You', 'I'm Your Baby Tonight', 'I'm Every Woman', 'Jesus Loves Me' and 'The Greatest Love of All'. In addition, songwriting/production team The Jackie Boyz performed Brown's vocals for 'Every Little Step' in the Soul Train Awards scene.
Synopsis[edit]
Whitney Houston Lifetime Movie Reviews
In 1989, Whitney Houston (Yaya DaCosta) is a worldwide phenomenon and household name with two highly successful self-titled albums under her belt. She attends the 3rd Annual Soul Train Awards with her high school friend and road manager Robyn (Yolonda Ross), who is a lesbian. During a category in which Houston's name is booed by the audience, she later performs at the ceremony. It is here that she meets fellow R&B singer Bobby Brown and they begin a courtship shortly after, due to her being impressed with Brown's performance of 'Every Little Step'. In August 1989, Whitney invites Bobby to her lavish 26th birthday celebration, where Bobby discovers Whitney abusing cocaine.
Whitney begins recording her third album I'm Your Baby Tonight (1990), the relationship between her and Brown continues to blossom consistently, leading to a sexual relationship between the two. Unbeknownst to her, Brown is in a relationship with his girlfriend Kim, who had just given birth to his daughter. Just as Houston discovers this, she is left heartbroken and infuriated. Bobby later severs ties with Kim, and Whitney later manages to pull through and persevere in the already hectic relationship. Sometime later, Brown is unable to replicate the success of his album Don't Be Cruel, as his record label wants him to record a greatest hits compilation.
Whitney and Bobby continue to date for a number of years, with Brown proposing to her by late 1991, and the two are married by the summer of 1992. It is around this time that Houston is hand picked by Kevin Costner to star in what will become her film debut The Bodyguard. Houston is reluctant at first, but is encouraged to film by her husband Bobby. While on the set of The Bodyguard, Houston suffers a miscarriage, causing her to become very sickly. Cissy visits and persuades Whitney to leave Bobby, but Whitney refuses.
Whitney struggles to keep up with fame and placate Bobby, whose career has taken a back seat to hers, as she continues to dabble with drug use after the birth of their daughter Bobbi Kristina. Soon after, The Bodyguard and its subsequent soundtrack becomes a massive success, leading Whitney to go on an international tour for nearly two years.
The pressure continues to grow for both Whitney and Bobby, primarily Whitney, who continues to abuse drugs at the height of her stardom. Bobby deals with his situation similarly after losing his childhood friend Steve in gun violence.
Critical reception[edit]
Whitney has received mixed-to-positive reviews from critics and holds a 62% approval (certified 'fresh') rating on Rotten Tomatoes.[2] On Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the film received an average score of 54, which indicates 'mixed or average' reviews, based on 17 reviews.[3]
Cast[edit]
- Yaya DaCosta as Whitney Houston
- Arlen Escarpeta as Bobby Brown
- Yolonda Ross as Robyn Crawford
- Suzzanne Douglas as Cissy Houston
- Mark Rolston as Clive Davis
- Wesley Jonathan as Babyface
- Reign Morton as Eddie Murphy
- Nafessa Williams as Kim
- James A. Watson, Jr. as John Houston
- Deborah Lacey as Dionne Warwick (credited as 'Award Presenter')
- Cornelius Smith Jr. as Michael Houston
- Tongayi Chirisa as Gary Houston
- Billy 'Sly' Williams as Pastor Marvin Winans
- Saundra McClain as Aunt Bae
- Deborah Joy Winans as CeCe Winans
- Timothy Bowman Jr. as BeBe Winans
- Hampton Fluker as Steve
References[edit]
- ^'First-Time Director Angela Bassett Defends Her Whitney Houston Biopic - ABC News'. abcnews.go.com. Retrieved 2015-02-14.
- ^[1]
- ^[2]
External links[edit]
- Whitney on IMDb
LIFETIME ANNOUNCES MOVIE AND DOCUMENTARY EVENTS FOR WINTER 2021 WITH THE THREE-HOUR SALT-N-PEPA BIOPIC AND INTERVIEW SPECIAL HOSTED BY LONI LOVE PREMIERING JANUARY 23, WENDY WILLIAMS: THE MOVIE AND THE WENDY WILLIAMS STORY... WHAT A MESS! DOCUMENTARY, DEBUTING JANUARY 30 AND WHITNEY & BOBBI DOCUMENTARY, SET FOR FEBRUARY 6
LOS ANGELES, CA (Nov 24, 2020) - Lifetime unveils airdates for two all-new authorized biopics and three new documentaries centered on some of the most iconic women in pop culture history - Salt-N-Pepa, Wendy Williams and Whitney Houston, airing on three-consecutive Saturdays to heat up Winter 2021. The three-hour Lifetime original movie Salt-N-Pepa, about the groundbreaking hip hop duo, premieres Saturday, January 23 at 8 pm ET/PT, followed by the documentary Salt-N-Pepa Interview Special, hosted by Emmy(R) and NAACP award winning, Loni Love (The Real, Café Mocha, Bridezillas) and featuring exclusive interviews with Salt-N-Pepa, airing immediately after the biopic, at 11 pm. Wendy Williams: The Movie, the first biopic about outspoken television host Wendy Williams, premieres Saturday, January 30 at 8 pm ET/PT, accompanied by the documentary The Wendy Williams Story... What a Mess!, featuring a raw and emotional interview with Wendy, airing at 10 pm. And finally, the new documentary, Whitney & Bobbi, about the heartbreaking parallel lives and ultimate fates of pop legend Whitney Houston and daughter Bobbi Kristina, premieres Saturday, February 6 at 10 pm ET/PT.
SALT-N-PEPA - JANUARY 23 - 8PM
Salt-N-Pepa details the journey of Queensborough Community College students Cheryl 'Salt' James and Sandra 'Pepa' Denton as they enter the world of rap and hip hop, after recording a song for their friend Hurby Azor. Salt-N-Pepa made a huge impact as one of the first all-female rap groups, changing the look of hip hop and being unafraid to talk about sex and share their thoughts on men. The movie follows the group as they become the first female rap act to go platinum and experience ground-breaking success with multiple awards, including a Grammy award - paving the way for all female rappers to follow. The film will feature performances of Salt-N-Pepa's greatest hits, including: 'Let's Talk About Sex', 'What a Man', 'Shoop' and 'Push It'. The movie stars GG Townson as Cheryl 'Salt' James, Laila Odom as Sandra 'Pepa' Denton, Cleveland Berto as music producer 'Hurby Azor,' Jermel Howard as rapper 'Treach' and Monique Paul as 'DJ Spinderella.' Salt-N-Pepa is produced by Sony Pictures Television and directed by Mario Van Peebles (New Jack City, Baadasssss!) from a script by Abdul Williams (The Bobby Brown Story, The New Edition Story). Robert Teitel (The Hate U Give, Barbershop Franchise) from State Street Pictures serves as executive producer. The biopic is also executive produced by Cheryl James, Sandra Denton, Shakim Compere and Queen Latifah and is co-executive produced by Hurby Azor. Sebastian Dungan serves as the Lifetime executive in charge of production.
SALT-N-PEPA INTERVIEW SPECIAL - JANUARY 23 - 11PM
After 35 years, the reigning Queens of Hip Hop are still going strong. Salt-n-Pepa sit down for a fun and intimate discussion about what makes their iconic partnership work, how these two very different personalities find the delicate balance to keep it going, and how their pioneering style continues to influence the music world today. Hosted by Loni Love, the special is packed with never-before heard stories about their lives and careers and share exclusive BTS footage, with a few surprises and special guests along the way! Salt-N-Pepa Interview Special is produced by A&E Originals with Ted Butler as executive producer.
WENDY WILLIAMS: THE MOVIE - JANUARY 30 - 8PM
Talk show host Wendy Williams executive produces the biopic on her life, revealing the highs and lows she has experienced throughout the years. Wendy has made herself the go-to source for great celebrity dish on her hit talk show, The Wendy Williams Show, but recently the spotlight has turned towards her. The authorized project provides a revealing look at Wendy's journey, from her scrappy upstart days in urban radio to the success of her own syndicated talk show. Despite all the naysayers and obstacles Wendy encountered throughout her life, her strength and determination have allowed her to thrive. Ciera Payton takes on the lead role while Morocco Omari stars as Wendy's ex-husband Kevin Hunter. Produced by Front Street for Lifetime and executive produced by Wendy Williams, Will Packer and Sheila Ducksworth. Darren Grant directs from a script written by Leigh Davenport and Scarlett Lacey.
THE WENDY WILLIAMS STORY... WHAT A MESS! - JANUARY 30 - 10PM
In this feature length documentary, Wendy Williams, the self-anointed Queen of all Media, sheds her private persona and speaks directly to the camera, discussing every inch of joy and humiliation she has experienced since childhood. From her apartment in Manhattan, we're with Wendy during the course of her divorce, as she deals with being a 'Hot Topic' and finds a way to right her ship again. It's a raw, no holds barred look with never-before heard truths about Wendy's notorious feuds with celebrities, her shocking divorce, her childhood and the private darkness she has endured. This is the story of a self-made woman who finds herself at the start of a new life, uncertain of the future, but ready to reclaim her crown. The documentary is produced by eOne and Creature Films for Lifetime. Executive producers include Wendy Williams, Tara Long, Mark Ford, Kevin Lopez, Sarah Girgis and Joie Jacoby. Brie Miranda Bryant and Gena McCarthy serve as executive producers for Lifetime.
WHITNEY & BOBBI - FEBRUARY 6 - 8PM
The two-hour documentary presents an in-depth look at the parallel lives of renowned singer Whitney Houston and her daughter Bobbi Kristina. Both faced similar struggles and turned to drugs and alcohol for relief from the pressures of being in the spotlight, before leaving the earth in the same tragic way. In a candid look at the ups and downs of their personal stories, and a celebration of their lives, Whitney and Bobbi offers intimate conversations with the friends and family that were closest to them. Whitney & Bobbi is produced by Entertainment One and Creature Films for Lifetime. Executive producers include Tara Long, Shawna Foster, Madison Merritt, Mark Ford, Kevin Lopez from eOne and Creature Films and Brandi Burnside-Boyd. Brie Miranda Bryant and Gena McCarthy serve as executive producers for Lifetime.
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