My Publicist Note Book

From meeting Bobby Brown to crack-fueled crack-ups, the scenes that made us well.... "Whitney," starring Yaya Costa as Houston, centers on the singer's life with her husband of 14 years, Bobby Brown. It begins in 1989, the year that they met, and ends shortly after the birth of their only child together, Bobbi Kristina, in 1993. However, that leaves plenty of time for drama: Yaya DaCosta as “Whitney Houston” in the new Lifetime original movie 'Whitney,' premiered Saturday, January 17th, 2015.  There's an excellent reason "Directed by Angela Bassett" is plastered all over the ads for Lifetime's Whitney Houston biopic — entitled, simply,  Whitney  — and the reason is Aaliyah. Bassett is the network's way of saying, "We're sorry. We promise we won't screw things up like when we let Wendy Williams do that Aaliyah flick. This one will be all about Quality. This time we're bringing in an Oscar-nominated Hollywood le...

Yaya DaCosta, who made her television debut in Cycle 3 of "America's Next Top Model," has been cast to play Whitney Houston in Lifetime's upcoming biopic. The Brown graduate (as she frequently reminded us on the show) has made a name for herself since taking second place in the modeling competition, nabbing acting roles in "All My Children," "Ugly Betty," "House" and even "Lee Daniel's The Butler."  Lifetime previously announced that Oscar winner Angela Bassett (who appeared most recently in "American Horror Story") will direct the film about the pop star, who died two years ago at 48. Lifetime's project will focus on Houston's tumultuous relationship with the model, singer, and songwriter Bobby Brown, which continued throughout much of her career. "Whitney Houston" (working title) marks Bassett's first directorial debut and is scheduled to premiere in 2015. Basset co-starred with Houst...