Whitney Houston

Magic Johnson didn't live up to his name Monday night, but he at least left open the possibility that he could."The Magic Hour," Johnson's syndicated entry into the evening talk-show wars, made its debut with two high-powered guests (Arnold Schwarzenegger and Whitney Houston), a guy who sets himself on fire (does the L.A. fire marshal know about this dude?), a sidekick who brought nothing to the party, a music director with enough wattage to light a small town and a host who's so effervescent and so likable, he may just be able to pull this off.But first, Johnson needs to work on some noticeable rough spots.

It's hard to be a diva without drama.When we listen to someone like Whitney Houston sing about love, we expect it to be larger-than-life love. Likewise, when she sings about sorrow and heartbreak, we want to come away feeling as if we've shared in the depths of her suffering. Because we know that, as a diva, she's had higher highs and lower lows than any of us.Trouble is, separating real-life troubles from something a songwriter made up can be really tricky -- especially for those fans who only know the stars through what they read in the gossip columns.

This could turn out to be one of those classic man-woman things: Do you watch a love story between Kevin Costner and Whitney Houston on ABC, or the Sports Illustrated swimsuit models on TNT?"

NEW YORK -- The media and those who rule the media seem to generate increasing amounts of news ink and air time, especially in the broadcasting and publishing capital of New York. But in the nationwide beauty pageant of newsstand sales, media titans were not even among the finalists last year.Time Warner Chairman Gerald Levin, whose every public utterance is covered by news organizations, was on the cover of Business Week's and Forbes' worst-selling issues in 1995.Michael Ovitz, then the omnipotent head of the Creative Artists Agency and now president of Walt Disney Co., graced the cover of Newsweek's second-worst-selling issue last year.

It has spawned two record albums, several hit songs, a World Wide Web site and a 35-city national tour. Tickets have been scalped for 10 times their face value. Audience members have shown up waving banners and wearing costumes, and during the show some have even fainted.But despite all this hoopla, the musical "Jekyll & Hyde" has had one of the longest and most unusual evolutions in pre-Broadway history. More than 16 years after the idea for the show dawned on composer Frank Wildhorn, the musical is finally approaching the Broadway finish line.

If it's true that your ears burn when they're talking about you somewhere, then the next several weeks will see a plague of fiery lobes visited upon the male side of the gender gulf.And maybe the ears won't be the only things that sting!Like, ouch! The film version of Terry McMillan's "Waiting toExhale" turns out to be colossally entertaining but darkly bitter. McMillan's chronicle of four middle-class African-American women and their hunt for a few good men is angry, corrosive and nasty.

Mrs. Onassis hospitalized for cancer treatmentJacqueline Kennedy Onassis was hospitalized for cancer treatment yesterday, a month after undergoing surgery for a bleeding ulcer."

One of the most aggravating things about the annual Grammy Awards ceremony is its presumption of excellence.Tune in to this year's broadcast (8 p.m., Tuesday on CBS), and what you'll see is a show ostensibly dedicated to celebrating the best in recorded music. Trouble is, "the best" quite frequently aren't even in the running. As a result, all the awards really represent is a sense of status quo in the recording industry.To be fair, things have been worse. In 1972, for instance, the Rolling Stones' "Exile on Main Street" did not make the cut for Album of the Year, although "Jesus Christ Superstar" and Neil Diamond's "Moods" did. In 1984, neither Van Halen's "Jump" nor Prince's "When Doves Cry" were candidates for Record of the Year, but Chicago's "Hard Habit to Break" -- remember that one?

Whitney Houston's soaring romantic ballad "I Will Always Love You" cleaned up at last week's Grammy Awards, dominated the 1993 pop music charts and helped turn the soundtrack of "The Bodyguard" into the most popular album of the year.Why, then, would repeated playings of "I Will Always Love You" provoke Joan Hall, 31, a mother of two, to storm up to her neighbors' apartment in Kenning ton, England, last fall and fling the stereo and speakers out the window and onto the street below?"It was driving us all up the wall," Ms. Hall told a local newspaper.

Anyone who listens to radio on a regular basis -- and these days most Americans do so only in their cars -- is aware of the sweeping changes that have occurred in program formats.Gone from most markets are the Percy Faith and Mantovani-flavored "beautiful music" stations which just two decades ago were the ratings leaders.The "urban adult" format -- anything from Diana Ross and Barry White to Whitney Houston -- is thriving, but stations featuring "contemporary hits" are declining rapidly.

David Copperfield sued for sexual assault A Seattle woman has sued magician David Copperfield, contending he sexually assaulted and threatened her while she was a guest on his private island in the Bahamas. Copperfield's lawyers, Angelo Calfo and Patty Eakes, deny the allegations and say the lawsuit is "extortion for money, plain and simple." No criminal charges have been filed. The Seattle Times describes the woman as a 22-year-old fashion model and former Miss Washington USA contestant.

Despite being kicked off American Idol during Season 3, Jennifer Hudson has become one of the most celebrated performers of her generation. The Chicago native's ascension to pop superstardom has been nothing short of meteoric. Her first acting turn, a memorable performance in Dreamgirls, won her an Academy Award for best supporting actress. Her first album, a sometimes-vibrant but mostly spotty self-titled effort, earned a Grammy. Her first tour, which stops at the Lyric Opera House on April 4, has been packing venues across the country.

Poised and elegant in a satiny, pearl-colored gown, it looked as though Lakisha Jones was ready to receive her diva crown. And on last week's American Idol -- whose special guest was pop's ultimate diva, Diana Ross -- the Fort Meade resident's performance matched her regal presence. Jones turned out a soulful rendition of "God Bless the Child," the Billie Holiday classic that Ross crooned in the 1972 film Lady Sings the Blues. So far, Jones, 27, has nailed every Idol performance, imposing her gospel-seared style onto sweeping ballads made popular by Whitney Houston (1992's "I Have Nothing")

The 18 seniors who made it to the final round of the Maryland Senior Idol competition yesterday brought the sounds of Sinatra, Nat King Cole and Ray Charles to life. They sang golden oldies, country and pop, and had the audience at the Chesapeake Arts Center in Brooklyn Park applauding, cheering and at times, teary. One contestant was dressed like Liberace. Another trilled like Whitney Houston and a few swayed like Elvis in the event loosely patterned after the popular Fox TV show American Idol.

WASHINGTON -- It's sad that Bobby Brown and Whitney Houston have decided to separate after 14 years of marriage, which sounds like a lifetime compared with most celebrity hookups. I only hope Mr. Brown didn't run out on irrational fear that Osama bin Laden might whack him. I have no inside information as to why the two crooners want to untie the knot. I'm just trying to connect the dots. The final days of their relationship coincide roughly with a report that the leader of al-Qaida once had a major crush on Ms. Houston.

This time around, Heather Headley wasn't afraid to say, "You know, I'm not feeling this. Let's change it." While recording her sophomore album In My Mind, the follow-up to her gold-selling 2002 debut, This Is Who I Am, the pop-R&B singer made sure the material reflected her more. The solid, 12-cut CD hits stores Jan. 31. "I really wanted to be more involved," says Headley, who's calling from a promotional stop in New York City. "I needed my hands in there. ... I felt like I could fight a little more about what songs I really wanted.

In the News Travolta rumored to be dame Edna in `Hairspray' John Travolta just may be Edna Turnblad in the new movie version of Hairspray, reports Variety, trade paper for the entertainment industry. New Line studio did not confirm the Travolta choice, and it is unlikely that any casting will be firmed up before screenwriter Leslie Dixon finishes polishing her script. Hairspray is expected but not confirmed to go before the cameras in September. Harvey Fierstein played the Baltimore housewife in John Waters' musical on Broadway.

VIERA, Fla. - Hall of Famer Frank Robinson knows something about being over the hill. There were people who thought he was past his prime when he was traded to the Orioles for pitcher Milt Pappas before the 1966 season. He was 30, and turning 30 was considered the beginning of the end for a ballplayer in those days. Of course, we all know what happened after that. Robinson won the Triple Crown in his first season with the Orioles, and the team won its first World Series title. He would be the centerpiece of one of the dominant American League teams of his generation for several more years and remain an effective player until he was 40. Why is this relevant?

AMONG the litany of colorful characterizations used to describe Sammy Sosa - "con artist" taking top honor - one tragic flaw has been woefully underreported: The irrepressible Sosa was blaring Whitney Houston when a Cubs teammate took a bat to the clubhouse boom box. Whitney Houston? What, Sosa's Mariah Carey CD was too scratched? With stiffer drug-testing penalties now for major league ballplayers, let's hope Sosa has sworn off Whitney's warblings, too. Otherwise, more trouble could lurk for the slugger inside the Orioles clubhouse, where music isn't an issue, unless it's Sidney Ponson's day to pitch.

CHICAGO - If you want to know the deeper reason why Sammy Sosa no longer will be with us, it's because he loved himself to death. When a player corks his bat, as Sosa did in 2003, it's because he thinks he can get a competitive edge. But for Sosa, it was much more than that. It was that he lived for the home run, for the manliest, most individual, most American thing in all of sports. The corking was a selfish act by a man who put those home runs ahead of everything and everybody else.