Entertainment
Family Absent from Premiere of Houston Biopic
Actress Angela Bassett, second from left, making her directorial debut with the Lifetime film “Whitney,” poses with cast members, left to right, Suzzanne Douglas, Arlen Escarpeta, Yaya DaCosta and Yolonda Ross at the premiere of the film at the Paley Center for Media on Tuesday, Jan. 6, 2015, in Beverly Hills, Calif. (Photo by Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP)
MIKE CIDONI LENNOX, AP Entertainment Writer
BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. (AP) — Colleagues and friends of Whitney Houston gathered Tuesday night to screen “Whitney,” a new telefilm about the beloved entertainer’s triumphant career, often troubled life and tragic death.
But Houston’s family was conspicuously absent from the premiere, which took place at the Paley Center for Media, located just blocks away from The Beverly Hilton hotel, where the 48-year-old Houston drowned in her guest room in February 2012. The official coroner’s report listed heart disease and cocaine as contributing factors in her death.
Relatives were invited to participate in the “Whitney” project from the start, explained Angela Bassett, the Oscar-nominated actress marking her feature-directing debut with the biopic, which debuts Jan. 17 on the Lifetime cable network.
“And it was the family’s choice and decision, because of what they want to do and whatever their desires or their plans are, not to be involved in this one,” Bassett said. “But they didn’t have anything negative to say about it. You know, sometimes to be silent is the greatest gift.”
And at least the family could breathe a bit easier knowing Bassett was at the helm. The “Whitney” director and Houston worked closely during production and promotion of the 1994 big-screen drama “Waiting to Exhale,” and Bassett expressed fond memories of her co-star.
“To have had that experience of being around her,” noted Bassett, “all that came back to serve me in the making of this.”
Nevertheless, without the family’s blessing, the “Whitney” production was not allowed to use Houston’s original recordings. So, to deliver something approximating Houston’s remarkable voice, Bassett hired singer Deborah Cox, Houston’s one-time label mate, recording partner and long-time friend.
Cox took the gig, even if it was destined to be a thankless one.
“I knew I would be judged,” Cox said, with a smile. “Everyone was going to come for me. Don’t. I come with love.”
As did actress Yaya DaCosta (“Lee Daniels’ The Butler”), who said she took on the role of Houston concerned about just one critic: Houston herself.
“When we were on set, that’s all I thought about: ‘I don’t really care what any living person thinks. I want to make her proud,'” DaCosta recalled. “And that, for me, is all I needed to be O.K. with this project.”
___
Online:
www.mylifetime.com/movies/whitney
Follow Mike Cidoni Lennox at www.twitter.com/CidoniLennox
Copyright 2015 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Activism
Oakland Post: Week of September 9 – 15, 2026
The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of September 9 – 15, 2026
To enlarge your view of this issue, use the slider, magnifying glass icon or full page icon in the lower right corner of the browser window.
Activism
Oakland Post: Week of September 2 – 8, 2026
The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of September 2 – 8, 2026
To enlarge your view of this issue, use the slider, magnifying glass icon or full page icon in the lower right corner of the browser window.
Black History
Jackie Wright Champions Bay Area Stories, Filmmakers and Cultural Institutions
As an award-winning communications professional, Wright has worked with corporations, nonprofits, government agencies, educational institutions, artists, and community organizations. In 2026, she expanded that work by launching an introductory public relations class for small businesses and nonprofits, offering practical tools for gaining visibility, shaping messages and building productive relationships with the media.
Jackie Wright has spent more than two decades helping people, organizations and communities understand the power of a well-told story.
As founder and president of Wright Enterprises, a San Francisco-based strategic communications and public affairs firm, Wright has built a career spanning journalism, public relations, media relations, crisis communications, community engagement and multimedia storytelling.
As an award-winning communications professional, Wright has worked with corporations, nonprofits, government agencies, educational institutions, artists, and community organizations. In 2026, she expanded that work by launching an introductory public relations class for small businesses and nonprofits, offering practical tools for gaining visibility, shaping messages and building productive relationships with the media.
Wright’s commitment to storytelling is also deeply personal. She wrote and co-directed the 15-minute documentary, “Love Separated in Life…Love Reunited in Honor,” which chronicles the story of her parents, Specialist Five (S5 Wyley Wright Jr. and Ouida Fay McClendon Wright. Her father, a U.S. Army helicopter crew chief, died in Vietnam in 1964 while serving as an honor guard during a visit by then-Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara. Decades later, Wright and her siblings had their father exhumed from a segregated cemetery in Jacksonville, Florida, and their mother moved from her burial place in Georgia so the couple could be reunited at Arlington National Cemetery in 2014.
The family journey later took Wright and her sister to Vietnam, where they discovered the former military compound that had been named in honor of their father and another fallen soldier. The documentary, centered on love, war, family, racial understanding, and remembrance, earned festival recognition at screenings.
“It was quite an honor to learn about my family’s history and share it on film,” said Wright.
That filmmaking experience complements Wright’s longstanding advocacy for independent cinema. She has served as a media partner and brand ambassador for Bay Area film festivals, including the San Francisco Black Film Festival, Oakland International Film Festival, and the Durban International Film Festival in South Africa.
“It’s important to help filmmakers and underrepresented stories reach broader audiences,” said Wright.
Whether promoting a neighborhood organization, championing an independent filmmaker or preserving her own family history, Wright has remained consistent. Through Wright Enterprises, she has turned communications into both a profession and a form of community service, telling stories that might otherwise go unheard.
“Our stories are an integral part of our history, and our history is not only American history, but worldwide,” she said.
Port of Oakland, Army Corps Sign Historic Harbor Design Agreement
Democratic Clubs Interview Candidates for Oakland School Board
Nuna Phillips-McKee Celebrates 100 Years: ‘A Century of Faith, Family and God’s Amazing Grace!’
D.A. Ursula Jones Dickson: Terminix to Pay $3.15 Million Over Illegal Disposal of Pesticides, Customer Records
REPORT: Community Level Policy Is Impacting Homelessness and Drug Abuse in California
OPINION: AI Needs to Know Who Is the Boss
Goldi-Locs and Two (or Three) Bears in the Forest in California Hills
Election Watch 2026: 85% of Eligible Voters in California Are Registered
Don’t Let scammers Crash Your School Year
BOOK REVIEW — Curved Air: A Biography of Sickle Cell Anemia and the Quest to Cure the First Molecular Disease
California’s Legal Cannabis Market Hits $8 Billion as State Touts Progress on Fighting Drugs, Crime
Blacks and Latinos Clash Over LA’s Barrio Run; Mayor Karen Bass Calls for Dialogue Across Racial, Neighborhood Lines
Asm. Smallwood-Cuevas’s Bill Repealing ‘Racist’ CalWORKs ‘Man-in-the-House’ Rule Clears Legislature
Asm. Smallwood-Cuevas’s Bill Repealing ‘Racist’ CalWORKs ‘Man-in-the-House’ Rule Clears Legislature
‘Ready to See These Bills Become Law’: Sen. Weber’s Package of 15 Bills Advance to Gov. Newsom’s Desk
Department of Homeland Security Demands California Secretary of State Shirley N. Weber Scrub Voter Rolls
“The Power to See Threats Sooner”: Gov. Newsom, Safety Officials Showcase California’s Investments in Hi-Tech Wildfire Prevention
Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. Celebrates New North Atlantic Regional Director
California Sen. Padilla Joins Colleagues to Introduce Bill Imposing Term Limits on Supreme Court Justices
Less Affluent School Districts, Including Sacramento City, Face Threat of State Takeover
Car Wash Workers Cope with Lingering Impacts of ICE Raids
ESSAY: California Can Close Its Colorectal Cancer Gap
Oakland Post: Week of August 5 – 11, 2026
As Part of Your Back-to- School Checklist, Vaccinate
Oakland ‘Port Serves as a Powerful Engine for Good Jobs and Economic Development
Gov. Newsom Signs New Affordable Housing Legislation
Gov. Newsom Announces $109.6 Million in Funding for 278 Supportive Homes in Bakersfield, Contra Costa, Sacramento and Fresno
California Hispanic Chambers of Commerce Unveils: ‘Powering the Future’ Theme for 47th Annual Statewide Convention
Closing the Gap: What the Data and Frontline Experiences Reveal About Cancer in Black California
Congresswoman Simon Demands Investigation into Trump’s Abuse of Emergency Powers for Coal Export Terminal in West Oakland
The Conversation With Al McFarlane 6/23/26
Media Monday 6/22/26
LIVE! ASK ALMA! — TUES. 6.23.26 7PM EST
Car Buying Secrets: 4 Hidden Checks Before You Sign!
Is This 550 HP Charger Worth YOUR Money? AutoNetwork Review
Celebrating Juneteenth – Frederick Douglass on education and resistance
LIVE! — ASK ALMA! — TUES. 6.19.26 7PM EST
Hyundai Ioniq 5 Parking, Safety, and 360 View #shorts
2025 Ioniq 5 New Wiper & Powerful Performance! #shorts
Electric SUV Range: Is 259 Miles Enough? #shorts
EV Charging: How Fast Can You Charge an Electric Vehicle? #shorts
Biometric Cooling… Messaging Seats…Come on! 2025 Infiniti QX80 Autograph 4WD
Charged Up: Witness the Magic of a Fully Electric Car! #shorts
Range Rover Sport PHEV Included…: See What’s Inside This Luxury SUV! #shorts
Invisible Hood View: Perfect Parking with X-Ray Vision! #shorts
-
Commentary2 weeks agoStandoff for Justice: Our Homes Are Worth Fighting For
-
Business2 weeks agoGubernatorial Candidate Steve Hilton Blasts California New Tire Rules; Newsom Hits Back
-
Activism2 weeks agoOakland Post: Week of August 26 – September 1, 2026
-
Education2 weeks agoGov. Newsom’s Latest Appointees Include Sacramento Advocate for Formerly Incarcerated Students; State’s New Tech Chief
-
Business2 weeks agoFrontier Airlines’ Return to Oakland Airport Brings Flights, Jobs and Opportunity
-
Business2 weeks agoOakland Coliseum Project Opens Door for Small Businesses to Build Bigger
-
Community2 weeks agoBig City Mayors Ask for “Yes” Vote on Housing Bond Measure; Conservatives Say “No”
-
Business2 weeks agoChef Sharon Lee Blends Culinary Excellence, Education and Empowerment
