Gawker: defamer, brandy

Did ABC Digitally 'Sweeten' Whitney Houston's Disastrous GMA Performance?

Andrew Belonsky — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 10:30:27 EDT

Don't blame the Good Morning America producers for Whitney Houston's creaky voice this morning. A tipster says they went to extreme measures, including digital "sweetening," to rescue what was supposed to be the singer's comeback performance in Central Park.

The taping in front of adoring fans was part of the long-lost singer's big comeback and there were reports that Houston and her voice weren't at their greatest yesterday. "She was really damaged," said one fan. That damage, said Whitney, was from gabbing with Oprah for too long.

Whatever the true cause, our tipsters says that following the concert GMA producers and network executives at ABC furiously debated what to air. Ultimately, GMA entertainment producer Karen Rhee convinced the ABC brass in L.A. — and over the objections of the ABC News executives in New York (yes, GMA is technically a news program — to bring in a post-production team to "sweeten" Houston's voice. Says our tipster:

Standards and practices people are doing cartwheels.The company line will be "She sounded great to the crowd, so we wanted to correct technical errors that occurred in the process of recording her performance." Rather than the reality which is, "She didn't sound good, and a news broadcast is altering the performance of a guest." This is not standard, nor has this ever happened before with a music performance on GMA.

While, yes, this could be true, our childlike devotion to Ms. Houston refuses to believe this. Whitney can do no wrong. Well, except for her crackhead years and that absolutely terrible Cinderella TV movie with Brandy. Other than that, she's perfect!

That's a relief! Brandy won't face charges...

jgrode — Fri, 28 Dec 2007 18:01:06 EST

That's a relief! Brandy won't face charges for involuntary vehicular manslaughter, so says the Los Angeles City Attorney's office. Brandy is no doubt relieved that she won't have to hire an army of lawyers to defend her in court against criminal charges, and can instead put it all towards the civil suit, a possible settlement, and a medium Pinkberry with no toppings purchased with what's left.[MSNBC]

Accident Victim's Possible Fault Could Reduce Brandy's $9 Million-A-Year Car Insurance Rates

jgrode — Wed, 26 Dec 2007 13:12:58 EST

Great news for everyone who knew deep in their hearts that beloved Moesha star Brandy would never intentionally mow down someone on the highway: She may not have! Potentially exculpatory evidence in her ongoing fatal fender-render investigation might have her appraising the talents of mother-and-son plate spinning teams on America's Got Talent faster than you can say "Hey, that guy's selling oranges. I've been meaning to get some—OH MY GOD!" TMZ reports:

A CHP source tells TMZ the woman who died in the car accident involving Brandy actually struck the vehicle in front of her before Brandy made any contact. The law enforcement source says Awatef Aboudihaj, the woman who died, struck the car in front of her — which was going 65 mph, and then slammed on her brakes. We're told the sudden stop caused Brandy to hit the dead woman's car.

The L.A. City Attorney has until the end of the business day on Friday to decide whether to file criminal charges against Brandy — that's when the one-year statute of limitations runs out. Sources tell TMZ there is significant division in the City Attorney's office, and a decision still has not been made. The problem for the City Attorney: if they file manslaughter charges, they have to prove Brandy did something negligent — and we're told that could be difficult if not impossible.

While this is a fortuitous turn for Brandy, prosecutors have one final damning piece of evidence should they allege she considered herself at fault: she told the cops she was Aaliyah.

Brandy Crash - Dead Woman At Fault?[TMZ]