Star-studded send-off for Whitney

By the time you read this column, pop music superstar Whitney Houston would have been laid to rest beside her father, John Russell Houston Jr., at the Fairview Cemetery in New Jersey.

The 48-year-old pop star died of still unclear circumstances on the eve of the Grammy awards the other week.

The funeral is an invitation-only affair, and 1,500 guests were expected to attend. Among them is the singer’s ex-husband Bobby Brown.

There were earlier reports that Bobby was barred by Whitney’s mom Cissy from the funeral. Bobby and Cissy are not exactly close friends.

Right after the funeral, Bobby will fly to Connecticut where he is booked to perform at a casino.

Also expected to attend Whitney’s funeral is Kevin Costner, who starred with her in The Bodyguard. Kevin was scheduled to speak at the service.

Gospel singer Kim Burrell was to sing, "I Believe in You and Me," from the film The Preacher's Wife, which also starred Whitney. Also scheduled to perform were Stevie Wonder, Alicia Keys and Aretha Franklin.

Pastor Marvin L. Winans, who married Whitney and Bobby in 1992, was to give the eulogy.

* * *

Charice will offer a special tribute to Whitney Houston in March.

The Filipina singer said she owes a lot to Whitney. Charice rose to fame by belting out the high notes of Whitney’s songs. “I want it to be really special. It’s hard for me to accept that she’s gone. It’s like losing a family member. I mean I was discovered because I was singing her songs,” she said.

In a television interview, Charice recalled she first met Whitney about year and a half ago at the backstage of one of Whitney’s shows. “She was so kind. She told me she watched a DVD of me singing, and she joked, ‘You sang my songs effortlessly.’”

Charice also clarified that the video of her singing several songs as a tribute to Whitney two days after she died was actually a spliced-up tape of excerpts from her previous performances. “Actually, some parts of the video were taken last year, others in 2009.”

The part where she was crying as she sang I Have Nothing was taken from the US tour of David Foster and Friends, she said. She was crying because she will be missing her fellow performers in the show when the tour ends.

* * *

Dr. Manny Calayan and his wife Pie were sentenced to three years probation by a California court for practicing medicine without a license. The Calayans were also fined $10,000.

The couple runs a clinic in West Hollywood, and according to court records, one of their staff performed a medical procedure without authorization.

* * *

Anne Curtis has had enough of reports Lea Salonga criticized her for singing out of tune.

Anne said in an interview she accepts Lea’s explanation that she was misquoted by a TV5.

"Can we please stop talking about it because I think it's also disrespectful to ate Lea because she already said her piece. I think it's better if we just don't talk about it," she said.

In her Twitter account, Lea had accepted the apology from TV5.

Perhaps to prove that there’s nothing wrong with her singing, Anne will be performing in Cebu come April.

* * *

Today, Drew Arellano and his gang explore the wonders of gravity on the trivia show AHA!

Drew conducts his own experiment on gravity using today's latest craze-"gravity cars"! Patani also has her share of experiment as she takes on a nerve-wracking para-gliding challenge.

Survivor Celebrity Double Showdown castaway Maey Bautista tries to defy gravity through anti-gravity yoga.

AHA airs at 9:15 a.m. on GMA-7.