Free Republic

Whitney Houston begins in earnest to record her comeback album today. Houston, who's been in rehab for about a year in Southern California, is about to make the tentative steps toward reclaiming her once-flourishing career. The first step is venturing into a recording studio with superstar writer-producer Johnta Austin — pronounced "Jon-tay." Austin won a Grammy for co-writing Mariah Carey's hit "We Belong Together." The hope is that he can work his magic again with Houston. I already told you in this space about a month ago that music mogul Clive Davis has already settled on roughly seven songs for...

It's 10 minutes before the show goes live on the air, and nobody predicted the developing dilemma. The show's gossip reporter is having second thoughts about dropping his pants on live television to have his buttocks read by local television psychic Professor Jose Miranda. What about reading it over my underwear?" asks the reporter, clearly upset and looking very serious. "I can't see the lines. How do you expect me to give a reading?" the oracle answers, just as serious. "I have to see the lines." Following an ardent debate, the producers of the phenomenally popular and raunchy late-night talk...