Whitney & Britney: The Uncanny Parallels

by Tommy Vergason

(November 13, 2006) ? With impending divorces, surprising public appearances, sleek new looks and rumored musical comebacks, Whitney Houston and Britney Spears, two of music’s most beloved and successful stars, seem to be leading rather parallel lives.

Although quite different in their musical styles and career longevities, Whitney & Britney have at least one more shared trait in common – their poor choice in husbands.

Whitney Houston married singer Bobby Brown in 1992, and although that may not have spelled “disaster” to most people at the time, the relationship soon became tabloid fodder. Soon thereafter criminal charges were brought against Brown and the perception emerged that Houston was being badly influenced by him. Brown had three children with two different women before marrying Houston (the youngest child born a year before their marriage). Throughout the years that they were married, Houston’s appearance and behavior seemed to slowly deteriorate and her career began to suffer, with numerous cancelled appearances and less clout on the sales charts than she had enjoyed previously. Her greatest hits collection “Whitney: The Greatest Hits,? released shortly after reported drug charges were filed against Brown and Houston in Hawaii, met with lower sales than usual. Her greatest chart achievement, “I Will Always Love You,” peaked in 1991, one year before marrying Bobby Brown. Her career has not come close to enjoying that kind of success since the marriage.

Britney Spears married backup dancer Kevin Federline in 2004, and that actually did spell “disaster” to at least one person — Shar Jackson, Federline’s pregnant girlfriend. Federline already had one child with Jackson, and many saw his surprising union with Spears as distasteful. Regardless, Spears and Federline married in September 2004 in a small ceremony in California (which turned out to be a fake; their actual marriage took place a few weeks later). Many saw the marriage as unbalanced, with Spears’ family and manager allegedly forcing her to sign a prenuptial agreement. She went on to have two children with Federline, and the marriage was also fodder for the tabloids. The couple’s behavior and parenting skills were called into question various times. Spears’ career seemingly took a backseat to her marriage with Federline, with limited public appearances and the release of a greatest hits collection that failed to generate the whopping sales Spears was accustomed to from previous efforts.

While Houston and Spears have each had failed marriages, they also have the distinction of each starring in reality shows about those marriages. Spears and Federline launched their UPN series “Britney + Kevin: Chaotic” in the Spring of 2005. The critically-panned show utilized home movies to chronicle their relationship from courtship through marriage, and met with low ratings. It lasted five episodes, and when it was released on DVD later that year, it included the new Spears single and video “Someday (I Will Understand),” which failed to make a splash with fans.

Houston and Brown’s show premiered just months after “Chaotic,” and met with relatively more success. “Being Bobby Brown” ran for thirteen episodes on Bravo, but still wasn?t renewed for a second season. Despite having slightly higher ratings than “Chaotic,” “Being Bobby Brown” seemed contrived and boring, despite the entertaining antics of its two stars. It brought to mind the disappointment felt in Spears’ and Federline’s endeavor.

Variety summed up the series well in their review: “Bobby Brown let a camera crew follow him around for several months — through a stretch encompassing the R&B singer’s latest legal troubles — and the result is a bad home movie crossed with an image-polishing infomercial for the show’s product, which is none other than Bobby Brown. Based on the first two episodes, this latest vanity project almost makes Britney and Kevin’s show look deep and revealing — OK, almost.”

The similarities in these pop stars? lives are uncanny, but Whitney and Britney are even in sync with their divorces! Last month, Houston announced her separation from Brown and then immediately appeared at the 17th Annual Carousel Ball Of Hope, unveiling her beautiful and classy new look as her mentor, Clive Davis, chatted to Access Hollywood about her upcoming new album. “We’re working hard. We’re looking for material and we’ve just gotten a beautiful song from R. Kelly,” Clive revealed. “So we’re on our way.” The highly-anticipated album is due out in Spring/Summer 2007.

Britney made a similar re-appearance upon filing for divorce from Federline. She showed up on David Letterman’s show a day before her filing, looking thin, stunning and upbeat with a brand new short hairdo. She also took to the ice at Rockefeller Plaza in New York City, captivating the media with her charm and carefree attitude. Spears is hard at work on a new album, having already done some studio work in New York — she plans to record more in Miami. Pharrell Williams is collaborating with her on some tracks, and the new album is slated for release sometime in 2007.

A while back it may have seemed that being music superstars with Pepsi endorsement deals and the occasional movie role were all Whitney and Britney had in common. Hindsight 20/20 , it’s possible to see that they’re both on the same path. These women are rising up like phoenixes to their former glory, and their fans couldn’t be happier.

WATCH THE LATEST DEVELOPMENTS ON BRITNEY’S DIVORCE!