Whitney, Paul and I

    Hey, everyone. It's a very cold night, here in the mountains. Earlier in the evening I was reading Google News and noticed that Whitney Houston had died. I went to the closet where I keep my videos, meticulously arranged. (This is to tease my wife, who fusses about the mess)
    I have an old VHS tape of The Bodyguard with Whitney and Kevin Costner. If you haven't seen this one, you should check it out. Whitney does a good job as an actress. At the end she sings one of my favorite songs, called I Will Always Love You. She absolutely dominates the song, bending each word to her will. Her voice is so rich and deep! Wow! Good stuff. At the risk of losing my guy card, I must admit that I usually shed a tear or two at this point in the show.
    I hadn't planned on a movie review, but as long as I'm here...
     Whitney Houston plays a Diva rock star who needs a bodyguard. She wants to hire the best in the business, which is Costner. Actually, her manager wants to hire a bodyguard; she doesn't want one. After Costner pulls her out of a couple of jams, she begins to like him. She comes to more than like him. Is the person making threats against her someone she knows? A stranger with a record? Maybe someone in her entourage? This is an interesting look into the part of being a celebrity which is no fun at all. I'd rate this as 4 or 5 stars out of 5. The ending song, with the accompanying scenes, is one of the all time movie greats. Whitney Houston is...was, a beautiful woman and a huge talent.
    As I mentioned last night, I went to I-Tunes and watched a free video of Paul McCartney's concert. It was done in black and white. That, for those of you born at any time in the last several decades, was a system in which television and movies managed to suck the colors out of all things in life and replace it with no color. The songs were from the generation that came to adulthood prior to Paul's and mine. Several of them were songs that I hadn't heard in years but started singing along with immediately. Like, I'm Gonna Sit Right Down and Write Myself A Letter. When I hear songs like this, I think of my mom watching Bob Hope movies and singing along with songs that were similar. This was the generation that was digging the sounds of Sinatra, Dean Martin and Tony Bennett. Truth to tell, if you want to hear Beatle music, this concert is not for you. I enjoyed it, however, and I had some thoughts about the musicians. The lady playing piano was skilled and meticulous. My own poor skills would prohibit me from playing in her presence. I did think about the boldness it would take to play in front of McCartney, a legend as a musician, singer, writer etc. I thought about musicians who play in an orchestra and have to play a few notes at just the right time. If they mess up, it effects 30 or 40 other peoples' work and may impact a number of peoples' jobs, money and the end product. A lot of pressure. It's like you say, "Hey, let's take something we love and take all the fun out of it by being a professional". That is, however, a comment from an outsider who really knows nothing about that business. It is a business that can chew people up and spit them out, I hear.
   On a bit of a melancholy night, I lift a glass to Paul McCartney, who at 69 is still with us, and Whitney Houston, who at 48, is not.
   From the author's green retreat, I'm CE Wills.