Good news has arrived for Lifetime and Angela Bassett as it pertains to their highly anticipated ‘Whitney’ biopic which aired on Saturday night and sent social media into a frenzy. The final ratings for the movie have been released on Monday, and it looks like the film which centered around the highly publicized relationship of Whitney Houston and Bobby Brown was a big success for the network. According to Deadline:
“The Angela Bassett-directed TV movie brought in 4.5 million total viewers for Lifetime.
With the viewership and demo result, the movie about the singing superstar was the best the A+E Networks subsidiary has done since Flowers In The Attic aired last January 18. That broadcast drew 6.1 million total viewers and 2.4 million in the key demo. However, compared to Lifetime’s most recent music biopic, Aaliyah: The Princess Of R&B, the Whitney movie was up. That broadcast had 3.2 million viewers and 1.7 million in the demo on November 15 last year.
In all, Lifetime pulled in 11.8 million viewers for its Whitney Houston-themed programming Saturday.Bobby Brown: Remembering Whitney had 4.1 million watching, while the Clive Davis-hosted Whitney Houston Live: Her Greatest Performances snagged 3.2 million viewers.”
Despite the high viewership, as to be expected the Houston family is still not happy about the film and the late singers estate aka her sister in law Pat Houston, took to the official WH website to issue a statement on the movie and their disdain for Angela and Lifetime.
“It is easy to turn a blind eye to other people if you’re not careful. But the needs of Whitney’s family matter. We have dealt with her every emotion from the day she was born until the day she died, which gives us absolute position and absolute authority as a family to feel the way we do about her legacy. We matter. We’re still here. Why wasn’t there a call to myself, Gary, Cissy or even her daughter? Why deny selected members of the family an advanced copy of the film? As we once again enter a season of bereavement and the strategic timing so close to the anniversary of Whitney’s death, this is a disappointment that any of us who loved her could do without. This creative pursuit at the expense of the integrity of such an iconic woman, who is voiceless today, reeks of condemnation and deceit. It reeks of enslavement to an industry that will likely do the same to you one day”
The statement continued:
“I say this to all Whitney’s family, friends and fan base: If you watch this movie, watch it knowing that Lifetime is notorious for making bad biopics of deceased celebrities and brace yourself for the worst. You should not be surprised that someone decided to do a made for TV biopic. And, I might add, without the family’s blessing and despite her mother’s request to not do this movie. It happens every day. But misrepresenting the term friendship to advance an agenda is not only disrespectful and dishonest but a slap in the face to her true and loyal friends. You should expect people will always rise to the occasion for prominence and profit – not love, respect or honor. I question the morality of the making of this because of the lack of experience knowing Whitney’s life. Never would Whitney allow her story to be told by an inexperienced team and how naive of anyone to think otherwise, unless you’re caught up in illusions of grandeur that you can just do anything and people will accept it. This made for TV movie is certainly not a trailer to Whitney’s life story.”
To read the full statement click HERE
