Editing Whitney Houston (section)

=== 1995–1997: ''Waiting to Exhale'', ''The Preacher's Wife'' and ''Cinderella'' ===
In 1995, Houston starred in ''[[Waiting to Exhale]]'' as Savannah Jackson, a TV producer. Houston called the film "a breakthrough for the image of black women because it presents them both as professionals and as caring mothers".<ref name=prissy /> It [[List of 1995 box office number-one films in the United States|reached number one in the US box office]] and entered the highest-grossing film lists of both 1995 and 1996, eventually grossing over $67 million in the US, while grossing $81 million altogether worldwide.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=waitingtoexhale.htm |title=Waiting to Exhale (1995) |website=Box Office Mojo |date=March 2, 1996 |access-date=June 13, 2010}}</ref> At the time of release, the film received mixed reviews from critics. According to Susan King from the ''[[Los Angeles Times]]'', the film "showed the power of black actresses and led to other successful movies with ethnic casts."<ref name="exhale20">{{cite news |url=https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/la-et-mn-waiting-exhale-20151222-story.html |title=The impact of 'Waiting to Exhale' |work=[[Los Angeles Times]] |author=Susan King |date=December 22, 2015 |accessdate=March 27, 2025}}</ref> The film's success led to similar films such as ''[[How Stella Got Her Groove Back]]'', ''[[The Best Man (1999 film)|The Best Man]]'' and ''[[Diary of a Mad Black Woman]]''.<ref name="exhale20"/><ref>{{cite book|url=http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/MRC/africanambib2.html |title=African American Filmmakers, African American Films: A Bibliography of Materials in the UC Berkeley Library|location=Berkeley, CA|publisher= UC Berkeley Library |access-date=February 15, 2008}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine| last=Ascher-Walsh|first=Rebecca| url=https://ew.com/article/1998/08/14/back-groove/| title=Back in the Groove?| magazine=Entertainment Weekly| date=August 14, 1998| access-date=February 20, 2020| archive-date=December 8, 2014| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141208001109/http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,284411,00.html| url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine|last=LaPorte|first=Nicole|url=https://variety.com/2005/biz/news/diary-of-a-mad-niche-hit-1117918919/|title=Diary of a Mad Niche Hit|magazine=Variety|date=March 6, 2005|access-date=February 20, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090308073005/http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117918919.html?categoryid=1055&cs=1|archive-date=March 8, 2009|url-status=live}}</ref> The film was also notable for its portrayal of black women as strong middle class citizens rather than as stereotypes.<ref>{{cite magazine| first1= Jack E. | last1= White | title= Heavy Breathing |date=January 15, 1996|magazine=Time | url= http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,983966,00.html| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20080528223545/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,983966,00.html| url-status= dead| archive-date= May 28, 2008| access-date=March 17, 2007 }}</ref> Houston received positive reviews for her role, with ''The New York Times'' reporting: "Ms. Houston has shed the defensive hauteur that made her portrayal of a pop star in 'The Bodyguard' seem so distant."<ref>{{cite news|first1=Stephen|last1=Holden|date=December 22, 1995|access-date=December 1, 2014|url=https://www.nytimes.com/movie/review?res=9406E2DF1539F931A15751C1A963958260|title=Waiting to Exhale (1995) Film Review;4 Divas Have Lots Of Fun Telling Off Mr. Wrong|work=The New York Times}}</ref> Houston was nominated a second time for the [[NAACP Image Award]] for [[NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actress in a Motion Picture|Outstanding Actress]].<ref>{{cite magazine|magazine=The Crisis|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=TFkEAAAAMBAJ&q=outstanding&pg=PA18-IA2|title=The 27th NAACP Image Awards Official Ballot|volume=103|issue=2|date=February 3, 1996|access-date=November 19, 2014|pages=20–22|issn=0011-1422}}</ref> 

Houston contributed three songs to the film's soundtrack and advised producer [[Babyface (musician)|Babyface]] to make it an "album of women with vocal distinction".<ref name=prissy>{{cite magazine| first1= Christopher John | last1= Farley | title= No More Prissy |date=December 4, 1995|magazine=Time | url= http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,983795-2,00.html| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20080528223545/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,983795-2,00.html| url-status= dead| archive-date= May 28, 2008| access-date=March 17, 2007 }}</ref> As a result, several other contemporary female R&B singers such as [[Brandy Norwood|Brandy]], [[Mary J. Blige]] and [[Toni Braxton]] contributed to the soundtrack. Houston's single, "[[Exhale (Shoop Shoop)]]", debuted at number one on the [[Billboard Hot 100|''Billboard'' Hot 100]], only the third single to do so.<ref name="Cane">{{Cite web |url=https://www.bet.com/article/n7l04h/waiting-to-exhale-celebrates-15-years-today |title='Waiting To Exhale' Celebrates 15 Years Today |website=BET.com |first=Clay |last=Cane |date=December 21, 2010 |access-date=September 7, 2021 |archive-date=August 15, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210815021200/https://www.bet.com/news/celebrities/movie-reviews/what-the-flick-blog-reviews/2010/12/waiting-exhale-15-years.html?cid=facebook |url-status=live }}</ref>{{efn|It also became the first song from a soundtrack to debut at number one and is only one of four soundtrack songs to do so, the others being [[Celine Dion]]'s "[[My Heart Will Go On]]" and [[Aerosmith]]'s "[[I Don't Want to Miss a Thing]]", both released in 1998 and [[Justin Timberlake]]'s "[[Can't Stop the Feeling!]]" in 2016.}} Two other Houston singles from the soundtrack, "[[Count On Me (Whitney Houston and CeCe Winans song)|Count On Me]]", a duet with [[CeCe Winans]], and "[[Why Does It Hurt So Bad]]", also reached the US top 40, with "Count On Me" reaching number eight on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. The soundtrack reached number one on the [[Billboard 200|''Billboard'' 200]] in January 1996 and was certified seven-times platinum in the US.<ref name="Cane" /> The album received eleven Grammy nominations and the American Music Award for [[American Music Award for Favorite Soundtrack|Favorite Soundtrack]].<ref name="Cane"/> The soundtrack received strong reviews; as ''Entertainment Weekly'' stated: "the album goes down easy, just as you'd expect from a package framed by Whitney Houston tracks ... the soundtrack waits to exhale, hovering in sensuous suspense"<ref>{{cite book|title=[[Entertainment Weekly]]|date=December 1, 1995|page=73}}</ref> and has since ranked it as one of the 100 Best Movie Soundtracks.<ref>{{cite magazine|first1=Chris|last1=Willman |title=100 Best Movie Soundtracks |date=October 12, 2001 |magazine=Entertainment Weekly |url=https://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,254121,00.html |access-date=March 17, 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141209174030/http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0%2C%2C254121%2C00.html |archive-date=December 9, 2014 |url-status=dead }}</ref> 

Houston's next film, the [[Christmas film|Christmas]] [[List of comedy films of the 1990s|comedy]] ''[[The Preacher's Wife]]'' (1996), was largely an update of ''[[The Bishop's Wife]]'' (1948) and starred Houston alongside [[Denzel Washington]] and [[Courtney B. Vance]]. Houston earned $10 million for the role, making her the highest-earning African-American actress in Hollywood at the time.<ref>{{cite news|last=Laurence|first=Charles |title=The Arts: The gospel according to Whitney| work=[[The Daily Telegraph]]|date= December 14, 1996}}</ref> The movie, with its all African-American cast, was a moderate success, earning about $50&nbsp;million in the US.<ref>{{cite web|publisher=IMDb|url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0117372/business |title=Box office / Business for "The Preacher's Wife"|date=December 13, 1996 | access-date= February 15, 2008}}</ref> The film gave Houston the strongest reviews of her acting career. ''The San Francisco Chronicle'' said Houston "is rather angelic herself, displaying a divine talent for being virtuous and flirtatious at the same time" and she "exudes gentle yet spirited warmth, especially when praising the Lord in her gorgeous singing voice".<ref>{{cite news|last=Stack|first=Peter| url=http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/1996/12/13/DD36582.DTL |title=Human Comedy's Divine in 'Preacher's Wife'|work =San Francisco Chronicle|date= December 13, 1996}}</ref> Houston won the [[NAACP Image Awards|NAACP Image Award]] for [[NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actress in a Motion Picture|Outstanding Actress in a Motion Picture]] for the film.<ref>{{cite magazine|magazine=Jet|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=mjkDAAAAMBAJ&q=whitney+houston&pg=PA61|title=Ebony's 50th Anniversary Show, Denzel Washington Among NAACP Image Award Winners |volume =95|issue=15|pages=60–61|date=March 3, 1997|access-date=November 19, 2014|issn=0021-5996}}</ref> 

The [[The Preacher's Wife (soundtrack)|accompanying soundtrack]] was Houston's first full-length foray into [[gospel music]], which she produced with [[Mervyn Warren]]. Six of the more traditional gospel tracks were recorded with the [[Georgia Mass Choir]]  at the Great Star Rising Baptist Church in Atlanta. Upon its release, the soundtrack entered number three on the ''Billboard'' 200 and topped the [[Billboard charts#Top Gospel Albums|Top Gospel Albums]] chart, the first by a female artist.<ref name="WhitneyGospelChart">{{cite magazine |url=https://www.billboard.com/artist/whitney-houston/chart-history/sll/ |title=Whitney Houston Chart History: Top Gospel Albums |magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]] |accessdate=July 16, 2023}}</ref> Three singles were released, including "[[I Believe in You and Me]]", which reached the US top-ten, and "[[Step by Step (Annie Lennox song)|Step by Step]]", which became a hit in Europe. The soundtrack sold six million units worldwide, becoming the best-selling gospel album of all time.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://news.moviefone.com/2012/02/13/whitney-houston-interview/|title=Whitney Houston 1996 Interview Sheds Light on Movie Career, Personal Demons|first1=Gary|last1=Susman|date=February 13, 2012|access-date=December 1, 2014|work=[[Moviefone]]|publisher=AOL|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141129045846/http://news.moviefone.com/2012/02/13/whitney-houston-interview/|archive-date=November 29, 2014|url-status=dead}}</ref> Despite its success, Houston complained of not receiving a gospel nomination at the [[40th Annual Grammy Awards]] in 1998 and responded by boycotting the ceremony.<ref name="grammysnub">{{cite web |url=https://www.mtv.com/news/8z2jat/whitney-may-pass-on-grammys-over-gospel-snub |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230619210316/https://www.mtv.com/news/8z2jat/whitney-may-pass-on-grammys-over-gospel-snub |url-status=dead |archive-date=June 19, 2023 |title=Whitney May Pass on Grammys Over Gospel Snub |work=[[MTV]] |date=February 18, 1998 |accessdate=June 19, 2023}}</ref>{{efn|Houston told ''[[Entertainment Tonight]]'', "basically it was my gospel album, and it was excluded from the gospel category altogether. I'm not going this year... I'm sick of work being done and people not recognizing it."<ref name="grammysnub"/>}} Houston's work was acknowledged by the [[GMA Dove Award|Dove Awards]] and the [[NAACP Image Awards]], where Houston received the award for [[NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Gospel Artist|Outstanding Gospel Artist]].

In 1996, Houston formed her film production company, BrownHouse Productions. [[Debra Martin Chase]] became her partner. Their goal was "to show aspects of the lives of African-Americans that have not been brought to the screen before" while improving how African-Americans are portrayed in film and television.<ref name=brownhouse>{{cite magazine |title=Whitney Scores As Producer and Star |magazine=[[Ebony (magazine)|Ebony]] |date= November 1997 |access-date=September 7, 2021 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=kYiyPoTrhDUC&pg=PA90}}</ref> Their first project was a [[made-for-television]] remake of [[Rodgers and Hammerstein]]'s ''[[Cinderella (Rodgers and Hammerstein musical)|Cinderella]]''. In addition to co-producing, Houston starred in the film as the [[Fairy Godmother]] along with [[Brandy Norwood|Brandy]], [[Jason Alexander]], [[Whoopi Goldberg]] and [[Bernadette Peters]]. Houston was initially offered the role of Cinderella in 1993, but other projects intervened.<ref>{{cite news|last=Purdum|first=Todd S. | url=https://www.nytimes.com/1997/11/02/arts/television-the-slipper-still-fits-though-the-style-is-new.html |title=Television; The Slipper Still Fits, Though the Style Is New| work=[[The New York Times]]| date= November 2, 1997}}</ref> The film is notable for its multi-racial cast and non-stereotypical message.<ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=kYiyPoTrhDUC&pg=PA86 |title=Whitney & Brandy in Cinderella |magazine=[[Ebony (magazine)|Ebony]] |date=November 1997 |access-date=September 7, 2021}}</ref> An estimated 60 million viewers tuned into the special giving ABC its highest TV ratings in 16 years.<ref name="Carter">{{cite news|last1=Carter|first1=Bill|title=TV Notes; Happy Ending For 'Cinderella'| work=The New York Times| page=7| date=November 5, 1997| url=https://www.nytimes.com/1997/11/05/arts/tv-notes-happy-ending-for-cinderella.html}}</ref> The movie received seven [[Emmy]] nominations including Outstanding Variety, Musical or Comedy, while winning Outstanding Art Direction in a Variety, Musical or Comedy Special. 

Houston and Brown also worked on a biopic on actress [[Dorothy Dandridge]].<ref name=brownhouse /> [[Halle Berry]], who also had rights to Dandridge's story, beat Houston and Chase to release her version several years later.<ref>{{cite news| url=http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1430186/19970409/houston_whitney.jhtml | archive-url=https://archive.today/20130129082640/http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1430186/19970409/houston_whitney.jhtml | url-status=dead | archive-date=January 29, 2013 |title= Whitney Houston To Take On "Christie Love| publisher=MTV News|date= April 9, 1997}}</ref> In October, a third [[HBO]] concert special, ''[[Classic Whitney: Live from Washington, D.C.]]'' aired with proceeds of the special going to [[Marian Wright Edelman]]'s [[Children's Defense Fund]], eventually reaching $300,000.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=WT&p_theme=wt&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=0EB0F3AC7B4905E3&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&s_trackval=GooglePM|title=Streetwise Houston tries new approach Singer's tour hits town Monday|date=July 3, 1999|work=The Washington Times|format=Article ID: R00018180056|archive-date=March 26, 2023|access-date=February 12, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230326032905/http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=WT&p_theme=wt&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=0EB0F3AC7B4905E3&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&s_trackval=GooglePM|url-status=dead}}</ref> 

In early 1998, Houston received the [[Soul Train Music Award for Quincy Jones Award for Career Achievement|Quincy Jones Award]] for outstanding career achievements at the [[1998 Soul Train Music Awards|12th Soul Train Music Awards]].<ref name="1998soultrainbillboard">{{cite magazine |magazine=Billboard | first1 = Anita M. | last1 = Samuels | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=6w4EAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA10 | title = Badu Heads Soul Train; Singer Picks Up 4 Awards | volume = 110 | issue = 11 | page = 10 | date = March 14, 1998 | access-date =June 30, 2010 | issn = 0006-2510}}</ref><ref name="1998soultrain">{{cite web | url = http://www.soultrain.com/stma/library.html | title = Soul Train Music Awards Library: 1998 The 12th Soul Train Music Awards | publisher = [[Don Cornelius]] Productions, Inc | date = February 27, 1998 | access-date =June 30, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130725073904/http://www.soultrain.com/stma/library.html |archive-date=July 25, 2013}}</ref>