Whitney Houston is dead

[jlw1980]

Flags at half staff in NJ. Absurd.

Agreed. Completely absurd.

[Jersey Yankee]

Gov. Christie set the precedent because he did it for Clarence Clemons. Obviously, Clarence was a more upstanding individual, but if you do for one native son entertainer you have to do it for the other. I agree that the honor should not be granted to civilians.

You sure that Clarence Clemons was a native son?

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clarence_Clemons

[ShadowDan]

I know it's been a week and the funeral was this weekend but I still am in shock. It's so sad such a fantastic singer with charm, beauty and aligance has gone from this world.

She was so talented and literally had a voice from an angel. I still get chills when listening to her version of "I will always love you". It's one of her best! I reckon. Followed by "Greatest love of all" (which could describe my dedication to the Yankees, in fandom kind of way lol)

It's so sad that she couldn't battle her demons and everyone has them unfortunetly. 48 is just way too young. I could speculate on her marriage with Bobby Brown as being her down fall but I choose not to and just remember her for the music she created.

RIP - Whitney.

[Yankees13]

You sure that Clarence Clemons was a native son?

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clarence_Clemons

Not by birth, but by being a beloved member of the E Street Band.

[Stupid Flanders]

At least she died doing what she loved. Cocaine.

[Jersey Yankee]

Not by birth, but by being a beloved member of the E Street Band.

There is one and only one definition of the term "native son". That would be that he was born there.

Clarence Clemons, as great as he was in Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band, was not a native son, as was mentioned earlier. Rather, Jersey was his adopted home, and he would therefore be an adopted son. Same with Roger Clemens or GW Bush and the State of Texas.

The late Whitney Houston, was a native daughter of NJ, since she was born in Newark, NJ.

[ojo]

there's nothing 'NJ' about Whitney Houston. not to sound crass, but i'm certain 99% of the country muttered 'she's from New Jersey?'...when it was revealed where she was from.

everyone knows where the E Street Band is associated with..

flying a flag at half mast for either though is just an insult to those who've paid the ultimate, however.

[xenadanielle]

So allegedly, this is causing quite a bit of a stink. She was buried in a cemetery in a not-very-big town near here: Westfield. It's a lovely place with a classic downtown, nice neighborhoods etc. Anyway--apparently they are not crazy about all the crowds and the place needed to shut down to the public.

A woman I know from HS wondered about this very thing on Facebook last week; she lives in Florida now but her family is all buried there, what if she wants to visit her grandma etc...I guess she has her answer. Sad. I guess if you can prove you are visiting family you can go there, but still this pretty much sucks.

http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/201...rave_site.html

[jlw1980]

So allegedly, this is causing quite a bit of a stink. She was buried in a cemetery in a not-very-big town near here: Westfield. It's a lovely place with a classic downtown, nice neighborhoods etc. Anyway--apparently they are not crazy about all the crowds and the place needed to shut down to the public.

A woman I know from HS wondered about this very thing on Facebook last week; she lives in Florida now but her family is all buried there, what if she wants to visit her grandma etc...I guess she has her answer. Sad. I guess if you can prove you are visiting family you can go there, but still this pretty much sucks.

http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/201...rave_site.html

The crowds eventually will die out. (No pun intended.) I don't think Forest Lawns and Westwood Village Memorial Park (two cemeteries in L.A. with numerous superstars buried at them) are overrun by visitors these days. There probably are the usual tourists, and those places are more built to handle them, but I still think the gawkers eventually will stop going to see Whitney's grave. It'll just take a little time. In the meantime, it does suck for your friend and others who have trouble visiting their loved ones there.

[Big_E]

I like the handmade sign saying if you want to show your love, buy her music and send it to #1 and the money can go to her daughter...

...except her (arguably) biggest hit is "I Will Always Love You", written by Dolly Parton, and owned by Dolly Parton. So Dolly is making huge money again (for the 4th time at least) off this song...

[xenadanielle]

The crowds eventually will die out. (No pun intended.) I don't think Forest Lawns and Westwood Village Memorial Park (two cemeteries in L.A. with numerous superstars buried at them) are overrun by visitors these days. There probably are the usual tourists, and those places are more built to handle them, but I still think the gawkers eventually will stop going to see Whitney's grave. It'll just take a little time. In the meantime, it does suck for your friend and others who have trouble visiting their loved ones there.

Yeah but those cemeteries are in Los Angeles and there are "numerous superstars" buried there and the whole...culture there is spawned by celebrity pretty much. This is a small town in central NJ and she is, as far as I know, the only famous person buried there.

[theDurk]

Yeah but those cemeteries are in Los Angeles and there are "numerous superstars" buried there and the whole...culture there is spawned by celebrity pretty much. This is a small town in central NJ and she is, as far as I know, the only famous person buried there.

Well, there's the lady that invented the Apgar scale:

Notable burials
Virginia Apgar (1909–1974), founder of Neonatology and the Apgar score[2]
Charles Newell Fowler (1922–1989), Congressman[2]
Whitney Houston (1963–2012), singer, beside her father John Russell Houston, who died in 2003[2]
1971 murder victims of John Emil List (Frederick List, Helen List, Patricia List)[2]
Claydes Charles Smith (1948–2006), co-founder of Kool & the Gang[2]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fairvie...d,_New_Jersey)

[JL25and3]

I like the handmade sign saying if you want to show your love, buy her music and send it to #1 and the money can go to her daughter...

...except her (arguably) biggest hit is "I Will Always Love You", written by Dolly Parton, and owned by Dolly Parton. So Dolly is making huge money again (for the 4th time at least) off this song...

As far as I'm concerned, Dolly owns it in more ways than one. She didn't try to blow you away with it the way Whitney did - just sang it straight, simple, direct, and sincerely heartful, in that light, gorgeous soprano of hers.

[Jersey Yankee]

As far as I'm concerned, Dolly owns it in more ways than one. She didn't try to blow you away with it the way Whitney did - just sang it straight, simple, direct, and sincerely heartful, in that light, gorgeous soprano of hers.

Whitney had a great big voice, but Dolly is the true legend after having been at this for many, many years, long before we'd heard of Whitney Houston. She also did "9 to 5" about working-class women.

I'd still consider Patsy Cline, who'd perished many years ago in an airplane crash, one of the strongest, sweet-voiced singers that I've ever heard (comes from endlessly listening to the jukebox at The Village Idiot many years ago).

So with all of Whitney's good looks, elegance, great voice, big-name relatives, endless connections like Clive Davis, she let that all go up in coke and crack? I still haven't gotten over that part for the past 15 years.

[pleasepassthesoup]

So allegedly, this is causing quite a bit of a stink. She was buried in a cemetery in a not-very-big town near here: Westfield. It's a lovely place with a classic downtown, nice neighborhoods etc. Anyway--apparently they are not crazy about all the crowds and the place needed to shut down to the public.

A woman I know from HS wondered about this very thing on Facebook last week; she lives in Florida now but her family is all buried there, what if she wants to visit her grandma etc...I guess she has her answer. Sad. I guess if you can prove you are visiting family you can go there, but still this pretty much sucks.

http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/201...rave_site.html

Yeah. the place was a zoo this weekend. I went home to Westfield to visit my parents over the long weekend and it just so happened to be Whitneypalooza. They had no parking signs put up for blocks upon blocks and cops stationed around the cemetary overnight and there were a bunch of news trucks, etc.

My dad goes to the Greek Orthodox church right across the street from the cemetary and they had to go through a checkpoint just to get in to their own services. To make it worse, some poor guy was getting ordained that day and half the people who wanted to couldn't even get in to see him.

[b-ball-lunachick]

Yeah. the place was a zoo this weekend. I went home to Westfield to visit my parents over the long weekend and it just so happened to be Whitneypalooza. They had no parking signs put up for blocks upon blocks and cops stationed around the cemetary overnight and there were a bunch of news trucks, etc.

My dad goes to the Greek Orthodox church right across the street from the cemetary and they had to go through a checkpoint just to get in to their own services. To make it worse, some poor guy was getting ordained that day and half the people who wanted to couldn't even get in to see him.

yikes - what a mess...i was going to go to Trader Joe's there this weekend and changed my mind when I heard that's where the burial would be...

I didn't realize you were from Westfield - it's a beautiful town...one of my doctors is in Westfield.

[pleasepassthesoup]

yikes - what a mess...i was going to go to Trader Joe's there this weekend and changed my mind when I heard that's where the burial would be...

I didn't realize you were from Westfield - it's a beautiful town...one of my doctors is in Westfield.

Yup! Born in Rahway, raised in Westfield.

[b-ball-lunachick]

Yup! Born in Rahway, raised in Westfield.

I'd say we were sort of neighbors but I'm much younger than you. my boss's boss lives there - he makes a few million a year - big bucks.

[CoyoteYankee]

Yup! Born in Rahway, raised in Westfield.

Then we are rivals (I grew up in Scotch Plains). I hate you.

[pleasepassthesoup]

Then we are rivals (I grew up in Scotch Plains). I hate you.

Boooo! Go SPF yourself.

[xenadanielle]

Yeah. the place was a zoo this weekend. I went home to Westfield to visit my parents over the long weekend and it just so happened to be Whitneypalooza. They had no parking signs put up for blocks upon blocks and cops stationed around the cemetary overnight and there were a bunch of news trucks, etc.

My dad goes to the Greek Orthodox church right across the street from the cemetary and they had to go through a checkpoint just to get in to their own services. To make it worse, some poor guy was getting ordained that day and half the people who wanted to couldn't even get in to see him.

I rest my case!

My best friend from Girl Scout Camp lived in Westfield so I spent a lot of sleepover time there and have lots of fond memories. The main reason I go there now, however, is Lord & Taylor. Which I still call Hahne's.

[b-ball-lunachick]

I rest my case!

My best friend from Girl Scout Camp lived in Westfield so I spent a lot of sleepover time there and have lots of fond memories. The main reason I go there now, however, is Lord & Taylor. Which I still call Hahne's.

A friend of my mom's worked at that Lord and Taylor for years after she retired...shortly before Christmas a few years ago, she was crossing that street there and was killed by a hit and run driver. I think I posted about it at the time...very sad - really nice woman too...

Since I avoid malls at all costs, I like that they have a lot of individual little shops that I go to on occasion like Williams and Sonoma...they also have a Trader Joe's there which I like to hit up every so often, especially for their body gel.

[b-ball-lunachick]

Then we are rivals (I grew up in Scotch Plains). I hate you.

whenever I think of Scotch Plains, I think of Snuffy's. (but I think it had another longer name too?)...my junior year of high school, we had our sorority formal there. (yes, we had sororities in high school - very odd. )

[pleasepassthesoup]

whenever I think of Scotch Plains, I think of Snuffy's. (but I think it had another longer name too?)...my junior year of high school, we had our sorority formal there. (yes, we had sororities in high school - very odd. )

For some reason, my extended family goes there everytime somebody dies. No clue why.

[xenadanielle]

whenever I think of Scotch Plains, I think of Snuffy's. (but I think it had another longer name too?)...my junior year of high school, we had our sorority formal there. (yes, we had sororities in high school - very odd. )

Are you thinking of Snuffy's Pantagis? If so, it's still called that. Oh, wait! I'm wrong. It's now called......Pantagis Renaissance. Give me a break. IT'S SNUFFY'S!

OMG. The tackiness. http://www.pantagis.com/

ETA: NTTAWWT

I have never set foot in Snuffy's although I've lived in this area for most of my life. But I know all kinds of people who had their weddings there etc.

My parents' synagogue is in Scotch Plains.