Whitney Houston

Bobby Brown is not the only person reportedly looking to profit off Whitney Houston's death.

According to Great Britain's The Daily Mail, plans for a Whitney biopic - which existed when the singer was still alive - are being fast-tracked, and a number of big names are lining up for the main role.

The leading contender? Rihanna, with Jordin Sparks, Jennifer Hudson and Vivica A. Fox also allegedly up for consideration.

"Whitney knew about the project and was excited to see where it would lead," an insider says, comparing the film to What's Love Got To Do With It, a Tina Turner biopic that landed two Oscar nominations for Angela Bassett and Laurence Fishburne.

Who do you think should portray Houston if this movie goes into production?

Cissy Houston "won't be at peace until she gets closure" in the death of her daughter, a source tells TMZ.

As a result, this same insider says, Whitney's mother is planning to actually revisit the scene of her daughter's passing: room 434 at the Beverly Hills Hilton Hotel.

Mrs. Houston will reportedly spend time along in the room, praying, thinking and trying to establish a spiritual connection with the child that left this world far too soon.

This has been an especially trying time for Cissy and Whitney's family, not simply due to the singer's tragic death, but also due to The National Enquirer actually publishing a photo of the star in her casket.

The family of Whitney Houston is reacting to The National Enquirer posting a photo of that singer's corpse as you might expect: with outrage and heartbreak.

TMZ cites sources who say Whitney's mother, Cissy, is especially distraught over the tabloid actually taking this measure, but there are no plans to open any kind of investigation into the source of this photo, which the newspaper has the nerve to refer to as "beautiful."

Meanwhile, Carolyn Whigham, owner of the Whigham Funeral Home in Newark, tells The Daily News that neither she nor her staff had anything to do with the image or its leak.

"We did not take that photo. We did not sell the photo. We would never do something like that," she said to the newspaper. "Whitney was a friend. I’m the one who flew to Los Angeles and got Whitney from the coroner’s office. I did everything to protect her.”

Prior to her passing, Whitney Houston had been working on Sparkle, a remake of a 1976 film that centers on teenage sisters who form a singing group in Harlem.

She co-stars in the film, which hits theaters on August 17 and will be dedicated to the late legend, with former American Idol champion Jordin Sparks, who fought through tears yesterday while honoring Houston at the Essence Black Women in Hollywood luncheon at the Beverly Hills Hotel.

"When you see Sparkle, you will be so happy to see the joy that is on her face," Sparks said of Whitney, with whom she shares an interview below. "Everyday started with Whitney saying, 'How are my babies doing? Are you guys good? God is good.' It translates on the screen."

Jordin Sparks and Whitney Houston Interview

Speaking to attendees that included Viola Davis, Octavia Spencer, Emma Stone, Paula Patton, Pam Grier and Kerry Washington, Sparks concluded:

"The first day she got [to the set] she's scolding me, and I'm thinking this is the best day ever. She went from being this unreachable supernova pop star to my costar, friend and someone who was like a mentor to me. It was a gift and an honor to play opposite Whitney Houston in the film."

The National Enquirer has an extraordinarily warped sense of beauty.

With every media outlet and Twitter account holder in shock and disgust over that tabloid publishing a photo of Whitney Houston in her casket, courtesy of last Saturday's funeral in New Jersey, the tabloid's publisher, Mary Beth Wright, spoke to Fox News yesterday and actually said:

“I thought it was beautiful."

This isn't the first time the National Enquirer has invoked such controversy and outrage. In 1977, the newspaper published an image Elvis Presley in his coffin, and it also ran a a photograph of John Lennon following his death in 1980.

What do you think of its decision to post a shot of Whitney's corpse?

The National Enquirer refuses to let Whitney Houston rest in peace.

The latest issue of this notorious tabloids screams "WHITNEY: THE LAST PHOTO!" and purports to depict a picture of the late singer in her casket.

It was allegedly taken inside Whigham Funeral Home in Newark, New Jersey on Saturday and shows a woman wearing a dark dress, with "Nippy" (Houston's nickname), along with two treble clefs, written in blue script on the lining of the casket cover.

The image - we blurred it out above - has invoked outrage across the Internet, with Sarah Anne Hughes of The Washington Post referring to it as "shocking and disturbing."

A similar uproar took place in July 2009 when a British tabloid covered an issue with a photo of a dying Michael Jackson being wheeled out on a stretcher.

What do you think of the Enquirer publishing this picture?

Bobby Brown, this may be your prerogative, but it's a really bad idea.

According to sources in the publishing world, the singer was planning to pen a memoir about Whitney Houston a few years ago, but interest "wasn't that great" at the time. Now, however?

"The market has changed," this insider tells The Huffington Post. "Now is the time for a book that details an honest look into the life of Whitney."

But there's no way Brown would exploit Whitney's death, right? Not when daughter Bobbi Kristina is suffering through such a tragic downward spiral, right?

"This is a man who left his ex-wife's funeral because he didn't like his seats and went to a paying gig that night," a friend of Whitney tells the site. "He didn't get on stage that night because he needed to sing his greatest hits or because Whitney would have wanted him to entertain his fans, he did it to get a paycheck - the same reason he now wants to write a tell-all book."

Sadly, that's a very good point.

Mariah Carey is the latest celebrity to speak out on the death of Whitney Houston. But it isn't easy for the artist.

"I'm almost incapable of talking about this still," Mariah said today on Good Morning America. "It's very heavy emotionally."

The two legends collaborated on "When You Believe," a duet featured in the following video and a subject on which Mariah spoke at length in the interview.

Whitney Houston and Mariah Carey: "When You Believe"

"It was great and I don't think people could ever understand our relationship," she said. "There was always this supposed rivalry in the beginning and then we did the duet and we became friends."

Carey attended Whitney's funeral in New Jersey, describing the ceremony as "gorgeous" and concluded her thoughts about Houston with these simple words:

"I loved her. We all loved her. May she rest in peace... her legend's gonna go on forever."

Based on her reaction to her mother's death - a pair of hospitalizations and rumored drug use - it's no surprise that the family of Whitney Houston is concerned over the emotional well-being of Bobbi Kristina Brown.

But a rep for the family now confirms they are worried about her financial well-being, as well.

On Saturday afternoon, The Associated Press provided a live feed of the funeral in Newark, one that was posted by countless websites (including THG). However, we were required to take down the video within 24 hours and this is why:

The family has "agreed to license footage to several media outlets," an insider tells TMZ, adding that the Houstons are charging "customary fees" to ... "help maximize the estate for the benefit of Bobbi Kristina."

The ceremony lasted for a couple hours and included performances by Stevie Wonder (above), Alicia Keys, R. Kelly and a beautiful eulogy by Kevin Costner.

Due to leg spasms and muscle pain, Aretha Franklin was unable to attend Whitney Houston's funeral on Saturday, canceling not only her appearance but a planned performance in honor of her goddaughter, as well.

But the late legend was very much in Franklin's thoughts the evening before, as she played a concert for fans at Radio City Music Hall in New York City and honored Houston with a pair of covers.

“Remember the hits and forget the misses,” Aretha told the crowd. “I’ll always look back and remember her singing..."

And, with that, Franklin broke into a rendition of "I Will Always Love." Watch it and a version of "The Greatest Love of All" now:

Aretha Franklin Covers "I Will Always Love You"

Aretha Franklin Covers "The Greatest Love of All"