with headaches ♪ this is "nightline." >> first comes blog then comes marriage. these couples are putting their personal lives on public display online and making a killing doing it. >> you wanted a story we got a story for you. >> what happens when these youtube lovers reveal too much? ♪ i'll be there in a hurry ♪ >> whitney. ♪ i'm your baby tonight. >> the legendary diva portrayed in a new movie causing a stir within her family. why it took two women to bring whitney to life onscreen. >> it definitely was a challenge. >> and director angela basset's surprising take on the bad boy on the iconic singer's side. she's all about that babe. we're one on one with meghan trainor who at 21 is a songwriting, trumpet-playing pop star criticized for hating skinny people.

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good even. thaning for joining us. perhaps it's inevitable in our oversharing culture that there are some couples willing to share every detail of their life

and love with millions of viewers. and no we're not talking about "the bachelor." tonight you're about to meet self-made youtube reality stars who figured out the secret formula for turning their love stories into profit. here's abc's david wright. >> will you accept this rose? >> reporter: "the bachelor" is by no means the only one whose love life is on full display. now on youtube there are noteworthy examples of people who star in their own homemade reality shows. >> you wanted a story -- >> we got a story for you. >> reporter: case in point, colleen ballenger and josh evans. they're? branton, missouri. it's josh's birthday. they've been dating for five years. and, you guessed it josh is about to pop the question. the proposal captured for posterity on video. >> will you marry me? >> yes, of course. >> reporter: and posted to

youtube. 2,600,000 views and counting. >> you guys make a living at this? >> we do. >> i have a tour so there's some income from that. then on youtube there's ad revenue. >> stop! >> reporter: there are some things you won't see on their youtube channel. >> so weird. >> what about sex? >> what about sex? >> do we see it? >> no! >> absolutely. >> it's not that kind of a channel, my god. >> reporter: but their channels are hugely successful. colleen and josh have 500 million views between them. >> sometimes i like to take baths -- >> reporter: she has two youtube personalities. appearing as her wacky alter ego myrrh ran dashes other times as herself. >> look how wild she is. >> reporter: miranda was featured on "comedians in cars getting coffee," jerry seinfeld's online comedy show. >> are we going to give the interview after the coffee? >> this is the interview.

>> you haven't even asked me any questions. >> reporter: josh is a rising star on youtube. ♪ a singer and a personality. >> back of the head just like blogging -- >> reporter: known as joshua dutown with a huge following of his own. >> this is a marriage or a merger? >> this is a marriage. >> it's a marriage. i mean, it's real. we just happen to be putting it all on the internet for everyone to watch. >> reporter: much of their life vlogged, video blogged, right here from this room. ♪ >> at the end of the every video i do i say, be nice to people. be nice to people. be nice to people. be nice to people. and it's become this thing that's taken off. put it on shirts now all these kids are walking around town wearing a "be nice to people" shirt. >> you keep saying kids. >> uh-huh. >> who are these kids? >> the mass majority of our audience is 13 to 21. >> reporter: those young viewers get a front row seat for the

romance, the intimacy and the occasional conflict that comes with any love story. >> it's so disgusting. >> reporter: we are at the l.a. county museum as they shoot their engagement photos blogging the whole time. >> i've got to ask, we're in this romantic setting. but he stalked you on facebook? >> he stalked me. he saw my videos on youtube. and my miranda videos. >> i fell in love with miranda. >> that should be a warning sign. >> i'm going to have to red flag this. >> now we're true best friends. >> he's like there's got to be more to this. he found videos of me my myself with my sister on my facebook page. he stalked me on facebook a little bit. >> stalking is a harsh word i think. i looked into her. >> reporter: they actually vlogged their first date. >> have you ever posted that anywhere? >> no we were waiting until -- >> it's a "nightline" exclusive. >> we will be getting married

once i get a ring. she says my god, yes. >> reporter: in an era when traditional soap operas like "all my children" have bit the dust, this is where people are turning for serialized romance. it's not a small audience. >> how many followers at this point? >> a lot. on my channel, on my two channels collectively there's 4 million. >> there's a lot of eyes a lot of people who are interested in different parts of your life. >> reporter: try vlogging with them at an l.a. shopping mall as we did. in 30 seconds you'll see, sure enough, some high school kids recognized them. josh and colleen are in good company. the internet's biggest star cutie pie's other half goes by cutie pie. they're out there vlogging too. anthony padilla just broke off his relationship with another popular youtuber. they explained their separation in this video. >> we are no longer together. >> yep. >> a i know a lot of people are

probably shocked, obviously. >> give them a moment sweetheart. >> reporter: some take it a step further. putting their whole family into the mix. >> we're here at the park. audrey is apparently in charge. she told me i can't ride that. how come you get to ride that but i can't ride on it? can i ride now? >> no dad. >> reporter: britney and austin were inspired to start vlogging at it for five years through the birth of their children. >> a lot of people watch because of the kids. they like to see them grow up. they see them come into the world, like they're part of the family. cool and a little weird. >> i love how you and your sister pop up right away. that white noise goes off, boom. >> reporter: vlogging is a full-time job for them. parents, take note they get to be with the kids full-time and make a pretty good living. >> i used to get super offended when people are like you aren't doing this right. now i realize people mean well most of the time. >> i'm david at the l.a. county museum of art with colleen

ballenger and josh -- >> hey, guys. >> they're going to teach me how to rvlog. >> reporter: they showed me dos and don'ts of vlogging. >> my arm is a little bit sore that's an occupational hazard. >> i'm against cell people. >> reporter: richer or poorer, better or worse, happily ever after, so they hope. >> if worse come to worst, who gets the followers? >> i'll take them. i'll take on the responsibility. >> is there a prenup? >> no, no. prenup with followers? no! maybe. i'm kidding. >> i'm taking them. >> reporter: one thing's for certain. they'll keep us posted. i'm david wright for "nightline" in los angeles. up next the controversy surrounding a new movie based on the highs and lows of whitney houston's troubled life. and the unexpected portrayal of her tumultuous relationship with bobby brown.

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whitney houston's powerhouse vocals and meteoric rise to stardom were always larger than life ran tonight we go behind the scenes with first-time director angela basset whose new movie, just like houston herself, filled with talent and tragedy, is stirring controversy. here's abc's nick watt. ♪ ♪ i want to dance with somebody ♪ >> reporter: everyone has a favorite whitney houston song. this is mine. "i want to dance with somebody." ♪ with somebody who loves me ♪ >> reporter: and everybody it seems has an opinion on the

choices she made in life the man she loved, the way she died. making a film about whitney houston isn't easy. this is the first time anyone's tried. >> open the door! >> whitney. you need to protect your voice. >> reporter: we all know what whitney houston looks like we know what she sounds like. and you have to recreate that? >> yes, i had to study even in the lip synching. what shape does her mouth make? what are her hands doing? ♪ i'm your baby tonight ♪ >> reporter: yaya de costa, seen in "lee daniels the butler" and "america's next top model" plays houston, one of the most successful female recording artists of all-time. >> it definitely was a daunting task. >> reporter: angela basset who played another giant, tina turner, strutting her "what's love got to do with it" stuff,

she directs this diva premieres on lifetime. >> you could have picked an easier topic you think? >> how did you do it? >> reporter: basset and whitney knew each other. they starred together in "waiting to exhale" in 1994. >> i was just -- i was excited about it. having worked with whitney before. you know, and loving her as i do, as i did. >> it's my baby don't mess with my baby. >> reporter: we met at house of blues in los angeles to talk about the film which focuses on whitney houston and bobby brown. >> i love you, bobby. >> you are the one i love. >> reporter: the movie is in one sense, startling. i came out of this movie feeling sorry for bobby brown. >> not everyone is as bad and no one is perfect. >> i felt sorry, i felt sympathy, empathy for him. up until this point, i haven't felt any of those things for bobby brown. >> amen. ♪

>> reporter: hits like "if it isn't love." >> you have girls screaming and clawing for you at 13. and you see how you mature. as director as actor. we began to think about those things and we looked through it prisms. >> reporter: before he went all bad boy, when he went solo. ♪ >> reporter: "every little step i take," his biggest hit. >> you know what's funny? >> reporter: basset met him in '94 while working wit houston on "exhale." when you actually met him, when you were in a room with him, was he the bad boy? >> no he wasn't bad at all, he was charming. he was bright. he was respectful. he was in love with his woman. >> reporter: the woman who sold over 200 million records and was at that time at her peak. for the movie, one of houston's old labelmates deborah cox recorded those songs in the studios then yaya de costa took

them onstage. >> i actually asked for it to be played out loud. so even the audience that we had could hear deborah costa singing whitney's songs and me singing at the same time. >> okay okay. >> what do you say? >> reporter: when they met, bobby was 19. whitney was 26. >> i'd get in there! >> i just hope it's not bobby brown. >> reporter: whitney's mom sissy is portrayed as dead against the union and is dead against the bio-pic that represents as told in a statement they are very disappointed angela basset never personally reached out to them and that we cannot help but question the veracity of a story about whitney and bobby's personal relationship." she claims that none of spoke to anybody who actually knewde deknew whitney, you're telling a tale you don't really know. >> a friend said to me, it's an honest portrayal. it may not be truthful because

who can know each and every truth of each and every situation. >> reporter: dionne warwick, whitney's cousin has seen the movie. >> she appreciated it, she loved it. she said, thank you, thank you this is good. >> reporter: for a woman who sang so much about love she was unlucky in it. a relationship with brown incident greated into a mass of alleged domestic violence and addiction. their demise was played out in public. >> come back to the feeling that people have that your husband's controlling and that you can't get away from it any more than an abused wife. it's a magnet that pulls you back. >> a magnet that they're talking about is my love and my protection for him. >> reporter: houston's public shocking end nearly three years ago, aged 48 she drowned in a bathtub, drugs in her system that's not even mentioned in this movie. not even in a postscript. why steer totally clear of that?

>> a full rich complicated life, there's no way to do that in a television movie. and that's not a story that i was interested in telling. >> reporter: the story she wants to tell is about a woman who could make you feel like this with her voice. ♪ i will always love you ♪ >> reporter: "i will always love you." hearing that iconic grammy performance, one of the best-selling singles of all time. i'm nick watt for "nightline" in los angeles. ♪ i will always love you ♪ >> you can catch "whitney" on lifetime on january 17th. coming up the next generation multi-platinum artist meghan trainor already has one of the best-selling singles of all-time. find out why she's moving. ♪

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since the song behind that catchy single where she's singing about her curvy bottom and all about that bass meghan trainor is out to prove she's more than a one-hit wonder with a new album when the drop the 21-year-old dishes with my "nightline" coanchor dan harris about everything from middle school drama to whether she really hates skinny witches. ♪ i'm all about the base about the base ♪ >> reporter: here's a funny thing. . when she was filming this video she was actually feeling anything but comfortable about

her own body. >> i was like this is what i wish i felt like. i wish i was all about the base. all about my curves. and i was like this is not how i feel. ♪ every inch of you is perfect from the bottom to the top ♪ >> do you feel that way now? >> yeah. >> reporter: today, her whole universe has turned upside down. all about that base is one of the best-selling singles ever. the video has nearly 500 million hits on youtube. the song has recess resonated with millions of people eager to feel better did about their bodies and it's done wonrs for the young woman who wrote and it sings it. >> all my fans tell me stories, they hated themselves and weren't happy, until they heard this song. now they live a happier life. all because of a three-minute song. it's actually helped me. while singing this over and over again, doing the dance moves, i walk off that stage like i'm a boss. i am meghan trainor. i look bombed. and everyone supports this right

now. >> reporter: meghan trainor who just turned 21 a few weeks ago has improbably become a pop star. >> check by every week. >> reporter: we caught up with her filming a clinique commercial the other day. >> eye line over top as you're feeling groovy. >> reporter: also performing a concert. ♪ in advance of her new album "title" which drops tomorrow. she never thought this could happen. >> at some point some guy said i'll date you if you lose weight. that is true? >> i looked real good that day. he's like, you'd be so hot if you were ten pounds lighter. and i was like oh. i'm not going to eat now. because that was so awful. i was just very upset with myself, which i shouldn't have been, because i was adorable. i still love myself and i wasted a lot of years not and i regret them. i didn't think i looked like a pop star. i was insecure, i didn't think i had the body shape for it. >> reporter: by 13 she was recording her own muse oak

garage band, the computer program. >> i would show my parents and they were very proud and like oh, cute a good hobby. and i was like, yo i need a tour bus, we should be on the road. >> reporter: but success has not been all easy. the internet is flooded with spoof versions of her song which make fun of her for allegedly hating skinny people. ♪ when i look atkinny people i think they should die ♪ >> do you think there's anything to that criticism? >> do you hate skinny people? >> i don't hate anybody. >> i don't hate anybody, i have plenty of skinny friends. i go no i'm just playing even you think you're fat, i'm here to tell you you're perfect. >> reporter: the most persistent question she gets is whether she can successfully capitalize on her newfound success. >> do you feel pressure to keep it going? >> piece of cake. i got it. because i got the songwriting down. i've proven it i have two hits. ♪ >> reporter: that second hit

"lips are moving" hit number five on the billboard chart. a good sign that young pop star's career will not fizzle out. she's got perhaps the most important asset of all -- confidence. for "nightline," this is dan is in new york. thanks for watching abc news. "world news now" is coming up soon with overnight breaking news. tune into "good morning america" tomorrow. as always we're online at abcnews.com. good night, america. hi! hello, sweetie. there's your birthday present but you can't open it till tomorrow. welcome, mom and dad-in-law. ( low-key ) hello, robert. ( joyously ) hello, raymond! ray: hey. how ya doin'? pat, i remember how much fun you and raymond haddoing that puzzle last year, so i bought one. "the ten commandments." all of which i love, by the way

not a stinker among 'em. we've already done that puzzle. damn! guess i gotta work on this one right here. so, mom, dad, you guys'll be sleeping in our room tonight. yes, i think you'll be very comfortable in our room. we have a great bed. you're really gonna enjoy it. not... enjoy enjoy. sleep. enjoyable sleep. 'cause that's all you'll be doing, i'm sure. which is not to say you can't do what you want 'cause you can. it's not like you'll be breaking any commandments. it's like your mouth is falling down the stairs.