>> stevie wonder. the way he couldn't sing "ribbon in the sky" and had to make his own words right away and think of something that he wanted to say from his heart. >> reporter: whitney houston was a superstar. she never lost her roots here in this community. >> oh, no. >> reporter: everyone felt it? >> correct. we love whitney. she lived right around the corner back in the day from where i live. we love you, whitney. i feel like i was in the church. i loved when it was finishing and they sung, whitney sung. >> reporter: out here, just a few blocks from where the church is, piers and soledad, everyone feeling some way part of the service. >> i can understand that. we also felt like we were very much in the middle of that service. we are joined by the great roberta flack, amazing songstress. we are a little bit of a distance away. reverend jackson, i'm going to move, if i can. we appreciate you joining us and reverend jackson joibs us, as well. you've just come over from the service. what did you think?

[applause] >> how many know the song living in the city by stevie wonder. that great skit at end where stevie plays all the voices and gets arrested. new york city, skyscrapers and everything. this is a poem that reimagines that gentlemen exists the bus in that skit as john henry. this is a section of it. skyscrapers and everything. j hammer henry mallet [inaudible] could barely fit hammer poking out like natural man's skyscraper to the concrete for deep machine sleep abouts income. don't go john henry traffic man, don't go across that street. the flood song poems were poems written in reaction to katrina. how can i enter that space of writing poems about that. i'm not from there and don't have family there. who benefits from that tragedy? who benefits from that disregard for humanity and the thought animals would benefit from that. this first poem is flood songs number 4 mosquitoes drinking didy. >> drink every hour next up this hour and every hour after. was born in the river there is enough to go around. drink every hour on the hour and every hour after.

for now we leave you with stevie wonder with a special rendition of "ribbon in the sky." we were blessed

stevie wonder is going to sing "ribbon in the sky."is going to perform, a whole bunch of people. we heard about all of the people who are going to be here and those are the confirmed people. they're going to be so many stars who we have not heard from who are going to be here. as a matter of fact, i haven't seen them on the guest list anywhere, but i know he's going to be here with his wife, l.a. reed. i took the red eye with l.a. reed. there are other stars, jay-z, beyonce. i would imagine a lot of people are going to show up that we don't know about and it's all going to start on cnn in just a little bit. but we're going to carry the entire coverage for you. again, the interesting thing is who is going to be here who we haven't heard from already. >> you know, don, what i keep thinking about, there are literally tens of millions of people threout the world mourning whit knew houston's death and who are so saddened by this. but i keep thinking about her mother, cissy houston and her daughter, kristina. do you have any idea what they'r

stevie wonder, alicia keys, kim burrell.mcclurkin will sing his song "stand," which was a houston family favorite. >>> she released her first album more than 27 years ago. and throughout her career she reached new heights in the music world. among her many milestones, whitney houston's self-titled first album is a biggest debut. she's also the only artist with seven consecutive number one hits and one of her signature songs "i will always love you" is the biggest selling commercial single in music hif. c cnn has obtained unpublished photos. this is from 1982. she was 18 years old. the photographer jack mitchell took them all that time ago. you can see more by going to cnn.com. >>> coming up we'll hear from more. her elementary principal will talk to us before he goes in. remember cnn will have coverage from soledad o'brien and piers morgan from newark, new jersey. that coverage comes away about 37 minutes from now at 11:00 eastern time. stay with us. ome money, i just got the popular girls from the local middle school to fol

tyler perry, kevin costner, stevie wonder, alicia keys and so many more. the funeral many of whitney houston's family and friends gathered at a newark restaurant sxchlt susan candiotti has more. >> reporter: as the rain came down after that funeral, friends and family of whitney houston, including a number of celebrities, came to a private dinner, a repass after the funeral. they gathered together no doubt to swap stories and comfort each other after the experience they had just been through. a number of notables, we saw kevin costner who spoke so eloquently at the funeral. afterwards he came out and waved at spectators standing across the degree. we were kept at a great distance across a good six lanes of traffic. people who came here wanted to experience some peace of what happened earlier today. we also saw tyler perry and dionne warwick, angela bassett, jesse jackson and al sharpton that waved to the crowd across the street. undoubtedly for many an inspirational experience and also a very comforting one. don, back to you. >> thank you very much for tha

aretha franklin and stevie wonder will sing. oprah winfrey, beyonce, and jay-z are reportedly on the guest list. some fans feel left out. >> it's def tating. >> it would have been nice if they could have put the thing out so the fans could see what was going on. >> reporter: many fans plan to show up any way. >> i'll be here physically. we probably won't be able to see anything. >> reporter: the funeral is closed to the public. the singer's mother wanted a private memorial at the church where the singer grew up. so far, california investigators have found no evidence of criminal activity or any reason to believe that houston was looking to abuse prescription drugs. only a few pill bottles were found inside her hotel suite last weekend. everyone is cooperating. tahman bradley, abc news. >>> tonight, you can catch a special edition of "20/20," "one moment in time," the life of whitney houston. >>> president owe what is hauling hau -- obama is hauling in the campaign cash. he was interrupted twice by hecklers. >>> earlier in the da

out to perform, people who knew whitney houston and were close to her, people like aretha franklin, stevie wonder will be singing as well, alicia keys will be lending her voice. to the service tomorrow, kevin costner will be coming out. he'll be speaking here tomorrow when the funeral gets under way at noon. bobby brown will be here as w l well. when i spoke to the pastor here at the new hope baptist chiurch he said there will be a lot of tears but it will also be a celebration of what whitney houston did best, and that's singing. john. >> jason carol live in newark. and as jason noted, white a scene outside the funeral home. where whitney houston's body was brought earlier this week. fans come by, leave flowers, balloons, hand written messages. marvin wi wyans will deliver th eulo eulogy. they were close. that was clear from the interview. >> joining me now, pastor of the new perfecting church in detroit, marvin winans. you and your family, obviously, so close to the houston family, how is your family doing? how is whitney's family doing? >> well, my mother, after we had heard it, she sai

and icon, stevie wonder. gospel great, marvin winans, will give the eulogy.ouston mentor, clive davis, is also slated to speak. among the invited guests, oprah winfrey, mariah carey, and alicia keys. they're all expected to be part of a celebration of a life of an extraordinary woman who touched so many lives. for me and many other women of color, she was a woman who broke barriers. and an inspiration. >> whitney really transcended race. you didn't really think of her as a black singer. you just thought of her as whitney. >> reporter: one mourner tomorrow was there when houston broke one of those barriers. two decades after starring opposite houston in "the bodyguard," kevin costner is again expected to play a leading role. >> have you ever liked anybody? >> reporter: it was costner who played a pivotal role to the big screen, in "the bodyguard." a role that boosted her wattage as a megastar. >> i knew whitney before she was in the movie. and i looked at her. this girl, she just really has it. >> reporter: in a 2002 interview with diane sawyer, she described

>> i would let the family decide that. >> stevie wonder, i thank you so much for calling in. i know there are sore spots within the cornelius family today. thank you. >> okay. >>> now this. just oafter the top of the hour here. a couple stories we're watching for you right now. first and foremost, a major birth control recall, a mix-up that could leave you unprotected. stay tuned for that. >>> also from afghanistan, the taliban is poised to overtake the country as soon as nato forces pull out. >>> and facebook. when can we get in on the action and buy a piece of that pie? time to play reporter roulette. >>> i want to go straight to elizabeth cohen with this massive recall of birth control pills. elizabeth, what exactly is being recalled and why? >> if you are a woman on birth control pills, i suggest you go to your medicine cabinet and see if you have either of these kinds of pills. the first one is called lo/ovral, and the second is generic norgestrel tablets. if you have them -- some of them, not all of them -- there is a mistake in the way they were paj aged and you might

. >>> it was the show that brought us james brown, stevie wonder and michael jackson. and with the passing of its conductor, we take you for one more ride on "the soul train." >>> good evening. i'm bill weir. crossing the line in search of a better life. it's one of mankind's oldest stories. and in america, immigration is behind one of today's fiercest debates. but tonight, we bring you a story that transcends the argument with a 5-year-old boy, whose mother broke america's rules, only to undergo a forced separation that broke her heart. and there may be thousands of invisible cases just like it. tonight, abc's brian ross investigates. brian? >> reporter: bill, this is a heartbreaking story of how a 5-year-old boy in missouri has ended up in the middle of a tug-of-war, who his parents should be. a tug-of-war triggered on this country's crackdown on illegal immigration. and this abc news investigation, along with five graduate students, assigned to work with us as carnegie fellows. his name is now jamison. put up for adoption for melinda and seth moser. after a judge ru

there also be performances by stevie wonder and every franklin. soft saw fit bb wynans spoke about the ceremony. >> instead of being a big superstars sendoff is going to be a baby girl sendoff. she will be surrounded by people who absolutely loved and adored her for who she was. >>darya: her ex-husband has been invited to the funeral despite rumors that he would not be welcomed by her family. >>mark: we will be right back as the kron4 news continues. more on the forecast in the bay bridge closure right after this break. fit >>mark: of we are watching conditions in the sierra as they look for a slight chance of snow. >>erica: there are currently no change required for in this city. there are anticipating mostly cloudy conditions into the afternoon. overnight is when everything changes. one-3 in. of snow expected. into sunday mostly cloudy conditions. he will certainly want to bundle up as temperatures could drop down into this a good digits. >>darya: we will be back in a couple of minutes of its friday morning. sphere safe >>mark: the big stories w

aretha franklin and stevie wonder will sing. and clive davis is expected to speak. can see it online on nbcwashington.com. >>> former executive jack johnson will report to federal prison today in north carolina. he was sentenced to more than seven years in prison on corruption charges. he pleaded guilty to accepting bribes from county officials, developers and other businessmen. >>> some wintry weather is on the way this weekend. >> we have something to talk about, let's put it that way. kids who were hoping to be building snow men all weekend long, whoa, you're jumping ahead. you should not be thinking about building a snowman just yet. >> just a memory. >> this is not going to be a big one for washington, for better or for worse depending how you like the snow. it is president's home weekend of great snowstorms in the past. 1979, hammered! 2003, buried! 2012 version of the president's day storm will be somewhat lackluster. out we go on a saturday morning with a golden sky, sunrise about 25 minutes away. mild in downtown where it's 37. 27 in cumberland, maryland. t

>> stevie wonder? >> he was the drum who backed out. >> we idolize people who do things wrong. >> why are we idolizing singers. >> why should be idolizing teachers. >> yeah, right. >> but he got a slap in the hand and taken away for a year for beating the crap out of a woman. andrew dice clay got a lifetime ban for saying the f-bomb. i never understand understood that. not from the grammies, but mtv. apples and oranges. >> i want to -- the one thing -- we don't have much time. the whole abuse be gets abuse, that allows a lot of people to pull back on the abuse story whether it exists or not. everybody has somebody to blaip. he was abused as a child. there is nobody there that could say the mama or the dad might not be there, but if they are there they can go back. it is one of those things that will never end. nobody is ever at fault. >>- q. i it doesn't make it okay. children learn what they live. if you yell, your kids william. if you hit -- will yell. i watched a man reprimand a kid for smacking my

i was very happy to see stevie there and hear kevin costner's words. that first began the whole thing was incredible. that got it very whitney going. >> we saw it from a distance, even though the camera was in there. just one camera angle and one news organization is controlling it and we all just take the feed, so we don't see the faces, there are no cutaways, you just see that one camera. take us inside and tell us what people were doing, how they were reacting. >> i want to say everyone was very respectful. they sat in their pews until they felt the spirit, then everyone had to stand, just to echo that sentiment. and in fact, i felt that people were being so respectful and very sharp to hear every word spoken and to hear every lyric sung. so if something hit them, they wanted to react right away. there was no lag time on anything. that was the most beautiful thing, they were so respectful for whitney, for her day. this is whitney's day. >> i told bishop jakes, when he would preach, when he did his thing, i thought to myself, like i was sitting in ch

to get it to the essence for television, and one of my favorite artists is a genius by the name of stevie wonder, and stevie wonder has one of his more famous songs called "i wish," and this piece that is written by you is called the same thing. "personally, i wish i had a true voice and my country, a true democracy, not a sham of democracy. i wish we could stand up against corruption and that teachers would establish in the hearts and minds of students and love for knowledge and learning. i wish police of a sears would be the way they were depicted long ago in the movies. i wish the government would stop treating people as if they were children who can be applied to. i wish people would treat one or another without classism. i wish we could rid ourselves of the negativity and passivity. i wish we could learn to differ in opinion without insulting one another. i wish we could love one another, really love one another. by the way, it is my right to dream and to pursue my dream, and it is your right to dream, and, series a, if we stop dreaming, we would die." >> i wrote that five days befor

and i'm like, stevie, for god's sake, sing something.t with fashion. >> it was different tonight. of course, nicki minaj. ?awr on her case. >> i'm really not, but we expect that from nicki, just like lady gaga. there she is. >> it was like she walked into a volleyball net. >> what about fergie? >> i see fearing gee's underpants on display. >> she was kind of like a take- off of the great pumpkin but a hot version. >> nicki and lady gaga, they go for. that it is what it is. >> we're talk about them. >> that's the thing. we made this happen. ever since lady gaga wore the kermit dress. >> or the meat. >> the meat, absolutely. so we've kind of proven, i think it all started, like j-lo was like the matriarch of ridiculous dresses when she had the cut down to her bellybutton. this whole nicki minaj thing just freaked me out. who ever thought this was okay? >> people on twitter are saying i'm going in on it. come on, it's too much. i don't know what it is. >> new artist. >> this happened last year when mumford & sons won. and it happened today.

franklin and stevie wonder have been tapped to sing. >>> the lin-sanity sweeping the country over theew york knicks star jeremy lin is now extending to hair. barber craig logan in atlanta now offering the jay lin fade. it's a fade on one side with finger length hair on the top. logan started the do after asian customers dropped in looking to get their hair cut like lin's and the star could become even more popular. last night lin led his new york knicks to their seventh straight win since he started getting regular playing time. the dude is kind of phenomenal. >>> snow is on the way, but we're still not quite sure how bad it's going to be. >> we just can't talk accumulations on thursday. we'll try to tell you some bullet points that aren't going to change because once we put a number out there, i found you can't take it away. we put one out there, we want to make sure it's right. let's start with a louvre look outside. most of the sprinkles are over. -- live look outside. most of the sprinkles are over with. temperature 45 degrees, dew point 41 and the wind's out of south at 6. that s

. ♪ [ music ] alicia keys and stevie wonder among the stars paying tribute to whitney houston.ow her costar in the body guard remembers the shy girl from new jersey. >>> and you heard about budget cuts and layoffs for years. tonight a different picture in oakland. why the police department is saying help wanted. >> right now, we are definitely scheduled to make it tuesday, 5:00 a.m. we may be able to open early. >> rapid progress on the bay bridge project. what put crews on the fast track and ahead of schedule? and good evening, the closure of the upper deck of the bay bridge made a mess out of bay area traffic while most places are clearing up, you can see right here from chopper 5 is 101 south heading toward the golden gate bridge. a huge backup there all day long. so our advice, leave early if you are planning on a night out. so far, so good. 26 hours after the bay bridge closed last night, work is proceeding ahead of schedule. and there's a good chance the bridge could reopen sooner than planned. don knapp is on the bridge with a progress report for us. don. >> reporter: ju

friends and family swayed to the music of stevie wonder.n baptist tradition, it was not a day to mourn houston but to return her home, a celebration of the pop icon's life in the church where she was discovered as a teenager. >> you wait for a voice like that for a lifetime. >> reporter: alicia keys wiped away tears before her emotional tribute. ♪ and it's a long, long way to heaven ♪ >> reporter: and actor kevin costner talked about moments only he and houston shared. >> the whitney i knew despite her success and worldwide fame still wondered, am i good enough? it was a burden that made her great and the part that made her stumble in the end. >> reporter: gary hunter attended the service. he showed us the program filled with photos of the singer. >> all of us wish we could have grabbed her and been closer. >> reporter: after the ceremony, fans were allowed to come back to the church to pay their respects. earlier, many were frustrated that they were kept blocks away. >> i want to feel like i'm a part of it. it doesn't make any sense. >> re

there will be performances by stevie wonder, aretha franklin and bbweyon. her exhusband bobby brown has been invited to the funeral, putting to rest rumors that he's not welcome. sources close to her investigation say the singer was partying and drinking heavily in beverly hills shortly before she died. houston's past addiction has some questioning why new jersey's governor decided to fly the flags in the state at half staff today. new jersey will be houston's final home. the cemetery where her father rests is her final resting location. >> instead of the big superstar sendoff, it's going to be that baby girl sendoff, and she's going to be surrounded by people who absolutely loved and adored her for who she was. reporter: now, police say there will not be a customary funeral procession on saturday. fans can watch the funeral on tv and on the internet. sheree johnson, abc 2 news. >>> a man who costarred in houston's greatest movie hit will speak at her funeral on saturday. kevin costner was in the 1992 hit "the bawrd" with the singer. stevie wonder and areth

you will hear diana crawl, stevie wonder and eric clapton as guest stars on the record. cd i highly recommend. finally mardi gras tuesday, fat tuesday. that was the action last year. we can relieve it all over again this year. town hall in san francisco. one big fat tuesday party this tuesday evening. finally there is your recap. the chieftains in concert. follow me on twitter and enjoy the rest of your weekend. cheers. >>> the film festival with movies that will make you think coming up next. filmmakers and movie fans head to silicon valley for the annual cinequest film >>> movies that create, empower and inat the grate. that is one of the reasons people head to silly done valley for the annual film festival. the codirector and executive director of sin that quest is here live. it starts ten days from now. >> it is. >> what is new this year. >> new is our continued focus on creativity and innovation in a big, big way. we have a very powerful event called picture the possibilities. we have a lot of opportunities for youth and families at cene quest. we have a global move

aretha franklin, stevie wonder and >>> final preps are under way in new jersey for the funeral of singer whitney houston. aretha franklin, stevie wonder and kevin costner will be among those paying tribute at the invitation-only service in newark. "people" magazine is reporting that houston's ex-husband bobby brown has been invited despite rumors that family members didn't want him there at all. tomorrow's service is set to begin at 9 a.m. pacific time. it can be seen live on cbssf.com. >>> the house and senate are expected to vote today on a deal to extend the payroll tax cuts through the end of the year. if approved, the tax break will continue to save 160 americans about $20 a week. president obama praised congress for striking a deal and promised to sign the extension immediately when passed. >>> gop hopeful rick santorum will campaign for a second day in michigan today. he is leading in the polls there. he is working to kept his advantage in the state where mitt romney grew up. his father was the governor in the 1960s. santorum is hammering away at romney's opposition to the auto ba

. >> some of the biggest names in the music industry were there to honor her from stevie wonder -- ♪usic ] >> to a visibly emotional alicia keys. ♪ [ music ] there were celebrity tributes from her mentor, clive davis. >> you wait for a voice like that for a lifetime. you wait for a face like that. a smile like that. a presence like that. for a lifetime. and when one person embodies it all, it takes your breath away. >> and actor, kevin costner, her costar in the movie, "the body guard ." the whitney i knew wondered, am i good enough? am i pretty enough? will they like me? it was the burden that made her great and a part that caused her to stumble in the end. >> the 48-year-old star was found dead in her beverly hills hotel room a week ago. the cause of death is still under investigation. one of the most poignant moments of the nearly four hour tribute came from her cousin. >> perhaps my time seemed all too brief. god, god, god wanted me now. he set me free. >> fox 5 news. >> houston's ex-husband, bobby brown, abruptly left the funeral today. security moved him and his party three tim

from stevie wonder and diana ross to michael jackson and even l.l. cool j.he conductor on the hippest train in america for more than two decades, cornelius' later years were touched by family troubles and declining health. however, the nation will remember him as a symbol of his own signature sign-off. >> i'm don cornelius, and as always in parting we wish you love, peace, and soul! >> reporter: and friends say while they knew cornelius had been struggling with health problems for years the news of his demise was still very devastating. rob, paula. >> it's hard to imagine what led to his suicide. there was one person who came out yesterday and said there could have been the onset of dementia and perhaps he took his own life to not go down that road over the next, you know, couple of years. so whatever the reason, though, he leaves behind an amazing legacy. there obviously as you can see people paying their respects. the flowers and different tributes at his star on the hollywood walk of fame. certainly well earned. >> definitely. >>> well, an amazing medical

wonder -- clive davis, aretha franklin and stevie wonder. now fans are turning it into a shrine outside the church. a new jersey governor has been fielding angry e-mails and calls from people saying houston didn't deserve to have the flag lowered and think the honor should be reserved for military members, elected officials and police and firefighters, not entertainers who are substance abusers. >> whitney houston made a significant cultural impact on the people of our state and the people of our country and i believe that she deserves to be honored for that cultural impact and contribution that she made as a daughter of new jersey. >> by the way, governor christy christie ordered the flags lowered this year for clarence clemons, the saxophonist for bruce spring teen's e street band. we have maureen umeh at the concert where bobby brown did a tribute to whitney. you can watch it tonight on the news edge at 11:00. >>> a two-day journey for some battle tested warriors, more than 170 marines home after their deployment to afghanistan arrived in