CHICAGO -- Whitney Houston took drugs, including cocaine and marijuana, with ex-husband Bobby Brown, who was emotionally abusive during their marriage, the singer said during an interview that aired Monday on "The Oprah Winfrey Show."
"I had so much money and so much access to what I wanted," Houston told Winfrey. "I didn't think about the singing part anymore. I was looking for my young womanhood."
After a long absence from music, Houston is staging a career comeback with a new album "I Look to You" released last month and a two-part appearance on "The Oprah Winfrey Show." Houston is one of the best-selling artists of all time, but her career stalled as she grappled with drug problems and a troubled marriage to Brown.
The couple married in 1992 and were divorced in 2007. During their marriage, Brown was arrested on drug and alcohol charges, and Houston twice entered drug rehabilitation programs. She has custody of their teenage daughter.
Houston told Winfrey that Brown wasn't physically abusive but "he slapped me once but he got hit on the head three times by me."
ACLU demands release of imprisoned Richard Hatch
BOSTON -- Richard Hatch may have won "Survivor," but he's now dealing with his own painful reality -- being held in solitary confinement for 23 hours a day, the American Civil Liberties Union said Monday.
The ACLU demanded Hatch's release from Barnstable County jail on Cape Cod. He was serving the rest of his sentence for failing to pay taxes on his $1 million prize for winning "Survivor" when he gave media interviews accusing a prosecutor of misconduct and said the judge in the case discriminated against him because he is gay.
Officials from the Federal Bureau of Prisons said two of the interviews were not authorized and sent him back to jail.
On Monday, the ACLU told U.S. District Judge Nathaniel Gorton that Hatch has been held under "harsh" conditions for the last 28 days, allowed outside his cell only one hour a day to exercise or shower.
Attorney Michael Schneider said the decision to put Hatch in jail is a "clear-cut violation of his First Amendment rights." The move seemed aimed at getting back at Hatch for criticizing the government in the interviews, he said.
But Assistant U.S. Attorney Eve Piemonte-Stacey said Hatch was sent back to jail because he gave three media interviews when authorized to give only one.
Piemonte-Stacey disputed the characterization of the conditions in the jail as "harsh." Hatch was placed in the segregation unit as any other inmate would be after arriving at the jail, she said. He will be taken out of segregation soon, she said.
Schneider said the Bureau of Prisons has indicated that it may withhold 10 days of good time from Hatch, meaning he would not be released until Oct. 17.
Romano going to golf doctor in reality show
NEW YORK -- Comic Ray Romano is going to the golf doctor.
The Golf Channel says the "Everybody Loves Raymond" star will be the focus of "The Haney Project." The series follows Tiger Woods' swing coach Hank Haney as he tries to improve the game of a celebrity.
The first season of "The Haney Project" with former NBA player Charles Barkley was the second-highest rated program in the network's history.
Funnyman Romano, who's "obsessed" with golf and wants to get better, will add entertainment value to the show, said Tom Stathakes, the network's programming chief.
