Whitney Houston ‘Hologram’ Video Leaked: Performance Pulled From ‘The Voice’ Finale Among Mixed Fans Reactions
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A leaked video of Christina Aguilera performing with Whitney Houston’s hologram in rehearsals of The Voice’s finale has received mixed reactions from fans. The planned performance has now been cancelled by the late singer’s estate, but the video is still up online for all to see.
The special, which the Inquisitr reported on this week, was supposed to air as part of the season finale of the NBC show on May 24. But the Whitney Houston Estate, who declared in a statement that they “were looking to deliver a ground breaking duet performance for the fans of both artists,” said the technology wasn’t quite perfect yet.
Christina Aguilera singing a duet with Whitney Houston could have been an amazing surprise, but it wasn’t exactly kept a secret for very long, as Inquisitr reported this week.
Pat Houston, the executor of the estate, explained the decision.
“We believe with artists of this iconic caliber, it must be perfect,” she said. “Whitney’s legacy and her devoted fans deserve perfection.”
Holograms, as these displays are commonly nicknamed, have become all the rage over the past few years to revive deceased artists and bring back incredible performances. The technology isn’t actually that of a hologram but a projection method called Pepper’s Ghost.
This technique was used for Coachella in 2012 to enable Snoop Dogg to perform with Tupac Shakur, as Gizmodo reported. Back then already, the performance got mixed reactions from fans who didn’t quite know what to do with the CGI image of a deceased artist performing in front of them.
The Whitney and Christina performance was supposed to be kept under wrapped and broadcast on The Voice’s Season 10 finale next Tuesday, but the video which was leaked online has now ruined the possibility of a surprise.
Whitney then finishes “I Have Nothing” with Christina before breaking into “I’m Every Woman.”
Whitney even goes through a costume change in between the two songs, making the whole display even weirder and leaving the audience wondering just what they are watching.
There are obviously some huge ethical concerns related to the use of CGI and other techniques to bring deceased performers, although it has been done increasingly over the past few years.
Hologram performance by the late Whitney Houston won't be airing on NBC's 'The Voice' because of technical issues. https://t.co/mRxeXSaIu0
— The Associated Press (@AP) May 20, 2016
Audrey Hepburn was resurrected for a chocolate advert, as the Guardian reported, completely digitally recreated according to natural movements of body-doubles acting the script scenes. Although the technological prowess at play is to be saluted, this and other posthumous cameos have led to some serious ethical concerns regarding image rights.
Some Whitney Houston fans were really shocked and disappointed about the plans to use a fake image of the late singer on the show’s finale and expressed it on Twitter.
I’m sitting here watching this leaked #WhitneyHouston nd #Xtina clip. I’m shocked who is this woman cuz it ain’t Whitney.????????
— LeeKaDanielle (@Leekadanielle) May 20, 2016
That #WhitneyHouston hologram is one of the worst celebrity impersonators I have ever seen
— Nicola Borasinski (@N1icky) May 20, 2016
That #WhitneyHouston hologram is one of the worst celebrity impersonators I have ever seen
— Nicola Borasinski (@N1icky) May 20, 2016
Back in 2015, Hologram USA was announcing its project in collaboration with Pat Houston to bring back Whitney for a tour in 2016. So all hope’s not lost for all the fans who are eagerly waiting to see their favorite star sing again, and it sounds like Pat just wants the technology to be absolutely perfect before they embark on a new Whitney adventure.
Either way, the use of deceased people’s image, voice, movements, isn’t unanimously pleasing crowds and people rightly ask how far this could go. Who’s to say that these performers would agree to their legacy being used in those ways?
What do you think: would you go watch a concert featuring a hologram version of Whitney, Kurt Cobain, or Billie Holiday?
[Photo by Mark J. Terrill/AP Images]
