Whitney: Oscar Mire

By Stephen M. Silverman

10/08/1998 at 12:00 AM EDT

Whitney Houston was fired from Sunday's Oscars by the show's musical director, Burt Bacharach, after she mangled lyrics during a Friday night run-through, reports Variety columnist Army Archerd. Those in the large crowd who witnessed the rehearsal said that the pop diva, who has a history of missing performances, overstepped her cue marks and seemed clueless as to the lyrics of two songs she was to deliver during a song medley of past Oscar winners. (She was to have sung a duet with cousin Dionne Warwick, during a segment that also featured Garth Brooks, Ray Charles, Isaac Hayes and Queen Latifah.) Houston's publicist, Nancy Seltzer, told New York's Daily News that the star was ill "with a sore throat" and "therefore regretfully withdrew from the performance."