Kevin Costner is one of the stars who has enjoyed a decades-long career near the top of Hollywood.
That has given him a lot of cachet in the media industry.
And Costner angered CNN when he refused one network’s demand.
While most television and radio networks do not rely on subscriptions, they have to air commercials instead.
Those commercial breaks can often interrupt the flow of storytelling, or drop in at an inappropriate time.
Awkward commercial drop-ins
For example, CNN infamously cut to an Applebee’s commercial as Ukraine was being invaded by Russia.
Ukraine is being destroyed! Let’s all go to Applebee’s! These networks are just pathetic … and embarrassing. pic.twitter.com/EEvyD27WLN
— Brent Bozell (@BrentBozell) February 24, 2022
Hollywood actor and director Kevin Costner avoided that type of moment when he refused to cut Whitney Houston’s eulogy short.
Costner recently appeared on Dax Shepard’s podcast and explained the time he delivered a eulogy at a 2012 memorial for Houston.
The R&B diva had a powerful voice and arguably delivered the most memorable rendition of the national anthem ever.
Houston tragically suffered with drug addiction for years and died in 2012.
But she left an imprint on Costner, with whom she co-starred in the 1992 thriller The Bodyguard.
Costner honors Houston
The two became lifelong friends after working on the film together.
Costner told Shepard, “I had been working on this speech. . .and I tried to compile everything I wanted to do and finally crafted this speech. . .Somebody said, ‘CNN’s here. They wouldn’t mind if your remarks were kept shorter because they’re going to have commercials.’ And I said, ‘They can get over that. They can play the commercial while I’m talking, I don’t care.’”
Costner was one of eight people who spoke at Houston’s funeral, and his eulogy lasted 17 minutes long.
He originally had not planned to speak, but singer and actress Dionne Warwick—Houston’s cousin—encouraged him to do so.
Costner explained to Shepard, “I could feel the weight on her, now it’s shifted to me. . .What am I going to say about this little girl? [I] went back to that church in Newark and it was filled. It was electric. There were two bands playing. The church was alive. It was like, boom!”
The Bodyguard turned out to be a surprise blockbuster, raking in $411 million worldwide, the second-highest grossing total for 1992.
It also won a Grammy for album of the year, and included Houston’s cover of the Dolly Parton song “I Will Always Love You.”
Coincidentally, Parton wrote that song the same day she wrote “Jolene” in 1972.
When asked if she would’ve liked to have sung a duet with Houston, Parton said, “I would’ve loved that. . .But I don’t think I could’ve come up to snuff with her though. She’d have outsung me on that one for sure.”
Costner added, “I don’t think we’ll ever forget when that little song came out, that [Houston] just blew up. . .She sang the first part of it acappella and musically the world was never the same. We have a moment of her in that movie we’ll never ever forget that and I think that when movies are working at their best, that’s what can happen.”