Whitney, Houston

Fox411 columnist Roger Friedman clears the air regarding R&B singer Whitney Houston's alleged renewed contract with Arista Records/Sony BMG, saying a renewal was not entirely accurate. He explains in his Thursday posting: "Whitney Houston does not have a new contract with Arista Records/Sony BMG. She always had a contract.” "In 2001, L.A. Reid handed her a check for $20 million. She spent it. Her recordings didn’t earn out. So now, still under contract, she’s making a new album. She’s in New York working on what she started in Los Angeles a few months ago. All systems are go." "Arista, meanwhile, has rejiggered her financial arrangements. They did not give her $10 million, as reported elsewhere. But sources at the company tell me that Houston has been compensated recently, they’re looking out for her, and making sure she’s happy and in good shape. How will it all turn out? Your guess is as good as mine." The release date of Houston's next studio album is expected to be around early 2008