I was riveted by Whitney Houston’s tell-all interview on Oprah last week, because Whitney brought the drama. She described Bobby Brown’s emotional and physical abuse, her own decline into drug addiction, and her decision to get clean. It was a powerful interview, and Oprah had every right to be proud of her “get”. But, as it turns out, all of the real drama was happening behind the scenes!

According to the National Enquirer’s cover story this week, Whitney and Oprah have been pissy with each other for years – and Whitney considered giving her first interview to someone else. In Whitney’s mind, Oprah needed her a lot more than she needed Oprah. That’s debatable, but Whitney might have a point. There were rumors Whitney was going to sit down with everyone from Diane Sawyer to Barbara Walters, but she ended up with Oprah for some reason. I tend to think that Whitney chose Oprah because everyone knows Oprah’s not the best interviewer.

Oprah Winfrey called her candid sit-down with Whitney Houston “the best interview I’ve ever done” – but The ENQUIRER has learned the two waged such a war of egos behind the scenes that the interview almost didn’t happen!

Insiders say bad blood has been simmering between the superstars for years over Whitney’s struggle with drugs – and their secret feud exploded off camera when the pop diva angrily blasted Oprah as a liar!

“Whitney knew Oprah’s show could help her clean up her tarnished image after years of drug use and her troubled marriage to Bobby Brown – and Oprah knew the interview could help her sagging TV ratings,” says an insider.

“But Whitney felt Oprah needed her more than she needed Oprah. Whitney was contacted by various media outlets vying for the ‘big get’ interview with her during her comeback campaign.”

Whitney, 46, had her pick of the litter, but chose Oprah because she wanted to appeal to her viewers and knew that if Oprah pushed her too far during the interview she was going to push back and expose some of Oprah’s own secrets!

“Whitney will never forget that when she was down and out, Oprah wanted NOTHING to do with her,” an insider told The ENQUIRER.

And THAT pissed-off Whitney to no end . ..

[From the National Enquirer]

Well, no one was on Whitney’s side when she made her descent into addiction. She was a mess, and she was practically radioactive. Whitney can’t blame Oprah for that. As far the general “diva versus diva” vibe of this report, I tend to believe it. There was tension during the interview that had nothing to do with the subjects being discussed, and everything to do with two large personalities duking it out for supremacy. Oprah generally doesn’t care to interview people who don’t kiss her ass – and Whitney thinks that kind of sycophancy is beneath her (she’s right).

In one last piece of Oprah news, it seems her ratings has significantly tumbled over the past year. She’s down 7% in the ratings, and media insiders are claiming Oprah’s “aura of invincibility is gone.” The causes for the drop include anything from average delines all over network television, to Oprah’s politics, to her alienation of conservative Christians with her New Age stuff. The Enquirer also has a piece of gossip about how Oprah is trying to force Beyonce into taking a regular position on the show – because Beyonce is ratings gold. Unfortunately for Oprah, Beyonce’s not really interested. Too bad.

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