Singing sensation Whitney Houston infuriated Burt Bacharach at

rehearsals for the 2000 ACADEMY AWARDS - by singing the wrong song.

The MY LOVE IS YOUR LOVE singer is currently clean after spending March (04) in rehabilitation for drug addiction, but four years ago (00) she was reportedly not so sober.

In STEVE POND's forthcoming book, THE BIG SHOW: HIGH TIMES AND DIRTY DEALINGS BACKSTAGE AT THE ACADEMY AWARDS, which exposes a host of OSCAR secrets, Pond reveals Houston's performance technique angered Bacharach.

In the tome, Pond writes, "Houston's voice was shaky, she seemed distracted and jittery, and her attitude was casual, almost defiant."

Despite Bacharach, the musical director of the 2000 Oscars, playing OVER THE RAINBOW on the piano, Houston began singing The Way We Were.

Pond continues, "Finally, Bacharach (at wit's end) slumped over the piano, (putting) his head down on the keys."

Producer LILI ZANUCK cancelled Houston's appearance at theceremony, explaining, "We didn't want to work for six months for this to be a show about how f**ked-up Whitney Houston was."

22/12/2004 22:07