NEW YORK — In her first interview since Whitney Houston’s death, daughter Bobbi Kristina Brown said she’s “doing as good as I possibly can” and recalled the tender last moments she shared with her superstar mother before her sudden death last month.

“She’s always with me,” said  Houston’s only child and sole heir. “Her spirit is strong, it’s a strong spirit. I feel her pass through me all the time.”

Brown, 19, made the comments in a Sunday interview with Oprah Winfrey on Winfrey’s network, OWN, that also featured Pat Houston, the singer’s manager and sister-in-law, and Gary Houston, the brother of Whitney Houston.

Brown credited her family and God for helping her cope since her mother’s death on Feb. 11 at the age of 48.

“It comes in waves. One moment I can be happy and laughing, but then it comes over me. It’s my mom,” she said.

Houston, who had struggled with drugs and alcohol in the past but according to family had been apparently clean, was found in a bathtub at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, Calif., on the eve of the Grammys. 

Brown said the night before her mother’s death, she asked Houston to spend the night with her. “I slept in her arms all day, all night long,” said Brown, whose father is singer Bobby Brown.

Pat Houston said in the days before Houston died, the singer hadn’t been abusing drugs, despite reports that she had been acting erratically.

She said an event that her sister-in-law attended two days before her death where Houston looked disheveled was particularly difficult because the performer got into a verbal spat with a former “X Factor” contestant. Pat Houston wouldn’t name the woman, but Stacy Francis has said that she and Whitney Houston had words that night.

According to Pat Houston, Francis “made herself present everywhere we were,” unnerving Houston and leading to an argument.

The day of her death had been uneventful, said her manager. Houston had lunch in her hotel and was preparing for her mentor Clive Davis’ annual party.

Pat Houston went out to run errands for about a half hour and when she came back, Whitney Houston’s assistant went to check on the singer.

“When I headed down the hallway (to her room), I heard screaming,” she said.

When Pat Houston arrived in the room, she saw the singer’s security guard trying to revive her ahead of the paramedics. He told her: “I tried.”

The cause of Houston’s death has not yet been revealed.

The 90-minute TV special also touched on the singer’s ex-husband, Bobby Brown .

While some have accused Brown of introducing Houston to drugs, leading to the once-pristine singer’s downfall, Pat Houston said that was untrue, and both Pat and Gary Houston had warm words for Brown.

“I loved Bobby Brown. Bobby was a good guy,” said Gary Houston, her older brother. “I don’t know how good they were for each other.”

They also denied that the Houston family had asked Brown to leave her funeral service or didn’t want him to come; Brown showed up briefly but left after a dispute over seating.

“Bobby was supposed to be there,” said Gary Houston.

Pat Houston said Bobby Brown and his daughter have a relationship, but indicated they hadn’t spoken since at least Houston’s funeral.

Bobbi Kristina Brown said she planned to carry on her mother’s legacy and become a singer, as well as act and dance. She expressed frustration over the “negativity” surrounding her mother’s image: “That’s not my mother.”

Instead, she described her as her confidant, a sister, her best friend – “my everything.”

She still spends time in the house she and her mother shared together, and at times said it’s hard to believe she’s not there.

“Sometimes, it’s so surreal. I still walk into the house like, ‘Mom?’ ” she said. “But I’ve accepted it.”

‘Desperate’ trial a lot like show

LOS ANGELES – For eight seasons, Marc Cherry has woven conflict, mystery and death into the story lines of ABC’s “Desperate Housewives,” but soon 12 jurors will be the ones supplying suspense for the veteran television writer.

Deliberations in actress Nicollette Sheridan’s wrongful termination lawsuit begin this week, with the panel deciding whether they believe the actress was fired after complaining that Cherry, the series creator and show-runner, struck her on the set. He denies hitting her and contends her demise from the hit series was a long-planned plot point.

Seven days of testimony have revealed conflicting stories that could have been scripted in the “Housewives” writers’ room, providing a fascinating look behind the scenes of a hit prime-time series, with financial pressures, cast conflicts and secret meetings all on display.

Jurors have watched montages and outtakes from the show, including the 48 — and counting — deaths aired since the series began in 2004. Then there were the moments after actor James Denton finished testifying, when jurors heard an inadvertent spoiler about his character.

Cherry has portrayed Sheridan as a polarizing figure on set, bickering with Teri Hatcher during the first season, not unlike the plot line at the time. He also testified that Eva Longoria and Felicity Huffman were “relieved” to learn in December 2008 that Sheridan’s role as Edie Britt was being eliminated.

Yet he praised Sheridan as an actress who performed so well in the show’s pilot that he lobbied to make her a series regular and share the show’s profits.

Sheridan attorney Mark Baute has noted that none of Cherry’s allegations of bad behavior were ever documented, and Cherry himself maintains he opted to kill off Edie in the fifth season primarily for creative reasons. Baute has accused Cherry and others of conspiring to make it appear they made the decision before the on-set fight, when Cherry instead cut Sheridan’s role only after ABC officials cleared him of wrongdoing.

Her departure allowed the show to save much of the $200,000 per episode Sheridan would have earned if she survived into season six. Cherry and George Perkins, an executive producer, have said “Desperate Housewives” was under pressure at the time to cut costs.

If she wins, Sheridan is seeking more than $6 million.

‘Lorax’ rules, ‘Carter’ labors at box office

LOS ANGELES -“Dr. Seuss’ the Lorax” has easily beaten Edgar Rice Burroughs’ “John Carter” at the weekend box office.

Studio estimates Sunday put Universal Pictures’ “The Lorax” at No. 1 for the second straight weekend as the animated adventure based on the children’s book took in $39.1 million.

That raised its 10-day domestic total to $122 million, making “The Lorax” the top-grossing movie released this year.

“John Carter,” based on “Tarzan” creator Burroughs’ tales of the interplanetary adventurer, opened in second-place with $30.6 million. That’s an awful start given the whopping $250 million that Disney reportedly spent to make “John Carter,” which also earned generally poor reviews that will hurt its long-term prospects.

The movie’s salvation could come overseas, where “John Carter” opened in 55 markets with $70.6 million, giving it a worldwide total of $101.2 million.

Young Schwarzenegger hurt skiing

SUN VALLEY, Idaho – The son of Arnold Schwarzenegger and Maria Shriver says he’s been treated for injuries after “a little ski accident” in Idaho.

Patrick Schwarzenegger, 18, tweeted Saturday that he received stitches “down the back and but” (sic) after the accident, and he also thanked doctors who cared for him in Sun Valley.

He provided a link to a photo he posted to the social networking application Instagram, showing a deep cut on his lower back. He also said he had suffered bruises, but did not provide details on how he was injured

In 2006, Arnold Schwarzenegger broke his leg in a ski accident at Sun Valley while he was CalifornIa governor.

— From news service reports