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'You will always remember where you were ... when you heard the news,' Simon Cowell says, echoing the sentiments after Jackson's death.
By Tomika L. Anderson

Few people will forget where they were when they heard that the King of Pop, <a href="/news/articles/1614744/michael-jackson-dies-at-50.jhtml">Michael Jackson, had died</a> in June 2009. And now, the same can be said for 1980s and '90s <a href="/news/articles/1679029/whitney-houston-dead.jhtml">Queen of Pop Whitney Houston</a>.<div class="player-placeholder right" title="Celebrities React To Whitney Houston's Passing" id="vid:733106.id:1679030" width="240" height="211"></div>The beloved, long-suffering singer died Saturday inside a Beverly Hills hotel room, hours before she was expected to attend a <a href="/news/articles/1679046/whitney-houston-dies-grammys-clive-davis.jhtml">pre-Grammy Awards party thrown by her longtime mentor Clive Davis</a>.And while the official cause of death is yet unknown — what's been speculated so far is that <a href="/news/articles/1679049/whitney-houston-dies-details.jhtml">Houston may have drowned</a> in the bathtub after taking prescription drugs, including Xanax — given her very public struggle with substance abuse, depression and anxiety over the past decade, it's hard not to conclude that some drug- or alcohol-related accident may have been to blame.It's much like, most recently, British singer Amy Winehouse and the late, great Michael Jackson before her, who died after taking a fatal cocktail of propofol and two other drugs. Also like Jackson, Houston's sudden death — at the age of 48 — has stopped the world in its tracks, an enormous, one-of-a-kind musical flame forever extinguished.Even Jackson's brother, Jermaine — who was first introduced to Houston years ago by Clive Davis at the same Beverly Hills Hilton where the singer passed away — could not help but draw the comparison. In an interview with CNN overnight, he paid tribute to the two fallen musical giants. "They shared a lot of success in the late '80s and they were great friends," he said. "I'm happy and honored to have been a part of their lives."And oh, what lives they led: Like Jackson — who died at just 50 years old, after years of struggling with personal demons — Houston, too, had an intensely profound and everlasting impact on the world of entertainment.Mariah Carey, Christina Aguilera, Jennifer Hudson and countless other chart-topping entertainers have all name-checked her as their musical mentor, icon and inspiration: To date, she is one of the best-selling artists of all time, with more than 170 million albums, songs and videos sold.In her lifetime, Houston achieved what precious few of them have or ever will — stacking an astonishing 415 awards, including six Grammys, two Emmys, 22 American Music Awards, 30 Billboard Awards.Her voice, in its prime, was a national treasure."X Factor" mastermind Simon Cowell may have summed it up the best: On "Piers Morgan Tonight," he said, "She was one of the greatest voices in our lifetime. Whitney was the number one singer that other singers want to emulate. People like that can't be manufactured. They've either got, it or they don't."He added, "You will always remember where you were and what you were doing when you heard the news."Like Michael before her, gone too soon.<center><embed src="http://media.mtvnservices.com/mgid:uma:video:mtv.com:733107/cp~id%3D1679030%26vid%3D733107%26uri%3Dmgid%3Auma%3Avideo%3Amtv.com%3A733107%26instance%3Dmtv" width="460" height="260" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowFullScreen="true" allowScriptAccess="always" base="." flashVars=""></embed></center>MTV News' Sway and James Montgomery will be live from the <a href="http://www.mtv.com/news/grammys/">Grammys</a> red carpet tonight starting at 5 p.m. ET to get reactions from music's biggest stars on the death of Whitney Houston. Watch reactions and remembrances at MTV.com.Share your condolences with Whitney's family and friends on our <a href="https://www.facebook.com/mtvnews/posts/381732435187118&rdquo" target="_blank">Facebook</a> page.

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Chris Brown and Nicki Minaj are confirmed to perform at the 2012 BET Awards on July 1.
By Rob Markman

Expect lots of drama, plenty of laughs and possibly even a few superheroes in the building when <a href="http://www.mtv.com/movies/person/30855/personmain.jhtml">Samuel L. Jackson</a> hosts the 2012 BET Awards on July 1, live from the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles. On Tuesday (May 22), BET announced the nominees for their 2012 awards show and even confirmed performances by <a href="http://www.mtv.com/music/artist/brown__chris__18_/artist.jhtml">Chris Brown</a> and <a href="http://www.mtv.com/music/artist/minaj__nicki/artist.jhtml">Nicki Minaj</a> (though there was no official word on whether the Hulk will attend).BET president Stephen Hill held a press conference in New York City on Tuesday, and with the help of <a href="http://www.mtv.com/music/artist/big_sean/artist.jhtml">Big Sean</a>, DJ Khaled, A$AP Rocky, Diggy, Mindless Behavior and Melanie Fiona, he spilled the beans about the big show. Samuel L. wasn't in attendance, but "The Avengers" star sent a pre-taped message promising that the show will be "too big to miss."<div class="player-placeholder right" title="Big Sean Got Grandma's Support For BET Awards" id="vid:771561" width="415" height="255"></div>Kanye West leads the nominations with seven, including two Video of the Year nods for <a href="http://rapfix.mtv.com/2012/02/09/niggas-in-paris-video-jay-z-kanye-west">the Throne's "N---as in Paris"</a> and "Otis." Beyoncé notched six nominations, while hubby Jay-Z earned himself five noms. Big Sean was particularly excited about his three nominations, including his look in the Best Male Hip Hop Artist category, where he will square off against Drake, J. Cole, Lil Wayne, Rick Ross and Young Jeezy."It's perfect. My grandma gonna be watchin', my mom, my family, the whole city," Sean told MTV News shortly after the press conference. "It's just tight that I can represent those people, everybody who had that dream, everybody who used to ride to school [listening to] their idols, now I'm with them. It's just tight that I can show people that it's possible."Sean broke through last year when he dropped his debut LP Finally Famous. Next, the "Marvin & Chardonnay" MC will appear on G.O.O.D Music's Cruel Summer compilation and then follow up with his sophomore album.Sean isn't the only big dog being honored at the awards show. Chris Brown, Usher and Bruno Mars are among the nominees in the Best Male R&B category, while Beyoncé, Mary J. Blige and Rihanna will duke it out in the Best Female category. The Throne, Diddy-Dirty Money, Maybach Music Group and Eminem's Bad Meets Evil will compete for Best Group, and Nicki Minaj looks to be the favorite for Best Female Hip Hop.For the full list of categories and nominees, check <a href="http://www.bet.com/shows/bet-awards/2012.html" target="_blank">BET.com</a>.<center><a href="http://www.mtv.com/photos/?fid=1617615"><img src="http://www.mtv.com/news/photos/s/spotted/banner/spotted.jpg"></a></center>

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Spears goes head to head with Demi Lovato after a young male contestant performs in the first auditions.
By Emily Blake

When "The X Factor" producers announced that they were adding Britney Spears to the judges' panel, experts and viewers wondered whether she would have what it takes to sit alongside Simon Cowell and L.A. Reid to dole out advice to bright-eyed singers. But from the sounds of audio leaked to <a href="http://www.tmz.com/2012/05/24/britney-spears-x-factor-demi-lovato/">TMZ</a> from the first round of auditions, it seems that the audience thinks Spears will do just fine.After months of speculation, <a href="/news/articles/1684813/britney-spears-x-factor-judge.jhtml">Spears was officially added to the "X Factor"</a> judges' panel in May for a cool $15 million per season. While the show doesn't premiere until September, audio leaked Thursday (May 24) from auditions in Austin, Texas, give us a taste of what we'll be in for come fall. In the clip, Spears and fellow newbie Demi Lovato give differing critiques to a young male contestant."I think that you have a great voice and your tone was great," 19-year-old Lovato told the contestant. "But, I don't really know where you fit. I don't know what's going to set you apart from other musicians who are boys. So, I think you just have to find out what makes you special and what separates you from all the other teenage boys in this industry."Britney, on the other hand, had a some kinder words for the amateur singer. "I think you can be bigger than the next Justin Bieber," Spears said, eliciting a rambunctious response from the crowd."I feel like your runs are amazing," she added. "And I do feel like with a little more training, you could actually [inaudible] better presentation, but I see what's there. And you're very gifted. Thank you."Do you think that Britney Spears and Demi Lovato have what it takes to be a judge on "The X Factor"? Leave your comment below!<center><a href="http://www.mtv.com/photos/?fid=1617615"><img src="http://www.mtv.com/news/photos/s/spotted/banner/spotted.jpg"></a></center>

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From Twilight to Teen Mom, no pop-culture stone was left unturned.
By Terri Schwartz

Russell Brand hosts the 2012 MTV Movie Awards
Photo: Kevin Winter/ Getty Images

UNIVERSAL CITY, California — Russell Brand might have to host every MTV awards show from here on out!

The 2012 MTV Movie Awards were immediately off to a good start thanks to Brand's , and he kept the jokes rolling throughout the rest of the two-hour-long show. In honor of Brand's sharp witticisms, we've put together a list of his nine best jokes that kept us laughing long after he finished telling them.

Twilight! Hunger Games!
When Brand first walked out onto the Movie Awards stage and started yelling, " Twilight! Hunger Games!" we figured he was off Andy Samberg. Instead, as he said later in the monologue, he was using them because "these words generate goodwill." They certainly did, as he used them repeatedly over the course of the night.

It's the End of the World as We Know It
"Tonight is an important ceremony because according to the Mayans, the world will end in December this year," Brand pointed out. "If Earth hurtles into the sun and humanity is destroyed, we will all say as one: We had the MTV Movie Awards 2012 and it was worth it! " Yes we can, and yes we will.

Justin Bieber Is the Man
The first pop-culturally relevant moment Brand brought up in his opening monologue was Justin Bieber's recent attack on a member of the paparazzi. "Justin Bieber beat up a paparazzi. Well done, Justin!" he said. Brand went on to say that he didn't think he'd ever be able to hit Biebs if he fought him because the 18-year-old is "so pretty" that "even if he was attacking me, I think I would do a little orgasm." Well, to each his own.

Kann-Yay and Kim
Brand was quick to thank Kim Kardashian for making his short-lived marriage to Katy Perry not seem so bad in the scheme of things, but he then went on to beg the "Keeping Up With the Kardashians" star and her new boyfriend Kanye West — whose first name he repeatedly mispronounced "Kann-Yay" — to make a sex tape. "I think of Kim Kardashian as the Stanley Kubrick of sex tapes," Brand said. "They're always brilliant, but he only does one a decade."

Brand's Special "Grease" Tribute
Nothing was off limits during the Movie Awards, not even John Travolta's recent sex scandal. After saying that "Rock of Ages" is the best movie since "Grease," Brand said he honored that film by giving Travolta a massage. "He needed it, man. He was so stiff, I'm telling ya!" Brand said.

Michael Fassbender and His Penis
He claimed he never noticed Fassbender's "huge, engorged talent as I was staring at his massive co--." That must have been why he decided the "Prometheus" star was going to be the next celebrity he married following hosting an MTV awards show. Sorry, Katy!

Taking Advantage of Charlie Sheen's Old Addictions
Charlie Sheen was a great sport during Brand's opening monologue, especially since the Brit repeatedly took jabs at the "Anger Management" star's recent problems. "I've taped a bottle of Hennessy and a gram of coke under your chair. In case I start going crazy, just nick it and do a couple of lines. Release the tiger blood hero!" Brand said to resounding laughter.

Our New Host: Julianne Hough's Nephew
One of the best parts of the night came when a behind-the-scenes shot showed Brand coaching Julianne Hough's nephew and date for the night to replace him as host. According to Brand, all you need to do to be a great Movie Awards host is talk about farts a lot. And the cutest part is that it was all improvised"!

"Teen Mom" Vs. "Teen Wolf"
As you probably realized once the 2012 MTV Movie Awards wrapped, the show wasn't followed by "Teen Mom," but rather by the season-two premiere of "Teen Wolf." Whoops! We can't tell if his gibes at "Teen Mom" instead of "Wolf" were intentional or a mistake, but we still can't get over his joke, "Do stay tuned after the show for the new season of Teen Mom, where pregnant women are laughed at for money!"

Jaw-dropping, heart-pounding, gut-busting moments galore. See what just happened at the 21st annual MTV Movie Awards!

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