Janet Jackson Performs A Tribute To Michael Jackson At The VMAs
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Wednesday, January 2, 2013
Whitney Houston And Michael Jackson's Deaths: Gone Too Soon
'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
<P>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>. </P><P> </P><P></p><div class="player-placeholder right" title="Celebrities React To Whitney Houston's Passing" id="vid:733106.id:1679030" width="240" height="211"></div><p> </P><P> </P><P>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>. </P><P> </P><P>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. </P><P> </P><P>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. </P><P> </P><P>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." </P><P> </P><P>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. </P><P> </P><P>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. </P><P> </P><P>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 <i>Billboard</i> Awards. </P><P> </P><P>Her voice, in its prime, was a national treasure. </P><P> </P><P>"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." </P><P> </P><P>He added, "You will always remember where you were and what you were doing when you heard the news." </P><P> </P><P>Like Michael before her, gone too soon. </P><P> </P><P><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> </P><P> </P><P><b>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.</b> </P><P> </P><P><I>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.</I></p>
Related Videos Related Photos Related ArtistsMariah Carey And Nick Cannon Wish Fans A Happy Australian New Year
The songstress brought her hubby and twins, Roe and Roc, onstage for the countdown and snapped some candid shots (above and below) for Twitter followers.
The cross-continental trip came [...]
Tuesday, January 1, 2013
Justin Bieber, Ke$ha, Lea Michele Up For PETA Awards
Peta2 is bestowing awards including Most Animal-Friendly Pop/Hip-Hop Artist to celebs for their support of animal rights.
By Jocelyn Vena
<P>PETA's youth division, peta2, is giving props to celebs like <a href="http://www.mtv.com/music/artist/bieber_justin/artist.jhtml">Justin Bieber</a>, <a href="http://www.mtv.com/music/artist/kesha_/artist.jhtml">Ke$ha</a> and "Glee" star Lea Michele at this year's <a href="http://features.peta2.com/libby-awards-2011/?utm_campaign=1211%20Libbys%20Nominees%20Press%20Pitches&utm_source=peta2%20Pitch&utm_medium=Media#PeopleAndMusic" target="_blank">Libby Awards</a> for their efforts in support of animal rights. </P><P> </P><P>The Biebs, who appeared in a <a href="/news/articles/1656302/justin-bieber-peta-ad.jhtml">campaign</a> for the organization at the top of the year using Bieber-fied catch-phrases like "My world includes passion for animals, yours should too" and "Animals can make u smile. Adopt from your local shelter," is taking on fellow animal-loving pop star Ke$ha and rappers k-os and Waka Flocka Flame in the Most Animal-Friendly Pop/Hip-Hop Artist category. Ke$ha appeared in an ad campaigning against the slaughter of Canadian seals. </P><P> </P><P>Michele, who speaks out against the mistreatment of carriage horses in New York City, faces off against "Jackass" star Steve-O, Cobra Starship's leading man and peta2's Sexiest Vegetarian Gabe Saporta, and "Victorious" star Daniella Monet in the Top Animal-Friendly Celebrity category. </P><P> </P><P>The Ready Set, Tokio Hotel, Hellogoodbye and the Swellers are all up for Most Animal-Friendly Band. Ke$ha and Tokio are also up for Best peta2 ad along with Social Distortion frontman Mike Ness and Yelle. </P><P> </P><P>The Libby (as in "Liberation") Awards will be decided on January 17 by fan votes as well as peta2. Voting ends December 23. </P><P> </P><P>"Our nominees have all worked hard to shine their spotlights on a variety of important animal issues," peta2 Division Manager Marta Holmberg said about the nominees, which honors animal-friendly people and products. "As our accomplished stars demonstrate, compassion isn't just a virtue — it's also a road to success."</p>
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