Whitney Houston & Jordin Sparks On The Set Of "Sparkle"

Catch your first glimpse at Jordin Sparks & Whitney Houston's new movie "Sparkle" in this interview the two sat down for with Entertainment Tonight. So excited for this one!

Jordin Sparks To Star In "Sparkle" Remake

Jordin Sparks is set to star as the title character in a remake of the 1976 film "Sparkle" that will be executive-produced by Whitney Houston, who is also in talks to star as Sparks' mother. Mike Epps has also signed onto the movie, which is being directed & written by Salim & Mara Brock Akil (respectively), the couple behind The Game. T.D. Jakes will also serve as a producer on the film, which is loosely based on The Supremes. Some will recall that about a decade back, a certain Aaliyah was set to star in a remake of the very same movie--with even Houston attached to produce--so this news should come with its fair share of controversy. That said & no disrespect to Aaliyah of course, but I think this is a huge opportunity for Jordin to... shine & will especially be if Whitney decides to star in it as well!

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Whitney Houston Checks Into Rehab

Whitney Houston has voluntarily entered a drug & alcohol facility as part of her "long-standing" recovery process. Not sure what that means, but it certainly is a shame to hear this.

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Whitney Houston & Kim Burrell Perform "I Look To You" On Celebration Of Gospel

On BET's Celebration Of Gospel yesterday, Whitney Houston joined her favorite singer & good friend Kim Burrell for a performance of Whitney's "I Look To You", the title track off her latest album. Whitney's voice may not be what it used to be, but it was still nice to see the two of them duet, & especially to hear Kim's incredible pipes!

Mary J. Blige ft. Tiziano Ferro "Each Tear" Video Premiere + More

"Each Tear," featuring Tiziano Ferro, is Mary J. Blige's new single from the upcoming UK release of her latest album Stronger With Each Tear. Thankfully though, we aren't missing out on anything because as much as the video sucks, the song is worse. Why'd they go & murder an innocent song like that?!

In related news, Mary won 2 trophies at Friday night's 2010 NAACP Image Awards. She nabbed the awards for Outstanding Female Artist & Outstanding Album (Stronger With Each Tear). Other winners include Keri Hilson for Outstanding New Artist, The Black-Eyed Peas for Outstanding Duo, Group, Or Collaboration, & Whitney Houston for Outstanding Music Video ("I Look To You"). In addition, the movie "Precious," which features Mariah Carey, won Outstanding Motion Picture & Outstanding Independent Motion Picture, while cast & crew of the film picked up four more awards!

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The 2010 BET Honors Performance Highlights

Jennifer Hudson "I Will Always Love You"



Jazmine Sullivan - Medley



Mary J. Blige - Medley



India.Arie "Beautiful Flower"



Ryan Leslie "I Choose You (Part 2)"
BET really came through (for once) with the 2010 BET Honors. Jennifer Hudson performed an incredible, show-stopping rendition of Whitney Houston's signature hit in honor of the icon. The wonderful Jazmine Sullivan covered both Nat King Cole's "Unforgettable" & Aretha Franklin's "Rock Steady" as a tribute to Queen Latifah. (Check out Patti LaBelle's performance after Jazzy's...she killed too!) Mary J. Blige sang an outstanding medley of her hits in honor of Diddy including "I Am," "Love No Limit," "I Love You," & "Be Happy." India.Arie honored Brown University President Ruth Simmons (whose son is India's bassist) with a lovely performance. Simply as part of the program, Ryan Leslie performed the new version of his latest. Oh, & if you thought I was gonna finish without leaving you with Kim Burrell's pitch-perfect rendition of "I Believe In You & Me," you'd be mistaken:

Whitney Houston "Nothing But Love" Tour Promo Pic

Complete with fabulous new promotional photo, Whitney Houston has announced that she is set to embark on her first world tour in over a decade. The "Nothing But Love" tour begins in February in South Korea & ends in June in Finland. See all the dates HERE. (No US dates?!) Her platinum comeback album I Look To You that the tour will support is available now.

2010 NAACP Image Award Nominees Announced

Alicia Keys leads the relevant nominees for the 2010 NAACP Image Awards with five. Mariah Carey got two nominations, one for music & one for "Precious," which collectively notched an impressive nine nods. Other double nominees include Whitney Houston, Mary J. Blige, The Black-Eyed Peas, & Rihanna. See a full list of nominees HERE. The 41st Annual NAACP Image Awards will air on Friday, February 26th, @ 8/7c on FOX.

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Countdown To 2010: The Top 10 Videos Of 2009

#10) Whitney Houston "Million Dollar Bill"

Whitney Houston Does InStyle Magazine

The ever-so-elegant (these days) Whitney Houston is featured both on the cover of & in a spread in the latest issue of InStyle magazine. Looking great, Whitney. Her platinum album I Look To You is out now!

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Whitney Houston Performs On Dancing With The Stars

Whitney Houston was also on hand at last night's Dancing With The Stars finale, where she performed both "Million Dollar Bill" off her latest album I Look To You &, appropriately enough, "I Wanna Dance With Somebody." I thought the first performance started off strong & was good; the second not quite as much. Whitney looked great though & it seemed she was having fun!

Whitney Houston "Whitney Houston (25th Anniversary Edition)" Details

In celebration of the 25th anniversary of its release, a deluxe edition of Whitney Houston's self-titled debut album will be released on January 19th. In addition to the original tracklisting being remastered, the CD will feature remixes of "Thinking About You," "Someone For Me," & "How Will I Know;" an acapella version of "How Will I Know;" & a live version of "Greatest Love Of All." Also, a DVD will be included with the videos for "You Give Good Love," "Saving All My Love For You," "How Will I Know," & "Greatest Love Of All" as well as Whitney's premiere TV performance of "Home" on The Merv Griffin Show. Lastly, new interviews with Whitney & Clive Davis will be included. Shoo! This is quite the collector's item for any Whitney fan.

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The 2009 American Music Awards Recap

Adam Lambert "For Your Entertainment"

Janet Jackson - Medley



Jennifer Lopez "Louboutins"



Whitney Houston "I Didn't Know My Own Strength"



Rihanna - Medley



Mary J. Blige "I Am"



Alicia Keys "Try Sleeping With A Broken Heart"



The Black-Eyed Peas - Medley



Kelly Clarkson "Already Gone"



Jay-Z ft. Alicia Keys "Empire State Of Mind"

The show of the year, or the 2009 American Music Awards, was on tonight. The AMAs are making a tradition out of having a stellar lineup & painfully awful award winners. Janet Jackson kicked off the show with a medley of "Control," "What Have You Done For Me Lately," "Miss You Much," "If," "Make Me," & "Together Again" ... & she smashed it! That "If" choreography never gets old & I'm very happy that she included "Make Me." Next up was Kelly Clarkson, whose string-accompanied version of her latest single was absolutely gorgeous. In her first performance of two, Alicia Keys joined Jay-Z for their current #1 hit; her intro was really great. The Black-Eyed Peas then took the stage to perform dance-y versions of "Meet Me Halfway" & "Boom Boom Pow." Fergie brought her A-game tonight! Following a "Mad House" intro, Rihanna performed "Wait Your Turn" & "Hard" with a number of very cool props. Best RiRi performance ever? Mary J. Blige kept it appropriately simple for her number, which was awesome & has me liking the song quite a bit more now. My most anticipated performance of the middle of the show was the return of Jennifer Lopez, who effectively premiered her new single. I think she both did her THANG ... & made a nice recovery. Whitney Houston then gave one of her best performances of this era before receiving her special award. In her second performance of the night, Alicia Keys gave a better-than-average showing, flying above the stage & all, to go along with her typical on-point vocals. Lastly, Adam Lambert closed the show. He most definitely entertained me & will have people talking, which is no doubt what he had in mind. As for the awards themselves, you can check out the relevant winners below. Considering the number of awards given to a one T.S., I didn't really mind MJ winning so many. This year's AMAs spit out one good performance after another the entire time, which is essentially the point of them, so I wish them luck topping themselves next year!

• Michael Jackson wins Favorite Soul/R&B Male Artist, Favorite Pop/Rock Male Artist, Favorite Pop/Rock Album (Number Ones), & Favorite Soul/R&B Album (Number Ones)
• Whitney Houston wins International Artist Of The Year
• Beyonce wins Favorite Soul/R&B Female Artist
• The Black-Eyed Peas win Favorite Pop/Rock Band, Duo, Or Group & Favorite Soul/R&B Band, Duo, Or Group

Janet Jackson, Whitney Houston Added To AMA Lineup

As if the American Music Awards' lineup of performers wasn't already awesome & because they want my head to explode, Janet Jackson has been announed as the show's opener. She will perform a medley of her hits, which should be great, but I want to see her perform "Make Me," so I hope she includes it in there for good measure. Also, Whitney Houston will perform "I Didn't Know My Own Strength" & receive the International Artist award. I'm not sure why she isn't singing one of her singles, but the addition of these two divas is, well, TMTH! I, along with the rest of the world, will be glued to ABC on Sunday, November 22nd, @ 8/7c for the 2009 American Music Awards.

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Whitney Houston Performs "Million Dollar Bill" On The X Factor Italy

Whitney Houston performed the Freemasons remix of her single "Million Dollar Bill" off I Look To You again on the Italian version of The X Factor, but she was even better this time! Whitney just keeps improving this era. I love it!

Whitney Houston Performs "Million Dollar Bill" On The X Factor

Whitney Houston shut The X Factor down with her performance of the Freemasons remix of "Million Dollar Bill." All things considered, I think she sang her booty off & put on a great show. Whitney's new album I Look To You is in stores now.

Whitney Houston Performs "Million Dollar Bill" On Le Grand Journal

Whitney Houston has now made her way from Germany to France, where she appeared on the show Le Grand Journal & performed "Million Dollar Bill" from I Look To You. She looked great, she sounded good. I'm sure it's on purpose, but I wish they didn't have such loud background singers cause it seemed like Whitney was singing more often than we could hear her. I'm not trying to justify the fact that her voice isn't what you might call intact--I'm just saying. Following the performance is one of those typical French interviews that I can't understand a word of, but around the 6:45 mark, Whitney busts out into a little "I Look To You" acapella that sounds very nice!

Whitney Houston Performs "I Look To You" On Wetten Dass

Whitney Houston has started international promotion for her new album I Look To You with a performance of the disc's title track on Wetten Dass in Germany. She sounded pretty good too!

Billboard Update

^#1 Album #1 Single^

Jay-Z's The Blueprint 3 begins its second frame atop the Billboard 200 album chart this week, where thanks to Oprah, Whitney Houston sees a 77% increase in sales (156,000) of I Look To You, which, after three weeks, has achieved gold status with total sales of 548,000 copies. Yay! On the Hot 100 singles chart, The Black-Eyed Peas reign for a thirteenth week with "I Gotta Feeling," besting their previous stint on top. 'I gotta feeling' about this, alright--& it's not a good one. What does give me a pretty good feeling is the news that Mariah Carey's "I Want To Know What Love Is" debuts at #66 this week. Meanwhile, Jay-Z jumps 50-5 with his Alicia Keys-assisted "Empire State Of Mind," which, following the VMAs, has earned itself the week's Digital Gainer title; he also holds the Airplay Gainer title this week with the Rihanna- & Kanye West-featured "Run This Town" at #2. Finally, it brings me pleasure to report the return of Toni Braxton to the R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart at #96 with her new single "Yesterday."

See full charts HERE.

Whitney Houston "Million Dollar Bill" Video Premiere

"Million Dollar Bill" is one of the lead singles off Whitney Houston's new album I Look To You. This. Video. Is. Awesome! It has finally arrived & was worth the wait. Hopefully this gives the song the boost it needs. Gosh, Whitney looks great!