I watched most of the Grammys – I turned it off after Adele performed “Rolling In the Deep” and I switched the channel when Chris Brown performed early in the evening. Note to Grammy producers: you’re going to put a woman-beater on your show before 9 pm? There are still kids watching at that point! Anyway, I did miss Jennifer Hudson’s tribute to Whitney, but luckily I caught up with it this morning. I think the producers did find the right tone with Whitney Houston’s – and LL Cool J as host really helped out. I wasn’t offended by LL offering a prayer to Whitney’s family and loved ones at the beginning of the show – it seemed authentic and kind, and it still felt like a celebration of music and… like, a joyful wake. LL said in part, “There’s no way around this. We’ve had a death in our family, and so at least for me – for me – the only thing that feels right is to begin with a prayer for a woman we loved, for our fallen sister, Whitney Houston. Whitney, we will always love you. And we’ll remember you the best way we know how – with a song.”

Anyway, here’s J-Hud’s performance of “I Will Always Love You” which came towards the end of the show:

Beautiful, right? I think it would have been cool if Dolly Parton – who wrote “I Will Always Love You” – had come on to honor Whitney in some way, I think J-Hud’s performance was lovely and respectful. She sang it with Whitney’s arrangement style, but Jennifer avoided “mimicking” Whitney’s voice. It was powerful.

Screencaps from the CBS video.

As we reported last night, Whitney Houston passed away in Beverly Hills on Saturday at the Beverly Hilton. She was 48 years old. She passed away during Grammy Weekend – where musicians, pop stars, rap and hip-hop stars and everyone and anyone involved in the music industry descends on LA for pre-Grammy parties and the actual Grammys, which are still scheduled for tonight. Ever since Whitney’s rep confirmed Whitney’s death, there has been a rush of information. Here are some bullet points:

*Whitney was discovered by a member of her entourage, likely a bodyguard. The person called hotel security, who in turn called 911. Whitney was unresponsive (likely already dead) when the EMTs arrived. TMZ’s sources claim that the night before her death (Friday), Whitney “partied heavily” at the hotel, “drinking and chatting loudly with friends in the bar.” Both Whitney’s mother (Cissy) and her cousin (Dionne Warwick) spoke to Whitney just hours before her death, and they both say she sounded fine.

*Whitney’s daughter Bobbi Kristina “got into an angry shouting match with police officers outside the hotel room where her mother was found dead.” Hours after Whitney’s death, Bobbie Kristina tried to see her mother’s body, but she was told no one was allowed in. Dionne Warwick was also sent away.

*The LAPD’s initial assessment is that there is no foul play. TMZ’s sources (probably inside the LAPD) claim that “no illegal drugs have been found in the hotel room where Whitney Houston died” but they’ve found prescription drugs. Allegedly, Whitney was found in the bathtub, and EMTs removed her from the tub, and there are suspicions Whitney might have passed out and drowned. There’s also a theory that she simply overdosed. Allegedly, no alcohol was found in the room either.

*TMZ says Whitney was taking Xanax. Xanax mixed with alcohol = not good. But! Radar says the LAPD found “a plethora of sedatives including Lorazepam, Valium, Xanax, and a sleeping medication that was found in her hotel room.” The autopsy will take place today or tomorrow, and the assumption (by Radar’s sources) is that Whitney accidentally overdosed.

*Whitney’s last film, Sparkle, is still scheduled to be released later this year. Sparkle is a remake of a 1976 film about young musicians struggling with addiction. Whitney had bought the rights to the story a decade ago, she executive produced the remake, and she costars as the mother of Jordin Sparks’ character. The last time Whitney was in a film was in 1996, in The Preacher’s Wife.

*Listen to the isolated vocals of Whitney singing “How Will I Know” here.

*Tony Bennett is using Whitney’s death to campaign for the legalization of drugs. His argument is lacking.

*Whitney’s last interview was with Access Hollywood? You can see it here.

*Read some statements from celebrities who loved Whitney here and here.

*Grammy producers are scrambling to add last-minute tributes to Whitney during tonight’s broadcast. Jennifer Hudson is coming on to perform “a respectful musical tribute” to Whitney. Allegedly, Chaka Khan might join her. My guess is that some of Lady Gaga’s performance time is being cut to make room for Whitney’s tribute.

*Bobby Brown cried during a concert last night.

RIP Whitney, you will be deeply missed.

Photos courtesy of WENN.

Whitney Houston’s rep has just confirmed the sad news – Whitney has passed away at the age of 48. The cause of death is unknown. Whitney had been famous for going on three decades – her powerful, beautiful voice was nurtured in gospel choirs and then in 1980s, she went pop and R&B. Throughout her music career, she won six Grammys and 22 American Music Awards. Her cover of Dolly Parton’s “I Will Always Love You” is one of the most popular songs of all time.

Whitney Houston has died. She was 48.

The singing superstar’s publicist Kristen Foster said Saturday that Houston died, but did not reveal the cause of death.

Earlier this week, the singer, a six-time Grammy winner, was spotted having a night out on the town in L.A. at “Kelly Price & Friends Unplugged: For The Love Of R&B Grammy Party” at Tru Hollywood.

[From People Magazine]

Unfortunately, Whitney’s death is likely drug-related. I’m not saying that to be nasty – Whitney had openly struggled with addiction for many, many years. Her tell-all interview with Oprah several years ago was particularly eye-opening for the information she gave about the length of her addiction issues, and the extent. On Friday, many sites ran with photos of Whitney leaving a club in LA, looking bloody, disheveled and wasted – you can see those photos here.

Whitney is survived by her only child, daughter Bobbi Christina, who turns 19 years old next month. It’s also believed that Whitney was currently dating Ray J, for what it’s worth. Our thoughts and prayers to Whitney’s family, friends and loved ones.

UPDATE: Radar claims that Whitney died at the Beverly Hilton. She was pronounced dead at 3:55 PM PST. Bobby Brown is in Memphis and is said to be “struggling and devastated.” Bobbi Kristina is in Los Angeles reportedly. Also, some sources are claiming that Ray J found Whitney’s body, but Ray J’s rep says he wasn’t there.

Photos courtesy of WENN.

Some days, I wonder what it’s like being a publicist to genuine celebrities. I wouldn’t want to represent, like, the Jersey Shore gang, but I’d definitely like to try out working PR for someone major. Like, what do you do if your Whitney Houston’s publicist? What’s that like? Do you get a call from Whitney where she slurs out, “Sommthin’ happened onna plane. REPENT!” and then you have to wait until TMZ reports what happened? What happened was that Whitney was high or drunk (or maybe just entitled) and she didn’t want to buckle her seatbelt while she was sitting on a Delta flight. So when asked to buckle her seatbelt, she threw a diva hissy fit and then “allowed” one crew member to buckle her belt for her. But my favorite part is the weak-ass denial from Whitney’s publicist:

Whitney Houston isn’t on drugs anymore … she’s just crazy — and yesterday she almost got kicked off a Delta Airlines flight … because she refused to buckle her seatbelt.

Multiple sources tell us … Whitney boarded a flight in Atlanta Wednesday afternoon … and when she settled into her seat, a crew member asked her to buckle up.

We’re told Whitney refused and “got diva” on the crew member … until another crew member came over and warned Houston that if she didn’t buckle up, she would have to get off the plane.

Whitney eventually allowed one of the crew members to grab the buckle and fasten it for the singer — and the plane was then cleared for takeoff.

Sources close to the singer tell us … Whitney “overreacted a little bit after missing an earlier flight but she’s still 100% sober and was on the way to Detroit for her first day of shooting a new movie.”

[From TMZ]

Notice that’s not really a denial of the refusal, hissy fit or limited capitulation. It’s just an explanation for the incident. BUT SHE’S STILL 100% SOBER, you guys. She definitely wasn’t drunk! She definitely wasn’t smoking that rock! NEVER. Her publicist (a “source” in all of this reporting) also went to People Magazine to say, “She wasn’t drunk, drinking or on drugs; she was just exhausted.” Here’s an honest question: when you’re exhausted, do you find yourself picking fights and throwing hissy fits over simple issues like buckling your seatbelt? When I’m exhausted (like today), I’m a little loopy, but I’m generally compliant. That’s what happens when most people are tired – you tell them to do something and they just blindly do it without thinking. So either Whitney gets really nasty and mean when she’s “exhausted” or… she was hiding a bag of something in her drawers. REPENT!

Photos courtesy of Fame & WENN.

We’ve heard that Whitney Houston is in “outpatient” rehab for a crack addiction that she’s trying to spin as much less serious than it really is. Well the good news is that Whitney’s off the rails daughter, Bobbi Kristina, 18, is also said to be doing outpatient rehab at the same time as her mom but in a separate facility. Apparently Whitney told Krissi she needed to get her act together and Krissi was all “what about you, mom?!” So now they’re both in rehab. Bravo, sort of.

A few months ago The National Enquirer posted photos of Krissi doing lines of coke at two separate parties, and she’s since been cited by cops for underage drinking. She’ll only benefit from rehab and from trying to get her addictions under control at a young age. Somehow I don’t think this is the end of her issues, but I hope it’s a start for her and that I’m wrong. It can’t be easy to grow up with Bobby Brown and Whitney Houston as parents. Here’s more:

“If I go to rehab, you’re going, too!” In a brutal mother-daughter showdown, longtime substance abuser Whitney Houston threatened to send her troubled teenage daughter Bobbi Kristina to rehab. But Krissi… shrieked back that she wasn’t going alone!

Now both women have checked into separate rehab facilities in Malibu, CA, to get treatment for their addictions.

“You’re ruining the family name!” Whitney screeched during the recent blowout. “Whether you like it or not – you’re going to rehab!”

But Krissi, who knows all about her mother’s struggles with booze and drugs, yelled back angrily: “What about you? You’re the one who’s destroying us! You’re the one who’s a mess!

“If you can do drugs and booze, so can I! Now you’re demanding I go to rehab. If I go, you’re going too!”…

According to the source, mother and daughter are outpatients at rehab centers in Malibu that are 15 miles apart. The facilities allow Whitney and Krissi to go home at night instead of keeping them under continuous supervision.

When treatment is complete, Kirssi will continue working on a reality series that Whitney arranged for her, said the source.

[From The National Enquirer, print edition, May 23, 2011]

It’s not inpatient rehab, but it’s a definite start. I wonder if Krissi’s reality show will even mention that she was in rehab, or if it will be as phony and manufactured as most all other reality shows and just leave it out. (I think I just answered my own question.) Krissi hasn’t tweeted anything since May 3, so that tends to support this story.

There was news that Whitney Houston was banned from all Prince concerts after she made a drunken ass of herself on stage twice, once with opening act Chaka Khan and another time with Prince himself. Prince’s people have issued a statement saying that’s not true, though, and that Whitney is always welcome at his shows. They do acknowledge that she may have been banned earlier though, “but it did not come from Prince.” ha!

Whitney and Krissi are shown on 2/12/11. Credit: PRPhotos. Whitney is shown performing in Copenhagen on 6/4/10. Leger dresses are only for the super skinny! Credit: Fame

I guess this shouldn’t be surprising, but it’s still sad. We heard late yesterday that Whitney Houston had “voluntarily” checked into outpatient rehab again for a problem that her people first tried to spin as some vague non-addiction detox issue. Then they claimed that it was “drugs and alcohol” without specifying which drugs Whitney was on. According to Radar, Whitney is back on crack. We know how badly that usually goes for her, and how she wrecked her voice before she cleaned up and launched a kind of weak comeback.

This brings me back to her appearance on Oprah a couple of years ago when she seemed to be in denial about the extent of her drug problems and acted like everything was fine. It also reminds me that the National Enquirer has been running stories since last year about how Whitney is back on crack and how her people were trying to convince her to go back to rehab. It finally worked, but she’s in outpatient rehab and we know how well that’s been working for Brooke Mueller’s crack addiction.

Here’s more, from Radar:

Singer Whitney Houston was using crack again when she went back to rehab, RadarOnline had learned, and her use of the highly-addictive drug terrified even ex-husband Bobby Brown!

A source close to R&B star Brown said he is so worried about his ex-wife that he fears “she might not pull through.”

“Whitney is doing crack again,” the source said about the 47-year-old Houston, the singer of top 1990s hits like I’ll Always Love You. “It’s the worst it’s ever been. Whitney went on tour again, and that’s when the relapse occurred.”

Brown, 42, has also told friends that Houston, 47, has increasingly isolated herself.

“Whitney’s shutting a lot of people out of her life,” the source said. “It is a dire situation.”

Bobby and Whitney were married for 14 years and were officially divorced in 2007. Both have a history of substance abuse. Their 18-year-old daughter, Bobbi Kristina, was recently caught on camera snorting lines of cocaine.

[From Radar]

This is longterm addiction that derailed her career and has basically ruined her life. Now her kids are having very serious issues with drugs and the law and she’s out of commission and unable to parent. At least she’s getting help, but it seems like too little too late with Whitney.

This Enquirer cover is from July, 2010.

Whitney is shown on 2/12/11 with her daughter, Bobbi Kristina. Credit: WENN.com

Whitney Houston is in out-patient rehab, a source told TMZ, and at first they tried to claim that it was not for “drugs or alcohol,” and gave the vague excuse that “she’s cleansing herself to get ready for a new movie.” I don’t get it. Is that like going to rehab for depression like Eva Mendes or Kirsten Dunst? Does she have just a “minor” problem with drugs and/or alcohol? As part of Whitney’s rehab, she gets to go out when she wants, but has to bring a a minder with her. Why would she need one of those if she wasn’t in rehab for drugs or alcohol?

After TMZ ran that publicist’s fictional version of events, Whitney’s team admitted to People that she was in “an out-patient rehab program for drug and alcohol treatment,” and that she “voluntarily entered the program to support her long-standing recovery process.” That sounds much more likely except for the “voluntarily” part.

The last we heard from Whitney her 19 year-old daughter, Bobbi Kristina, was cited for underage drinking for being twice the legal limit. Krissi was popped by police during an incident in which Whitney’s 22 year-old adopted son, Nicholas, was cited for brandishing a Glock during a fight between Krissi’s ex boyfriend and another guy she was hanging out with. All this went down at 4am in a gas station parking lot. A lot of you mentioned that you’d never heard that Whitney had an adopted son, and I guess it’s the first time I’ve heard of it too.

Given was a mess Whitney is, I guess we know now how her kids are ending up in drunken gun fights.

Whitney is shown on 5/5/11 outside a Prince concert. Credit: WENN.com

Before I get into this, let me say that the “gun battle” part is misleading in that a gun was drawn by Whitney’s adopted son (allegedly to stop other kids from fighting) but it’s not like they were caught in some crossfire. Still, both Whitney’s son and her troubled daughter, Bobbi Kristina (aka Krissi), 18, were cited by cops after a fight with some of their associates in a gas station parking lot. Krissi faces charges for underage drinking and could potentially get six months in jail, although that probably won’t happen. Whitney’s son, Nicholas, 22, is facing more jail time under a weapons charge and Bobbi’s ex boyfriend is charged with battery. Here’s what went down, and it all sounds scary and like someone could have been shot.

The Enquirer has exclusively obtained the official police report… and spoke to a key witness to get the chilling details of the violent encounter.

It began when Bobbi and three male friends were in a Honda pulling out of a subdivision. They were spotted by Bobbi’s ex boyfriend Max Lomas, who was in another car with Nicholas Gordon, the adopted son of Whitney Houston.

The Honda came to a stop at a red light, and the front-seat passenger Justin Walls claimed that Lomas approached the vehicle “and tried to punch him in the face while they were waiting on the traffic light to turn green,” according to the police report.

Soon both cars pulled into a local Chevron station – and all hell broke loose. Walls charges that Lomas rushed him and hit him in the face several times.

According to the police report, Walls “was bleeding from the mouth and appeared to have a chipped tooth.” A pal tried to help him “and was struck several times by Lomas.”

Gordon told officers he waved a gun in the air, attempting to stop the fight, and also pointed it at another boy’s legs. Police located a Glock 19 handgun in the glove compartment of his vehicle and also found ammunition.

The police were called to the scene [at about 4:00 am on April 1] by the gas station’s terrified night manager Touray Bassiru, who spotted Gordon with the gym. The first officer to arriver at the Chevron station, which is less than a mile from Whitney’s home, ordered Bobbi and five others to lie on the ground while backup arrived…

Officers smelled alcohol on Bobbi and she agreed to take a Breathalyzer. The test showed she was extremely drunk, with a .215 blood alcohol level – almost two and a half times the legal limit for driving. [Ed note: she was not accused of driving]. And since the drinking age is 21, 18 year-old Bobbi was cited as a minor in possession of alcohol.

She will appear May 24 at… court alongside her brother, 22 year-old Nicholas, and her ex-boyfriend Max, 21, who faces battery charges.

While Bobbi could do six months, her bother, Nicholas, if convicted of weapons charges, could serve up to one year.

[From The National Enquirer, print edition, May 16, 2010]

Nice crowd Whitney’s kids are hanging with, but it sounds like her kids are just as bad as any of them. Meanwhile we’ve heard that Krissi, 18, is best friends with Laurence Fisburne’s estranged daughter, Montana, 20, who made headlines last year by launching a career as a porn star and being super proud about it. Supposedly Montana wants to get Krissi into adult films too. Meanwhile Krissi has some sort of reality show brewing although I doubt there were cameras with her at this 4am gas station parking lot brawl.

photos are from 2/12/11. Credit: PRPhotos

Remember how Whitney Houston’s daughter, Bobbi Kristina, was bragging about how she was about to get a reality show? According to the Enquirer, that show is filming now in L.A. This comes on the heels of several photo scandals with Krissi, 18, one of which included photos of her snorting cocaine at two different parties in the Atlanta area, and another in which she was photographed holding an illegal semi-automatic rifle. Well Krissi has befriended another celebrispawn who took matters into her own hands in an as-of-yet vain attempt to score a reality show too – Montana Fishburne, 19.

You may recall Montana as the barely legal daughter of Laurence Fishburne who put out a sex tape. Montana has mentioned several times that she went into pr0n hoping to follow Kim Kardashian’s route to fame. She also was arrested for prostitution in 2009, and was recently charged for assaulting a woman, rumored to be another hooker who double-crossed Montana’s pimp boyfriend. So Montana is bad news to say the least, and would of course be a terrible influence on someone like Bobbi Kristina. Why am I not surprised at all that they’re fast friends now that Bobbi has moved to L.A.? Whitney is said to be beside herself since she was hoping that her daughter would do well with the reality show to distract her and away from her friends in Atlanta. It sounds like Whitney is being way too permissive with her daughter as usual:

Whitney Houston thought she’d come up with the perfect plan to keep her daughter Bobbi Kristina off of drugs – she arranged for the troubled teen to star in a new reality show so she’d be too busy to get high!

But Whitney’s scheme has backfired.

Since arriving in Los Angeles to film the show – which focuses on the 18 year-old’s efforts to break into the music business – Krissi has stunned Whitney by spending time with Montana Fishburne, the pr0n star daughter of actor Laurence Fishburne…

“Whitney thought she was getting Krissi away from her loser druggie friends in Atlanta by keeping her busy shooting a reality show in L.A.,” divulged a close family friend. “But now she’s hangnig out with more troubled people!

“Krissi’s even telling Whitney it would be fun to appear in a pr0n video with Montana! Whitney doesn’t know which way to turn.”

After the Enquirer published sensational photos in March of Bobbi Kristina snorting lines of cocaine, a tearful Whitney begged her to go into rehab.

She also showed tough love by returning Krissi’s 18th birthday present, a Lexus convertible, to the dealership.

Whitney paid $49,000 for a 30-day program for the teen at a prestigious Atlanta rehab center, says the pal, but the singer panicked when she realized Kriss might divulge sordid details about her mom’s own drug use during group counseling sessions.

“Finally, Whitney decided the best rehab for Krissi would be to keep her busy doing something she loved,” said the insider. “Knowing that Krissi is always talking about getting into the music business, Whitney got a production company to agree to turn Krissi’s dream into a reality show.”

[From The National Enquirer, print edition, May 2, 2011]

So instead of sending her daughter to rehab for doing drugs, Whitney set her up with a reality show and a whole music career and thought she was doing her a favor. At least she took away the new car, but I’m sure the girl has another car from Whitney’s fleet to drive and has all her bills, food and clothing paid for. That’s not tough love, that’s enabling! You wouldn’t expect Whitney to know how to keep someone off drugs, she’s battled with addiction for years and has only just recently kicked them herself.

Meanwhile Montana Fishburne is a nasty piece of work who thinks the way to stardom is on her back. She is in no way apologetic about breaking her famous dad’s heart by going into adult films, either. It’s sad, but she probably has a lot in common with Whitney’s daughter.

Whitney and Bobbi Kristina photos from 2/12/11, credit: PRPhotos. Montana Fishburne photos are video screenshots

The last we heard of Whitney Houston and Bobby Brown’s daughter, Bobbi Kristina, 18, she was claiming to have been “set up” by an ex boyfriend after photos of her snorting cocaine on two different occasions were published in the National Enquirer. I’m sure he held a gun to her head and forced her to do lines. She was also photographed proudly holding an illegal semi-automatic rifle. That photo came out late last year.

Meanwhile Bobbi is launching some kind of music career, and is tweeting about how her first single is about to drop or something. She’s also tweeting about she’s in talks for her own reality show. Of course she is.

Amid rumors of drug addiction and a sex tape, the teenager might be laying her life bare on the small screen soon in her own reality show – news she Tweeted about on Thursday.

“PS EVERYONE ! Guess what ?! _ we are currently in the process of meetings about starting my very OWN! RealityShow!!” she wrote.

Her megastar parents also starred in their own controversial reality series, Being Bobby Brown, in 2005.

In 2009, Whitney came clean about her own battle over the years with drug addiction.

And photos recently surfaced of 18-year-old Bobbi allegedly snorting cocaine amid rumors of a drug problem, something she has vehemently denied, claiming she was “set-up” by an ex-friend.

But that doesn’t seem to bother the young up-and-comer as she looks forward to the future.

“The world needs 2know me 4who I REALLY am_ U all will get 2see my everyday living_ walk with me thro startin my career. . EVERYTHING,” she signed with happy faces.

“I would only want to do this reality show so THEWORLD can know me for me. The GodFearing_Young classy_outgoing_silly_ REAL women iAm.”

[From Radar]

Maybe she’s as much of an oversharer as her mom and dad are, and we’ll hear all about her bathroom activities and personal issues. At least she didn’t make a sex tape to land a show. All she had to do was be herself, get photographed with guns and drugs and then incessantly complain about it on Twitter. I’m sure all the publicity over that mini-scandal only helped her.

Photos are from 2/12/11. Credit: Andrew Evans / PR Photos