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Bobbi Kristina Hospitalized

2012-02-12T19:19:19Z

www.tmz.com http://www.huffingtonpost.com/katelyn-mullen/

Jennifer Koppelman Hutt: I Remember Whitney

2012-02-12T19:16:00Z

If you've read WHATEVERLAND or listened to my radio show, you probably already know that I grew up with a dad in the music business. I spent many a day in a recording studio, met many recording artists, vacationed with Barbara Streisand, spent time with Dolly Parton, sat on stage with Elton John, and hung out back stage with I can't recall how many performers. But really no performer sang my emotions and my thoughts like Whitney Houston did. I did get to meet her once. Briefly. It was surreal.

In 1985 when Whitney released her debut album "Whitney Houston," I remember singing along to "Saving All My Love" with my best friend Leslie. And I remember giggling at the part "...we'll be making love the whole night through..." It was exciting to hear her sing that line. And to sing along with her. Boys were on my brain of course! But they were NOT in my pants. Making love! Ha! But dreaming about the who and when... you betcha.

And when I was feeling down, insecure and like a loser with no crushes liking me back... "Greatest Love of All" became my anthem. In 1986 I recorded my (shoddy) karaoke version of it in a sound booth in a Florida amusement park (have to search my attic to see if I can find it!). I had longed to be a singer back then, and I didn't sound a thing like Whitney. But I was certain I felt like her.

As a 17-year-old experiencing heartache, I listened to "All at Once" dozens of times, in a row. She captured completely what I was feeling in a three-minute song. "All at once, I'm drifting on a lonely sea, hoping you'd come back to me... and it hurts me more than you know, so much more than it shows, all at once." I still hear that song in my head when I am sad about something. Or I have a pang of longing for what used to be.

My friend Leslie and I would be goofy in 1987 -- still listening to that same tape from 1985 -- while we danced along to "How Will I Know"... I think we'd scream when it came on at a party and jump on the dance floor and do our best Whitney impression... she was NOT known for her dancing.

Whitney Houston's rendition of "The Star Spangled Banner" at 1991 Super Bowl was unforgettable. We all learned the lyrics to that song finally because it was played on the radio constantly. And as much as we tried to sing along to her version, none of us could belt it like Whitney did.

Soon came The Bodyguard. And Whitney Houston's freaking amazing cover of "I Will Always Love You." Mind blowing. Insane. Incredible.

When Whitney married Bobby Brown in 1992 after meeting him in 1989, I remember the hubbub -- she was such a glorious princess... remarkably beautiful on the outside and talented beyond all rational understanding. And she was marrying a punk. It felt disappointing in a way. And incredibly humanizing in another -- she, like us, could make bad choices, too.

And sadly her bad choices continued. Addiction became her new career.

It seemed like a reprieve from the drugs and darkness when Whitney released "I'm every Woman" in 1993. And a true Whitney Houston fan can admit this was the only time Whitney showed dance ability and rhythm in a video.

I'm convinced it was because she was pregnant with her daughter and full of hope and excitement. Whitney's joy was infectious. Her hope was contagious.

The late 90s and up until now Whitney Houston has been in and out of the press. And mostly for stories unrelated to her musical ability.

But tonight, we are talking about her music and her talent.

Because she's gone.

Bobby Brown: 'Deeply Saddened' Over Whitney's Death

2012-02-12T18:51:39Z

Bobby Brown has broken his silence.

Your Favourite Whitney Memories: 'Singing At The Back Of The Bus'

2012-02-12T18:31:53Z

For the generation who came of age in the '80s and '90s, Whitney Houston's music was a part of the soundtrack of their lives. Cassette tapes were still all the rage (remember Columbia House?), the music video was in its awkward teen years, and MTV and MuchMusic were blaring on a television set near you. The timing couldn't have been better for the birth of a superstar. Enter Whitney Houston.

Sweeping the number one spots for months on end, no one seemed to mind watching her decidedly '80s dance moves on TV or listening to Whitney in heavy rotation on the radio, because she was just that gorgeous, and her voice was just that good. But even more, she had that 'thing', that rare likeable quality that endeared her to millions while establishing her as the wise older sister you don't want to mess with. "How will I know if he really loves me?" she sang. Whitney girl, we were all wondering the same thing, twirling around in our bedrooms and singing our hearts out into our hairbrushes, knowing you shared in our pain over our latest crush.

Whitney was the voice of an era, a voice who helped us through the mundane chores (dancing and vacuuming to 'I Wanna Dance With Somebody'), and heralded the greatest moments (the 1988 Olympics to name just one) in our culture. Some of our favourite memories are tied to her hits, which still hold up after all these years. Twitter was alight as soon as news of Whitney's death broke, with celebrities and regular folks alike sharing what Whitney meant to them.

Did Whitney Houston's music affect your life? Share your thoughts in the comments below, or send us a tweet at @huffpostcaliv.

WATCH: Nic Cage's Surprise 'SNL' Appearance

2012-02-12T18:18:39Z

"In the Cage," Andy Samberg's recurring "Weekend Update" segment where he interviews celebrities as Nicolas Cage, took a turn for the amazing Saturday when he was joined by a surprise guest who turned out to be the actual Nicolas Cage. We mean, his clone. His identical clone.

They covered it all: Nic's voice, Nic's acting style... Ghost Rider 2. And all in all we have to say, Cage was a pretty amazing sport about the whole thing.

Watch the video above and you'll see what we mean.

Charles Karel Bouley: Didn't She Almost Have It All

2012-02-12T18:11:09Z

Whitney Houston's end is one many will say they saw coming, that they're surprised it didn't happen years before. No matter the final cause, to some, it won't be a surprise.

But surprise or not, at 48, it's a tragedy.

Houston had become pop music's punching bag; with "crack is whack" jokes, jokes about her and Bobby, jokes about her period abounding. Just last week TMZ.com ran a photo of Houston and on-again/off-again beau Ray J in a vehicle with a caption about how he looked as though he was buckling in his "grandmother."

"People like to kick people when they are down just too much in this business," R&B singer Thea Austin said through her tears when she heard the news. I was talking to Ms. Austin about an upcoming performance to celebrate 20 years of her hit "Rhythm Is a Dancer" when ABC News called me for a comment, breaking the news to me.

"I feel like I lost someone in my family," Austin exclaimed, through heartfelt tears. "People have been so mean to her recently, not letting her rebuild, and now, this," she added.

Houston has family, Bobbi Kristina her mother Cissy, aunts, uncles, and today they lost a sister, mother, daughter, cousin; music lost an icon.

She burst on to the scene with "Saving All My Love For You" and after that she, Arista and mentor Clive Davis crafted a career of 200 million albums worldwide, six Grammy Awards (on this, Grammy weekend), 30 Billboard Music Awards, 22 American Music Awards and even two Emmy's. She had rave reviews in films like Waiting to Exhale and The Bodyguard was propelled to one of the largest selling soundtracks of all time because of hits like "I Will Always Love You."

Her career spanned the four decades, the 80s, 90s, 2000's and 2010s, had the highest plateaus any artist could achieve and the lowest public lows any human could imagine or endure. Her personal struggles were laid bare for the world to see, and to joke about, to laugh at, to feel superior to... we do love to tear down our icons as a culture.

A tumultuous marriage to Bobby Brown, alienation from everyone, and then a reinvention, new album, tour and talk of returning to network TV as a judge on a popular talent show. Houston had taken it all, and like her music, survived and made it through. Until February 11, 2012, when like so many incredible artists before her, she left this life.

Her legacy will be soulful, classic ballads, dance songs and pop, a vocal range that verged on angelic and a personality the bubbled through from stage to screen to a world wide audience that recognized talent when they heard it.

Her struggles will go down as another artist plagued by abuses, by demons, by substances; meaning she was human, not a Goddess, just a woman trying to navigate waters most of us can only imagine traveling.

What Houston could have done in a second act will now never be known. What she did in her first act will not quickly be forgotten whenever someone mentions some of the greatest female vocalists of all time.

WATCH: Whitney Houston's Biggest Interview Moments

2012-02-12T17:58:27Z

Whitney Houston's career highs and lows were often reflected in her interviews with the press. Houston, who died on Saturday at the age of 48, provided the media world with a range of interview appearances. The singer who candidly spoke of how her voice hadn't reached its full potential in a 1992 interview with NBC News, was the same person who aggressively told Diane Sawyer ten years later that she was "too rich to smoke crack."

She sat down with some of the industry's best, from detailing the extent of her drug use with Oprah, to letting Barbara Walters into her New Jersey home. On Sunday, the broadcast and cable networks are planning tributes to the late singer. CBS will honor Houston at the Grammy Awards with a tribute featuring Jennifer Hudson. CNN will air a special titled "Whitney Houston: Life, Death, Music," at 7:00 p.m.

View some of Houston's most notable television interview moments in the slideshow below.

PHOTOS: Pre-Grammy Gala Becomes Whitney Memorial

2012-02-12T17:31:55Z

BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. — It was a surreal scene: Whitney Houston had died at the Beverly Hilton, and hours later and a few floors below, her life was being celebrated at the event where her career was launched.

On Saturday night, Clive Davis – Houston's mentor, producer, champion and longtime friend – memorialized her at his pre-Grammy gala, held downstairs in the same hotel where her body was being examined by coroner's officials.

Ray Davies and Elvis Costello took to the stage to perform as Los Angeles county coroner's Capt. John Kades arrived at the hotel. Alicia Keys arrived earlier and embraced Davis as he prepared for the show under extreme duress.

With celebrities including Quincy Jones, Tony Bennett, Dr. Dre, Mary J. Blige and Jennifer Hudson in attendance, a somber Davis, reading from a sheet of paper, said: "I am personally devastated by the loss of someone who has meant so much to me. She was full of life, looking forward for tonight. She loved music and she loved this night that celebrated music."

He added: "Whitney was a beautiful person and she had a talent beyond compare. She graced this stage ... so many times. So simply put: Whitney would have wanted the music to go on."

He dedicated the evening to her and asked for a moment of silence as a photo of the 48-year-old, hands wide open, looking to the sky, appeared on the screen.

Then, he said with excitement: "Now ladies and gentlemen, let the music begin."

Davis introduced Houston, a young woman with a scintillating voice, more than two decades ago at his annual pre-Grammy soiree.

Bennett, the evening's first performer, recounted other recent big-name deaths in the music industry.

"First it was Michael Jackson, then Amy Winehouse, now the magnificent Whitney Houston," he said. "Let's legalize drugs, like Amsterdam. It's a very sane city now."

He added that Houston was "the greatest singer I've ever heard in my life."

The scene was somewhat surreal given Houston's shocking death only earlier in the day. But Grammy president and CEO Neil Portnow, who called Houston a friend, said "canceling the party was never an option."

"A lot of us holding hands tonight, on each other's shoulders ... We'll be celebrating," he said. "The legacy she left will be here forever."

He announced that Jennifer Hudson would perform a tribute to Houston at Sunday's Grammys.

Diddy gave his own memories of Houston, recalling her incredible smile and positive spirit. He said when he heard she died, "I was in a state of shock."

"Whitney Houston, simply put, had the greatest voice of the world," he told the crowd. "Hearing her sing was like listening to magic. ... We lost an angel, and anytime we think of Whitney, we have to remember the positivity she gave us, when she performed, she performed 5,000 percent. She wasn't a hater, she was a congratulator."

R&B singers Monica and Brandy, heavily influenced by Houston, were supposed to perform together at the event, but Davis said the singers were "too heart-stricken."

"I know the role Whitney played in their lives. Thank you for staying," he said.

Earlier in the evening, India.Arie said Houston "set the standard for what it is to be a great female artist."

Producer Jimmy Jam said her death was a "bittersweet irony" given that Davis heralded Houston as a great talent to watch when he had her perform at his party in her youth.

"The fact that it happened on this day, this event is where Clive Davis introduced Whitney to the world. We said hello to Whitney at the Clive Davis (gala), it may be appropriate we're saying our first goodbyes to Whitney at a Clive Davis event," Jam said. "In a weird way it's appropriate, the show must go on. I think Whitney would have wanted that to happen. ... Tonight I think we begin to celebrate and remember."

Keys called the evening a "very special night" and, after singing a line from Houston's "I Wanna Dance With Somebody," noted how the late diva had inspired her.

"You think about how this person touched you," she said. "(Then) you form a friendship, a sisterhood, a bond. You see how incredible they really are. ... She was a sister to me."

Moments later, she launched into her hit "No One," saying: "This one's for her. Let's sing her into heaven."

___

Associated Press writers Caitlin King and Ryan Pearson contributed to this report.

___

Mesfin Fekadu covers entertainment for The Associated Press. Follow him at http://www.twitter.com/musicmesfi

Jamie Lee Curtis: Blame It On The Fame Game?

2012-02-12T17:05:58Z

It knows no color, gender, age or influence. It doesn't care about your faith, your devotion to a religion, what you're wearing or what you eat. It doesn't discern talent from the lack of it. It doesn't care about fame and wealth and attention. IT want the attention and it will go to any length to get it. It kills indiscriminately and with a vengeance. It kills directly or indirectly. It doesn't care. It just wants you dead.

Addiction is an epidemic. Much will be written of how sad it is. It is, of course, sad; but it is written into the addict's manifesto, they will die.

I'm sure all those who party-cipated with an addict before their death will feel badly. I'm sure there are family members who tried everything they knew to divert then from this inevitable path. I'm sure there are those who warned and scolded and begged and pleaded. I am sure there are those who washed their hands of the addict. I am sure there are those who prayed for their salvation.

There are those who find that salvation in the myriad recovery rooms and programs. It is possible and there are many who do recover. There are those too, like myself, who wanted and recognized that without a drastic change, they too would die. There are millions of people in the world addicted to something. Food, shopping, porn, alcohol, prescription drugs and illegal drugs and there are as many forms of treatment, an industry out there to help you. Betty Ford, the former First Lady of this great country faced her's in the public eye and created real and substantive change with the center named in her honor.

Peel back a single layer of the self defense that we all walk in and you will find a common link to either an addict and their path or someone in a relationship with an addict.

Don't let another famous person die, participate in the media spectacle, the tearful, heartfelt farewells and the blame it on the fame game and not take it into your home and circle of life that surrounds you in your own life. It is not fame's fault. It is no one's fault. Do you blame cancer on fame? Do you blame diabetes on fame? It is a disease and like cancer, diabetes and depression, it is everywhere. Alcoholism and addiction is ever present and it wants you dead.

My brother was 21.

My friends' son was 20.

A singer was 48.

And the beat goes on and on and on.

I hope to hear the drumbeat get louder and louder, a call to arms to face addiction and alcoholism head on, to make the administration take on this epidemic and to utilize the media spotlight on this one addict's death to create real change.

A-List Stars Head To The BAFTAs

2012-02-12T16:52:40Z

LONDON — Spies were taking on silent stars in London Sunday, as espionage thriller "Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy" and mute movie "The Artist" faced off at the British Academy Film Awards.

"The Artist" has 12 nominations and "Tinker Tailor" 11 for Britain's equivalent of the Oscars, with each up for best picture and director, leading men Jean Dujardin and Gary Oldman competing for best actor.

Bookies gave "The Artist" the edge, making the French film odds-on favorite to continue its awards-season success. It has already won three Golden Globes, and has 10 Oscar nominations.

Dujardin, who plays a silent screen icon eclipsed by the talkies, said the "The Artist'"s appeal lay in its accessibility.

"It's a simple story," he said. "It's a love story. It's universal. And there's a cute dog" – Jack Russell terrier Uggie, who almost steals the film from his two-legged co-stars.

George Clooney was the best-actor favorite for Hawaiian family drama "The Descendants," with Meryl Streep considered likely to win the best actress trophy for her much-praised performance as former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher in "The Iron Lady."

The British prizes, known as BAFTAs, are considered a strong indicator of likely success at Hollywood's Academy Awards, to be held on Feb. 26.

Clooney, Streep, Brad Pitt, Jessica Chastain, Penelope Cruz, Colin Firth and Judi Dench were among the stars braving the London cold and bouts of sleet to walk the red carpet before a televised ceremony, hosted by comedian, writer and actor Stephen Fry, at the Royal Opera House.

"The Help" star Viola Davis, a best-actress nominee, arrived in a pink Valentino "eco gown" made from recycled plastic bottles.

Martin Scorsese's Parisian fantasy "Hugo" has nine BAFTA nominations, and there are six for moviemaking saga "My Week With Marilyn" and five each for Deep South drama "The Help" and equine adventure "War Horse."

But many BAFTA-watchers are focused on the contest between French froth and British grit.

"The Artist," a buoyant black-and-white Gallic take on the golden age of Hollywood, has become an unlikely Oscars favorite.

"Tinker Tailor," an atmospheric adaptation of John le Carre's Cold War classic, has received rave reviews but has so far been snubbed during the U.S. awards season.

Both films are up for best picture, along with "The Descendants," "Drive" and "The Help."

The best actor contest pits Clooney, Oldman and Dujardin against Michael Fassbender for sex-addiction saga "Shame" and Pitt for baseball drama "Moneyball."

The movie has been well received in the U.K., despite focusing on a sport few British people understand.

"Don't tell anyone it's got baseball in it," Pitt advised. "It might as well be about cricket."

The best actress category includes two performers playing real-life icons – Streep as Thatcher and Michelle Williams as Marilyn Monroe in "My Week With Marilyn."

Co-star Kenneth Branagh praised Williams' "transcendent performance" in the film, which charts Monroe's experience making the 1957 comedy "The Prince and the Showgirl" with Laurence Olivier

Branagh has a best supporting actor nomination for playing Olivier, and said the late actor was one of his inspirations.

"I wrote to him once when I was 19 and asked for advice," Branagh said. "And he wrote back: 'Just have a bash and hope for the best.'"

The other best-actress nominees are Berenice Bejo for "The Artist," Tilda Swinton for "We Need to Talk About Kevin" and Davis for "The Help."

The multinational best-director contest pits Michel Hazanavicius for "The Artist" against Denmark's Nicolas Winding Refn, for the turbocharged "Drive," Sweden's Tomas Alfredson for "Tinker Tailor," Britain's Lynne Ramsay for "We Need to Talk About Kevin" and Scorsese for "Hugo."

Scorsese is also nominated in the documentary category, for "George Harrison: Living in the Material World," and is due to receive a the BAFTA Fellowship for his "outstanding and exceptional" contribution to cinema in films including "Taxi Driver" and "Raging Bull."

Veteran British actor John Hurt also is being honored for a career that includes memorable roles in "Elephant Man," "The Naked Civil Servant" and "Alien."

In recent years, the British awards have helped underdog films gain momentum for Hollywood success.

In 2010, Danny Boyle's "Slumdog Millionaire" won seven BAFTAs, including best film; it went on to take eight Oscars. Last year "The King's Speech" won seven BAFTAs and four Oscars, including best picture.

___

Online: http://www.bafta.org/film/awards

Jill Lawless can be reached at: http://twitter.com/JillLawless

(This version corrects typographical error in short headline.)

Simon Cowell: Whitney Would've Been The Ultimate 'X Factor' Mentor

2012-02-12T16:20:47Z

UPDATE: Sadly, on Saturday, Feb. 11, Whitney Houston's publicist broke news that the Grammy-winning singer had died at the age of 48.

But in the wake of her passing, Simon Cowell confirmed "The X Factor" rumors on "Piers Morgan Tonight" on Saturday, via The Hollywood Reporter:

"One of the names we were going to be talking about in [a Monday] meeting as a possible mentor on the new series of 'X Factor' was going to be Whitney Houston ... Given the choice, I would have liked to have taken her under my wing as well, because she would have been the ultimate, ultimate mentor to any contestant coming on the show ... She was undoubtedly the greatest superstars [sic] of all time. One of the greatest voices in our time we're likely ever to hear."

PREVIOUS:

Is Whitney Houston joining Simon Cowell and L.A. Reid on "The X Factorâs" judges panel? According to The Hollywood Reporter, the six-time Grammy Award winner has been approached to join the show.

With Mariah Carey -- Cowell's top choice since the initial casting of the show -- raising her newborn twins, it looks like Cowell has been after a whole range of superstar divas since January, including Houston, Katy Perry and Beyonce, who recently gave birth to her daughter, Blue Ivy Carter.

Last month, "The X Factor" axed judges Paula Abdul and Nicole Scherzinger and host Steve Jones from Fox singing competition series.

Scherzinger recently told "Access Hollywood" that she was completely committed to the show. "Well, all I know is that I gave 110 percent to that show," she said. "I know everybody's talking about it. They're saying good, bad, they love me or hate me, but the one thing you can't say is that I didn't give it my all."

Scherzinger and Abdul served on the judges panel alongside Simon Cowell and L.A. Reid. Scherzinger was originally tapped to co-host the series alongside Jones, but when British singer Cheryl Cole was abruptly fired as a judge, Scherzinger took her place at the table, and Jones was then left as the lone "X Factor" host.

"I loved being a part of my âX Factorâ family," Scherzinger said. "Nothing could obviously prepare me for everything I had to go through, all the emotions and stuff, but I have no regrets."

So far, no official replacements have been named, but that didn't stop HuffPost TV from naming a few people we think would do well on the show, Whitney Houston included.

Check out our casting suggestions in this gallery, and share your own in the comments.

Ellen's JCPenney Scandal Inspires 'Gay Day' Flashmob In New York

2012-02-12T16:18:00Z

Nationwide praise for Ellen DeGeneres has grown exponentially as the talk show host has endured criticism over her new appointment as spokesperson for JCPenney.

On Saturday, that support culminated with a "pink dollar" flashmob at a JCPenny franchise in New York City. Revelers wore pink outfits as they strolled the aisles of the store as part of an overall effort to back the Texas-based chain's decision to stand behind DeGeneres even as One Million Moms, a division of the American Family Association, threatened a boycott because the comedian is a lesbian.

Greg Rothman, who organized the event on Facebook, told HuffPost Gay Voices he felt particularly inspired when Fox News commentator Bill O'Reilly, who is known for having conservative views on lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) lifestyles, spoke up in DeGeneres' defense. "I thought, 'Well, the tide of public opinion must be changing,'" Rothman said.

Added Rothman, "[JCPenney is] on the right side of the changing tide of public opinion and for that they will be seen as a more contemporary company. I think it's not only a great PR move, but simply the morally correct thing to do. Standing up for fairness and equality can never be wrong...hate and judgment are not values that stand up in any moral universe that is not in a vacuum of ignorance and bigotry."

Rothman, who is gay, also professed his admiration for DeGeneres, noting, "Ellen, you are a true role model. You have always inspired me with your message of fairness, tolerance, equality and love -- the REAL family values."

As for DeGeneres, she took to her talk show earlier this week to address the controversy, thanking her supporters. "Here are the values I stand for: I stand for honesty, equality, kindness, compassion, treating people the way you'd want to be treated and helping those in need," she said. "To me, those are traditional values. That's what I stand for."

Sign the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation's petition to stand up for Ellen here.

Check out some photos from the event below:

Project Runway's Jack Mackenroth (right) was among the crowd. A general overview of the crowd. The store & District managers of JC Penney also participated.

LISTEN: Whitney Houston's Vocals On 'How Will I Know'

2012-02-12T16:07:52Z

Mariah Carey called Whitney Houston "one of the greatest voices to ever grace the earth." Simon Cowell remembered her as "one of the greatest singers of all time." Tony Bennett said "she was the greatest singer I've ever heard."

Over her decades-long career, Houston won six Grammy Awards, sold more than 170 million albums, singles and videos and had seven consecutive number one hit singles.

"How Will I Know," one of her first chart-topping singles, was released in 1985 and spent 23 weeks on the Billboard Hot 100, peaking for two weeks at number one.

Listening to the isolated vocals on the song, without any of the synthesizers or effects, reminds us yet again of Whitney Houston's incredible talent, and gives us, at its purest form, the voice that touched so many.

(Via Spinner.)

Listen to the song above.

Dr. Boyce Watkins: Five Lessons We Can Learn From the Life and Death of Whitney Houston

2012-02-12T15:26:53Z

The tragic death of Whitney Houston has officially made this one of the most depressing black history months in recent memory. The deaths of Don Cornelius, Whitney Houston and Etta James last month have simply been too much for us to bear. But life must go on and when we see others face the grips of tragedy, there is always a lesson that God wants us to learn.

Here are five things that all of us can learn from the amazing life and tragic death of the great Whitney Houston:

1)Â Never assume you're always going to be on top: Even when you're out kicking butt, taking names and making money hand-over-fist, things can always start heading south.Â When we get on top of the world, we sometimes think that the good times will never stop and that the future is going to be just as shiny as the present.Â I am willing to guess that in the 1980s when Houston was the most popular singer in the United States, she never would have guessed that she'd go out in this way. Success can make us complacent.

2) Who you choose to spend your life with is one of the most important decisions you'll ever make: I'm not sure if the chicken or the egg came first when it comes to how Whitney and Bobby ruined each other's lives. Some say Bobby turned her into the person she became, but others are saying that Whitney was already that woman when Bobby met her. What we do know, however, is that they were not good for each other and likely enabled the poor choices of their partner.Â The lesson?Â Think carefully about who you choose to date or marry, for this can literally determine how you go to your grave.

3) Say no, no, no to drugs and perhaps even alcohol: As a college professor, I've seen drugs and alcohol ruin countless lives over the years.Â It's painful to watch incoming freshmen become influenced by the excitement of campus parties that may put them into an early grave or rehab center later on down the road.Â There is nothing good about illegal (or many legal) drugs, and I argue that even the liquor bottle can be left to the side.Â Anything that alters your brain chemistry, makes you feel like you've been poisoned the next day and causes you to do things that you aren't going to remember is not good for your body, mind, your soul or your life. Find your happiness elsewhere.

4) Think about how our actions impact our children: I don't know much about little Bobbi Christina, the daughter of Bobby and Whitney.Â But when I read stories about Bobbi getting into trouble at an early age, my heart weeps for this poor child. Â It could not have been easy for her to grow up watching her parents do things that made people shake their heads, and I hope that we are not witnessing an intergenerational pattern of poor choices.Â We should all realize that we are passing a lot of ideas, choices and habits onto our children, and they may not always be good.

5) It's never too late for a comeback: When Whitney died, she was on her way back.Â Like a phoenix rising slowly (and a bit clumsily) from the ashes, Whitney had committed herself to becoming the woman that she could have been.Â As the female musical Mike Tyson, Houston saw the greatness that she took for granted and was working to make things right again. Unfortunately, time ran out and I speculate that Whitney's poor choices of the past played a role in her death. Either way, she went out of the world loved and missed by millions, in large part because we saw her confronting her struggle head-on. Â We were saving all our love for Whitney's comeback and she almost got there at the end.

God bless you, Whitney Houston.Â May the Pearly Gates light up on your arrival.Â With yourself, Etta James, Don Cornelius and Michael Jackson all making sweet music in the afterlife, I have no doubt that heaven is going to have one heck of a party.

Dr. Boyce Watkins is a professor at Syracuse University. To have Dr. Boyce commentary delivered to your email, please click here.

PHOTOS: Newspapers Pay Tribute To Whitney Houston

2012-02-12T15:22:33Z

Newspapers around the world paid tribute to Whitney Houston, who died on Saturday at 48. Houston was reportedly found at the Beverly Hills Hotel on the eve of the Grammy Awards. The music icon was apparently planning to attend Clive Davis' pre-Grammy party in the hotel.

Newspapers from New York to New Zealand splashed Houston's photo across their front pages, calling Houston the "Queen of Pop," and a "legend." Below, see how papers across the globe commemorated the life of Houston.

All photos are courtesy of the Newseum.com.