Very sad news to pass along today … legendary jazz singer, actress and activist Lena Horne has passed away at the age of 92. Altho her cause of death has not been released, her son Kevin Buckley announced that his mother passed away yesterday at New York-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center … very tragically on Mother’s Day:

Lena Horne, the ground-breaking singer, actress and civil rights activist who, in 1942, became the first African-American performer to be put under contract by a major studio, died on Sunday, May 9, at New York-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center in New York. She was 92. According to the New York Times, Horne’s death was announced by her son-in-law, Kevin Buckley. Though her movie career spanned nearly six decades and included a smattering of well-regarded films, like Stormy Weather (1943), Ziegfeld Follies (1946), and Meet Me in Las Vegas (1956), Horne was best known for her singing. Her music highpoints include blockbuster collaborations with Tony Bennett, Grammy-winning recordings of her Vegas nightclub act (1981′s The Lady and Her Music, Live on Broadway, and 1995′s An Evening With Lena Horne), and her Tony-nominated performance in the Broadway musical, Calypso. Horne grew up in an upper-middle-class African American enclave of Brooklyn, raised primarily by her grandparents after age 3, when both her parents left the family. By the time she was 16, Horne had scored a regular singing gig at Manhattan’s Cotton Club. Her knack for dramatic flourish and romantic renditions of jazz standards led to appearances on TV variety shows including The Ed Sullivan Show and The Dean Martin Show, as well as a role in the big-screen musical, The Duke Is Tops (1938). Though she never found the substantial, satisfying work she sought on film, Horne did make an impact, later in life, on TV in recurring roles on The Muppet Show and The Cosby Show. Throughout her career, Horne was equally dedicated to her advocacy for civil rights. She was an early pioneer in the movement for equality, fighting for desegregation alongside such legends of the movement as Paul Robeson and Medgar Evers. She also fought with first lady Eleanor Roosevelt to pass anti-lynching laws. The combination of Horne’s disarming talent and fierce individuality created a powerful force in breaking down racial barriers in Hollywood and beyond. Horne is survived by her daughter, Gail Lumet Buckley. Horne’s husband and her son both died in 1971, the latter of kidney failure.

My experience with Lena was thru her various appearances on Sesame Street in the late 70′s and on The Cosby Show in the 80′s. She always struck me as a beautifully talented woman. Her grace and elegance was not lost on me, even at such a young age. I did not learn of her important activist work until adulthood but I was never surprised to learn of hard work and strong dedication for equality and the breaking down of racial barriers in Hollywood. She was a very special lady and will be sorely missed. After the jump, check out a video of Lena Horne on Sesame Street teaching kids how to say the Alphabet — I was among the many, many children who learned my A-B-C’s from her …

Glee star Lea Michele, who recently graced the covers of TV Guide magazine here in the US and ASOS magazine in the UK, is featured on the cover and in the pages of the new issue of Women’s Health magazine. Here is our first look at Lea‘s WH coverphoto:

Unfortch, Lea‘s accompanying coverstory interview is not yet available on the magazine’s official website but it should be made available soon. I love that Lea is enjoying so much success these days. I remember being so impressed with her when I saw her perform on Broadway … but I remember thinking that so many people who weren’t able to travel to NYC would never know how talented she is. Now the world knows … and this is only the beginning for her. I’m thinking the best is yet to come.

[Source]

In August of last year, we got our first look at the Barbie doll versions of the Twilight characters Bella Swan and Edward Cullen. In November of last year, we got our first look at the Barbie doll version of The Twilight Saga: New Moon character Jacob Black. Today we get our first look at the Barbie doll versions of The Twilight Saga: Eclipse characters Alice Cullen and baddie vampire Victoria:

Looks like Kristen Stewart‘s Bella Swan, Robert Pattinson‘s Edward Cullen and Taylor Lautner‘s Jacob Black won’t be the only Twilight characters immortalized in plastic. Come summer, fan-pires will be able to add Ashley Greene‘s clairvoyant Alice Cullen and Bryce Dallas Howard’s evil Victoria to their collection of Twilight dolls. Featuring Alice’s signature pixie do and amber eyes as well as Victoria’s fiery mane and hungry red irises, these new dolls make for the perfect contrast between good and evil. And while you’ll have to wait until summer to get your hands on Alice and Victoria, you can catch the whole Cullen clan back on the big screen starting June 30 when Eclipse hits theaters. Each new doll will retail for $25 at barbiecollector.com.

At this rate (and if the folks who make and sell these Barbies are smart about it), there may eventually be an authentic Barbie doll for every character in The Twilight Saga. Genius! While I am not a fan of collecting Barbies or anything like that, I can appreciate the fans who do collect them and imagine that these Twilight dolls are a welcome addition to their collections. Are these dolls the sorts of things that YOU would like to own? It’s okay, you can share … this is a Twihard-safe space :)

[Source]

Courtney Love, who has been a bit bizzy these days touring and promoting the release of the new Hole album Nobody’s Daughter to spend much time penning frantic meltdowns on Twitter or Facebook, suffered a social media break-down this past weekend likely due to the occasion of Mother’s Day. A couple of days ago, Courtney posted a SLEW of her trademark wacky tweets on her official Twitter profile ranting on everything from her ruined financial situation to Billy Corgan (I know, what’s new, right?) But late last night/early this morning, C. Love posted another slew of tweets directed at her daughter Frances Bean Cobain (whom she lost parental custody of late last year) in a likely attempt to offer her estranged daughter advice in life, love and legalities … as only Courtney Love can do. Here is C. Love‘s latest string of tweet messages for your reading pleasure (all spelling and grammatical errors are her own):

last of my twitter relapse, bean i saw you at coachella with isaihia in a pic he looks sweet and like your dad actually.hope alls well / i hope he takes care of you and you look beuatiful even thoiugh you have an angry furrow i think thats called your “lawyer lie” furrow! / i really truly sincerely hope we dont hto have a jury trial in july but i will do it if thats what it takes to save you from potter &wilde / it appears from potters alleged “statement” you made that you have this insane ( lies to you i am sure) idea that i can or would “get to yr$ / darling, i own 73% you own 37% of one record only, they ruined our lives not me in 02, and dont want you to sue them , theyre bribing you / i have no concept of touching your $, on RARE occasions when theyve frozen my assets ive billed them for your medical or educational, period / it was a shock to my system when the women who has personally made YOUR life hell at every turn who wanted you in Utah has”befirended” you / ive taken every bullet from them for you and if you wont sue your new “friends” dont worry we will, NO SEALED COURTROOM THOUGH / im sick of people not understanding the insanity of what happened, and thinking i must be “bipolar” or “hit ” or something equally terrible / how do you lose custody of your child for smoking and accusing the trust of stealing 900m$? YOU JUST DO WHEN ITS THIS CREW KIDS< / i want MY name cleared and i want YOUR life saved. who tucks you in? who cleans your mess? who applies to college REALLY? they are so evil / sorry to state this publically but i wont stand accused of such implications or tolerate making 3 on worst mothers list. thanks to this, no. / i love you and i will fight for you i though if i bore up and was sxtrong for six mos youd get over it but obviously its just inflamed you, / the last thing i lpok forewArd to in this life is any trial but im a good mother and i wont allow you to believe such nonsense so suit up. / and i will come get you, out of this miasma of bullshit, you know im incapable of not telling the truth to you and you know i love you MEGA / lets try and use judy so i dont have to fucking go on TWITTER. i dont even use this thing and im sure this will be in some bs news feed

Oh no, Courtney isn’t finished ranting … not by a longshot. After the jump, read the rest of her meandering message …