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No … NO! I am … in total shock. Just moments ago the Associated Press announced on Twitter that singer Whitney Houston has died at the age of 48. I absolutely did not believe it … no way. There are far too many death hoaxes on Twitter that I refused to believe it … but, I’m sad to say … the news is true. Whitney has died :(

Yesterday we learned that the 2010 BET Honors were handed out in a taped ceremony last Saturday night that is scheduled to air on BET next month. During that awards show, Whitney Houston was among the honorees who was paid tribute to on stage. Today we learn that in addition to her BET Honors award, she was presented with a Double Platinum plaque by the RIAA for selling over 2 million copies of her latest album I Look To You:

This is fantastic news! It was only announced last month that I Look To You reached Platinum status, now just a few weeks later it’s sold another million copies! I am so happy that Whitney Hoston‘s comeback is well on track … she is most deserving of all of these accolades. Here’s to another million + in sales in the months to come. You know what all of this achievement means, right? Another new album from Whitney Houston can’t be far away :)

[Photo credit: Brad Barket/Picture Group, Source]

Here are my selections of my fave music of the year. I’m afraid it was another lackluster year in music releases but, thankfully, there was enough great music to make 2009 bearable. Here is my list of my Top 10 Fave Albums of 2009 in reverse order:

At #10 is a tie between Whitney Houston‘s I Look To You and Mary J. Blige‘s Stronger With Each Tear:

Whitney Houston managed to pull off a stunning comeback with I Look To You (an album she’s been promising for years now) and I was lucky enough to be among the first folks to hear the album at an album listening event here in SoCal. Whitney‘s ’09 effort is full of great tracks, many of which got a lot of play in my house this year. Mary J. Blige‘s album just came out last week and I’m already crazy in love with it. It almost didn’t make the list but I’ve been listening to it non-stop since I bought it … compared to so much of the garbage that was released all year long, Stronger With Each Tear really shines brightly.

At #9 is Pete Yorn‘s Back & Forth:

Pete Yorn released another album this year with Scarlett Johansson and that disc, IMHO, is horrible. Back & Forth is classic Pete Yorn, full of great songwriting and melodies. There is a quality to Pete’s voice that really resonates with me … always has since he debuted on the music scene. This album is one of my fave pop/rock albums most definitely.

At #8 is White Lies, To Lose My Life …:

This British band was recommended to me by a Pink reader and I am so thankful for the head’s up. White Lies have this gothy sound to their music, which is most deffo pop in nature. They remind me a bit of a pop version of Bauhaus. This album was a very nice discovery this year. I can’t wait to hear more from this young band.

At #7 is Mariah Carey, Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel:

To be honest, this album is far from Mariah‘s most successful album … and that is a damn shame. There are a bunch of really great Mimi tracks on this album that are just as good as the biggest, most successful singles of her career. It wasn’t until my good friend David Russell declared this album Mariah Carey‘s best of all time that I gave it serious consideration (David‘s opinions on pop music are impeccable). This is a great Mariah album, one which will prolly not be listed as such among her other monster hit releases.

At #6 is Bat for Lashes, Two Suns:

Lush, sensuous, mesmerizing, beautiful, magical. I can only think of adjectives when describing this album. It is a stunning effort by a new star on the musical landscape. My only wish is that Bat for Lashes enjoys a very long career so that she can continue to make music this wonderful.

After the jump, check out my Top 5 Fave Albums of 2009 and check out my Top 10 Singles of ’09 …

Over the weekend Whitney Houston paid a visit to Europe’s most successful television show Wetten, dass..? to perform a track of her newly released #1 album I Look To You. Lookin’ a fab as ever, Whitney rocked a lovely white pantssuit and, as you might expect, belted her heart out for the Wetten, dass..? audience … behold:

Now … when it came to the interview portion of the show, well, it seemed that Whitney was having a bit of difficulty with the German-speaking hosts questions in English. Granted, I’m sure it’s very difficult for anyone to answer questions under these circumstances but Whitney seemed a bit … out of it. Nonetheless, Whitney had a lot of supporters (family and fans alike) in the audience … she really did look great. After the jump, check out video of Whitney‘s performance and interview on Wetten, das..? …

It’s official!! Whitney Houston‘s comeback album I Look To You is a bona fide hit! Not only did it debut in the #1 spot on the album chart here in the US (as the most successful solo female album of the year) but it also debuted at #1 in countries all around the globe! Here is a new promo pic of our dear Whitney and some info on how well her album did in its first week of sales:

Proving that it was well worth the wait, Whitney Houston’s long-awaited album I Look To You debuts at No. 1 on several charts across the world, including the US Top Albums and R&B Album charts, according to Nielsen/Soundscan. With 304,801 units sold within the first week of release in the US, this marks Whitney’s biggest first week sales of her career and the best selling first week by a female artist this year! Houston’s No. 1 position extends across the globe and claims the top spots in Canada, Germany, Italy, and Switzerland. Led by the dual release of the album title track and “Million Dollar Bill” at radio, coupled with presale promotional campaigns on Amazon.com, QVC and iTunes, and a heavily promoted appearance on Good Morning America, the chart-topping result marks the official return of “The Voice.” And the critics agree! The New York Times boasts that Whitney “re-emerges with full diva qualifications,” USA Today said: “Strong, confident and ready, she clearly hadn’t forgotten how to sing imbuing the material with emotional power.” The Washington Post cites I Look To You “hits all the right marks” and the Associated Press states “the pop queen still has a dazzling voice that can leave you spellbound.”

As you may recall, last week we learned that Whitney was on track to debut at #1 and this news confirms that she not only topped the chart here but she also topped charts worldwide. I am just so happy that Whitney is enjoying success again … we may have lost her for a few years but she’s back, at long last. Congrats on your new accolades, Whit Whit … they are much deserved.

[Photo credit: Patrick Demarchelier]

According to hearty sales of Whitney Houston‘s new album I Look To You, which went on sale this past Monday August 31 (just in time to make it eligible for Grammy Award contention next year), it looks as if Whitney is going to enjoy the fruits of another #1 album, y’all!!

Whitney Houston’s comeback is complete. Her Arista/RMG album, I Look to You, taking advantage of its Monday release date to be eligible for this year’s Grammys, will debut at #1, with a robust sales figure of 250-275k. That’s based on two-day sales reports from those among our crack group of retail reporters who haven’t yet paved paradise and put up a parking lot. Her second day, Tuesday, which would have been the normal release date, proved every bit as busy as the first. Miley Cyrus’ seven-song Wal-Mart exclusive, The Time of Our Lives, which leaked before street date to the tune of 60k+, debuting at #2 on this week’s chart and foreclosing an expected diva duel, will nevertheless remain the runner-up, with a total between 140-150k for the Hollywood Records release … The market was up 2% vs. last week, down 19% vs. same week last year and still down 15% year to date.

Despite this encouraging news, I’m gonna hold off on extending my official congratulations until the album is actually certified as the #1 album of the week. Still, this is great news for Whitney … all of her hard work is starting to pay off. While she may have sounded a bit shaky on Good Morning America this morning, there is no denying that she is standing firmly on solid ground when it comes to fan devotion.

[Source]

Whitney Houston‘s much-anticipated “comeback” album I Look to You will be released in stores and online next Monday August, 31 but WhitneyHouston.com is streaming the entire album online NOW! Here is a just released promo poster for the new album featuring a beautiful new promo photo of Ms. Whitney herself:

Stunning. Diva. “The Greatest Comeback”? … we’ll see. Make sure you click HERE to listen to the whole album in full … then you can judge for yourselves whether or not the Diva is back! If you don’t have time to listen just yet, you can click HERE to read a track-by-track review of the album by the LA Times.

NOTE: The poster still lists the release date as September 1 but the album will be released on August 31.

[Source, thanks Marcus]

Great news for Whitney Houston fans who simply cannot wait for the release of her new album I Look To You, originally slated for release on September 1. Whitney‘s record company has decided to push up the release of Whit Whit‘s new album … BY A DAY! That’s right folks, instead of having to wait until September 1 to procure your copy of her new disc, you’ll now have the opportunity to purchase it one day earlier on Monday August 31!!

Fueled by the continuous excitement from last week’s much-buzzed about Whitney Houston album listening events in New York and Los Angeles, Arista Records has moved the release date of I Look To You up to August 31st. As a gift to her fans, a free download of the album’s title track, powered by Yahoo! Music, is available now at www.whitneyhouston.com until July 31st. “I Look To You,” a sweeping ballad with Whitney’s signature soaring vocals that fans have come to love, was written by R. Kelly.

That’s right folks, the good news doesn’t end there … head over to WhitneyHouston.com you’ll be able to download a FREE MP3 of Whitney‘s title track I Look To You for your listening pleasure. As you may recall I revealed that, after hearing Whitney‘s new album in full at the LA preview party last week, I Look To You was one of my fave tracks off the album … and now YOU can hear it FOR FREE right now. Get ya asses over to WhitneyHouston.com and download it … tell me what you think.

[Source]

So last night I was invited to attend the preview listening party for Whitney Houston‘s new album I Look To You which took place at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, CA. I did my best to refrain from reading any of the reviews that came out from the previous listening parties that took place in London and NYC because I wanted to hear the music fresh. As soon as I arrived at last night’s event, I almost ran into Magic Johnson and his wife Cookie in the lobby … that man is a tree! We were not allowed to have cameras inside the venue but I was able to snap a pic of a large photo of Whitney‘s new album cover before we were led into the ballroom:

Little by little, celebs started filing in … Halle Berry, Jane Fonda, Jackie Collins, Penny Marshall, Brian McKnight, Janeane Garofalo, Barry Manilow, Stevie Wonder and more … they were all on hand to get the first listen of Whitney‘s new album. Clive Davis played host, extolling the triumphs of Whitney‘s career while getting folks excited for the new music. While he was a bit melodramatic at times (he loved telling stories about how people “wept” every time they heard one of her new songs) he did a great job hyping up the album. I found it so odd that he kept referring to songs as “copyrights” (kind of like how Variety magazine still calls TV programs skeins). Instead of saying, for example, Diane Warren wrote an amazing song. He said, Diane Warren wrote an amazing copyright. He kept doing that all night long … it made him sound old and out of touch. The man is a genius tho, it’s just that he’s still a bit old skool.

So … the music. The album is loaded with hits. The songs are really strong, Whitney‘s voice is bold and triumphant. It remains to be seen, well, heard what she sounds like singing these songs live but on the album she sounds amazing. The songs that really hit me most were Million Dollar Bill (written by Alica Keys), Call You Tonight (written by Stargate), I Look To You (written by R. Kelly) and my fave song of the album is Worth It (written by Dante Austin). These songs are a good mix of uptempo tracks and ballads … they really represent Whitney‘s music very well. The Stargate song is a new sound for her but the rest of the album is classic Whitney. She will belt these songs out and they will be hits, I’m sure of it. The first song that leaked from the album, I Didn’t Know My Own Strength was written by Diane Warren and was produced by David Foster — and it shows. It’s a powerful ballad that soars but, IMHO, I prefer the title track as her new Greatest Love of All-type song. I envision her singing the song in an empty theater with a single spotlight on her just belting it out (at least, that’s the image in my head … mebbe a music video?). I was very impressed with the album … Whitney is back, y’all. She really is.

When Whitney came out at the end, she was met to thunderous applause and a standing ovation. It was so cool hearing her thank the special people in her life who were in the audience. She fawned over her family and friends … and she looked amazing doing so. I can’t wait for all y’all to hear the album … I’m dying to hear other opinions on the music. One of the first things that Whitney said when she took the stage was, “I’m back home. I’m back home where I belong.” On behalf of her fans everywhere, it’s great to have you home again :)

After the event, I met up with my friends Tony and Jordan for a boy’s night out. We grabbed drinks and grub at Marix and had a great night. I ended up oversleeping today so I’m still playing catch-up … I think those margaritas really did me in :) Tonight, I’m hanging out with Mike for a belated birthday celebration for him … it should be fun!!! I hope all y’all will be having great weekends wherever you are!!

Last week Whitney Houston and music mogul Clive Davis were on hand at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel in London, England to world premiere her new album I Look To You in front of an audience of press folks. Earlier this week Whit Whit appeared at the Lincoln Center in NYC to premiere her album in front of press and celeb friends. Last night, Whitney and Clive made their way to the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, CA for the third and final premiere event for her new album, due out in stores on September 1. Here are a few photos from last night’s star-studded event and a report from E! News‘s Marc Malkin:

Whitney Houston’s comeback album drops in just six weeks. And it was the superstar diva herself who best summed up the excitement for her return when she took center stage at last night’s VIP-only album listening party in Beverly Hills. “I’m back home,” she said. “I’m back home where I belong.” Among the VIP guests packed into a ballroom at the Beverly Hilton hotel to hear nine songs from I Look to You were Halle Berry, Stevie Wonder, Magic Johnson, Barry Manilow, Penny Marshall, model Beverly Johnson and a slew of music industry heavyweights … Sitting in a front row seat was Jane Fonda, who attended with her music producer boyfriend Richard Perry. “When they told me you were here tonight, I almost croaked,” Houston said to the Oscar winner after the two embraced. “I was like, ‘Jane Fonda is at my listening party? How cool am I?’” Sony music honcho and Houston’s mentor since he discovered her oh-so-many years ago Clive Davis hosted the evening. And Ms. Whitney looked fantastically fabulous last night (she kept it simple with a short black dress, killer heels and little makeup). The music was true Houston. Among the songs Davis introduced and played for the crowd were the Alicia Keys-written “Million Dollar Bill,” the up-tempo “Nothing But Love,” the ballad “I Didn’t Know My Own Strength,” the island song duet with Akon “Like I Never Left,” and the title track, one of two collaborations with R. Kelly. The album took about three and a half years. “For the years we were apart, I felt kind of lost,” Houston said to Davis, referring to her troubled past. “But I’m home where I truly belong, don’t ya think?” The audience went wild. Pointing to Bobbi Kristina, her daughter with ex-husband Bobby Brown, Houston smiled, “There’s my baby, my inspiration. Mama loves you so much.” Looking out to Berry, Houston cooed, “How’s the baby?” “Fantastic,” Berry said. And we have a feeling Houston’s fans will be saying the same and a whole lot more when I Look to You drops on Sept. 1.

I, too, was fortunate enough to attend last night’s listening party and let me tell you … I was floored. I’ll have all of my personal thoughts on the album in a post a little later on today. But let me assure you, Whitney Houston — the voice, the diva, the legend — is back. I Look To You is packed with amazingly strong songs … powerful ballads, hip upbeat dance tracks and quite a few candidates for hit singles. It was truly an honor to be among the first people to hear Whitney‘s new album in full … I can’t wait to tell you all about it later on today. After the jump, check out a few photos of Whitney posing with some of the celebrity friends who came out to the Beverly Hilton Hotel last night to share the night with Whitney and Clive …