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Sunday, February 19, 2012

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Song List: Las Vegas Group Performances

Posted: 18 Feb 2012 11:37 PM PST

Last night the remaining Idol contestants were put in groups and told to come up with a routine including staging and costuming. The results of their collaborations were stunning, but not everyone could stay and the field was nearly cut in half. Check out all the full performances from Vegas that you didn’t get to see on the show!

The songs from the episode were:

Title: Feel So Close
Artist Version: Calvin Harris
Contestant: n/a

Title: Don’t Stop (Color On The Walls)
Artist Version: Foster The People
Contestant: n/a

Title: Burning Love
Artist Version: Elvis Presley
Contestant: n/a

Title: Dedicated To The One I Love
Artist Version: The Shirelles
Contestant: Cari Quoyeser, Chase Likens, Skylar Laine, Colton Dixon

Title: Chicago
Artist Version: Sufjan Stevens
Contestant: n/a

Title: Pumped Up Kicks
Artist Version: Foster The People
Contestant: n/a

Title: Rockin’ Robin
Artist Version: Bobby Day / Jackson 5
Contestant: Gabi Carrubba, David Leathers, Jr., Jeremy Rosado, Ariel Sprague

Title: Great Balls Of Fire
Artist Version: Jerry Lee Lewis
Contestant: read more


Chat About Vegas: Viva Elvis

Posted: 18 Feb 2012 11:37 PM PST

After the dramatic selection of rooms in Hollywood, the Top 70 boarded a bus for Las Vegas, Nevada. Watch some unforgettable performances tonight, complete with costumes and choreography. Then we’ll find out who will survive another round of American Idol auditions.

Join the discussion with fellow fans in the comments section below. Login with your Twitter, Facebook, or American Idol accounts and discuss the episode below.

In addition to chatting here, you can also share your comments on Twitter with #Idol and post your comments on Facebook.

The American Idol Insider will be chatting with you on her new Twitter and Facebook page. Ask @IDOL_Insider your American Idol questions! Also, tonight Nigel Lythgoe will be tweeting live at 8ET/5PT from @dizzyfeet.

Check back tomorrow for recaps, videos, and photos from Viva Elvis in Vegas.

Watch the performances from last night.


Song List: Hollywood Week Conclusion

Posted: 18 Feb 2012 11:37 PM PST

Hollywood Week concluded last night with a series of unforgettable group and solo performances. Hopefuls ran the gauntlet from exhaustion to exhilaration as they sang to stay in the competition. Here are the songs from the episode:

Title: Hit ‘Em Up Style (Oops)
Artist Version: Blu Cantrell
Contestant: The Bettys

Title: Someone Like You
Artist Version: Adele
Contestant: n/a

Title: Hold On I’m Coming
Artist Version: Sam & Dave
Contestant: Groove Sauce

Title: Hit ‘Em Up Style (Oops)
Artist Version: Blu Cantrell
Contestant: 6,7,9

Title: More Than A Feeling
Artist Version: Boston
Contestant: The Make You Believers

Title: Your Rocky Spine
Artist Version: The Great Lake Swimmers
Contestant: n/a

Title: Son Of A Preacher Man
Artist Version: Dusty Springfield
Contestant: Funk Soul Sistas

Title: Son Of A Preacher Man
Artist Version: Dusty Springfield
Contestant: Kennedy Grey

Title: American Boy
Artist Version: Estelle feat. Kanye West
Contestant: Jermaine Jones

<... read more


Tweet LIVE Tonight with Executive Producer Nigel Lythgoe

Posted: 18 Feb 2012 11:37 PM PST

American Idol Executive Producer Nigel Lythgoe will be tweeting along with the east coast broadcast of tonight’s special Vegas performance show at 5PT/8ET. Tweet your comments and questions @dizzyfeet with #Idol tonight, Thursday, February 16.

We will also be live tweeting from the official show Twitter account, @AmericanIdol. In addition, American Idol’s Insider will be tweeting from her brand new twitter page @IDOL_Insider. Chat with us and ask your questions!

See the 70 singers who made it to Vegas!


Bobby Brown briefly appears at Houston funeral

Posted: 18 Feb 2012 11:35 PM PST

Bobby Brown, former husband of the late Whitney Houston performs with New Edition at Mohegan Sun Casino in Uncasville, Conn. on Saturday, Feb. 18, 2012. During an introduction segment between songs, Brown pointed skyward and offered blessings for his ex-wife and said he loved her. (AP Photo/Joe Giblin) Whitney Houston’s ex-husband, Bobby Brown, briefly appeared at her funeral.


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Ali’s life to be honored in Vegas by celebrities

Posted: 18 Feb 2012 11:35 PM PST

FILE - Leon Spinks connects with a right hook to Muhammad Ali, in this Feb.16, 1978 file photo taken during the late rounds of their championship fight in Las Vegas, Nev. The 24-year-old Spinks won the bout in a 15-round decision. Muhammad Ali lost just twice in his seven prizefights in Las Vegas over 19 years. Now, dozens of heavyweight celebrities are back in Sin City to laud a lifetime in the spotlight and join the icon known as President Barack Obama lauded Muhammad Ali Saturday as he joined some of the world’s most famous people in a birthday celebration for the boxer known simply as “The Greatest.”


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Whitney Houston’s voice soars at hometown funeral

Posted: 18 Feb 2012 11:35 PM PST

A coffin holding the remains of singer Whitney Houston is carried into the New Hope Baptist Church before her funeral services in Newark, N.J. on Saturday, Feb. 18, 2012. (AP Photo/Jason DeCrow) After all the testimonials from relatives and friends, the songs from legends and pop stars, the preaching and even laughter, the raw emotion of Whitney Houston’s funeral came down to just one moment: The sound of her own voice.


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Celebrities honor Ali’s life at Vegas gala

Posted: 18 Feb 2012 11:35 PM PST

FILE - Leon Spinks connects with a right hook to Muhammad Ali, in this Feb.16, 1978 file photo taken during the late rounds of their championship fight in Las Vegas, Nev. The 24-year-old Spinks won the bout in a 15-round decision. Muhammad Ali lost just twice in his seven prizefights in Las Vegas over 19 years. Now, dozens of heavyweight celebrities are back in Sin City to laud a lifetime in the spotlight and join the icon known as Muhammad Ali had seven prizefights in Las Vegas, with his two losses there coming in the twilight of his legendary career. Now, dozens of heavyweight celebrities are back in Sin City to laud a lifetime in the spotlight and join the icon known as “The Greatest” in fighting neurological diseases.


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Whitney Houston ‘Never Forgot’ Her Roots, Fans Say

Posted: 18 Feb 2012 11:35 PM PST

‘She meant a lot to us, she never forgot where she came from,’ a fan tells MTV News on the day of her funeral.
By Rob Markman






Whitney Houston in East Orange, NJ in 1987


Photo: Ron Galella/WireImage

NEWARK, New Jersey — It was a day of both sadness and celebration as Whitney Houston‘s fans gathered in her birthplace to mourn the death of the fallen pop diva on Saturday (February 18).

Police set up blockades on the streets surrounding New Hope Baptist Church, keeping the public several blocks away from the private funeral in every direction. On the corner of Orange and Nesbitt streets, a group of fans gathered to sing some of Houston’s biggest hits like “The Greatest Love of All” and “I Will Always Love You”.

On Sussex Avenue, about four blocks from the church, another group of fans gathered. A Philadelphia artist who goes by the name Mark G. drew a portrait of Houston, which he had fans sign. By the time MTV News interviewed him he had gathered hundreds of loving notes and signatures, and the artist said he plans to give the portrait to Whitney’s daughter, Bobbi Kristina, as a present through a connection he said he has with the family.

“Whitney was connected to the fans, and when she left, she shined her light and this is something creatively that I did that connects the people to Whitney,” Mark G. explained of the artwork he created in ballpoint pen.

“My heart goes out to the Whitney Houston family,” Miami native Karin Collins said. “I feel so bad, I was crying all last night. I’m blasting her music in my car everyday and I just feel so bad and my heart goes out to Bobbi Kristina as well as her grandmother [Cissy Houston].”

While fans were mostly upbeat and positive, some Newark residents were upset by the decision to keep the service private without holding a bigger public send-off at the much larger Prudential Center, as was first rumored.

“It was sad that they didn’t have it in the Prudential Center, I don’t know why they didn’t do that,” Brian Collins said. “All the fans in Newark could’ve came out and just gave their all in all out to her, pay tribute to Whitney Houston. She meant a lot to us, she never forgot where she came from and I love you Whitney.”

With things as they were logistically, fans might have been more comfortable watching the invite-only funeral from home anyway. But the crowds that assembled at each police check-point wanted to feel closer to the ceremony. On Norfolk Street off Central Avenue, about 75 people surrounded a CNN transmission truck and watched as R. Kelly sang a spirited rendition of “I Look to You,” a song that he penned for Houston in 2009.

After the funeral an excited group waited on Central Avenue hoping to see some of the ceremony’s high-profile guests as they filed out. There were no sightings of Mariah Carey, Alicia Keys, Kevin Costner or any other celebrity from the fans’ vantage point, but when Whitney Houston’s golden hearse turned onto Central, fans gave the musical icon one last cheer.

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Whitney Houston Memorialized By Stars, Family, Friends At Childhood Church

Posted: 18 Feb 2012 11:35 PM PST

‘Whitney, you are the only one who could bring us all together,’ New Hope Baptist Church pastor says in Newark, New Jersey.
By Tomika L. Anderson






Whitney Houston in 1995


Photo: 20th Century Fox/Getty Images

The whole world went to church on Saturday (February 18) to say goodbye to one of the greatest singers of all time. Attendees of all ages, religious beliefs and walks of life, gathered to celebrate superstar singer Whitney Elizabeth Houston, a native of Newark, New Jersey. The state’s governor, Chris Christie, flew flags across New Jersey at half mast in her honor.

The 48-year-old music icon died on February 11, a day before the Grammy Awards, in Los Angeles. She is expected to be buried on Sunday. (The official cause of death has not yet been confirmed.)

Despite the singer’s well-documented struggles with substance abuse, on Saturday, there was very little talk of controversy during the largely upbeat, often humorous and emotional Home-Going ceremony held at New Hope Baptist Church, where Houston first sang in the choir as a child. It was attended by more than 1,500 mourners, including Oprah Winfrey, Mariah Carey, Kevin Costner, Alicia Keys, Stevie Wonder, Roberta Flack and Whitney’s longtime friends, the Winans family.

The ceremony largely underscored her deep Baptist roots and love of the gospel, whether through word or song. This was evidenced by a performance by Grammy-winning gospel star Donnie McClurkin, who sang one of Houston’s favorites, “Stand,” at the request of her family.

Filmmaker Tyler Perry, who spoke early in the service, said that in conversations with Houston he learned that it was her faith in God that carried her through the darkest times of her life. “Say whatever you want,” Perry said. “God is for her. She is resting with the angels.”

Gospel singer BeBe Winans, who caused ripples of laughter as he talked about the “crazy Whitney” he knew, wept as he sang the touching ballad “I Really Miss You,” a song he wrote about his deceased brother who also died at the age of 48.

Bishop T.D. Jakes and gospel star Kim Burrell also remembered the fallen diva, with Burrell personalizing the Sam Cooke classic, “A Change Is Gonna Come.” The legendary Stevie Wonder did something similar later, changing the lyrics of one of his most famous songs from “There’s a ribbon in the sky for our love” to “There’s an angel in the choir of love.”

Actor Kevin Costner, who fought to have Houston cast opposite him in the groundbreaking 1992 film “The Bodyguard,” spoke of Houston’s enduring doubts about herself and her talent, even at the height of her musical career. He urged her to “go sing for your heavenly father, Whitney,” as he fought back tears.

There were a few anxious moments during the ceremony, however, involving Houston’s ex-husband Bobby Brown. He apparently attempted to bring nine people to sit in the front row at the ceremony and was turned away. A source at the funeral told MTV News that Brown was encouraged not to cause a scene at the funeral by walking out, but the singer reportedly got on his tour bus and took off, saying he loved Whitney but felt disrespected by the church. He reiterated the sentiment in a statement released by his rep.

Houston’s mentor, Clive Davis, brought the audience back to the reason they’d all gathered in that church.

“You wait for a voice like that for a lifetime,” he said. “A face like that. A smile like that. A presence like that for a lifetime. And when one person embodies it all — well, it takes my breath away.”

He called Houston an eternally loyal friend. “Yes, she admitted to the craziness in her life, and confessed to Oprah about her battles but when I needed her, she was there,” he said.

To her daughter, Bobbi Kristina, Davis said, “Always be proud of your mother,” before concluding that Whitney was going to “raise the roof in heaven like no one else has done before.”

Her longtime bodyguard, Ray, who found her body in a Beverly Hills hotel room, wanted people to remember Houston the woman and not just the singer, adding that entertainers in general should be treated with more respect. He was referring to Houston’s tarnished image in the media after years of battling addiction. “We have to give back to all our entertainers. Treat them with love and stop ridiculing them,” he said. “They give their lives to you. They’re not with their families. This lady right here, she loved you. I know that. I was with her every day.”

Controversial R&B singer R. Kelly sang a song he wrote for Houston, “I Look to You,” moments before one of the ceremony’s final performances, “Tomorrow,” by the Winans family. It was followed by the eulogy given by Marvin Winans.

The church played Houston’s chart-shattering hit “I Will Always Love You,” the song that was without a doubt her most famous, as pall bearers carried her gleaming silver casket out of the church.

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Whitney Houston Remembered By Kevin Costner As ‘The Greatest’

Posted: 18 Feb 2012 11:35 PM PST

‘The Bodyguard’ actor relives pop diva’s first screen test in a poignant eulogy on Saturday at New Hope Baptist Church.
By Rebecca Thomas






Whitney Houston and Kevin Costner in “The Bodyguard”


Photo: Warner Bros.

On Saturday afternoon (February 18), Whitney Houston was sent to rest by family and friends at New Hope Baptist Church in Newark, New Jersey, during a stirring funeral dubbed her Home-Going. While the pop diva’s onetime leading man Bobby Brown reportedly left moments before the noon ceremony began, the pop diva’s onscreen leading man Kevin Costner delivered a poignant eulogy in her honor.

In 1992, Houston made her film debut in “The Bodyguard,” a star turn that paired her in the lead with Costner in the title role. Written by Lawrence Kasdan and directed by Mick Jackson, the romantic drama followed Frank Farmer, a Secret Service agent-turned-bodyguard tasked with protecting pop star Rachel Marron from a stalker.

The film would go on to gross more than $400 million at the worldwide box office, and the diamond-selling soundtrack spawned Houston’s game-changing rendition of “I Will Always Love You,” the best-selling single of all time. But according to Costner, Warner Bros., the studio behind “The Bodyguard,” not only had to be convinced that the film’s signature song should be a cover of Dolly Parton’s country tune — but also that the part should go to Houston.

“At the height of her fame as a singer, I asked her to be my co-star,” Costner recalled on Saturday.

Filmmakers were concerned, however, suggesting they should “think about another singer … maybe somebody white.” Though Costner conceded “nobody ever said it out loud,” he agreed that the implications were fair considering how much was at stake. The only problem was, as Costner put it, “I thought she was perfect for what we were trying to do.”

Costner remained steadfast about his casting choice, even delaying production by a year so that Whitney could complete a tour. And though the actor knew he’d already all but given her the part, he submitted her to a screen test because he wanted to be “fair.”

Houston, possibly the biggest pop star at the time, was frightened. Costner went to her trailer the day of the test to reassure her, holding her hand and telling her that she looked beautiful. Still, the singer zeroed in on a million things she imagined to be wrong. Feeling insecure, Houston scrubbed her camera-ready makeup job in favor of the thick layer of cover-up she used on the road. The patina of cosmetic paint was perhaps an apt metaphor for how the megastar masked her insecurities.

Of course, four minutes in, Houston’s makeup job was streaking; the singer was devastated. “I just wanted to look my best,” she told Costner.

“Call it doubt, call it fear, I’ve had mine,” Costner said of the internal struggles that come with fame. “The Whitney I knew, despite her success and worldwide fame, still wondered, ‘Am I good enough? Am I pretty enough? Will they like me?’ It was the burden that made her great and the part that caused her to stumble in the end.”

Houston famously battled substance abuse issues, in particular during her tumultuous 14-year marriage to singer Bobby Brown. She was found dead a week ago in a Beverly Hills hotel; the official cause of her death is still being investigated. But Costner insisted her personal turmoil should not muddy her legacy. “As the debate heats up … about the greatest singer of the last century, as the lists are drawn, it will have little meaning to me if her name is not on it,” Costner proclaimed to applause.

“Off you go, Whitney, off you go,” Costner continued tears, “Escorted by an army of angels to your heavenly father. And when you sing before him, don’t you worry — you’ll be good enough.”

Stay with MTVNews.com all day Saturday for continuing coverage of Whitney Houston’s funeral services.

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Bobby Brown Leaves Whitney Houston’s Funeral Over Seating

Posted: 18 Feb 2012 11:35 PM PST

‘In light of the events, I gave a kiss to the casket of my ex-wife and departed as I refused to create a scene,’ singer says in a statement.
By Sowmya Krishnamurthy, with additional reporting by Rebecca Thomas






Bobby Brown at Whitney Houston’s funeral services in Newark, New Jersey


Photo: Bennett Raglin/ Getty Images

Bobby Brown did not attend the funeral services of his ex-wife, singer Whitney Houston, in Newark, New Jersey on Saturday (February 18). Brown arrived and left after a disagreement with security over his seating inside the New Hope Baptist Church, a source confirmed to MTV News.

In a statement released to the press by his rep, Brown explained, “My children and I were invited to the funeral of my ex-wife Whitney Houston. We were seated by security and then subsequently asked to move on three separate occasions. I fail to understand why security treated my family this way and continue to ask us and no one else to move.

“Security then prevented me from attempting to see my daughter Bobbi-Kristina,” the singer continued. “In light of the events, I gave a kiss to the casket of my ex-wife and departed as I refused to create a scene. My children are completely distraught over the events. This was a day to honor Whitney. I doubt Whitney would have wanted this to occur. I will continue to pay my respects to my ex-wife the best way I know how.”

Whitney Houston’s funeral, or Home-Going, was held on Saturday at noon, and the Reverend Al Sharpton, who was also in attendance, weighed in on Brown’s arrival and departure in a series of tweets.

“I am at Whitney’s funeral. I spoke with Bobby Brown trying to calm him down and not distract from the services. Today is about Whitney!” Sharpton wrote a little after 1:15 p.m.

In a subsequent tweet, the MSNBC personality pleaded on behalf of Brown’s case. “We are out of the service. I don’t want anyone distorting Bobby Brown. He has shown love and respect today. Stop hatin’ ”

The traditional Baptist ceremony was a celebration of Houston’s life, rooted in the church and her New Jersey upbringing.

An array of family friends, including Dionne Warwick, BeBe & CeCe Winans along with luminaries like Clive Davis, Stevie Wonder and Kevin Costner, who starred with Houston in the 1992 hit film “The Bodyguard,” spoke and performed. Among the others in attendance were actor/producer Tyler Perry and Mariah Carey, who shared the 1998 duet “When You Believe” with Whitney.

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