What are the Stars Saying About Whitney Houston
By Greg Hernandez
TrendPK.com: Aretha, Barbra, Cher, Janet and JLo among others on Whitney. “She had everything, beauty, a magnificent voice. How sad her gifts could not bring her the same happiness they brought us,” said Barbra Streisand.
My feelings about Whitney!Life is hard 4 everyone,Sadness Disappointment, Loss,Fear,insecurity,Loneliness, IMAGINE DOING IT IN A SPOTLIGHT, said Cher.
Aretha Franklin
I just can’t talk about it now. It’s so stunning and unbelievable. I couldn’t believe what I was reading coming across the TV screen.
Aretha Franklin
My heart goes out to Cissy, her daughter Bobbi Kris, her family and Bobby.
Janet Jackson
Please cherish life and those around you. Tomorrow is never promised.
JLo Jennifer Lopez
Such a loss. One of the greatest voices of our time. Sending out prayers to her family… #R.I.P.Whitney.
Ricky Martin
RIP Whitney Houston. Sending my love and deepest condolences to her family and friends. Fly Whitney Fly
Sean Hayes
The voice of a music legend has been quieted today. R.I.P. for one of the most amazing artists of our time – Whitney Houston.
Kathy Griffin
She was A TALENT & A LEGEND. She was never a “reality star” No jokes from me about Miss Houston today.
Cheyenne Jackson
Whitney, I’ll always love u.
Nia Vardalos
RIP Whitney Houston, we sang along and fell in love to your songs.
Chris Colfer
Whitney Houston #IWillAlwaysLoveYou
Ricki Lake
Listening to #WhitneyHouston on the radio. What a loss.
Joan Rivers
Whitney Houston. What a sad tragedy-the end of the life of an incredible talent. RIP to an amazing singer and legend.
Rosie O’Donnell
Dear God … There is a grief that can’t be spoken #DEVASTATED
Chely Wright
Whitney Houston, rest in peace. I can’t stop crying. So sad.
Lance Bass
Another incredible talent lost way too soon. Thanks for entertaining us all Whitney!
Linda Perry
This is tragic terribly sad news. Whitney Houston was such a powerful presence & a lost soul. Her voice made me cry, She will be missed.
Wilson Cruz
OH MY GOD! OH MY GOD! OH MY GOD!! I can’t take it. I am overcome with grief.
Serena Williams
#OneMomentInTime has propelled me to many of my grand slams victories. #whitneyhouston
Sandra Bernhard
let’s remember too #whitneyhouston came from a long line of greats her mom #cissyhouston cousin #dionnewarwick godmother #arethafranklin
Ryan Seacrest
At Grammys rehearsal hearing Whitney Houston has passed away at 48. Everyone here is absolutely stunned.
Brad Goreski
I’m so incredibly saddened by the news that Whitney Houston has died. Words cannot describe how her voice touched my life. So tragic
Ross Mathews
OMG. TMZ says Whitney Houston has died? So sad.
George Kotsiopoulos
Yesterday on @e_FashionPolice we were talking about how healthy & happy she looked. So very tragic & sad. #RIPWHITNEYHOUSTON
Kelly Osbourne
i truly hope you are in peace #WhitneyHouston i feel so honored to have known you! i love you RIP!
Sean Maher
RIP Whitney Houston
Matthew Jenkin
Whitney Houston is dead! So sad #WhitneyHouston #Ripwhitneyhouston
Nick Adams
So sad…. RIP Whitney.
Bette Midler
Please, please someone tell me it’s not true…
Simon Cowell
I am so sad to hear about Whitney. We have lost one of the greatest singers of all time.
Sharon Osbourne
Clive Davis Grammy party..not going. Mark Burnett party..not going. Can’t celebrate tonight when one of the greatest voices ever is dead.
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Whitney Was “Fine” and in “Great Mood” says Ricky Minor, Whitney Houston’s longtime musical director
By Roger Friedman
TrendPK.com: EXCLUSIVE Ricky Minor, Whitney Houston’s longtime musical director, tells me that he met with her on Thursday morning here at the Beverly Hilton Hotel. “She’d just been swimming. It was before 9am. She loves to swim. She had wet hair and she was getting it all over me.”
Minor was getting ready to rehearse Brandy and Monica for a medley of Supremes songs for Clive Davis’s dinner–being held now, only three hours after Whitney’s tragic death. “She stayed, gave the girls advice. She was singing along from the theater. She said, Can I have a mike? And I said No, this is their show,” Minor said, remembering that he was joking. He is in shock he says.
While we spoke, another member of the Davis team came along and said “I spoke to her yesterday. She was fine.” Minor tells me Whitney showed him her athletic arms from swimming, and was “very proud” of her athletic condition. “She said she was very excited about producing Sparkle and wanted to produce more films. It’s unbelievable.”
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Oscars: Could Glenn Close’s Irish win boost her Oscar profile? – AWARDS ALLEY
By Sean O’Connell
TrendPK.com: Best Actress nominee Glenn Close could be in for a big Oscar telecast IF there are a large number of Irish voters in the Academy.
The Irish certainly took to Close’s performance as a Dublin manservant in “Albert Nobbs,” rewarding the actress with the Irish Film And Television Academy’s best international actress award Saturday evening. THR reports that she topped fellow Oscar nominee Meryl Streep (“The Iron Lady”) as well as Tilda Swinton (“We Need To Talk About Kevin”) and Kirsten Wiig (“Bridesmaids”) for the top prize.
In addition to Close, the Irish recognized Ryan Gosling (“Drive”) for best international actor; Michael Fassbender (“Shame”) for leading actor; Chris O’Down (“Bridesmaids” for best supporting actor; Saoirse Ronan (“Hanna”) for lead performance in film; “Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy” for best international film; and “The Guard” for virtually every other prize, including Best Director (John Michael McDonagh), best screenwriter and the Irish Film Board Rising Star.
But given that Close is the one with Oscar dreams, lets’ focus on her for a minute as the Oscars fast approach.
Close first played the character of Albert Nobbs in an off-Broadway production in 1982. Ever since, she has been fighting to bring the sympathetically tragic character to the silver screen.
I caught up with the film at the Toronto International Film Festival and found it to be a wonderful story of self-discovery, of finding love and loving oneself. I want to repost a portion of a lengthy discussion I had with Close at TIFF, as well as the actress’s acceptance speech from the Hollywood Film Awards, where we honored Close with the Hollywood Career Achievement Award.
Close hasn’t won the Best Actress Oscar … yet. Could this be her year?
TrendPK.com: You first played Albert on stage decades ago. How had your thought process changed over the years in terms of approaching her as a character?
I think the essence of the character is probably them same. It’s me! I’ve aged 30 years. And that’s bound to make for a deeper impact. And also, on film, film is such a much more intimate medium than the stage. It was very difficult. There were some scenes where I didn’t know how much to show in my face. I was always going to Rodrigo, “Am I saying too much?” The first time she really looks somebody in the eye is after telling Hubert her story. That’s kind of her release. Before that … servants were not supposed to look people in the eye. She was an invisible person doing an invisible job.
TrendPK.com: How common was this practice of pretending to be a different gender to maintain a job?
It was much more common than people expect. You can find many, many stories about people who had to do this. Some of them were rich women, and this was a way for them to get out of the house. Today, in Afghanistan, little girls are dressed as boys in order to get out of the house. It’s not an uncommon thing right now. In a repressive society, where women have no rights, it happens.
TrendPK.com: I also think it’s interesting that in films where characters play a different gender, it’s often to deceive, to reach another end. But for Albert, she does it to survive.
Exactly. She’s not going, “Hey! Ho! Look at me!” in a deep and masculine voice. She’s not like putting on a mustache and a beard. She’s just disappeared into that disguise.
TrendPK.com: She almost forgets how to be a woman. Speaking to that, on a surface level, when did you feel comfortable enough that the make up, the hair and the surface elements were convincing enough that you wouldn’t distract the audience with a woman playing a man?
Oh, well, the voice was challenging because I often concentrated in scenes about how much was showing on my face. So I did re-voice some of the dialogue. My voice was too high in some of the takes, and we had to lower it later. I was probably distracted by five other things. And that was very useful, to be able to do that. As for the look, when it became evident that we really were going to go for it, and that it might be a possible, I said to my contacts that I’ve got to convince myself that I can actually do this. I’m 20 years older. So I went out and I did a screen test. Rodrigo got a studio and I went and got Matthew Mungle, who went on to do our makeup on the film, and he helped. It wasn’t the final work that you see on screen. But I had to convince myself. I didn’t want it to be a movie where the audience thinks, “Oh, how do they not know? She’s a woman! Everybody in the hotel must be stupid!” I also felt that my face being highly recognizable would be a burden, and that really was a concern. But we did a screen test, and they did a couple of things to my face, and I looked up … and it wasn’t me. And I started crying. Because it was possible. Because we could do this.
TrendPK.com: That’s fantastic. Rodrigo has done some impressive television work on films like “Six Feet Under” and “Big Love.”
He has a great sensitivity toward women. He likes women. He writes beautiful parts for women. And also, he comes from that tradition of magic realism, which initially the script had much more of her imagining what her bedroom would be like. So you saw hr arranging things. We just couldn’t afford all of that.
TrendPK.com: But the scenes where we see her looking in on the broken down space and seeing her dream shop are wonderful.
Initially, in the script, when she imagined something, you’d see it appear. But the piece of equipment that we needed to do that was 80,000 Euros laughs and we had to say, “OK, we’ll do it without it!” laughs But this story has a real delicate touch because it’s funny and sad, and I just though Rodrigo came from this tradition. He just gets it.
Awards Alley brings you the best Oscar coverage. Click below to read our exclusive interviews with:
– Harvey Weinstein
– The cast of “The Artist.”
– Kenneth Branagh for “My Week With Marilyn.”
– Bennett Miller talks “Moneyball.”
– Producer Jim Burke for “The Descendants.”
– Sir Ben Kingsley and Chloe Grace Moretz for “Hugo.”
– Tilda Swinton for “We Need to Talk About Kevin.”
– David Fincher, Daniel Craig and Rooney Mara on “The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo.”
– Viola Davis and Octavia Spencer for “The Help.”
– Tate Taylor for “The Help.”
– Woody Harrelson for “Rampart.”
– Gavin O’Connor for “Warrior.”
– Gary Oldman and Colin Firth for “Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy.”
– Charlize Theron, Patton Oswalt, Jason Reitman and Diablo Cody for “Young Adult.”
– Steve McQueen for “Shame.”
– Glenn Close for “Albert Nobbs.”
– Seth Rogen and Will Reiser for “50/50.”
– Producer Grant Heslov for “The Ides of March.”
For complete Oscar and Film Festival coverage, visit our Awards Alley for the latest news items, reviews and interviews all season long.
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Malaysia deports Saudi journalist accused of blasphemy
Malaysia has deported a young Saudi journalist who is wanted in his home country over Twitter posts about the Prophet Mohammad that sparked calls for his execution, an official told the AFP news agency.
Hamza Kashgari, who was detained in Malaysia on Thursday after fleeing Saudi Arabia, left the country in the custody of Saudi officials on Sunday, according to a Malaysian government official who spoke to AFP on condition of anonymity.
Kashgari, a 23-year-old newspaper columnist, fled to Muslim-majority Malaysia after making comments on the microblogging site deemed insulting to the Prophet Mohammed, which fuelled a surge of outrage in the kingdom.
Insulting the prophet is considered blasphemous in Islam and is a crime punishable by death in Saudi Arabia.
Malaysia s government would not immediately confirm Hamza s deportation, but a Home Ministry statement on Sunday said Kashgari would be sent back to Saudi Arabia.
“Malaysia has a long-standing arrangement by which individuals wanted by one country are extradited when detained by the other, and Kashgari will be repatriated under this arrangement,” the statement said.
“The nature of the charges against the individual in this case are a matter for the Saudi Arabian authorities.”
Clerics and locals in the kingdom have called for Kashgari s death for three comments he made on Twitter on the occasion of the Prophet Muhammad s birthday.
“On your birthday, I find you wherever I turn. I will say that I have loved aspects of you, hated others, and could not understand many more,” read one tweet posted on Saturday.
All three tweets were later deleted by Kashgari, who received over 30,000 responses within a day of the postings.
Kashgari, who had originally apologised for his comments, said in an interview he was being made a “scapegoat for a larger conflict” over his comments.
‘Housewives of Beverly Hills’ star’s romance heating up
TrendPK.com: ‘Real Housewives of Beverly Hills’ star Camille Grammer has been enjoying her new romance with beau Dimitri Charalambopoulos, and it seems it just keeps getting better.
Grammer spoke about her relationship to Andy Cohen on the reunion show and stated that it is a serious relationship that they are still exploring, states People. “We’re very happy and we’re enjoying each other’s company,” Grammer commented.
And while she wouldn’t go into details about their romance, she did try to explain where they are right now: “I’m only seeing him. I’m devoted to him that way. I believe in monogamy.”
Do you think she’s found the right guy?
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Fergie named beauty ambassador for Wet ‘n Wild
TrendPK.com: Fergie is well-known for her style which may make her the perfect choice to be the new beauty ambassador for Wet ‘n Wild.
Fergie will reportedly be taking on a multi-year worldwide campaign as the brand’s global beauty ambassador and their first-ever star spokesperson, states UsMagazine.com. “I’m truly excited to be the global beauty ambassador for Wet ‘n Wild. The brand delivers amazing palettes, unquestionable quality and is incredibly affordable. It’s a beauty trifecta that I’m proud to be involved with,” Fergie said about the gig.
Fergie has previously been the spokeswoman for MAC Cosmetics, Calvin Klein and Candie’s.
Do you think she’s a good choice?
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Justin Timberlake, Jessica Biel step out together
TrendPK.com: Justin Timberlake and Jessica Biel have stepped out for the first time together since rumors of a possible engagement ran rampant around a month ago.
The two were reportedly photographed outside UCLA Medical Center recently after allegedly getting engaged at the end of last year, states UsMagazine.com. Biel has been busy filming ‘Emmanuel and the Truth About Fishes’ while Timberlake allegedly recently celebrated his birthday in Fernie, British Columbia.
Timberlake’s grandmother was reportedly the one who revealed the engagement.
Do you like these two together?
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U-19 squash player robbed of Paris event chance
Robbers snatched passport and other valuables from the junior squash player, Saad Shahid, leaving him unable to travel for Squash U-19 Tournament in Paris.
Street-criminals, who held Shahid at gunpoint, fled away with his valuables, which included a mobile phone, Rs20000 cash, ATM card, passport, and important documents.
Shahid, while talking to News Trends, appealed to the looters to return his passport for he was set to leave for an international event in three days, which he wouldn’t be able to attend as a new passport would take at least ten days to come.
Priyanka Chopra to attend 48th Annual Grammy
Priyanka Chopra, currently attending 62nd Berlin International Film Festival to promote her film Don 2, which is being showcased there, will be attending the 48th Annual Grammy Awards at the Staples Centre in Los Angeles on Sunday evening.
Everyone knows Priyanka’s passion for music, so it is obvious that she is really excited to attend the award ceremony that honours outstanding music. She will be joined by heavyweights like Jimmy Iovine, the CEO of Interscope Records, and Troy Carter, the owner of her management company Atom Factory, at the event.
The actress who is in the process of releasing her international album feels this is the best global platform to meet and interact with people from the international music fraternity. She is also thrilled about meeting her favourite singing sensations at the award function.
‘Housewives of Beverly Hills’ star releases medical records to prove claims
TrendPK.com: ‘Real Housewives of Beverly Hills’ star Taylor Armstrong claims she was abused by her late husband, Russell Armstrong, and while some aren’t believing it, she is trying to prove it.
While promoting her book, Taylor has been accused of lying about her abuse, but now she is releasing her medical records to set the record straight, states RadarOnline.com. “For those who continue to say I’m lying. Ur harming women who suffer n silence making them even more afraid 2 speak up & get help. So… I’m releasing my medical records on my FB page in a few minutes,” Taylor posted on Twitter.
She then released her records that showed she was medically checked out on June 22, 2011 and found to have “trauma and right orbital fracture.”
Taylor then had to have plastic surgery to repair the damage.
What do you think about her abuse claims?
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