New developments have surfaced in the death of Whitney Houston , who was found unresponsive in her Beverly Hills hotel room yesterday. TMZ reports: According to our sources, her stylist, hairdresser and two bodyguards were among the people in the room at the time. We’re told they became worried about Whitney because she had been in the bathroom for over an hour and it was time to start getting ready for the Clive Davis party. Our sources say they began to knock on the door and there was no answer. We’re told the hairdresser, who is female, went in to check on Whitney. She immediately screamed and, according to our sources, one of the bodyguards came running in and pulled her out of the tub. We’re told Whitney’s face was below the water and her legs were up … like she had slid down the back of the tub. According to our sources, her body was very cold and the bodyguard attempted CPR. That’s when hotel security was called. Whitney Houston’s Last Interview [VIDEO] Whitney Houston Dead At 48 [BREAKING NEWS]
Late singer showed dignity and vulnerability in films like ‘The Bodyguard’ and ‘Waiting to Exhale.’ By Ryan J. Downey Whitney Houston in “Bodyguard” Photo: Warner Bros. Whitney Houston will be remembered for her voice, her hit songs, her charismatic presence. As someone who has spent my life sharing equal passion for music and movies, it’s particularly noteworthy to me that the biggest hit I associate Houston with is intrinsically tied to a film. Judging by the number of “Whitney, I will always love you” tweets from celebrities and fans on Saturday, I’d say I’m not alone in thinking of her big voice mostly in “I Will Always Love You,” which is inseparable from “The Bodyguard.” My late mother was a huge fan of Dolly Parton, who originally wrote and recorded the song that would become a huge hit for Houston on the soundtrack to “The Bodyguard,” in which she starred (years before people ran around saying “meta”!) as a pop singer. The stepmother who came into my life when I was a teenager passed away herself a couple of years ago. The first Christmas present I ever bought for her growing up was a copy of one of Whitney’s albums on cassette, so I experienced a variety of emotions and memories about important women in my life as my Twitter feed blew up with reports of the troubled star’s untimely passing. Nobody knew Houston could act (a bit part on an episode of the corny sitcom “Gimme a Break!” was certainly no barometer) when director Mick Jackson cast her to play Rachel Marron, a singer in need of protection from a stalker, in “The Bodyguard.” Big marquee name Kevin Costner played the title role of an ex-Secret Service agent turned private protector. The two characters, against the odds and against the rule, become more than co-workers as the story unfolds. The movie is cornball, sure, but Houston was quite fun. Lawrence Kasdan, who put his stamp all over my childhood as a writer on “The Empire Strikes Back,” “Raiders of the Lost Ark” and “Return of the Jedi,” reportedly conceived the script in the ’70s as a vehicle for the legendary Steve McQueen and Diana Ross. I was actually at the Grammy Special Merit Awards watching Ross accept a Lifetime Achievement Award when I saw the guy in front of me show his girlfriend a tweet about Whitney Houston’s death, which is how I first learned the news. Perhaps in some roundabout way you could call that my Six Degrees of Kevin Costner with this story. It’s not unusual to look for “signs” and coincidences when we try to process death around us, whether it’s a loved one, acquaintance or a public personality we never knew. “The Bodyguard” had action, romance and behind-the-scenes drama involving the entertainment industry, all of which are some touchtone topics that have followed me in life. I worked part-time in a record store when the movie came out and I vividly remember handling copies of the soundtrack on CD and cassette (remember those?) as patron after patron brought up a copy for me to ring up. The movie, the songs (“I Have Nothing” was no slouch!) and the CD were all intertwined, intermingled, wrapped up together to me. Houston’s performance displayed a certain tenderness combined with an elegant toughness that recalled screen sirens from mid-century. True, she was drawing from some life experience by playing someone so close to her comfort zone. But in 1995, she did it all over again in “Waiting to Exhale” and this time opposite acting heavyweight Angela Bassett (and directed by Forrest Whitaker!). “Exhale” shot straight to #1 at the box office, while Houston’s single from the movie did the same thing on Billboard. Last spring, Bassett did an interview in which she talked about a sequel reuniting the director and stars. Of course, that couldn’t happen now. Too many pop stars, rock idols and rappers trying their hand at acting have made the whole concept a joke to some people. And granted, not every musician who switches gears turns out to have chops (and vice versa in the actors-turned-musician department). But Penny Marshall certainly wouldn’t have put Houston next to Denzel Washington and Gregory Hines in “The Preacher’s Wife” if she’d watched “The Bodyguard” and “Waiting to Exhale” and thought the singer hadn’t pulled off the jobs. The remake of the 1947 film “The Bishop’s Wife” may have included some hokey fantasy elements, but it still became the best-reviewed movie Houston made. Sure, both “Bodyguard” and “Exhale” are “rotten” according to Rotten Tomatoes, which aggregates reviews from major film critics. I’m not going to try to pass either of them off as particularly great films. But “The Bodyguard,” my favorite of the two, is an inoffensive confection that rises above the phrase “guilty pleasure” ever so slightly even after repeated viewings and even after all of this time. There’s no denying Houston’s likability and watchability in all three of her major film roles. She was dignified, strong and yet vulnerable in the sort of way that made you want to sweep her up like Kevin Costner on the movie poster. Houston’s final film, “Sparkle,” is set to be released in August, and indeed, there is nothing the specter of addiction can do to erase her sparkle on the silver screen. We’ll miss you, Whitney. MTV News’ Sway and James Montgomery will be live from the Grammys red carpet this Sunday, February 12 starting at 5 p.m. ET to get reactions from music’s biggest stars on the death of Whitney Houston. Watch Reactions and Remembrances at MTV.com. Share your condolences with Whitney’s family and friends on our Facebook page. 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Director Gary Ross tells MTV News the first-person perspective will be shown ‘cinematically,’ not through voice-over. By Kara Warner, with reporting by Josh Horowitz Gary Ross Photo: MTV News For our fellow “Hunger Games” fans who are following each and every detail released about the upcoming big-screen adaptation, one of the key questions is how the filmmakers will address the fact that a large amount of the story is told via Katniss’ inner monologue. Will we be hearing Jennifer Lawrence narrate throughout the film via voice-over or will we see the action from multiple characters’ perspectives? Today is our lucky day, because we have an answer straight from director Gary Ross himself, who told MTV News recently that after much careful consideration he is not using any voice-over. “I’m not using voice-over for her. This thing is all from Katniss’ perspective,” he said of the story. “It is a first-person point of view. How do we put the viewer immediately and urgently in that experience they had when they read the book and they’re in Katniss Everdeen’s shoes? A lot of that is done cinematically. I spent a lot of time wondering and thinking about at the beginning of this process, ‘What does it really mean to be in the character’s point of view cinematically?’ I looked at a lot of really interesting references for that, but it comes down to: You don’t know more than the character knows.” Ross said we will be experiencing everything from Katniss’ perspective; we just won’t be hearing her talk us through it. “You wonder about what she’s wondering about, you worry about what she’s worrying about,” he explained. “You don’t know things she doesn’t know, and as such, you wander and experience things through her eyes, so that’s the first job: How do we make people feel they’re walking in Katniss’ shoes and encountering the same obstacles and challenges she is?” he said. “A lot is done cinematically and a lot is having someone as good as Jen Lawrence.” The “Pleasantville” and “Seabiscuit” helmer was cagey when asked about the specific look and style of the film but did promise they did everything they could to make things as realistic and believable as possible. “I don’t want to start giving specific scenes away, I know you understand that. I will say movies can do a lot in imagery where you can assimilate at lot of the world there pretty quickly,” he said when asked how much backstory he felt he needed to include or whether he’ll just jump right into the story at the start of the film. “The trick there is to make the world as real and as specific as it was when you read the book, be very precise about the production design and what this world looks like, and I think we’ve created a pretty vivid world.” Check out everything we’ve got on “The Hunger Games.” For young Hollywood news, fashion and “Twilight” updates around the clock, visit HollywoodCrush.MTV.com . Related Videos MTV Rough Cut: ‘Hunger Games’ Director Gary Ross Related Photos The Hunger Games
‘Rolling in the Deep’ helped propel U.K. singer’s chart-smashing album. By John Mitchell Adele Photo: Getty Images Adele ‘s 21 has owned the albums charts since its late-February 2011 release and it continues to dominate, tallying 18 non-consecutive weeks at #1, more than any album since Garth Brooks’ 1991 smash Ropin’ the Wind and just a few weeks shy of tying the 20-week record set by “The Bodyguard” soundtrack and Elvis Presley’s Blue Hawaii . It’s fitting that the much-acclaimed mega-selling set heads into Sunday’s Grammy Awards as the odds-on favorite to score one of the night’s biggest trophies: Album of the Year. The bulk of the songs on 21 were inspired by Adele’s failed relationship with a man 10 years her senior. Following the success of her moody, ballad-heavy debut, 2008’s award-winning 19 , the singer sought to make a more-upbeat and contemporary-sounding record. Sessions for the set fell apart, however, resulting in only one completed track, “Take It All.” The song was written after a fight with her boyfriend, and when Adele played him the song, it instigated a heated argument that ended their relationship. Heartbroken but musically reinvigorated, Adele immediately hit the studio and began channeling her heartbreak into lyrics, pouring her feelings into songs that tackled her failed relationship from a variety of angles. To help her carve out the album’s sound, she assembled a top-notch team of veteran producers, including OneRepublic frontman Ryan Tedder (who has helmed tracks for Beyonc
‘Twilight’ Tuesday looks forward to all the vampires making their debut in the November 2012 finale. By Kara Warner Dakota Fanning as a Volturi in “New Moon” Photo: Summit Entertainment Looking ahead to November, when we finally get to see the end of the “Twilight” franchise in “Breaking Dawn – Part 2,” there are many things to get excited about. For starters, Bella is now a vampire, Renesmee is growing up and the Volturi are back. But what I am most looking forward to are all the fresh vampires. There are so many new characters, not to mention the fun involved in the adventurous search for allies, getting the group together, bonding over things like eating habits and fighting against the Volturi. Therefore, in the spirit of MTV Movies’ Ones to Watch in 2012 , this “Twilight” Tuesday is dedicated to the ones to watch in “Breaking Dawn – Part 2” — which if you didn’t already know, is also a big part of our MTV Movie Brawl 2012 . Before I get to my favorite new additions, “Twilight” vampire expert and star Peter Facinelli had these kind words to say about a few of his new castmates when MTV News caught up with him: “There’s Maggie Grace; she’s fantastic. Christian Camargo is fantastic and Juilliard-trained. I always wish I went to Juilliard, so when I meet people from Juilliard, I’m always jealous,” he said. “Mia Maestro — there’s so many talented people that were tapped. It’s a much larger cast.” Clearly, Facinelli has a thing for the Denali coven, which we got a glimpse of in “Part 1” during Bella and Edward’s wedding. The Denali clan is another group of vegetarian vamps consisting of Irina (Grace), former Volturi Eleazar (Camargo) and his multilingual mate Carmen (Maestro). The Denalis are, indeed, a nice bunch. My personal favorite new vampire, however, is Garrett, the American nomad played by charming and adorable actor Lee Pace (“Pushing Daisies,” “The Fall”). I remember liking him from the moment Stephenie Meyer introduced him, due to the 6-foot-2 factor, his curiosity and his adventurous nature. His character has a nice arc, which I’ll avoid spoiling fully here, and Pace is the absolute perfect actor to play him. Fellow fan and creator of the Kristen Stewart Hot Bodyguard Facebook page Sarah M. also brought up JD Pardo, who plays the other vamp/human hybrid Nahuel. “He was super nice at the BD1 premiere & ain’t too hard on the eyes either!” she tweeted . What do you think, “Twilight” fans? Who are other ones to watch in “Breaking Dawn – Part 2”? Let us know in the comments or tweet me @karawarner! Check out everything we’ve got on “The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 2.” For young Hollywood news, fashion and “Twilight” updates around the clock, visit HollywoodCrush.MTV.com . Related Videos Live From The ‘Twilight: Breaking Dawn – Part 1’ Red Carpet
‘Twilight’ Tuesday looks forward to all the vampires making their debut in the November 2012 finale. By Kara Warner Dakota Fanning as a Volturi in “New Moon” Photo: Summit Entertainment Looking ahead to November, when we finally get to see the end of the “Twilight” franchise in “Breaking Dawn – Part 2,” there are many things to get excited about. For starters, Bella is now a vampire, Renesmee is growing up and the Volturi are back. But what I am most looking forward to are all the fresh vampires. There are so many new characters, not to mention the fun involved in the adventurous search for allies, getting the group together, bonding over things like eating habits and fighting against the Volturi. Therefore, in the spirit of MTV Movies’ Ones to Watch in 2012 , this “Twilight” Tuesday is dedicated to the ones to watch in “Breaking Dawn – Part 2” — which if you didn’t already know, is also a big part of our MTV Movie Brawl 2012 . Before I get to my favorite new additions, “Twilight” vampire expert and star Peter Facinelli had these kind words to say about a few of his new castmates when MTV News caught up with him: “There’s Maggie Grace; she’s fantastic. Christian Camargo is fantastic and Juilliard-trained. I always wish I went to Juilliard, so when I meet people from Juilliard, I’m always jealous,” he said. “Mia Maestro — there’s so many talented people that were tapped. It’s a much larger cast.” Clearly, Facinelli has a thing for the Denali coven, which we got a glimpse of in “Part 1” during Bella and Edward’s wedding. The Denali clan is another group of vegetarian vamps consisting of Irina (Grace), former Volturi Eleazar (Camargo) and his multilingual mate Carmen (Maestro). The Denalis are, indeed, a nice bunch. My personal favorite new vampire, however, is Garrett, the American nomad played by charming and adorable actor Lee Pace (“Pushing Daisies,” “The Fall”). I remember liking him from the moment Stephenie Meyer introduced him, due to the 6-foot-2 factor, his curiosity and his adventurous nature. His character has a nice arc, which I’ll avoid spoiling fully here, and Pace is the absolute perfect actor to play him. Fellow fan and creator of the Kristen Stewart Hot Bodyguard Facebook page Sarah M. also brought up JD Pardo, who plays the other vamp/human hybrid Nahuel. “He was super nice at the BD1 premiere & ain’t too hard on the eyes either!” she tweeted . What do you think, “Twilight” fans? Who are other ones to watch in “Breaking Dawn – Part 2”? Let us know in the comments or tweet me @karawarner! Check out everything we’ve got on “The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 2.” For young Hollywood news, fashion and “Twilight” updates around the clock, visit HollywoodCrush.MTV.com . Related Videos Live From The ‘Twilight: Breaking Dawn – Part 1’ Red Carpet
We’re down to the final two. With the remaining moments of 2011 ticking down by the day (there are only two left!), THG has been ranking the most newsworthy celebrities of the past year. Starting at #10 with Lindsay Lohan, the countdown moved on to Jennifer Lopez, Selena Gomez , viral video stars , Katy Perry and Justin Bieber . All worthy peeps. Pretty much everyone in the British Royal Family came in at #4, followed by the winner himself, Charlie Sheen , at #3. Which brings us to COTY finalist #2 … … Ms. Lady Gaga! Yes, Lady Gaga knows how to use shock value and outrageous antics to get attention, but she’s so much more than a flash in the pan. The 25-year-old is an artiste, a powerhouse performer and a pop cultural sensation, through and through. Can anyone really dispute that after the 2011 she’s had? With the release of her epic album Born This Way , and the premiere of its title track at the Grammy Awards, which featured her hatching from an egg on stage, Gaga put the planet on notice that she’s just getting started as her generation’s pop icon. Lady Gaga characterized BTW as “something so much deeper than a wig or lipstick or a fucking meat dress.” Fans and critics agreed she is taking music to the “next level.” An advocate for self-acceptance regardless of race or sexual orientation, her music is known for not only its catchy beats, but for its artistic and cultural references. Subsequent singles “Judas” and “The Edge of Glory” continued to push the envelope, receiving criticism for some concepts but acclaim for her overall delivery and range. Later in the year, “You and I” and “Marry the Night” gained recognition for their elaborate music videos, not to mention introspective looks inside the mind of Gaga. That alone is an impressive list, but it’s not even half the story with the girl born Stefani Germanotta who went on to become the hardest working woman in showbiz. Hardly a day goes by without her shutting it down with monster live efforts, collaborating with new artists, dreaming up new ideas … or chatting with fans on Twitter. A self-proclaimed student of fame, she always has her finger on the pulse of pop culture, and has become a living, breathing, one-woman Internet meme in a sense. Take a bow, Lady Gaga. Here’s a look at some of her MANY performances from the past year, which has been one we’ll always remember for how exciting she made it: Lady Gaga – You and I (Ft. Sugarland, Live) Lady Gaga – Marry The Night (Live on X Factor UK) Lady Gaga – Bill Clinton Foundation Performance, Part 1 Lady Gaga – Hair (Live Jamey Rodemeyer Tribute) Lady Gaga – The Edge Of Glory (Live on American Idol) Lady Gaga on Late Show with David Letterman Justin Timberlake & Andy Samberg (ft Lady Gaga) – Three Way (The Golden Rule) Lady Gaga – Born This Way (Grammy Awards)
What seemed like an ordinary evening out turned into the time of one young woman’s life thanks to rapper Drake hopping on stage to sing karaoke with her. Dalal, a.k.a. “Dee,” a student from Kuwait, got a text from a friend who DJs at Saddle Ranch in L.A., telling her to stop by because a celeb was in the house. “When I showed up I asked Jay who the celebrity was and he said he was not sure, and that I should go find out,” said Dee, a karaoke regular there. Dee then took the stage to sing Rihanna ‘s hit “What’s My Name,” and … Drake and Dee Sing Karaoke “I was like, anyone? Anyone? Hello? And decided to just sing it by myself and then boom! Drake jumps up with his bodyguard behind him and he was like ‘Wait, I thought I was going to do the song with you.'” Can you believe that? Even cooler? She hung out with him after. “I went over to his table and Drake told his bodyguard to let me through. He hugged me and I thanked him for singing with me and told him it made my day.” Pretty funny.
Amanda Seyfried was spotted hiding and walking backwards in an attempt on not being caught by the paparazzi cameras at ArcLight Hollywood Cinemas! Why so camera shy Amanda? Sadly, Amanda had her friend play the bodyguard role! Follow Hollywood.TV on Facebook @ facebook.com
Snoop Dogg came is full support of his Los Angeles Lakers basketball game on Christmas day. The Los Angeles Lakers played the Chicago Bulls. Follow Hollywood.TV on Facebook @ facebook.com
