Whitney Houston's daughter Bobbi Kristina Brown dies at 22
Courtesy of http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-33671304
Bobbi Kristina Brown, daughter of late singer Whitney Houston, has died aged 22, a family representative has said.
Kristen Foster said she passed away on Sunday surrounded by her family and was "finally at peace in the arms of God".
Brown was discovered face down and unresponsive in a bathtub on 31 January and placed in a medically induced coma. She never regained consciousness.
She was moved to a hospice in the city of Duluth, Georgia, a month ago after her condition deteriorated.
Brown was the only daughter of Houston and R&B singer Bobby Brown.
Whitney Houston was found dead in a hotel bath in Los Angeles in 2012.
The family posted a photo of Whitney with Bobbi Kristina as a baby onwhitneyhouston.com with the following message:
"It is hard to say goodbye. On Sunday, July 26, Bobbi Kristina Brown made her transition peacefully. The family thanks everyone for their loving thoughts and prayers. As Bobbi Kristina would say: 'The wind is behind me and the sun is in my face.'"
"Bobbi Kristina Brown passed away July 26 2015, surrounded by her family," Ms Foster added.
"She is finally at peace in the arms of God. We want to again thank everyone for their tremendous amount of love and support during these last few months."
Singer Dionne Warwick, Whitney Houston's cousin, described Bobbi Kristina as "a sweetheart".
"She will be missed, that's for sure. She was a good girl. She was a good little girl. She really was," she told Bravo's Watch What Happens Live.
Other stars paid tribute on Twitter, including Selma director Ava DuVernay, who said: "She seemed to be caught in the web of celebrity upon arrival. Twenty two years. A sad end. May the sister have peace now."
The BBC's Regan Morris in Los Angeles says Brown had dreamed of carrying on her mother's legacy as a singer and actress, and had a few small TV roles - but her career had not yet taken off.
In January, police said Brown was found in a bathtub in the suburban Atlanta home she shared with Nick Gordon, the man she called her husband. A police report described the incident as a "drowning".
Mr Gordon said at the time she did not appear to be breathing and lacked a pulse before emergency services arrived.
Brown was placed in a medically-induced coma and has been breathing with the aid of a ventilator.
1. Lady Gaga wrote “Telephone” for Britney Spears, but Britney rejected it. Gaga later recorded it with Beyoncé and it was a huge hit.
2. Whitney Houston’s “How Will I Know” was originally intended for Janet Jackson.
3. Most people assume Justin Timberlake’s “Rock Your Body” was just a homage to classic Michael Jackson, but The Neptunes actually wrote the music for Jackson’s final album, Invincible.
4. Giorgio Moroder originally wanted “Call Me” to be a collaboration with Stevie Nicks, but when she was not available, he instead finished the song with Blondie, and it became a No. 1 hit.
5. “…Baby One More Time” was rejected by TLC, but Max Martin ended up giving the song to Britney Spears.
6. Leona Lewis was originally intended to sing “We Found Love” and recorded a demo, but the song ended up going to Rihanna instead.
7. David Bowie gave “Golden Years” to Elvis Presley, but since Presley declined to record it, it ended up on Bowie’s 1976 classic Station to Station.
8. Rihanna’s “Umbrella” was written by The-Dream and Tricky Stewart with Britney Spears in mind, but her label rejected it.
9. Bruce Springsteen wrote “Hungry Heart” for The Ramones, but his producer and manager Jon Landeau convinced him to keep it for himself. It ended up becoming Springsteen’s first major chart hit.
10. “Toxic” was originally offered to Kylie Minogue, but it eventually became a big hit for Britney Spears instead.
11. Paul McCartney wanted Tom Jones to record “The Long and Winding Road” as a single in 1968, but that didn’t work out, and he recorded it with The Beatles instead.
12. Chris Brown co-wrote and recorded “Disturbia,” but ended up deciding the song was better for a female singer and passed it on to Rihanna.
13. The Neptunes originally developed the beat for “I’m A Slave 4 U” for Janet Jackson, but after she rejected it, it went to Britney Spears instead.
14. Donna Summer wrote “Dim All the Lights” for Rod Stewart, but she ultimately decided to keep the song for herself, and it became one of her signature hits.
Natalie Cole headlines at the BluesFest, The Royal Albert Hall, London
After a stirring performance by soul legend Gregory Porter on Wed 30th October at BluesFest we witnessed why Natalie Cole is still an enduring soul diva. Natalie Cole entered the stage, a whisp of a thing adorned in sparkly accessories to match her equally stunning dress, the diva treated as with an introduction full of her classics.
I sat adoringly on 3rd row middle seats listening to all her classics and those of her legendary father Nat King Cole. As I had hoped Miss Cole sang 2 duets with Nat King Cole, with her dad projected on the screen. Irreplacable was sang in sweet dulcet tones that took us back to the good old days of jazz and rhythm and blues. Then we were in from something different, Miss Cole sang her songs in Espanol which included some well known Spanish songs including the 2nd duet with her father based on his album of Spanish songs. It was a sizzling latin experience.
Never one to miss a comedic moment, Miss Cole gave us a little snippet of how they rhythm styling of good old classics was so similar that you could put in a rift from musical Oklahoma! or the Shirley Temple classic the Good Ship Lollipop.
The best ofcourse was left for last! In tribute to all the artistes from Soul, rhythm and blues, jazz, disco and pop that had passed since 2009 Natalie Cole sang a tribute. The tribute set included Miss Cole's favourite songs from Whitney Houston, Michael Jackson, Chaka Khan and Donna Summer.
A consumate professional Ms Cole continued to entertain the crowd well past her set time, with the crowds screaming "more" and waving enthusiastically at her. Thank you Natalie Cole.
Following
what was one of the most exciting talent show launches last week, to celebrate
the 2nd week we are promoting young talented singers right here in
the UK!
The Voice UK had the much anticipated launch show last night and the
coaches and contestants wowed the nation as social media, facebook and twitter
comments gushed about the show. Tom
Jones, Jessie J, Will.i.am and Danny O'Donoghue started kicked off the show by
showing the hopefuls how it’s done with the collaborative rendition of Black
Eyed Peas’ “I’ve got a feeling”. I believe the TV license money was well spent.
(c) Copyright BBC
The
Celebrity judges perform on The Voice UK (Tom Jones, Will.i.am (Black Eyed
Peas), Jessie J, Danny
O'Donoghue (The Script)
In my opinion the Voice has blown out of the water all the other singing shows
because the blind audition concept allows us to focus on the natural talent and
singing voice of the contestants without all the frills.
(c) Copyright BBC
(c) Copyright BBC
You can put your violins away as the sob stories and “journeys”
will not be the focus of the Voice. There will be the obvious heartwarming
stories but very personal to the contestant and relevant to them as a
performer, like Toni Warne, a 35 year old woman with alopecia who hopes to regain
her shattered confidence.
The selection process during the blind auditions is
simple. The celebrity coaches have red swivel chairs and a buzzer that rotates
the chair, if they like a contestant they press the buzzer and the chair turns
around. If none of the coaches turn around then the contestant is immediately
out. If one coach turns around, she or he then mentors the contestant. If more
than one coach turns around then the contestant is in a good position and can
select whichever coach they feel suits them better and they advance to the next
stage.
The first contestant, 17 year old Jessica Hammond had a
coach in mind as she came on stage as she chose to sing an acoustic version of Jessie
J’s global hit ‘Price Tag’. She had all the four coaches already fighting for
her but she stayed loyal to Jessie J.
Sean Conlan (c) BBC
Sean Conland with boyband 5ive
My heart sank though when no coach turned around for
former 5ive boyband member Sean Conlon. The coaches liked his voice but were
unsure on how to mentor him. He was dissappointed but took the rejection like a
trooper.
I was underwhelmed by 22 year old Ben Kelly who
apparently is already an internet sensation who sang in my opinion a tribute
act version of Elton John’s “Rocket Man”. I am surprised that all judges turned
around for him. I am sure this will make me unpopular but I did not get him!
I was getting worried for Will.i.am whom I believe should
have talked himself up more as a producer and songwriter than enter the name
drop battle with the legend that is Tom Jones. I loved Tom Jone’s humour
especially the story about Elvis going to buy him guitars. I would watch the
Voice every week just for those nostalgic stories.
Will.i.am eventually gets the last contestant J Marie
Cooper who chose him for being the first judge to turn around.
(c) BBC
The final tally for the coaches was I would have predicted - four for Team Tom,
three for Team Jessie, and Will.i.am and Danny have one each.
It was a fantastic launch show for the Voice and I believe it outclassed
Britain’s Got Talent and a better competition than Xfactor in my opinion.
However I still think it is a matter of “apples” and oranges” between the Voice
UK and Britain’s Got Talent, as one show is purely vocal talent and the other
is old fashioned British variety.
WE
SUPPORT KATHERINE JENKINS...ON DANCING WITH THE STARS SEASON 14, 2012 ON ABC copyright ABC
We
support Katherine Jenkins on Dancing with the Stars. Flying the British flag
high, Katherine’s incredible first dance earned her 2 nines and 1 eight.
In
case you were wondering who the world's most prolific classical crossover
artist is, look no further than Katherine Jenkins!
The
Welsh Mezzo Soprano has sold in excess of seven million albums since launching
her career in 2004. An internationally recognized figure, Katherine, at the age
of only 31, has become an ambassador and inspiration for millions of people
around the world.
When
she was 23, Katherine signed what was said to be the biggest ever UK classical
recording deal; she has broken records becoming the fastest selling mezzo soprano
ever, has released eight studio albums, has won two Classical BRIT awards and
broken countless records with her albums going platinum around the world. She
has performed with Placido Domingo and Andrea Bocelli, had lunch with and
performed for the Queen and other members of The Royal Family as well as Prime
Ministers and dignitaries around the world.
Having
recently worked with internationally renowned producers including David Foster
and John Shanks, Katherine's unique and timeless vocals have defined the genre.
Known for her interpretations of popular songs, operatic arias and hymns,
Katherine is also known for her long-standing work with the British Forces
Foundation for which she is a trustee and has consequently made various trips
to Iraq and Afghanistan to entertain the troops. This support for the troops
has led her to being referred to as the Forces Sweetheart.
Cherished
as one of Britain's favorite singers, Katherine has become one of our greatest
musical exports. Now she's adding Dancing with the Stars to her already
impressive list of accomplishments.
To celebrate the return of BRITAIN’S GOT TALENT – we shall be
showing some of the memorable auditions, the Good, the Bad and the Ugly
throughout the week.
IT’S
TIME, The Voice vs Britain’s Got Talent. Which one are you watching?
A
COMPILATION OF OUR TOP FAVOURITE WINNERS AND RUNNERS UP. It’s almost all of
them so far but they all did Britain proud.
CHALLENGE:
Do you have a memorable audition that you think is a better act than the
winners or runners up and you think SHOULD HAVE WON BRITAIN’S GOT TALENT? Post
it here or on our blog.
Susan Boyle - Britains Got Talent 2009 Episode 1 - Saturday 11th April
(2) CHALLENGE: Do you have a memorable audition that is more DANGEROUS than the knife stunt by Mike Henderson?
We love Mike's stunt just for the reaction of the judges when he lunges to catch the knife when Piers buzzes him. We also love the fact that Simon buzzed him after he thought Mike had stabbed himself and killed himself!
(3)
CHALLENGE: Do you have a memorable audition that you think is a better animal
act than Pip and Buddy in their audition video? Post it here or on our blog.
(4)
CHALLENGE: Do you have a memorable audition that you think is a better kid’s
act than Shaheen Jafargholi in his amazing audition video? Post it here or on
our blog.
Watch Shaheen Jafargholi - Britain's Got Talent 2009 audition, our favourite kid’s act on our blog. This young Welsh boy won the hearts of the nation, Michael Jackson himself saw the video of Shaheen's rendition of whose loving you. He was later asked to perform at Michael Jackson's memorial in America.
To
celebrate the return of BRITAIN’S GOT TALENT – we shall be showing some of the
memorable auditions, the Good, the Bad and the Ugly throughout the week.
(5)
Kevin Cruise – a cruise ship entertainer – our favourite GUILTY PLEASURE act.
It’s camp, it’s cheesy, it’s got colour and glitter and we love it! A close
second is Hoop Lala so we will include their video as well.
CHALLENGE:
Do you have a memorable audition that you think is a better guilty pleasure audition
than Kevin Cruise? Post it here or on our blog.
