Posted in MUSIC & DANCE, PEOPLE, Whitney Houston, tagged Arista Records signs Whitney Houston, pictures of Whitney Houston as a model, pictures of Whitney Houston on Seventeen magazine cover, whitney houston death, whitney houston dies on February 12, 2012| 5 Comments »
Before Whitney Houston signed a contract with Artista Records in 1983, she was a much sought-after teenage model. She was one of the first African-American women to appear on the cover of Seventeen magazine.
Whitney Houston (r.) enjoys an ice cream treat with an unidentified model in this 1981 issue of Seventeen magazine. Whitney was 18 years old.
Posted in MUSIC & DANCE, PEOPLE, Whitney Houston, tagged cafepress designs, peace love whitney, whitney houston dies, whitney houston gifts, whitney houston hoodies, whitney houston t-shirts, whitney houston thank-you notes on February 12, 2012| 2 Comments »
This Peace Love Whitney Jr. Hoodie honors the life of Whitney Houston with a peace sign, a heart, and a graceful treble clef to symbolize Whitney's musical gifts. This is one of the many offerings at CafePress.
More tasteful gifts from Cafe Press, these to memorialize the passing of the great American rhythm and blues singer Whitney Houston, with “Peace Love Whitney” t-shirts and gifts. Visit Cafe Press to see the cool designs for yourself.
Posted in MUSIC & DANCE, PEOPLE, Whitney Houston, tagged picture of Whitney in undershirt, Superbowl and Whitney Houston, video of Whitney Houston, whitney houston dead, whitney houston dies, Whitney Houston sings the National Anthem on February 11, 2012| 10 Comments »
Whitney Houston (1963-2012) The legendary singer, actress, and producer won six Grammy awards, two Emmy awards, 30 Billboard Music Awards across her extensive career. She was probably best known for her megahit “I Will Always Love You,” written by Dolly Parton.
Gifted singer Whitney Elizabeth Houston (1963-2012) died today yet her voice lives on and has the power to move us.
This video features Houston singing the American National Anthem at the 1991 SuperBowl when the U.S.A. was involved in the Gulf War.
Posted in MUSIC & DANCE, PEOPLE, Whitney Houston, tagged pictures of Mariah Carey and Whitney Houston, toofab, what the stars say about Whitney Houston, whitney houston dies, Whitney Houston's death, Zimbio on February 11, 2012| 1 Comment »
Mariah Carey (l.) and Whitney Houston perform a duet at the 1999 Oscars ceremony. The two pop stars were good friends.
Zimbio is posting what Hollywood stars such as Mariah Carey are saying about Whitney Houston’s death. Check it out. Also Toofab is showing tweets from stars.
Posted in MUSIC & DANCE, PEOPLE, Whitney Houston, tagged Krissi Brown, photograph of Whitney Houston the week she died, picture of Whitney and Bobbi Kristina, Tru Hollywood, Whitney Houston and Clive Davis, Whitney Houston and the Grammy Awards, Whitney Houston and the X Factor, whitney houston dead, whitney houston death, whitney houston dies on February 11, 2012| Leave a Comment »
The Hollywood Reporter confirms that Whitney Houston has died at age 48. The news broke at around 5 p.m. Pacific Standard Time today, Saturday, February 11, 2012.
The R&B singer and multiple Grammy Award winner was due to make an appearance at the Clive Davis pre-Grammy Awards gala tonight. She was spotted in the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Los Angeles on Thursday morning where she was overheard chastising an assistant. According to The Hollywood Reporter:
“Later that night, Houston got into an altercation with X Factor finalist Stacy Francis at an R&B appreciation event where she was said to be acting “belligerent.” On Friday night, as THR broke news that Houston had been approached for the judges’ seat on X Factor, she was said to be at a spa, according to her publicist.”
Houston had been at rehearsals for the show on Thursday, coaching singers Brandy and Monica. The Daily Mail Online reported that Houston looked disheveled, was sweating profusely, and liquor and cigarettes could be smelled on her breath.
It is speculated that Houston’s death could be due to a drug and/or alcohol overdose, as it is well known that the singer struggled with substance abuse for decades. Whitney Houston and her ex-husband, Bobby Brown, once had a reality show on which they appeared high on drugs.
She is survived by her daughter with Brown, Bobbi Kristina, 18, who is known as “Krissi.”
Posted in Michael Jackson, MUSIC & DANCE, PEOPLE, Whitney Houston, tagged Berry Gordy, Beverly Hilton Hotel picture, Britney Spears, Clive Davis 2012 preGrammy party, Diana Ross, Kim Kardashian, picture of Ray J and Whitney Houston, picture of Whitney Houston and Clive Davis, pictures of Whitney Houston and Michael Jackson, whitney houston dead, whitney houston death, Whitney Houston in Beverly Hills, Whitney Houstoon dies on February 11, 2012| 1 Comment »
Michael Jackson wraps his arms around Whitney Houston
The Los Angeles Times reports that pop singer Whitney Houston died Saturday in Beverly Hills at the Beverly Hilton Hotel. Authorities are trying to determine a cause of death.
Houston, 48, was in the Los Angeles area for a musical tribute to music executive Clive Davis and had performed and spoken to reporters earlier in the week. Clive Davis was the person responsible for launching Houston’s singing career. Appearing on Good Morning America, Davis once said of Houston:
“The time that I first saw her singing in her mother’s act in a club … it was such a stunning impact. To hear this young girl breathe such fire into this song. I mean, it really sent the proverbial tingles up my spine.’
Record studio executive Clive Davis poses with singer Whitney Houston whom he discovered singing in a nightclub with her mother.
Whitney’s publicist Kristen Foster told the Associated Press on Saturday that Houston had died but did not provide further details.
The Daily Mail Online reported inaccurately that Whitney was found by her on-off boyfriend Ray J in her hotel room.
It is now believed that Ms. Houston was found by her bodyguard, “Ray.” The Beverly Hills Police Department say that at 3:43 p.m. (Pacific Standard Time), a 911 call was placed from the Beverly Hilton Hotel. The police were on the scene in two minutes. When they got to Ms. Houston’s room on the 4th floor, hotel staff were attempting CPR on her lifeless body. At 3:55 p.m., the singer was pronounced dead. As of 6:10 p.m. PST, Ms. Houston’s body was still in the room. (Radar Online)
Preliminary findings suggest no foul play.
Oddly enough, the Clive Davis preGrammy Award party – the biggest black tie event associated with the record awards ceremony – went on as planned, just hours after Houston’s death. The party was held in the Beverly Hilton Hotel, the same hotel where Houston was found unconscious. It was an eerie incongruency, stars stepping out of limos for the party as Houston fans arrived in tears to lay bouquets of flowers in memory.
Shocked to learn of Whitney Houston’s tragic death, fans flock to the scene at the Beverly Hilton, where they lay flowers and light candles in tribute to the fallen singer
Posted in MUSIC & DANCE, PEOPLE, Whitney Houston, tagged whitney houston dead, whitney houston dies on February 11, 2012| 2 Comments »
An homage to the more innocent days of Whitney Houston’s singing career:
“How Will I Know?” My niece sang this to me when she was 12.
Posted in MUSIC & DANCE, PEOPLE, Whitney Houston, tagged pop music, whitney houston dead, whitney houston death, whitney houston dies on February 11, 2012| 3 Comments »
Whitney Houston dies at 48.
LOS ANGELES (AP) – Whitney Houston, who reigned as pop music’s queen until her majestic voice and regal image were ravaged by drug use, has died. She was 48.
Publicist Kristen Foster said Saturday that the singer had died, but the cause and the location of her death were unclear.
At her peak in the 1980s and ’90s, Houston was the golden girl of the music industry and one of the world’s best-selling artists.
Among her hits were “How Will I Know,” ”Saving All My Love for You” and “I Will Always Love You.” She won multiple Grammy Awards including Album and Record of the Year.
Her success carried her beyond music to movies like “The Bodyguard.”
But by the end of her career, drug use took its toll as her record sales plummeted and her voice became raspy and hoarse.
Posted in Eddie Fisher, Elizabeth Taylor, PEOPLE, Richard Burton, tagged "Cleopatra", biographies of actresses, biographies of women, Burton Taylor affair, Cleopatra poster, Eddie Fisher, Elizabeth Taylor and Christie's, Elizabeth Taylor auction, Elizabeth Taylor collection, Elizabeth Taylor wig auction, Le Scandale, Liz and Dick, Old Hollywood, Photoplay magazine, pictures of Elizabeth Taylor, pictures of Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton kissing, Richard Burton, Taylor and Burton, Taylor Burton affair, the kissing photo of Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton, the movie Cleopatra on December 13, 2011| 2 Comments »
Elizabeth Taylor in costume as “Cleopatra,” from the 1963, 20th Century Fox production of the same name
Yet another iconic item worn by actress Elizabeth Taylor is on the auction block – a wig she wore in the 1963 film, “Cleopatra.” Ms. Taylor wore many different hairdos in the movie and British wigmaster Stanley Hall made three wigs for each style. The wig for sale is made of real human hair, medium brown, and is adorned with hanging braids and gold beads.
Elizabeth Taylor is photographed with some props from the 1963 film, “Cleopatra.”
In the movie, Ms. Taylor’s character wears this particular wig when she tries to convince Julius Caesar, played by Rex Harrison, to accept supreme control of the empire. (1) The wig is being sold by Heritage Auctions of Dallas, Texas, and is set to fetch around $11,000.
Elizabeth Taylor in the arms of Richard Burton, from the movie, “Cleopatra,” 1963.
It was during the 1962 filming of “Cleopatra” in Rome that 30-year-old Elizabeth Taylor fell madly in love with her other male costar and onscreen lover, Richard Burton, 36, cast as Mark Antony. The two were both married to others at the time.
At the time, Ms. Taylor was already a big film star being paid the unprecedented amount of a million dollars to play Cleopatra. Mr. Burton, however, who was Welsh, was a Shakespearean stage actor largely unknown outside of England.
Richard Burton (l), talks with Eddie Fisher and his wife Elizabeth Taylor on the Cinecitta set in Rome, early 1962.
When people began to whisper that perhaps Ms. Taylor and Mr. Burton were conducting an illicit affair, the couple denied the accusations. So uncontrollable was their love and lust, that their affair was
“bloody obvious,” to use Burton’s term – so flagrantly on display. (2)
When the director of “Cleopatra” shouted “Cut!” at the end of love scenes, Taylor and Burton would continue to kiss.
They carried on on the movie set, film lot, in their private villas, and took their love to town – to the Via Veneto. But they were not safely in America, where there was a time-honored tradition not to pry into the private lives of public people and where the studio would have squelched any unflattering press. They were in Rome – the land of the paparazzi.
The Italian “paparazzi” were a new style of journalist. These young, Vespa-riding photographers with cameras with zoom lenses slung around their neck were hungry for a money-making photo that would reveal the affair to the waiting world. With a pack mentality, they were ruthlessly intent upon snapping photos of the jetset enjoying La Dolce Vita, the sweet life, popularized in the film of that same name. And Liz and Dick were getting hot and heavy on the Via Veneto.
From February thru July, paparazzi stalked Taylor and Burton’s every move, hoping for that money-making photo that would expose the lovers to the world. And they got them, too, forcing both Liz and Dick to deal with their respective spouses.
Liz Taylor and Richard Burton emerge from the restaurant Tre Scalini in the Piazza Navona, spring, 1962.
The Burton-Taylor Affair – “Le Scandale,” as Burton termed it – created international interest and thus, international coverage.
Richard Burton leans in for a kiss from Elizabeth Taylor on the Cinecitta sound stage, circa March 30, 1962. Paparazzo Elio Sorci hid under a car across from the movie lot all day to snap this photo which came to be known as the “kissing picture.” It blew the lid off the Taylor-Burton affair, appearing in first the Italian papers before making its way to New York.
The public, it seemed, had an unquenchable appetite to follow the drama. Gone were the days when American readers of Photoplay and Modern Screen were content to read fictional accounts of their favorite movie stars generated by the big movie studios.
Elizabeth Taylor gazes into the eyes of her true love, Richard Burton, as they sail off the Amalfi Coast where the filming of “Cleopatra” was wrapping up. June, 1962. Marcello Geppetti, photographer.
It is hard to overstate the excitement caused at the time by Elizabeth and Richard’s grand passion. Everyone was following the saga, even First Lady Jackie Kennedy, who asked the publicist Warren Cowan in early 1963,
“Warren, do you think Elizabeth Taylor will marry Richard Burton?”(3)
Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor in the glow of their love, caught by paparazzo on a yacht off the coast of Ischia in the Bay of Naples, June 1962.
Initially, the pair were condemned by the press for their public adultery until publishers woke up and realized how much the “Liz and Dick” machine increased tabloid, newspaper, magazine, and book sales.
Photoplay July 1962. Everyone had an opinion about the Taylor Burton affair.
Note to readers: Today also begins the first auction at Christie’s, New York, of The Collection of Elizabeth Taylor, which I was privileged to view on December 3, 2011. (2)
(1) Source: The Guardian
(2) “Remembering Liz (1932-2011),” Life Commemorative, 2011.
(3) Kashner, Sam and Schoenberger, Nancy. Furious Love: Elizabeth Taylor, Richard Burton, and the Marriage of the Century. New York: HarperCollins Publishers, 2010.
Readers: For more on Elizabeth Taylor on Lisa’s History Room, click here.
Posted in Elizabeth Taylor, PEOPLE, STAGE & SCREEN, tagged biographies of actresses, biographies of women, Elizabeth Taylor, Elizabeth Taylor had hairy arms, Elizabeth Taylor had lanugo, Elizabeth Taylor's birth, Elizabeth Taylor's mother, Julia Misbehaves, Peter Lawford, pictures of Elizabeth Taylor, pictures of Elizabeth Taylor as a baby, pictures of Elizabeth Taylor as a child on November 25, 2011| 2 Comments »
Actress Elizabeth Taylor had stunning beauty. She was such a gorgeous little girl that, when people would see her for the first time, they would gasp in astonishment, staring at her sapphire eyes wreathed in thick black lashes and the shiny black hair framing her porcelain face. “What a pretty child !” they would exclaim, prompting the well-rehearsed Elizabeth to curtsey and smile.
Elizabeth Taylor in “Lassie Come Home,” 1943.
But Elizabeth was not always gorgeous, said her mother, Sara Taylor, a former stage actress. She considered Elizabeth to be quite an ugly baby when born in London on February 27, 1932.
Sara Taylor cradles her newborn daughter, the future movie queen Elizabeth Taylor (1932-2011)
At first glance at her newborn, Sara was repulsed:
“As the precious bundle was placed in my arms, my heart stood still. There inside the cashmere shawl was the funniest-looking baby I had ever seen. Her hair was long and black. Her ears were covered with thick black fuzz, and inlaid into the sides of her head….”(1)
Baby Elizabeth’s arms, shoulders, and back were covered with a thick downy pelt called lanugo, not uncommon in newborns.
“The infant looked like a little monkey,” remembered Viennese art dealer and family friend Ernest Lowy. (2)
Compounding the problem, Elizabeth’s eyes were screwed tightly shut. For ten days, the doctor tried to pry them open unsuccessfully, finding only the whites visible. Then one day, Baby Elizabeth suddenly snapped open her eyes and gazed up at her new mother. Sara found herself gazing down into two pools of deep violet fringed by thick black lashes – double rows of lashes! Then the baby smiled. Sara considered this a special greeting from her daughter and told the nurse so. The nurse chuckled, reminding Mrs. Taylor that infants can’t express emotion:
“That was no smile,” the nurse indicated, “only a little gas.” (3)
Elizabeth Taylor in profile, ca. 1934
The dark fuzz fell off and a swan emerged.
Elizabeth Taylor didn’t begin to walk until she was 16 months old. She is shown here with one of the many dogs for which she cared during her lifetime. ca.1934-35
As a young girl, Elizabeth Taylor had a big head on a little body. “What a podge!” she remarked, upon seeing a young photo of herself. 1934.
Peter Lawford and Elizabeth Taylor in this publicity shot for “Julia Misbehaves” (1948). In this unretouched 1950 publicity photo, one can see La Liz’s arms were covered in a dark and velvety down, in keeping with her being a beautiful brunette.
(1) Ladies’ Home Journal, March- April 1954.
(2) Heymann, C. David. Liz: An Intimate Biography of Elizabeth Taylor. New York: Simon & Schuster, Inc., 1995, 2011.
(3) Walker, Alexander. Elizabeth: The Life of Elizabeth Taylor. New York: Grove Press, 1990, 1997.
Readers: For more on Elizabeth Taylor on Lisa’s History Room, click here.
Posted in Natalie Wood, PEOPLE, STAGE & SCREEN, tagged biographies of actresses, biographies of women, Natalie Wood, natalie wood's death, Natalie Wood's drowning, pictures of natalie wood, pictures of Natalie Wood's boat, Robert Wagner, suspicious death, the Splendour on November 20, 2011| 5 Comments »
Robert Wagner and Natalie Wood aboard their yacht the Splendour. Undated photo.
According to a witness whose account has never been disclosed, Hollywood star Natalie Wood was screaming for help as she drowned in 1981.
Retired stockbroker Marilyn Wayne said she tried to report the star’s ‘last desperate cries for help’ but was ignored.
Los Angeles police last week said ‘substantial new evidence’ has led them to reopen their investigation into the death 30 years ago this week.
Learn more at the Daily Mail Online.
Readers: For more on Natalie Wood on Lisa’s History Room, click here.
Posted in British Royal Family/Nobles, PEOPLE, Prince William & Catherine, Duke & Duchess of Cambridge, Queen Elizabeth II, ROYALTY/NOBILITY, tagged Kate Middleton, Kate Middleton pregnant, the British Royal Family, Will and Kate on November 19, 2011| 18 Comments »
Is Kate pregnant? While William, 29, plus the Danish Crown Prince and Princess tasted peanut paste at a recent visit to a global supply center for Unicef, Kate politely refused -- and reportedly gave her husband of six months a knowing look.
Tabloids are abuzz with speculation that Kate Middleton, the Duchess of Cambridge, is expecting her first child with Prince William. Buckingham Palace refuses to deny or confirm such a statement but there are hints that there may be some truth to the rumor.
It is all started with Kate refused to sample some peanut paste in a Unicef food packet in a royal visit to Copenhagen. (Doctors warn expectant mothers against eating nuts.) She further fueled speculation on another occasion when she refused a glass of champagne while hosting a charity dinner on behalf of Prince Charles. (Expectant mothers shouldn’t drink alcohol.)
In Touch magazine claims that Kate is six weeks pregnant. In Touch‘s sources have been reliable in the past, having correctly revealed both the couple’s honeymoon plans and the Queen‘s wedding gift to Kate.
Learn more at The Daily Beast.
Readers: For more on Kate, the Duchess of Cambridge, on Lisa’s History Room, click here.
Posted in Natalie Wood, PEOPLE, STAGE & SCREEN, tagged biographies of actresses, biographies of women, hollywood mystery, Natalie Wood, natalie wood investigation, natalie wood's death, Natalie Wood's drowning, pictures of natalie wood, pictures of Natalie Wood's boat, Robert Wagner, suspicious death on November 18, 2011| 14 Comments »
Natalie Wood was born "Natalia Nikolaevna Zakharenko" on July 20, 1938, to Russian immigrant parents. She began acting in Hollywood movies at the age of 4. She died by drowning at the age of 43 during the production of "Brainstorm" (1983) with Christopher Walken.
How did actress Natalie Wood, famous for her star turn in Rebel Without a Cause and West Side Story, end up drowning off Santa Catalina Island, California, in 1981 while boating with actor husband Robert Wagner and costar Christopher Walker? Though officially ruled an accident at the time, the circumstances that led to her death and the nature of her tumble off the yacht the Splendour she owned with Wagner have remained one of Hollywood’s darkest mysteries.
Robert Wagner bends over to kiss flowers that cover the casket of his wife Natalie Wood during her graveside ceremonies on December 2, 1981. If Wagner discovered that his wife was missing from their yacht around midnight, why did he wait over an hour to use the ship's radio to call for help? These and other questions surrounding Woods' death remain unanswered.
Today, 30 years later, the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department has announced that it is reopening the case of Natalie Woods’ drowning due to “credible information” from multiple sources. One source is Dennis Davern, who was the boat captain of the Splendour that dark and fateful night, a night full of boozing and yelling and tragedy. Davern now says that he lied in his original statement to the police and that Robert Wagner is responsible for Wood’s death.
"Splendour," the yacht owned by Natalie Wood and Robert Wagner
Learn more at MSNBC.
Readers: For more on Natalie Wood on Lisa’s History Room, click here.
Posted in Elizabeth Taylor, PEOPLE, STAGE & SCREEN, tagged biographies of actresses, biographies of women, Elizabeth Taylor, Elizabeth Taylor as a child, Elizabeth Taylor had double eyelashes, Elizabeth Taylor mutant, Elizabeth Taylor's eyes, pictures of Elizabeth Taylor as a child, pictures of Elizabeth Taylor young on November 14, 2011| 5 Comments »
British American screenstar Elizabeth Taylor (1932-2011) as a young girl.
Just after actress Elizabeth Taylor was born, her parents were ushered into the doctor’s office and told that their newborn daughter had a mutation.
“Well, that sounded just awful,” her mother Sara Taylor said later,”a mutation.”
The mutation was not a deformity, however. It meant that little Elizabeth was born with double rows of eyelashes.
Elizabeth Taylor, age 10
Sara breathed a little easier to learn that.
“I thought,well, now, that doesn’t sound so terrible at all.”
Elizabeth’s eyes were stunning – large and blue, rimmed by deep, thick lashes. When caught in the light, the color of her eyes was almost violet. (1)
Elizabeth Taylor had luminous beauty - and double rows of eyelashes.
Double rows of eyelashes are usually the result of a mutation at FOXC2 , a gene that influences all kinds of tissue development in embryos. FOXC2 mutations are thought to be responsible for, among other things, lymphedema-distichiasissyndrome , a hereditary disease that can cause disorders of the lymphatic system, in addition to double eyelashes.
The eyelash mutation isn’t always as cosmetically enhancing as Taylor’s turned out to be — the extra eyelashes can sometimes grow inward and damage the cornea. In addition, seven percent of people with lymphedema-distichiasis syndrome also suffer from congenital heart disease.
Coincidentally, Taylor herself had a history of heart problems. In 2009, Taylor underwent surgery to repair a leaky heart valve. Her death on March 23, 2011, was attributed to congestive heart failure.
In April 2010, Elizabeth Taylor launched a new line of perfume "Violet Eyes": "This sensual perfume is inspired by her iconic eye color; it is feminine, captivating, sophisticated and intriguing. Filled with a bouquet of the flowers Elizabeth Taylor loves, the composition is both modern and mysterious."
Source: Slate
Readers, for more on Elizabeth Taylor at Lisa’s History Room, click here.
Posted in Elizabeth Taylor, PEOPLE, Richard Burton, STAGE & SCREEN, tagged biographies of actresses, biographies of women, Christie's auction, Elizabeth Taylor, Elizabeth Taylor auction, Elizabeth Taylor in Cleopatra, Elizabeth Taylor jewelry, Elizabeth Taylor snake bracelet watch by Bulgari, Liz Taylor, pictures of Elizabeth Taylor, Richard Burton and LIz Taylor on November 14, 2011| Leave a Comment »
Elizabeth Taylor on the Rome set of the film, "Cleopatra," 1962, where she began her scandalous affair with costar Richard Burton. Dame Liz wears her diamond ring from her late husband Mike Todd and the diamond, emerald, and gold bangle watch by Bulgari, Jaeger-LeCoultre
Christie’s auction house is selling screen sensation Elizabeth Taylor’s complete jewelry collection in New York City on Dec. 13-16, 2011. Among the pieces to be sold is the diamond, emerald, and gold “snake” brackelet watch by Bulgari, ca. 1961, shown below:
This cobra bangle watch by Bulgari, estimated at $12,000-15,000, is to be sold at Christie's auction of the Elizabeth Taylor Collection, Dec. 13, 2011.
Readers: For more on The Collection of Elizabeth Taylor Auction by Christie’s, click here and here.
Readers: For more on Elizabeth Taylor here at Lisa’s History Room, click here.
"There is properly no history, only biography." Ralph Waldo Emerson
Jackie Kennedy
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