03:53 PM EDT 05/21/2012
Stevie Wonder
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American Idol Sends Home Its First Top 13 Contestant
Originally posted 03/08/2012 09:30PM
After tackling two of the toughest songbooks around, American Idol's top 13 faced something even tougher on Thursday: elimination night.
And for the first time, there would be a battle of the sexes: the guy and the girl with the lowest amount of votes would stand before judges Jennifer Lopez, Randy Jackson and Steven Tyler, who were tasked with the final decision of who would stay and who would go home.
Ryan Seacrest first called out the bottom three guys and girls – and there were some surprises. Keeping reading to find out all the results ...
American Idol's Top 13 Sing Whitney Houston & Stevie Wonder
Originally posted 03/07/2012 11:00PM
Now things are finally starting to get interesting!
After weeks of seemingly endless auditions and twists, American Idol's top 13 finalists took the stage Wednesday, offering the clearest picture yet of who might be crowned the next winner.
The male contestants faced off with the females – but it wasn't necessarily an even playing field. The guys were given Stevie Wonder's catalog, while the females had the towering task of singing songs by the late Whitney Houston.
Perhaps not surprisingly, the guys seemed to fare better among the judges and each contestant managed to bring their own flavor to the soul singer's songbook. Joshua Ledet, who lead off the night, brought a hot gospel swagger to "I Wish," while Phillip Phillips, during his show-closing performance, added rock 'n' roll heat to Wonder's most famous tune, "Superstition." Even Hejun Han, showing off his delicate voice on "All Is Fair in Love," won praise from judges Jennifer Lopez, Randy Jackson and Steven Tyler, with the latter noting (somewhat backhandedly) that there was "something really special about his voice."
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Bobby Brown Performing After Attending Whitney Houston Funeral
Originally posted 02/16/2012 01:40PM
Not only is Bobby Brown not banned from attending Whitney Houston's invitation-only funeral on Saturday, he is performing with New Edition a few hours later, it was just announced.
"He is not being banned. That's completely untrue," a family source tells PEOPLE.
Adds a close family friend: "Bobby will be there at the funeral to support his [and Houston's] daughter [Bobbi Kristina Brown, 18]. There was some talk ... some people were angry at him, but that's just grief. He will be there."
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Kevin Costner and Clive Davis to Speak at Whitney Houston's Funeral
Originally posted 02/16/2012 11:50AM
Kevin Costner, the leading man who costarred with Whitney Houston in her greatest movie hit, The Bodyguard, is planning to speak at her funeral this weekend, a family source tells PEOPLE.
In addition, both Aretha Franklin and Stevie Wonder will sing at the service, and Houston's record producer from the very beginning of her career, Clive Davis, will also speak, Whitney's rep confirms.
According to the family source, "Whitney's family is devastated, but they're getting through it."
In addition, says the family source, "Clive has been a complete rock for her family this entire time. He's been with her since the beginning, and he's been everything to them. They're leaning on him for emotional support. He talks to them hourly, and he's a very big part in planning her funeral. Clive has been a constant presence for them. They're thanking God for Clive."
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New Years Eve: Where the Stars Will Party
Originally posted 12/31/2011 08:45AM
It seems Sin City is the place to be this New Year's Eve.
Celebrities like John Legend, Guns N' Roses and members of the Kardashian family are set to ring in the New Year on the Las Vegas Strip. Across the country, Lady Gaga will kick off the countdown to midnight in New York's Times Square.
But that's only a taste of all the stars toasting the arrival of 2012. Other celebrity New Year's Eve Events include ...
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Aretha Franklin: I 'Feel Great' Post-Surgery
Originally posted 12/16/2010 03:30PM
Recovering at home from her recent surgery, Aretha Franklin says she's up and about – and feeling better, too.
"I feel great," she tells JET in a new interview, adding that doctors want her to recuperate for eight weeks. "The doctors say I can do whatever I feel like I am up to do. Of course, that doesn't mean any concerts or anything like that. But I can do things around the house, and today I am just piddling around the house."
The singer, 68, still has not revealed the nature of her ailment, though she's been reported to have pancreatic cancer. She promises the magazine that she will speak out on what's ailing her soon. "I am putting Aretha together first," she adds. "I will talk more later."
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How Telethons Help: Haiti Will Be George Clooney's Third
Originally posted 01/17/2010 01:45PM
In response to the devastating earthquake in Haiti that has killed up to tens of thousands of people, George Clooney and MTV Networks are organizing a megawatt line up of musicians, film and television stars for a national telethon looking to be successful in raising funds as previous disaster telethons have in the past.
"He's been on the phone for three days straight with almost no sleep," Clooney's rep told PEOPLE when he skipped the Critics' Choice Awards Friday in order to prepare for the Haiti telethon. "George knows how to do this well. It's his third one." The Up in the Air actor and humanitarian was involved in organizing both the Sept. 11 and the South Asia tsunami telethons.
With specific details still being worked out, the two-hour telethon, airing Jan. 22, will be similar to past disaster events featuring musical performances and an all-star ensemble of Hollywood celebrities offering viewers the opportunity to pledge money.
Just how helpful are the celebrity telethons? Here's a look:
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Who Will Perform at Michael Jackson's Memorial?
Originally posted 07/06/2009 03:45PM
Everyone from Mariah Carey to the surviving Jackson brothers are expected to perform in honor of the late King of Pop at his memorial Tuesday at the Staples Center in downtown Los Angeles.
On Monday, the Jackson family's publicists released a "preliminary and subject to change" list of participants, which included Carey and confirmed an earlier report from CNN that Jennifer Hudson would take the stage.
Other stars set to appear include:
• Brooke Shields
• Usher
• Stevie Wonder
• Magic Johnson
• Kobe Bryant
• Andrae Crouch Choir
• Berry Gordy
• Family friends Ron Boyd and Pastor Lucious Smith
• Shaheen Jafargholi of Britain's Got Talent
• Martin Luther King III
• Bernice A. King
• John Mayer
• Lionel Richie
• Smokey Robinson
• Rev. Al Sharpton
Sources confirm to PEOPLE that the dancers who were set to take the stage with Jackson on his London tour will also perform at the memorial.
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The Obamas' Secret to Love? Stevie Wonder
Originally posted 02/26/2009 12:30PM
From the sounds of it, we can thank Stevie Wonder for the very existence of the new First Family.
"I think it's fair to say that had I not been a Stevie Wonder fan, Michelle might not have dated me," President Barack Obama said at a White House concert before presenting the singer with the Gershwin Award for Lifetime Achievement. "We might not have married. The fact that we agreed on Stevie was part of the essence of our courtship."
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Barack Obama to Honor His Musical Hero, Stevie Wonder
Originally posted 02/24/2009 10:15AM
During Barack Obama's presidential campaign, Stevie Wonder honored him in song at rallies and fundraisers. Now the President is returning the favor to the artist he's called his musical hero.
On Wednesday, Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama will present Wonder, 58, with the Library of Congress's Gershwin Prize for Popular Song.
The salute, to be held in the White House's East Room and broadcast Thursday night on PBS, will feature artists including Martina McBride (who will sing Wonder's hit "You and I"), Will.I.Am, Tony Bennett, Paul Simon and India.Arie.
Obama last year told Rolling Stone that he really got into music during Wonder's heyday in the early '70s, when Wonder released albums like Talking Book, Innervisions and Songs in the Key of Life. "So that was a guy I loved," Obama said.
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