Santa Monica, U.S.A. —  ”Will Always Love You: A GRAMMY Salute To Whitney Houston” is set to air this Friday, November 16 at 10 p.m. ET/PT on the CBS Television Network. The special, which was taped last month at Nokia Theatre L.A. LIVE, features artists paying homage to the six-time GRAMMY winner with performances from four-time GRAMMY winner Yolanda Adams, five-time GRAMMY winner Celine Dion, GRAMMY and Academy Award winner Jennifer Hudson, seven-time GRAMMY winner Usher, and 10-time GRAMMY winner CeCe Winans.

Academy Award winner Halle Berry, actress Taraji P Henson, two-time GRAMMY winner LL Cool J and GRAMMY winner Britney Spears present a special collection of clips that celebrate Houston’s life and artistry through performances and interviews. The show will be broadcast in HDTV and 5.1 surround sound.

“We Will Always Love You” will include highlights of nearly all of Houston’s GRAMMY telecast performances, her classic performance of the national anthem at Super Bowl XXV in 1991, and her first-ever television appearance on “The Merv Griffin Show” in the early ’80s, among other iconic performances and exclusive interviews. The special will also feature other artists sharing their memories of Houston, as well as additional highlights of her career.

The first-ever definitive single disc collection of Houston’s greatest hits, I Will Always Love You — The Best Of Whitney Houston, was released Tuesday, November 13, and features 18 tracks, including two never-before-released songs. Additionally, an official Houston photo tribute book, Whitney: Tribute To An Icon, will be available for sale on November 27.

“Whitney! Celebrating The Musical Legacy Of Whitney Houston” is a current GRAMMY Museum exhibit that explores the extraordinary life and career of the six-time GRAMMY winner and provides an in-depth look at all aspects of Houston’s creative life. Presented in conjunction with the Houston family, the collection features diverse artifacts as well as rare photographs and footage, and includes dozens of items from the private collection of the Houston family. “Whitney!” will be on display in the GRAMMY Museum’s Special Exhibits Gallery through February 2013.

Houston was one of the biggest pop stars — male or female — of all time, selling more than 170 million combined albums, songs and videos, and garnering six GRAMMYs and two Emmys, as well as countless other awards and accolades. She graced the GRAMMY stage eight times over the years — one of a few artists who has had the distinction of performing the most times on the annual telecast. Most recently, she appeared as a presenter at the 51st Annual GRAMMY Awards in 2009 (ultimately presenting Jennifer Hudson with her first GRAMMY, for Best R&B Album).

“We Will Always Love You: A GRAMMY Salute To Whitney Houston” is produced by AEG Ehrlich Ventures. Ken Ehrlich is the executive producer. Louis J. Horvitz is director. Clive Davis, Tom Corson, and Kevin Beisler are producers.

For updates and breaking news, please visit www.grammy.com and The Recording Academy’s social networks on Twitter and Facebook.

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P!nk has announced that she has began recording on her sixth studio album, the follow-up to 2008′s ‘Funhouse’. The 32-year old singer/songwriter has taken a brief hiatus from the music scene while she started a family with her husband Carey Hart.

The couple, whose on/off relationship has been the subject of some of P!nk’s biggest hits, welcomed a daughter last June and have stayed largely out of the limelight in the months since. However, P!nk now appears to be focusing on her career and on reclaiming her title as one of the world’s biggest touring artists with the release of her first studio album in 4 years.

Her return to the music studio has been eagerly anticipated by her fans, as the four-year period since the release of ‘Funhouse’ marks the longest gap between studio albums in P!nk’s 12-year career. Few details are known about the album, expected to be released later this year, although hit maker Dan Wilson confirmed on Twitter that he has been in the studio writing songs with P!nk in recent weeks.

Wilson most notably collaborated with Adele on her multi-platinum LP ’21′, co-writing two tracks – including the Grammy-winning ‘Someone Like You – and has also written songs for such artists as Keith Urban and The Dixie Chicks.

For P!nk, a partnership with Wilson would mark a departure from her last two studio albums, on which she collaborated primarily with pop guru Max Martin (Britney Spears, Kelly Clarkson, and Katy Perry), country songwriter Billy Mann (Mary J. Blige, Sting, and Celine Dion), and rocker Butch Walker (Fall Out Boy, Avril Lavigne, and The Donnas).

Since releasing her first studio album, ‘Can’t Take Me Home’, P!nk has sold over 40 million albums worldwide and has made a name for herself as a a must-see live performer. ‘The Funhouse Tour’ spanned 10 months and broke several records in Australia, and was then followed up with P!nk’s first ever stadium tour, playing at over 30 outdoor venues across Europe in the summer of 2010.

Following the success of the ‘Funhouse’ era, P!nk was ranked #27 on Forbes’ 2010 Celebrity 100 List with earnings of $44 million from the previous 12 months. She capitalised on this career momentum by releasing a compilation CD, titled ‘Greatest Hits … So Far!!!” to mark the 10th anniversary of the release of her debut album.

The compilation featured all of her major hits from the previous decade, as well as three new songs, the first of which – ‘Raise Your Glass’ – topped the Billboard Hot 100 chart, while the second – ‘Perfect’ – garnered P!nk her 11th Grammy nomination.

Despite a brief hiatus from the entertainment industry during her pregnancy, P!nk kept her name in the headlines with a starring role in the 2011 animated feature ‘Happy Feet Two,’ for which she also provided the soundtrack single ‘Bridge of Light’.

Around the same time, P!nk filmed a role in the upcoming drama/comedy film ‘Thanks For Sharing’, co-starring Mark Ruffalo and Academy Award winner Gwyneth Paltrow, and paid $5,000 to fund life-saving surgery for a stray dog after learning of the story in late last December.

Image Courtesy of   http://www.pinkspage.com

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Doctors at Children’s Hospital Boston are just another step closer to securing a cure for sickle cell disease thanks to a little help from some superstar friends.

More than $1 million was raised in support of their research efforts Sunday, January 15 during the ‘Play Without Pain: Children’s Sickle Cell Benefit,’ a partnership with international megastar Celine Dion, Caesars Entertainment, AEG Live and Children’s Hospital Boston. Held at Caesars Palace, the evening included a performance of Celine Dion’s glamorous show directed by Grammy Awards producer Ken Ehrlich, including a touching tribute to sickle cell victims during her rendition of Billy Joel’s “Lullabye.”

“As a parent, I’ve been touched by the stories that were shared with me about the impact sickle cell anemia has on millions of children around the world,” said Dion. “We know that doctors with Children’s Hospital Boston are very close to discovering life-saving treatments for these children, and I wanted to help.

No child should have to live a life filled with pain and, hopefully, tonight’s benefit show moves us one step closer to ending their suffering.” Sickle cell disease is a debilitating condition that causes excruciating pain, organ failure, stroke and early death. It is the most common inherited blood disorder in the United States, affecting 100,000 Americans and the number of sufferers is in the millions worldwide.

Affected populations are mainly of African descent, but the disease also strikes individuals of Hispanic, Mediterranean and Caribbean heritage. And its treatment is costly: an estimated $1.1 billion a year in the U.S. alone. ”Even though sickle cell is one of the most common inherited disorders, research on the disease is historically under-funded,” said Gary Fleisher, M.D., Physician-in-Chief at Children’s Hospital Boston.

“The team at Children’s is making important progress toward developing new gene therapies that could help millions of sickle cell sufferers across the globe. We are incredibly grateful to Celine Dion and Gary Loveman, with Caesars Entertainment, for helping us work toward our fundraising goals and inching us ever closer to achieving a cure.”

Researchers at Children’s Hospital Boston have found a genetic switch that overrides the sickle cell defect and have identified the gene that controls the unhealthy form of hemoglobin, the protein responsible for sickle cell disease. Treatments to flip the switch promise to deliver lifelong relief.

The new therapies would turn off the unhealthy form of hemoglobin and turn a healthy form back on. These therapies promise to reverse disease rather than simply treat symptoms. ”Children’s physician-researchers have done what others have tried to do for decades; they’ve found a way to override the sickle cell defect,” said Gary Loveman, Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer of Caesars Entertainment and a member of Children’s Hospital Boston Board of Trustees.

“I am pleased that tonight’s benefit has placed these doctors on a path toward delivering life-saving treatments to patients and proud that Caesars could play a part in helping meet their goals. I hope that tonight’s benefit will inspire others to join me, Celine and the doctors of Children’s Hospital Boston in the fight to find a cure.”

Prior to Celine’s benefit performance guests were treated to dinner at Restaurant Guy Savoy, where they enjoyed a menu personally created by the acclaimed French chef who flew in from France especially to participate in the benefit. Guests enjoyed Savoy’s signature artichoke soup, turbot and black truffle mouselline, beef Wellington and, for dessert, chocolate fondant with chicoree sauce. Guests were also treated to an exclusive meet and greet with Celine Dion prior to the show.

The benefit concluded with a VIP cocktail reception at PURE Nightclub featuring a special performance by Las Vegas-based entertainer A.J. Green, a 19-year old sickle cell patient. Green’s performance at PURE included hits from his debut album ‘Whatever You Need’ including ‘Jump,’ ‘I’ll Be There’ and ‘Superstar,’ a Luther Vandross cover. The reception was sponsored by Angel Management Group and Southern Wine & Spirits.

Image Courtesy of  http://www.flickr.com/photos/mcfly1er/

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