The 2012 Soul Train Awards will chug to Las Vegas on November 8, and will premiere on BET and Centric on November 25. Hosted by Cedric the Entertainer, an original King of Comedy, the show will feature live performances by some of the best entertainers in the jazz, R&B, hip-hop and gospel genres. Also, this year’s show will revive the Lifetime Achievement Award, which is to be awarded to New Edition.

With two nominations for Album of the Year (“Write Me Back”) and The Ashford & Simpson Songwriter’s Award (“Share My Love”), R. Kelly is the most nominated artist in Soul Train history, with a career total of 21 nominations. On the night of the awards, however, all eyes will be on Usher, who is nominated for five awards. These include Song of the Year (“Climax”), Album of the Year (“Looking For Myself”), The Ashford & Simpson Songwriter’s Award (“Climax”), Best Dance Performance (“Scream”) and Best R&B/Soul Male Artist. Leading the females in nominations is British songbird Estelle who is up for three awards—Song of the Year (“Thank You”), The Ashford & Simpson Songwriter’s Award (“Thank You”) and Best R&B/Soul Female Artist. Both Whitney Houston and Amy Winehouse garnered posthumous nominations for Best Gospel/Inspirational Performance (“Celebrate” featuring Jordin Sparks) and Best International Performance (“Our Day Will Come”), respectively.

Launched in 1987, the Soul Train Awards honored the best in urban music of the previous year. A spin-off of Soul Train, which was created by Don Cornelius in 1970, the award show was considered by many to be black music’s equivalent of the Grammy awards. The Grammys did not always acknowledge the talent of African Americans, due in part to the under representation in the voting academy itself. The Soul Train Awards filled a void for many years. In recent years, however, it appears that interest in the award show has waned, with more accomplished celebrities who have attained worldwide success and have many Grammy awards under their belts.

Indeed, winning a Grammy gives a career boost as far as performance and production fees are concerned. However, is it necessary for these artists to shun the award show that presented a platform for their talents to be recognized and appreciated, simply because the Grammys have finally taken notice of them? Of course not, but it seems that is exactly what has happened. Hopefully this year’s show will see a return of some of the industry’s biggest names.

To see a full list of nominees, log onto centrictv.com.

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The circumstances of Whitney Houston’s demise have dominated headlines and search trends since news outlets first reported of her death. Her struggle with addiction was covered extensively by the media, and even discussed candidly by Houston herself during several high-profile interviews.

Though toxicology reports needed for definitive answers have yet to be released, there has been no delay in rumors and speculation regarding what drugs may have been involved in the loss of this legendary and undeniably gifted songstress. Xanax (generic name alprazolam) and alcohol have been named specifically.

Whether or not these substances are ultimately named as factors in Houston’s death, the mere perception that they could be raises questions – particularly about prescription psychiatric drugs. Here are some answers.

What is Xanax?

Xanax is a prescription medication for anxiety disorders (some outlets have incorrectly reported that it is an anti-depressant). It works by acting on GABA receptors, the “brakes” of the brain. It is part of the benzodiazepine class of medications and is in a larger group of medications commonly referred to as “downers” or “sedatives.”

While many people with anxiety disorders benefit from treatment with them, benzodiazepines have the potential to become addictive and can be abused. Drugs that people feel the effects of quickly and that leave the system quickly are more likely to be abused. Of the benzodiazepines, Xanax is one of the fastest acting and most potent.

Are all anxiety medications potentially addictive?

No. There are other kinds of medication for anxiety that affect the brain differently than Xanax and the other benzodiazepines.

Are drugs like Xanax dangerous?

All drugs have risks, which increase when they are not used as they should be. For example, overdoses of the commonly used over-the-counter drug Tylenol are the leading cause of acute liver failure in the U.S. Benzodiazepines like Xanax can put the brakes on the brain too much, particularly the part that controls breathing.

When too high a dose of these medications is used, especially if they are combined with other substances that affect breathing – such as alcohol – breathing can become too slow or shallow or even stop completely. Per SAMHSA (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration), over three quarters of benzodiazepine-related ER visits in 2002 involved at least two substances. Alcohol was by far the most common second substance.

Doctors who prescribe these medications routinely warn patients not to drink alcohol while taking them. Medications like Xanax can often be used safely as long as they are used as prescribed.

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Coldplay’s fifth studio album, “Mylo Xyloto,” is the group’s third album to debut at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 200 chart.  Coldplay’s previous two albums, “Viva La Vida Or Death and All His Friends” in 2008 and “X&Y” in 2005, both debuted at No.1. Their single, “Princess Of China,” which features Rihanna also made a debut this week at No. 20 in the Billboard Hot 100 chart.

The album’s sales were significantly less compared to the previous two albums which debuted on the chart with 721,000 and 737,000 albums sold. According to Nielsen SoundScan, “Mylo Xyloto” is the third biggest debut this year, selling 447,000 physical and digital copies.

Only Lady Gaga and Lil Wayne have managed to sell more in one week this year. Gaga’s “Born this Way” sold 1.1 million albums, and Lil Wayne’s “Tha Carter IV” sold 964,000. Kelly Clarkson’s new album, “Stronger,” debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 200 and sold 163,000 copies.

This is the American Idol winner’s fifth studio effort as she stands as the most successful artist to come out of the popular show. The Canadian singer, Michael Buble, finds success in his holiday album, “Christmas,” which sold 141,000 copies and debuted at No. 3 behind Coldplay and Kelly Clarkson.

Rihanna had a big week, too, as her new single, “We Found Love” in which she collaborated with the Scottish DJ Calvin Harris, reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. Rihanna takes the crown from Adele’s “Someone Like You” who held the No. 1 spot for four weeks in a row.

This marks the Barbadian’s eleventh No. 1 ranking on the chart since her career began in 2005. She now ties with Whitney Houston, but surpassed Stevie Wonder and Janet Jackson, both of whom had 10 No. 1 hits. Her sixth album titled “Talk That Talk” is due to be released later this month, just a year after the release of her successful fifth album “Loud.”

Justin Bieber’s holiday album, “Mistletoe,” is set to debut at No. 1 next week, though the single of the same name dropped in rank from 11 to 73 in just one week on the Billboard Hot 100. In the meantime, a young woman by the name of Mariah Yeater hit the Canadian singer with a paternity suit claiming they had a sexual encounter after a concert last year in Los Angeles.

A California court will have a hearing next month, but Island Def Jam records have publicly denied the accusation and stated they will do everything they can to protect the young singer.

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