Silence was golden at the Oscars!

Hello, everybody. At the inaugural Academy Awards ceremony in 1929 (which was actually a banquet, but you get the idea), "Wings", a silent film though sound was starting to become a big deal, was the first Best Picture winner. Well, flash forward 83 years and 3 hours and 13 minutes later to Sunday's 84th annual awards, and "The Artist" taking us back to those bygone times in a big way.

Both that film and Martin Scorsese's "Hugo" each collected five awards, but it was "The Artist" that barked up the most important bounty: Best Actor (Jean Dujardin, beating out odds-on favorite George Clooney), Director (Michel Hazanavicius), and Best Picture of 2011. One of "Hugo's" honors was for Visual Effects, and sharing that: Former Fairbanks resident Ben Grossmann!

Almost 30 years after her last win, Meryl Streep returned to the Oscar stage to claim Best Actress for "The Iron Lady" over heavily favored Viola Davis (her "The Help" co-star Octavia Spencer received Supporting Actress) in a near upset. And 82-year-old Christopher Plummer is the oldest acting winner ever thanks to his Supporting Actor prize for "Beginners." Other big winners include "An Adaptation" (Foreign Language Film, Iran's first), "Rango" (Animated Feature), and "Undefeated" (Documentary Feature).

After an eight-year hiatus, Billy Crystal out-Ricky Gervais Ricky Gervais (or make that, out-James Franco and Anne Hathaway James Franco and Anne Hathaway from last year) in his ninth go-around as emcee kept things breezing along throughout the evening, even with an abbreviated version of his opening medley to incorporate the nine Best Picture nominees.

An hour or so prior to all that, the stars went around the red carpet, where white was the order of the day for Milla Jovovich (Marchesa), Gwyneth Paltrow (Tom Ford), and Rooney Mara (Givenchy). Of course there were others, like Michelle Williams in Louis Vuitton and Jessica Chastain in Alexander McQueen among others, but the big talk was saved for Angelina Jolie showing leg in Atleier Versace (it even got its own Twitter), and Jennifer Lopez appearing to be showing a little extra alongside Cameron Diaz on stage. By the way, an injury forced Halle Berry to watch the awards at home, as she was going to be one of the presenters.

So, who was the showstopper? To coin that term from one former WWE alum to another, has to be Stacy Keibler looking like a golden goddess in her Marchesa. Even though her guy graciously lost, she was a true winner in our book; for Stacy, being at the Oscars was indeed a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Who knew that the woman who came into our lives as Miss Hancock in WCW and would carry her sexiness over to WWE, "Dancing With The Stars", and beyond would wind up being front and center in front of an even larger television audience than Wrestlemania on the original Grandest Stage of Them All?? She'll remember this night for as long as she lives, trust me.

Oh, and after looking like a princess last year, Natalie Portman this year? She looked more like a paupette in her vintage 1954 Christian Dior.

With 17 nominations and her two previous wins, she was Susan Lucci done right. And now with her third trophy, Meryl Streep is back in the spotlight thanks to her role as Margaret Thatcher. Five years ago at this time, Helen Mirren's Queen Elizabeth won her the gold, proving that female British icons can nab you the richest American-made prize in entertainment.

But after all the hardware was passed out, one film proved that at the 84th Annual Academy Awards, silence was indeed golden.

Now...one of the people featured in the In Memoriam montage was Whitney Houston, and there's already fallout from last weekend's star-studded funeral. Why?

The cover of the latest "National Enquirer" had a photo of Whitney in an open casket, allegedly taken before the service. Tons of media outlets threw huge fits about it, calling that move "morbid" and "shameful."

From an editorial perspective...what's the big deal? Martin Luther King, Jr's funeral was open casket and televised to the world; so was James Brown's, but why Whitney? It was the "Enquirer" that also ran a photo of Elvis Presley in his open casket after he died in 1977, while the "New York Post" did the same thing with John Lennon three years later. I think it's both good and bad on both fronts: good for business, bad because they want to capitalize on Houston's death even further. But I can give you this: It was our final ever glimpse of a music icon who was troubled to the end. So long and stay strong.

Hello everybody, as we're about to head into the weekend of weekends, especialy on Sunday where DVR drives are expected to crash everywhere.

We begin with one of the Super Bowls of auto racing, the Daytona 500 and Danica Patrick's NASCAR debut (I'm more into the Indianapolis 500). That'll be followed by the Super Bowl of basketball, the NBA All-Star Game in Orlando; unfortunately, that phenom known as Jeremy Lin won't take part.

And then of course, we have the Super Bowl of entertainment: The 84th Annual Academy Awards! A number of pre-Oscar parties have already begun and will last well into Saturday night, but let's begin with the stories prior the big show:

A few months ago, Eddie Murphy was tapped to host with Brett Ratner joining alongside Don Mischer as producer; but after Ratner's inflammatory remarks about gays, the two bolted out and Brian Grazer was in...so was Billy Crystal after an eight-year hiatus. And earlier this week, Kodak's bankruptcy led to a name change to the namesake venue; it's now the Hollywood & Highland Center and after ten years, it could be the last Oscars there. 

For some time now, the Academy has been eyeing the Nokia Theatre in Downtown Los Angeles as their new home; it has twice the space (and seating capacity) than the Kodak Theatre and is already host to the "American Idol" finale, ESPY Awards (both used to be at the Kodak), Primetime Emmys, American Music Awards, and MTV Video Music Awards. With those events, it's already been called the Radio City Music Hall of the West. 

If the Oscars join them next year, it's proof that you really don't have to base the awards in Hollywood. Until 2002, they've had them at either the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion (now part of the Walt Disney Concert Hall, also downtown) or Shrine Auditorium though during much of the '60s, Santa Monica's Civic Auditorium played host.

Now, to this year's soiree: "Hugo" may be coming in with 11 nominations, but the forecast may call for "The Artist" taking some of the top honors after a few other awards including the BAFTAs. The other seven films up for Best Picture (The Descendants, Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, The Help, Midnight in Paris, Moneyball, The Tree of Life, and War Horse)? Well, they'll just have the distinct honor of being nominated.

All four of last year's acting winners will be back to pass the torch; also on the presenters' list: Tina Fey, Emma Stone, Tom Cruise, Will Ferrell, Ben Stiller, Milla Jovovich, Bradley Cooper, former host Chris Rock, past winners Michael Douglas, Halle Berry, Angelina Jolie, Tom Hanks, and Penelope Cruz, and...Kermit the Frog and Miss Piggy!

The Best Actor/Actress races are at its tightest ever. George Clooney may have the advantage following the Golden Globes, but Jean Dujardin is hoping for an upset. And it's no longer a battle between Meryl Streep and Michelle Williams, because Viola Davis may add a little color to the mix. 

But the one question we'll be asking as far as fashions are concerned is...What will Stacy Keibler wear? She has always put on a show over the years from WWE to "Dancing With The Stars", and now she'll be part of the biggest show of them all. It sure is a far cry from Wrestlemania and the one time Jeff Hardy copped more than a feel!

The other question is of course: Who will have the ultimate conversation starter first thing Monday morning? Last year, I was right on only Christian Bale, Colin Firth, and Natalie Portman; here are my picks this year. But since Christopher Plummer and Octavia Spencer are guaranteed Supporting Actor/Actress, let's jump right to the categories that really matter:

Best Actor: It is a tight contest, but since he's already tipped as the favorite and that he also has worldwide recognition compared to the lesser-known Dujardin, I'll probably say George Clooney has this lock, stock, and barrel.
Best Actress: We thought it was going to be a showdown between Streep and Williams with the 17-time nominated Meryl as the early favorite, but...it's been ten years now since Halle Berry's win. So in honor of that...Viola Davis.

Best Director: Five years will have passed since Martin Scorsese finally copped his first prize, but even though he claimed a Golden Globe for Hugo, my gut tells me it will go to Michel Hazanavicius for "The Artist".

Best Picture: It's been the odds-on favorite coming in to the awards having claimed Golden Globe and BAFTA honors, so..."The Artist" for the win!

We'll see what happens Sunday night on ABC when Hollywood's biggest prize will be handed out under the watchful eye of Billy Crystal; on Monday, I'll recap them all from top to bottom. So long and stay strong.

Hello, everybody. It was a mix of joy and sorrow at Sunday's 54th Annual Grammy Awards, but let's begin with the joys:

With a return performance since vocal cord surgery that brought down the house, Adele literally swept the board earning all six of the Grammys she was up for including Pop Vocal Album and Album of the Year for "21" and Song of the Year and Record of the Year for "Rolling in the Deep"; she has tied new mom Beyonce for the most haul by a female in one night. Other winners include the Foo Fighters (Rock Song, "Walk"; Rock Album, "Wasting Light"), last year's dominators Lady Antebellum (Country Album, "Own the Night"), Taylor Swift (Country Song, "Mean"), Bon Iver (New Artist), Louis C.K. (Comedy Album), and even Betty White (Spoken Word Album).

And then, there were the sorrows: In the wake of Whitney Houston's death (which I'll get to in a bit), producers scrambled at the eleventh hour to pay tribute to the six-time winner; first with host LL Cool J beginning the show with a prayer for Houston, and Jennifer Hudson's stirring performance of "I Will Always Love You" which was planned on the fly.

The fashions? Taking a cue from Lady Gaga last year, Nicki Minaj went Little Red Riding Hood on us in Atelier Versace, being accompanied by someone as the Pope, while suddenly single Katy Perry left us blue in Elie Saab. But my best-dressed was Rihanna in backless back, while Fergie? I'm sorry, but we can see your humps alright in that orange Jean Paul Gaultier...albeit a little too much.

Now like I said, this year's Grammys came 24 hours after the sudden passing of Whitney Houston at 48. Throughout her career, she racked up over 400 awards including six Grammys, two Emmys, 30 Billboard Music Awards, and 22 American Music Awards, earning a place in the Guinness Book of World Records as the most-honored female act of all time. Speaking of Billboard, she was the only artist to have had seven consecutive #1's in the Hot 100, a feat that has yet to be equaled.

But let's not get ahead of myself. Whitney Elizabeth Houston's journey began on August 9, 1963 in Newark, New Jersey, born to parents Cissy and John Houston. At age 11, she began singing in the junior gospel choir at a local church and during the 1970's, she would perform alongside her mother in nightclubs throughout New York City.

In the early '80s, Houston worked as a fashion model on the wide, appearing in Seventeen, Cosmopolitan, and Glamour. Then in 1983, Arista Records head Clive Davis caught wind of Whitney and after signing with his label, she made her worldwide television debut on The Merv Griffin Show.

Two years later, her self-titled debut album dropped to critical and public acclaim and by 1986, the honors started pouring in. That success would carry over to her sophomoric project, "Whitney", in 1987 with four singles from that album peaking at #1 on the charts, followed by her first world tour. Houston also penned "One Moment in Time", the theme song for the 1988 Summer Olympics.

When the '90s arrived, so did album #3, "I'm Your Baby Tonight"; the reviews were mixed, but the first two singles did garner #1 slots on the Billboard Hot 100. And then came what would be her first career highlight: With the Gulf War beginning to escalate, Whitney performed a very memorable rendition of the Star-Spangled Banner at Super Bowl XXV in 1991. Later that year came a televised "Welcome Home Heroes" concert special for HBO and then another world tour. 

But Houston thought to herself that singing was not enough, so in 1992, she added acting to her resume with "The Bodyguard" alongside Kevin Costner. Despite earning an unfortunate Razzie nomination for Worst Actress, the film turned up a massive profit: $400 million worldwide. 

The soundtrack was a completely different animal, with her version of Dolly Parton's "I Will Always Love You" hitting #1 on both the Hot 100 and R&B charts and staying there for weeks. And then came these all during 1994: Eight American Music Awards including the Award of Merit, 11 Billboard Music Awards, five World Music Awards, and three Grammys including Record of the Year and Album of the Year.

During the mid-'90s, she shifted her attention to films with "Waiting to Exhale" (with Angela Bassett), "The Preacher's Wife" (with Denzel Washington), and the TV movie musical "Cinderella" (with Brandy and Whoopi Goldberg). Then in 1998, she was back in the recording studio working on "My Love is Your Love", which had a funkier difference than her last three albums but managed to churn out stronger reviews.

At the turn of the century, that's when everything changed. Whitney performed at Michael Jackson's 30th anniversary concert in 2001 looking extremely thin; the reasons according to her publicist? Houston was "under stress due to family matters, and when she is under stress she doesn't eat." "Just Whitney" came out in 2002, then in 2004, Whitney toured again, this time overseas. 

Her last album, "I Look To You" was released in 2009, and she performed her single "Million Dollar Bill" on UK and Italian versions of "The X Factor" to Richter scale reviews. Despite that, the album went platinum. A new world tour would later follow in the hopes she would make a "triumphant comeback", but poor reviews, rescheduled shows, and cancellation of some due to illness had many fans saving their money. And last September, Whitney was supposed to be executive producing and star in a remake of the movie "Sparkle" with Jordin Sparks. 

In addition to all those achievements and then some, Whitney was also a humanitarian, being involved in the Freedomfest concert in 1988 for then-imprisoned Nelson Mandela, the Special Olympics, United Negro College Fund, and the Whitney Houston Foundation for Children, which she formed in 1989. 

Professionally, Whitney was on top of the world, but personally? Until the end, not so much. Her problems began when she met and later married Bobby Brown in 1992; the following year, the couple gave birth to their only child, daughter Bobbi Kristina. I could go on and on about the rest including their divorce in 2006, but let's get to the real highlights: Her infamous "Crack is whack" interview with ABC's Diane Sawyer in 2002, and then the "KISS MY ASS!" remark to her husband on "Being Bobby Brown."

There have been some developments since Saturday night involving Whitney's death. Two days prior came what would be her last public appearance and performance, singing "Yes, Jesus Loves Me" with Kelly Price during rehearsals for Clive Davis' pre-Grammy party at the Beverly Hilton. It was there where Houston would be found dead in a fourth-floor suite, her head submegred in the bathtub. Paramedics arrived on the scene in their attempts to resuscitate her, but they gave up hope and Whitney was pronounced dead at 3:00 pm Alaska Time. An autopsy was later conducted, but as of right now, they're withholding the results and her body was flown to New Jersey Monday where a funeral is expected to take place later this week. And believe me, folks: just like the Grammys or Michael Jackson's memorial, it will definitely be star-studded.

News and reaction of her death immediately spread like wildfire, especially on Twitter from Mariah Carey, Toni Braxton, Christina Aguilera, Rihanna, Justin Bieber, and many others. Even her ex-husband Bobby Brown was said to be a little distraught over the news, but during a concert in Mississippi, he blew kisses skyward saying "I love you, Whitney".

To put it in perspective...this came just a week or so after we lost "Soul Train" visionary Don Cornelius, and right now the two have reunited in heaven. But throughout her illustrious career, in good times and in bad, Whitney Houston's music was, as one of her songs put it, the greatest love of all which we cherished. Sure, we may have a show here called "The Voice", but there's no absolute debating that Whitney Houston was the voice. It may be permanently silenced, but it will continue to linger for years to come. And even in death, we will always love her. So long and stay strong.

Another Giant leap for Super Bowl-kind!

Hello, everybody. In a rematch of four years ago, the defensive New York Giants once again had the advantage over the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XLVI Sunday night as they clinched their fourth Vince Lombardi Trophy 21-17 with Eli Manning as MVP...in the home turf of brother Peyton's Indianapolis Colts (Lucas Oil Stadium) nonetheless.

The Patriots' last chance to reclaim the lead with Tom Brady attempting a Hail Mary pass to Rob Gronkowski turned out to be an epic fail, as were three fumbles. And Brady wasn't the only one suffering the agony of defeat; team owner Robert Kraft's heart was also heavy, as he was hoping that last-minute win would lift his spirits after the loss of his wife Myra (which explains the "MHK" emblazoned on their jerseys).

But before the kickoff, Blake Shelton and Miranda Lambert kicked off the festivities with "America The Beautiful", followed by Kelly Clarkson's flawless rendition of the "The Star-Spangled Banner" (yes, I said "flawless", as opposed to Christina Aguilera's last year). And Madonna at 53 may have taken the stage at halftime earning some mixed reviews, but she would be upstaged by one other singer's illegal use of fingers.

During a performance of Madonna's new song "Give Me All Your Luvin'", British rapper M.I.A. appeared to sing "I don't give a s---", which was followed by raising her middle finger to a record 111.3 million viewers (making the Super Bowl, for three years now, the most-watched television broadcast of all-time). The blink-and-miss moment was seen briefly and then a screen blur afterwards, but it was a bit too late. On Monday, NBC and the NFL issued apologies for the unfortunate incident.

Now what has been called "Finger-gate" harkens us back to "Nipple-gate" from Super Bowl XXXVIII and Janet Jackson's infamous "wardrobe malfunction" that led to the FCC cracking down on indecency. Next week is the Grammy Awards; could we expect a public apology from M.I.A. just like Justin Timberlake's? And what about next year's halftime act? Since the Super Bowl will return to New Orleans next year and the Mercedes-Benz Superdome...hometown girl Britney Spears, perhaps??? In light of M.I.A....maybe not.


Of course in between all that were the other bits of Super Bowl entertainment brought to us by Madison Avenue. What were the best parts? We find out as I count down...

My Top Ten favorite commercials from 

Super Bowl XLVI

10. Go Daddy's "Body Paint" and "The Cloud" (could be the last ones from Danica Patrick now that she's about to heat up NASCAR)

9. Adriana Lima for Teleflora (not that arousing as opposed to...we'll see how the Kia Optima ad also featuring her ranked later)

8. Dannon Oikos Greek Yogurt with John Stamos (would've been better if they included Maria Menounos...who had to live up to her Super Bowl bet by doing "Extra" in a Giants bikini Monday in Times Square)

7. Fiat 500 Abarath (Just so you know, the seductress is Romanian actress Catrinel Menghia. Wish it was Jennifer Lopez)

6. Audi's "Vampire Party" (please don't give the producers of "True Blood", "The Vampire Diaries", and the "Twilight" movies any more ideas)

5. Adriana Lima (again) in Kia Optima's "A Dream Car. For Real Life." (Best. Checkered. Flag. Waver. EVER!!!)

4. Skechers: Go Run (Mr. Quiggly ain't no Kim Kardashian, but that pug can outrun anyone in the Kentucky Derby...or Usain Bolt)

3. Bud Light's "Here Weego" (can't wait for the feline version with "Here, Kit Kat!")

2. Volkswagen's "The Dog Strikes Back" (Already a hit a week before the big game with six million views and counting. Now if there's a "The Biggest Loser: Dogs Edition"...)

Doritos' "Sling Baby" is currently tops in USA Today's annual Ad Meter, but it's nothing compared to my #1 favorite commercial from Super Bowl XLVI once again brought to us by Chrysler:

1. Chrysler's "It's Halftime in America"

(Clint Eastwood's appearance and narration makes it more majestic than ever, which is what their ads compared to the other car companies' are all about)

Though they never cracked the top ten, I also enjoyed Budweiser's "Return of the King" as well as another ad from them ("Flash Fans") which was aired only during the Canadian Super Bowl broadcast but was a hit here in the States. There was also the Chevrolet Sonic's "Stunt Anthem" (I tweeted that we have a hot new star for "Jackass 4"), Pepsi Max's "Check-Out" (with a brief cameo by Regis Philbin!), MetLife's "Everyone" featuring our favorite cartoon characters (Note: Waldo is located near the end in between Jabberjaw and one of the cars from "Wacky Races") and the Toyota Camry's "It's Reinvented" (mmmm...pizza blanket). And the ones that didn't sit out for me? Chevy Silverado's depiction of "2012" (thought it was a bit too realistic for a truck commercial) and CareerBuilder.com's "Business Trip" (more like "Monkey Business Trip")

And last but not least...the Budweiser "Flash Fans" commercial was surprisingly planned, but also over the weekend, there was a flash mob in Times Square paying tribute to Don Cornelius, the mastermind behind "Soul Train" who committed suicide early last Wednesday morning at 75.

Regarded as our people's "American Bandstand", "Soul Train" brought African-American pop culture to our homes years before MTV and BET, with Cornelius as its conductor for 22 of its 35 years on the air from 1971 to 2006 (though it actually began as a local show in Chicago a year earlier). What made the show hot besides icons like Aretha Franklin, Barry White, Queen Latifah, Marvin Gaye, James Brown, Michael Jackson (when he was just that), Al Green, and hundreds others who jumped on board the train? The Scramble Board and the famous "Soul Train Line" segment, which Don even went down at one point with Mary Wilson!

"Soul Train" also used to be the only outlet on television to air commercials for black hair care products like Afro Sheen (which thank God they don't make anymore), Ultra Sheen (which is still around), Sulfur-8 (also still around but smells like rancid donkey urine), and styling kits such as Dark & Lovely and Gentle Treatment for women and S-Curl for men. And looking back at those, we hated them one bit because of the residue left over on our pillows when we go to bed!

But in the last few years after selling his creation to another company, Cornelius would lose his own soul in more ways than one; first with being arrested for spousal abuse before filing for divorce from Russian model Viktoria Chapman, and then being riddled with health problems from dementia to even Alzheimer's disease though he underwent brain surgery in the early '80s. Those right there led to his untimely suicide.

In spite of that, Don Cornelius has left behind a legacy that would later be equated. May he rest in peace, love, and SOOOOOOOUUUUUULLLLLL!!!! So long and stay strong.