Whitney Houston Dead at 48

Houston, whose hits include "I will Always Love You," was found dead in her room at the Beverly Hilton, hours before a traditional pre-Grammys dinner at the hotel where she was reportedly due to perform.

Musicians, gathered ahead of the Grammys on Sunday evening, lined up to pay tribute to the singer, who sold over 170 million records before descending into a very public battle with substance abuse.

"She was one of the greatest singers I ever heard," said veteran crooner Tony Bennett, on the red carpet at the Beverly Hills hotel, where Houston's body was found in her fourth floor room.

Police confirmed her death in a brief statement outside the hotel, where stars were gathering for the annual pre-Grammys dinner hosted by veteran producer Clive Davis.

"At 3:55 pm, Whitney Houston was pronounced dead at the Beverly Hilton hotel," said Mark Rosen, a police spokesman.

Rosen said police received an emergency call from someone in her entourage and found Houston on the floor of her room as attempts were being made to resuscitate her.

"There were no obvious signs of criminal intent at this time, and it is being investigated by the Beverly Hills police department," the police spokesman added.

The cause of death was not immediately known.

People magazine and the TMZ celebrity website reported that Houston had been due to perform at the Saturday night dinner, but this could not immediately be confirmed.

A mobile crime laboratory and a number of police cars were stationed outside the hotel, while inside guests watched live television coverage about Houston's death in the bar and lobby areas.

Condolences poured in on Twitter from shocked fans and from the famous, as sadness over the news spread through the entertainment world.

"Heartbroken and in tears over the shocking death of my friend ... She will never be forgotten as one of the greatest voices to ever grace the earth," wrote Mariah Carey.

"We have lost another legend. Love and prayers to Whitney's family. She will be missed," said Christina Aguilera, while Rihanna wrote simply: "No words! Just tears #DearWhitney."

Smokey Robinson told CNN: "I will always love her. She is one of the greatest voices in the history of music."

Grammys organizers the Recording Academy are scrambling to include some kind of tribute to Houston in Sunday's show at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, according to CNN.

The tribute could involve singer Jennifer Hudson, it added, while Grammys producer Ken Ehrlich told the broadcaster: "Knowing Whitney as I did she knew the importance of thrilling an audience, and that's what we still plan to do."

With a ferociously powerful voice and a dazzling range, Houston achieved stardom as a pop-soul singer known as "The Voice" and the "Queen of Pop." She also appeared in hit movies like "Waiting to Exhale" and "The Bodyguard."

From a musical family that included mother Cissy Houston, a gospel star, and Dionne Warwick, her cousin, Whitney Houston started out as a teen model and then made a dazzling segue to music.

Her hits included "How Will I Know," "Saving all My Love for You," and "I Will Always Love You."

Houston's trove of six Grammy awards included one for record of the year -- for a soaring cover of Dolly Parton's "I Will Always Love You," and another for album of the year for "The Bodyguard."

Houston, who grew up in New Jersey, was also a supporter of the anti-apartheid movement and South Africa's Nelson Mandela, on whose behalf she campaigned during his imprisonment.

She struggled with substance abuse, which took a toll on her health and career.

Houston has sold more than 170 million records worldwide but suffered a major career setback after admitting drug use during an abusive relationship with ex-husband Bobby Brown.

Brown was one of the hottest rhythm and blues singers in the late 1980s and early 90s, but became better known as the husband of Houston and for his frequent brushes with drugs and the law.

The pair, who were divorced in 2007, starred in a television reality series, "Being Bobby Brown," that featured their marriage, warts and all. They have a daughter Bobbi Kristina.

Brown was detained in Atlanta in 1993 for lewd conduct and for brawling in 1995. He was arrested for drunk driving in 1996 and for alleged battery of Houston in late 2003

JULIUS Malema has been stripped of his powers as ANC Youth League president and will have no role to play in the run-up to the ruling party's national conference, where he had hoped to oust President Jacob Zuma.

Yesterday, the ANC's disciplinary appeal committee upheld a guilty verdict against Malema handed down in October 2011 - although it seemed to give him hope by saying that he could still argue in mitigation of sentence.

But celebrations in the Malema camp were cut short when it emerged that he was suspended as of yesterday due to an earlier suspended sentence handed down in 2010.

"The fact that this hearing upheld the guilty verdict means that his suspended sentence from 2010 kicks in now," a senior ANC official confirmed to the Sunday Times.

Despite this, youth league spokesman Floyd Shivambu remained defiant, insisting that Malema was still an active ANC member and that he would attend a national executive committee (NEC) meeting today.

"He's a member of the NEC of the ANC by virtue of him being a president of the ANC Youth League," he said.

Yesterday Cyril Ramaphosa, who is chairman of the ANC's disciplinary appeals body, said Malema's appeal on two charges of ill-discipline and sowing divisions had been rejected.

The appeals body found Malema, his secretary-general Sindiso Magaqa and spokesman Shivambu guilty of ill-discipline, bringing the party into disrepute and sowing division within the party. Three other youth league leaders, deputy president Ronald Lamola, deputy secretary-general Kenetswe Mosenogi and treasurer Pule Mabe were thrown a lifeline when Ramaphosa's committee overturned their sentence for "barging" into a meeting of ANC officials.

The "barging" incident prompted an angry retort from Zuma at the time. He told them: "Who do you think you are? You think you run this country."

The appeals body found that: "The actions of the appellants could not be described as deliberate disruption or barging as described by the respondent ... the appeal succeeds."

But that was to be the league's only successful appeal. The appeals committee dismissed other arguments advanced by the youth league as "ridiculous", "naive and absurd" and having "no foundation".

The league had argued that ANC national officials, who include Zuma, his deputy Kgalema Motlanthe, secretary-general Gwede Mantashe, his deputy Thandi Modise and treasurer Mathews Phosa, did not have the constitutional powers to charge the league. The committee found this argument to be based on the league's "misreading" of the ANC constitution.

While upholding the sentences against Malema, Shivambu and Magaqa, the committee decided that "for the sake of justice", their cases should be sent back to the disciplinary committee to allow them to argue in mitigation of their sentences.

The disciplinary committee - headed by Deputy Science and Technology Minister Derek Hanekom - did not grant the league time to argue in mitigation of sentences.

The committee said the ANC would be allowed to argue in aggravation of the sentences - which could mean Malema and his comrades end up with more severe sentences.

Unlike Malema, the other two, Shivambu and Magaqa, remain in their positions until the process of mitigation of sentences has been concluded.

Before addressing the media, Ramaphosa presented the findings to Mantashe at the party's NEC meeting in Irene, Pretoria. He then met the league's officials at Luthuli House.

After receiving the ruling, Malema and others found guilty headed for ANC stalwart Winnie Madikizela-Mandela's house in Soweto.

Malema and his bodyguards arrived at the house in a black Mercedes-Benz Vito with tinted windows. He was accompanied by his friend and SABC board member Clifford Motsepe, Magaqa and Shivambu. They were later joined by his lawyer, Dali Mpofu.

It took about 15 minutes before Madikizela-Mandela's bodyguards allowed them onto the property.

According to one person who was inside the house as Malema spoke to Madikizela-Mandela, the youth league leader vowed to "fight to the bitter end" against the suspension.

Outside the house, a group of league supporters arrived wearing T-shirts with the words "Guilty or not guilty, nationalisation is the way forward".

Back at Luthuli House, Ramaphosa tore into most of the arguments advanced by the league.

"The appellants' argument that individual members [of the disciplinary committee] could exert pressure to bear on the NEC and the ANC itself to decide the issues of nationalisation and expropriation of land in a particular way and that the exclusion of the appellant would facilitate this outcome is both naïve and absurd," said Ramaphosa.

Ramaphosa said the league members' claim that the disciplinary committee was biased was "baseless and unsupported".

Lady Gaga Goes Nudé For Vanity Fair

Lady Gaga has no qualms about shedding clothes, be it in videos, or live stage acts. Now, the eccentric singer bares all for the September issue of Vanity Fair magazine. The singer is seen in a glorious gray avatar as she hides her modesty with her hands in a sensuous pose. SheI do not want my fans to ever emulate that or be that way. I don't want my fans to think they have to be that way to be great. It's in the past. It was a low point, and it led to disaster." She said.

Star Actor, Desmond Elliot Completes Twin Duplex in Lekki!

This is a period of great tidings for entertainers in this part of the world.

Barely days after news hit town that top rate D.J, Jimmy Jatt –
real names Oluwaforijimi Amu- just moved into a Ten Million Naira per annum residence, gist of another heart warming development has started making the rounds.

Popular actor, Desmond Elliot just completed his personal house.

The property is described as a Twin Duplex.

And according to an insider it is located inside high brow area Lekki Lagos.

Though it is yet to be confirmed whether the notable make believe expert has moved into the newly completed building – sources claimed that he has taken a couple of very close knit friends to the site.

Those that have seen the handsome actor intimate friends of the development described him as a 'personification of prideful achievement’

Desmond Elliot, father of twins is one of the movie industries most celebrated actor- and a budding singer.

Adeboye declares ‘war’ on Boko Haram

IN a rare display of anger, General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, RCCG, Pastor Enoch Adejare Adeboye, on Friday night, adopted a spiritual way out of Nigeria’s current security challenges, urging the mammoth crowd of worshipers, who attended the February Holy Ghost Service, to pray to God to dismantle all ‘gates’ behind the menace.

Declaring ‘holy war’ against what he described as a reign of terror in the country, Adeboye asked members of RCCG, who had commenced a month of fasting and prayers, to add a prayer point aimed at arresting the menace of Boko Haram before the end of the month.

“His words: As we wait on the Lord in fasting and prayer this month, I want you to include two items in your prayers: I want you to ask God to deal with the enemies of Nigeria speedily; that before the end of this month, all the problems of Nigeria would be over.”

According to him, “if we all join forces and cry to God, He will do for us. The second prayer I want you to pray; remember I’ve asked God for a special 70th birthday present of 70,000 children, join in prayer that God would release those that are still hanging in the air this month.

“I want 70,000 new babies, so that by the end of this year there will be no barren left in our churches.”

Preaching a sermon entitled, “Lift up your head oh ye gates,” Adeboye urged the crowd of worshipers at the Redemption Camp not to be too sanctimonious about the prayer against terror, stressing that from the days of John the Baptist, the Kingdom of God suffers violence and it’s only violent that can take it by force”.

Explaining the effects of biblical gates, he said there are national gates where a whole nation can be in trouble because certain gates refuse to open, pointing out that “every gate that is holding the children of Nigeria captive must come down crashing in the name of Jesus Christ.”

At intervals, the General Overseer, whose wife had earlier led the congregation to pray for peace in every part of the country, sent spiritual missiles to all harbingers of terror in the country who have created fear and terror.