Dave Hogan, Getty Images

Move over, M.I.A. You’re not the only one who can give a one-finger salute at a major music event. Fresh off the aforementioned rapper’s bird-flipping incident during the 2012 Super Bowl Halftime, British diva Adele did the same at the BRIT Awards this evening (Feb. 21.) But while M.I.A.’s gesture seemed immature, out of place and a foolish attempt to grab a headline, Adele was merely reacting to being cut off when making her acceptance speech.

The singer had just won the award for British Album of the Year for ’21′ and was making a genuine, from-the-deepest-recesses-of-her-heart speech, according to Spinner. She was saying, “Thank you very, very much. Nothing is better than coming home with six Grammies and winning Album of the Year. Nothing makes me prouder than to be British.”

That’s when host James Corden cut her off. Not only did he receive a chorus of boos from the crowd, but he got that one-digit salute from the beloved ‘Rolling in the Deep’ singer.

At a post-awards press conference, Adele commented on her reaction, saying, “I was cut off during my speech but I wanted to thank the British public for all their support. I was held up with my voice and troubles but the album kept walking without me. I flipped the bird for the suits at the BRITS who cut me off. Sorry if I offended anyone but it was for them, not for the fans.”

That explanation of her action should further deepen the love her fellow Brits have for her. Notice we said Brits, not BRITS! Adele is truly a pop star of the people, for the people and by the people.

The Album of the Year award was preceded by a win for British Female Solo Artist.

Giving the bird was not the sole reason people were talking about Adele’s fingers tonight. She also sported a large rock on her left hand, prompting talk of an engagement to her BF Simon Konecki. There’s obviously been no confirmation of that. Perhaps Adele bought herself a nice piece of jewelry to celebrate all those Grammys and BRITS?

Watch Adele Give the Finger

Source: PopCrush.com

American Mustache Institute

When someone grows a mustache, all of society benefits, since the visually pleasing facial hair is now on display for all to see. Yet the costs of maintaining a proper lip sweater falls only on the mustachioed individual.

The fine folks at the American Mustache Institute want to change this. So they recently proposed the “Stimulus To Allow Critical Hair Expenses,” or the STACHE ACT, which awards a $250 tax credit to every mustached American. They are also calling for a Million Mustache March in support of the act that will take place in Washington DC on April 1st. (Yup, always a bit suspicious.)

The AMI, who partnered with H&R Block on the proposal, even  drew up a white paper on why the STACHE act is necessary. Here is its summery:

In summary, the grooming habits of Mustached Americans are a clear example of financial, social and environmental responsibility—the triple bottom line. It is appropriate that Congress allow a limited number of deductions to people of Mustached American heritage in recognition of the value that their lifestyle provides to the economy, to society, and to the environment.

Of course since we are talking mustaches, you’re probably wondering what John Oates thinks of all of this. And yes, Daryl Hall’s more hirsute half did weigh on The STACHE act, which he whole-heartily supports. Check Hall’s explanation below.

[via American Mustache Institute]

Source: TheFW.com

Abercrombie

This guy was everywhere — on billboards, in magazines, on Abercrombie & Fitch shopping bags — and then he disappeared. Who was he?

In case you’re one of those people who treat hott guys as more than just a piece of meat, the male model’s name is Maxwell Zagorski. And he didn’t disappear. Zagorski was one of Abercrombie’s shirtless and sexy studs from 2006-2008, and then he was quickly picked up by International Jock in 2009 and became the face and body model for Levi’s Underwear.

We’ll be keeping an eye on this one, that’s for sure.

Mariano Vivanco

International Jock

International Jock

International Jock

CBS

Rick Silva, the head of Checkers and Rally’s drive-in restaurants was featured on the latest episode of ‘Undercover Boss.’ Like the other sneaky bosses before him, the CEO donned a disguise and pretended he was just a lowly employee, in this case at a Checkers’ franchise in Homestead, Florida. And it was also the first case of a boss breaking his cover and shutting down the workplace on the spot. 

During his undercover stint, Silva became bothered by the restaurant’s managers treatment of a fry cook named Todd. Not only did the manager, known only as “Stevens,” berate Todd harshly, but he threatened to take the employee outside and beat him if he didn’t work harder.

Shocked by Stevens’ tone, Silva asked to speak with him outside. First, Stevens explained that he had to scream at his staff or they wouldn’t listen. Then he began to question why Silva had the right to question him on how he handles his workers.

Silva tried to remain in character, but when Stevens continued to press him on his credentials he finally snapped

“I have been in the restaurant business for over 20 years. And I’ve been in the fast food business for over 20 years. I’m CEO for this company,” Silva explained.

Stevens was understandably crestfallen by this revelation. Silva was so angry about what he had seen that he shut the restaurant down on the spot. But don’t worry, it was reopened the next day with a new manager, so nobody lost their job. In fact, Silva even retained Stevens, who was ordered to undergo more job training. You can watch this entire ‘Undercover Boss’ episode for free on CBS’s website.

Source: TheFW.com

Thinkstock

A new Nielsen poll finds smartphones are becoming less of a luxury and more of a so-called necessity — at least for younger people.

Nielsen gathered data to learn more about the age, income and demographics of the typical US smartphone user. Specifically, the firm wanted to know if lower prices are making the devices more popular among those who earn less money.

Turns out more than half of people between 18 and 24 who make less than $15,000 per year are smartphone owners, compared to 43 percent of those aged 25 to 34 and just 31 percent of folks between 35 and 44 years old.

While researchers don’t know if the people surveyed, especially those in the younger group, have outside financial help (parents, spouses, etc.), it’s clear that even the respondents on limited budgets are making room for smartphone ownership.

But what researchers found most interesting is that although the younger set deems the devices a necessity, older people consider them more of a luxury — which is valuable information for developers, publishers and advertisers.

[TechCrunch]

Pascal Le Segretain, Getty Images

Now this is a little creepy: Whitney Houston‘s black velvet dress and earrings she wore in the movie ‘The Bodyguard’ will be up for auction next month. Auction house Julien’s Auctions has put up the items for bidding as part of its Hollywood Legends auction event on March 31 and April 1.

Considering that Houston’s funeral and burial service was this past weekend, isn’t too soon to start auctioning off Nippy’s wares?

According to celebrity auctioneer Darren Julien, the items were available after the late singer’s untimely death on Feb. 11 and will be included in a group of other Hollywood collectibles including Charlton Heston’s robe and staff he used in ‘The Ten Commandments’ and a vintage Christian Dior gown worn by Grace Kelly.

But let’s keep it real — the main attraction is Houston’s ‘Bodyguard’ memorabilia.

In response to Houston’s items being on the auction block Julien tells Billboard, “It’s a celebration of her life. If you hide these things in fear that you’re going to offend someone — her life is to be celebrated. These items are historic now that she passed. They become a part of history. They should be in museums. She’s lived a life and had a career that nobody else has ever had.”

Julien continues: “[Houston is] someone who’s going to maintain a collectability. For people who are fans of Whitney Houston and never would have had a chance to meet her and never got to talk to her, these are items that literally touched a part of her life. They are a way to relate to her or be a part of her life without having known her.”

Up for bidding is the late singer’s floor-length black dress, which is worth a $1,000. There’s also a vest Houston wore in ‘The Bodyguard’ that is listed at $400 and a pair of faux-pearl earrings that is priced at $600. All these items prices will undoubtedly skyrocket once the bidding war starts at the auction event.

Houston fans and other collectors can bid online, by phone or in person during the Hollywood Legends auction event at Julien’s Auction in Beverly Hills, Calif. Good luck!

What do you think? Is it too soon to start selling off Whitney Houston’s memorabilia? Sound off in the comments below.

Source: PopCrush.com

Vevo

LMFAO‘s ‘Sorry for Party Rocking’ video features a house party scene that recalls the ’90s rap duo Kid ‘n Play — and features an ironic cameo from Kid himself.

Kid ‘n Play starred in the 1990 film ‘House Party,’ and that’s the theme of the seven-minute video, which begins with LMFAO’s ‘Sexy and I Know It’ blaring from a nearby house. A cranky neighbor complains about the noise and promises to do something about it.

The neighbor makes his way through the crowd of confetti, inflatable zebras and costumed dancers to reach the front door, where he gives RedFoo an earful. RedFoo responds by merely changing the song to ‘Sorry for Party Rocking,’ and the loud celebration continues.

The neighbor calls police, and several units are dispatched to the house. The production values are intentionally poor — the cops all travel in cardboard cutouts of cars, like you’d see in a high school play, which adds another layer of comedy to the video. When police finally show up, RedFoo turns around and puts his hands behind his back, expecting handcuffs. Instead, the cops, along with the mail carrier and pizza boy, all join the party.

About the only person who never makes it to the party is poor Sky Blu. He raps his lines from a car that appears headed for the shindig but never quite gets there. His most exciting moment comes when he randomly runs into fellow driver David Hasselhoff while stopped at a red light.

When the song concludes, an exhausted RedFoo is carried out on a stretcher, but the party goes on. As the camera focuses on one party-goer sporting an old-school Kid ‘n Play-style hi-top fade haircut, now 47-year-old Christopher “Kid” Reid starts banging on the door. In a role reversal from his early ’90s persona, Kid is now trying to stop the party. “People, can we get it quiet down here? They clearly said no house parties in the neighborhood!”

The cranky neighbor’s wife, who has joined in the fun, responds angrily: “No you did not talk like that in front of me and my new man. I got a new kid to play with. Sorry for party rocking!”

Watch the LMFAO ‘Sorry for Party Rocking’ Video

Source: PopCrush.com

“‘I’m doing this in honor of the late Whitney Houston. It’s very hard to think of her being gone,” Harr says at the beginning of the video. Then she launches into an energetic dance to Houston’s ‘I Wanna Dance With Somebody (Who Loves Me)’ that totally defies her ripe age.

What makes the video even more impressive is that Harr is legally blind and suffers from moderate hearing loss. Still, she shows no signs of slowing down as she busts a move to Houston’s ’80s gem.

This isn’t Harr’s first attempt at cutting a rug, by the way. There are more than a dozen videos of the Utah granny on YouTube, dancing to everything from LMFAO to the Black Keys. (Watch her in action below.) Work it, granny! Whitney would be proud.

Granny gets down to Bruno Mars

Granny’s got ‘Moves Like Jagger’

Granny gets funky to Justin Bieber’s ‘Baby’

Source: TheFW.com

Frederick M. Brown, Getty Images

The coaches are eager to fill their teams with the required 12 singers, so spots filled up on Week 3 of the Blind Auditions of Season 2 of ‘The Voice.’ We see them still encouraging each other to push the button for singers they think are right for the other, with Christina Aguilera often encouraging Adam Levine and Cee Lo to push their giant buzzers, while Blake Shelton muses about contestants being good-looking.

Host Carson Daly has a hard job, stationing himself backstage with the singer’s families and friends, expressing frustration and bewilderment when the judges don’t turn their chairs around. He’s in an unenviable position of having to comfort families when contestant dreams are destroyed. But he remains likeable and supportive the whole time.

We’re wondering if the judges are getting whiplash from turning around so fast, too.

We’ve noticed that Shelton almost always turns his chair around immediately. He just knows from the get-go. Levine is incredibly picky and bends over his button while absorbing a perf. Xtina and Cee Lo also take quite some time to smash their buzzers. Shelton truly makes this show funny. One question though. What’s with the cat that Cee Lo was cradling during his interviews?

Here’s your PopCrush recap of the third week of ‘The Voice’ and the blind auditions.

Ducky: He’s 26 and from Carlisle, Penn. He’s a painter of murals and possessor of a curly-cue mustache. He sang ‘Tighten Up’ while wearing red shoes. He sang with a strong, smoky, rock ‘n’ roll voice but none of the coaches turned their chairs around. WTF, coaches? He was good.

Jonathas: This well-coifed 23-year-old is a father of two and his kids are too freakin’ cute. He is also from South America and emigrated north knowing absolutely no English. He sang ‘U Got It Bad’ in a buttery, silky smooth voice like Usher, while his gyrating pelvis got the ladies on their feet. Cee Lo and Christina wanted him, since he played to their urban sensibility. He chose Xtina. [Watch It here]

Monique Benabou: A Nor Cal girl with loads of curls who took care of her breast cancer-riddled mother while in college, Monique is perkier than a cup of coffee and looks a bit like Gloria Estefan. She sang Kelly Clarkson‘s ‘Mr. Know It All’ with a crystalline, femme voice and remained consistent throughout. Xtina chose her. [Watch It here]

Naia Kete: This dreadlocked artist is a street musician at the Third Street Promenade in Santa Monica. She performed ‘The Lazy Song’ by Bruno Mars, strumming her guitar and showing range in an earthy style. Blake turned his chair around immediately, and was followed by Cee Lo. She sounds like a Blake-preferred singer (remember Dia and Xenia?) so she chose him. They are a perfect fit. [Watch It here]

Charlotte Sometimes: A disintegrating jaw nearly stopped this fairytale-monikered New Jersey singer from doing her thing. She had her jaw wired shut and wrote songs on the guitar while recovering, humming the melodies. She sang ‘Apologize’ and sounded like Lana Del Rey, Florence Welch and last season’s Xenia. All four coaches wanted her and she chose Blake. Another wise choice, since he really does have the magic touch with the female singers.

Erick Macek: Erick’s parents came from the former Czechoslovakia to give him a better life. He is pursuing the American dream and sang ‘Free Fallin” in what we thought was an Adam Levine-approved voice but no one was fallin’ for him or turned around. For the second time tonight, WTF coaches?

Tony Vincent: ‘Rent,’ ‘Jesus Christ Superstar’ and ‘American Idiot’ litter his resume. He’s a Broadway veteran at 38, but his heart is in the pop world and he wants to be on ‘The Voice’ because of its integrity. He bravely sang ‘We Are the Champions’ and had dramatic range like Freddie Mercury. Cee Lo chose him. It is a perfect match, since Cee Lo is, as Shelton put it, the king of over-the-top. [Watch It here]

Anthony Evans: A pastor’s son, 33-year-old Anthony has gospel singer history. He sang ‘What’s Going On’ and Cee Lo was thisclose to picking him when Christina snatched him up. [Watch It here]

Jamie Lono: The sandwich maker who had a lung removed soulfully sang ‘Folsom Prison Blues’ and Adam Levine turned around within seconds, which is rare for him. Cee Lo followed suit. Lono said “I make sandwiches for a living” to which Cee Lo replied, “I eat sandwiches” so that’s cosmic proof they should hook up, professionally speaking. That sealed the deal. [Watch It here]

Dylan Chambers: His mother has a Broadway background. He sang ‘Valerie’ in a show tune style with a falsetto. But no judge chose him. For the third time tonight, WTF, coaches?

Justin Hopkins: He was the guitarist in the house band for ‘Last Call With Carson Daly.’ He sang a rugged version of ‘Babylon’ and before he did so, he said he wanted Cee Lo to chose him. Well he got ‘em. [Watch It here]

Nicolle Galyon: Nicolle wants to be the girl who brings piano to country music, to which everyone tells her she needs to take up the guitar. She has a sweet girl twang like Taylor Swift. She offered up a sensitive rendition of Kenny Chesney‘s ‘You Save Me.’ The always-picky Adam Levine chose her, calling her “special.”

Ashley de la Rosa: Xtina chose her for her version of ‘Sharks in the Water.’ This was a truncated audition, so we saw like 10 seconds.

Jordan Rager: Great name. He sang Zac Brown Band‘s ‘Chicken Fried’ and of course the country coach Shelton chose him, calling him a “real, genuine country singer.” See above re: shortened audition.

Karla Davis: She sang The Band Perry‘s ‘If I Die Young,’ which got her drafted to Adam’s team. Another 10 second performance.

Alyx: Blake selected her after her version of ‘Just Like a Pill’ by Pink. We saw about 11 seconds of her aud, but we know Blake and the ladies do well.

Eric Tipton: At six feet tall and 300 lbs., he sings old school soul. He could have been this season’s Nakia! He sang ‘You Make My Dreams’ by Hall and Oates but no one chose him. Boo. We liked him. That’s the fourth WTF, coaches?

Mathai: She is from a family of doctors, but chose music over med school. Her dreamy (and ballsy) take on Adele‘s ‘Rumor Has It’ had all the male coaches turned around for her. She chose Adam. [Watch It here]

Source: PopCrush.com

Scott Gries, Getty Images

The ‘Birthday Cake’ remix is three times the length of the original brief ‘Talk That Talk’ track. The raunchy bedroom anthem is extra steamy considering the couple’s rollercoaster history. Based on rampant rumors of their downlow hookups, when Breezy sings, “Girl I wanna f— you right now / It’s been a long time / I’ve been missing your body,” you believe him.

Rihanna is just as reminiscent, rapping, “Remember how you did it? / Remember how you fed it? / You still wanna kiss it? / C-C-Come and get it.”

Breezy’s own ‘Turn Up the Music’ remix was released today, also featuring RiRi. While critics and fans were both wary of the collaborations (and understandably so), from a purely musical standpoint, they duo makes an effective team.

Whether you believe or agree with the allegations of a reignited romantic flame, the heat between these two is undeniable. We blame the birthday candles.

Listen to Rihanna feat. Chris Brown ‘Birthday Cake’ Remix

Source: PopCrush.com

The new edition is set for release on March 22 and will join the original version, Angry Birds Seasons, Angry Birds Rio and Angry Birds Facebook in Rovio’s Angry Birds’ franchise. If all games and platforms are included, Angry Birds has been downloaded over 700 million times since first launching in 2009.

While the trailer doesn’t give anything away about the game play, it is reported that Angry Birds Space will feature zero gravity levels, slow motion puzzles and some completly new birds. Rovio will also be partnering with two familiar names on the project.

“Science and education are very important to us, and we’re very excited to have NASA and National Geographic as launch partners on Angry Birds Space,” Andrew Stalbow, GM of Rovio North America, told Yahoo Games.

According to Stalbow, more details about the latest of their highly addictive bird-flinging game will be released in early March.

[via Yahoo]

Source: TheFW.com

20th Century Fox

You might remember Tom Hardy from when he bulked up and went shirtless for the movie ‘Warrior.’ But now he’s slimmed down, put on a fitted suit and turned himself into the gent of ‘This Means War.’ Reese Witherspoon’s character had a hard enough time deciding between this guy and Chris Pine, but everyone’s a sucker for a romantic smooth talker.

We’ll be seeing more of Hardy in the future ’cause he’s appearing in ‘The Dark Knight Rises‘ movie as — drum roll, please — Bane! This may not bode well for his gentlemanly image, but if he looks anything like he did in ‘Warrior,’ we can cut him some slack. See what we mean below.

Lionsgate

Lionsgate

Lionsgate

Lionsgate

Pascal Le Segretain, Getty Images

YouTube

Carly Rae Jepsen has friends in high places. The singer signed to Justin Bieber‘s label and that’s more than enough reason for the Biebs and his A-list pals to lend her a hand (and their arms and legs) by appearing in this super fun video for ‘Call Me Maybe.’ That’s called promoting an artist. It’s a teenage dream if there ever was one, with Bieber’s lady love Selena Gomez and Disney star Ashley Tisdale dancing their patoots of in this casual, chill clip.

The trio of The Biebs, Sel and Ash are joined by a few other dancers. And boy, do they dance –- a lot. They also play pool and have a fun, G-rated party. The parents of most Beliebers wouldn’t take issue with this kinda party.

You know that saying about dancing like no one is watching? Well, that’s exactly what happens in this video. They’re all acting like goofballs, dancing without a care in the world or about how silly they might look.

With the Biebs in her corner and assists from his famous friends, Carly Rae Jepsen is on the rise.

Watch Justin Bieber, Selena Gomez + Ashley Tisdale’s ‘Call Me Maybe’ Video

Source: PopCrush.com

Ethan Miller, Getty Images

When the third season of ‘Glee‘ wraps this May, Gleeks won’t be able to extend their enjoyment of the series into the summer with the ‘Glee Live! In Concert’ tour. That’s because the tour is not happening this year.

Instead of hitting the road and entertaining fans, the cast will enjoy a nearly three month hiatus, thanks to head honcho Ryan Murphy, who is said to have fought for his fatigued cast, known for working 16-hour days, to get some well-deserved time off. It’s summer vacation for Lea Michele, Darren Criss and co.

The Hollywood Reporter exclusively shared the news that the tour, which took place over the last two summers, is on ice. ”We currently have no plans of touring the cast this summer,” a spokesperson for the show told the trade.

A fourth season of the series has not been ordered, so this could be a case of the powers-that-be taking a wait and see approach. Or it could just be Murphy trying to stave off burn out for his cast.

But despite the axing of the tour, the producers are said to be planning a live performance, with designs on a one-off benefit show that would take place in the fall at the famed Hollywood Bowl. The show would act as a fundraiser for the arts education charity ‘Glee Give a Note.’ The organization would like to raise $10 million this year and a charity gig is certainly a good way to help achieve such a goal. Said benefit show is still an idea and nothing has been confirmed.

Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, Gleeks. It’s all reruns and watching previous seasons on DVD if you want to enjoy ‘Glee’ this summer.

Source: PopCrush.com

Well, JT’s character sang a song in true Bon Iver style to help the baby go to sleep, before ultimately falling asleep himself. Only Beyonce and Jay-Z‘s white butler seemed to really dig the song.

As you can imagine, Prince, played by Fred Armisen, brought Blue Ivy his smirk. Kristen Wiig‘s Taylor Swift persona brought her ‘OMG’ face and Nicki Minaj, as Nasim Pedrad, sung a lullaby along the same style as her crazy Grammys performance. Frankly, baby Blue was probably not that thrilled to be getting any of these gifts.

Source: TheFW.com

Twitter / Kevin Winter, Getty Images

Another day, another Chris Brown Twitter drama. Country singer Miranda Lambert lambasted Brown and the Grammys for allowing him to perform in light of his assault on Rihanna in 2009. She continued her verbal and PR assault on Brown at one of her concerts. While Brown was relatively quiet in regards to her specific comments, he spoke out the best way he knows how yesterday: his oft-controversial Twitter account.

At a concert on Thursday (Feb. 16) at the University of Massachusetts, Lambert was about to launch into her song ‘Gunpowder and Lead,’ about a woman who kills her abusive husband. Before she began the tune, per E! Online, she spotted a sign in the audience that read ‘Take Notes Chris Brown.’ Lambert held the poster up, and, in what can arguably be considered an antagonistic move, instructed her crowd to take photos and tweet them.

And tweet them they did. Her photo above went viral quickly, and word eventually got to Breezy, who, as expected, didn’t take it well. “Using my name to get publicity? I love it! Perform your heart out!” he tweeted on Saturday (Feb. 18). He immediately followed it with, “Go buy @miranda_lambert album! So motivational and ‘PERFECT’!”

Lambert isn’t the only one who can’t forgive Brown for the ill-fated 2009 pre-Grammy incident. Music editors and fans alike went nuts when it was announced that Brown would feature on Rihanna’s ‘Birthday Cake’ remix. Brown responded to that backlash, as usual, on Twitter as well, writing, “Let them be mad!!!! We make music. Don’t like it, don’t listen! Turn up the music remix is coming soon too! Guess who’s on it?”

While we agree that Lambert may be capitalizing on Brown’s notoriety, we do wish he’d learn to let things go. Perhaps if he had a little more self-control and self-censorship, the world would forgive him as easily as Rihanna did.

Source: PopCrush.com

YouTube

When R. Kelly wrote ‘I Look to You’ for Whitney Houston 10 years ago, he never thought that he’d be singing it at the legend’s funeral. Kelly choked back tears during his rousing performance of the song at Houston’s memorial yesterday (Feb. 18), giving a new meaning to the track he penned.Kelly pauses briefly to collect himself at several points throughout his performance, his longest break about midway through. His lips quiver, and he clutches tissues in his free hand.

However, he regains his vocal power shortly after, almost seeming to garner it from the spirit and memory of Houston herself. “When all the melodies are gone,” Kelly sings, “In you I can be strong.“ At times, Kelly sings to the sky, pointing up towards the heavens where he’s confident Houston now resides.

Despite his visible sorrow and grief, R. Kelly delivers a powerful performance, evoking tears in everyone onscreen. He rouses the crowd out of their seats before closing with the simplest of sentiments: “Goodbye, Whitney. We love you.”

Watch R. Kelly Perform ‘I Look to You’ at Whitney Houston’s Funeral

Source: PopCrush.com

YouTube

“The song ‘I Will Always Love You’ wasn’t supposed to be in the movie,” Kevin Costner revealed in a moving speech for his costar in ‘The Bodyguard,’ Whitney Houston at her funeral. “The first choice was going to be ‘What Becomes of a Broken Heart?’” he said. “So what becomes of our broken hearts?”Thus Costner led a nearly 15-minute ode to Houston, arguably the most entertaining and heartwarming of her memorial service. Costner shared anecdotes of his and Houston’s memories of growing up in the Baptist church, their childhood mischief and their time together on set.

Costner dished on Houston’s audition for ‘The Bodyguard,’ a role that he fought for tooth and nail for her to win — including a funny story about running makeup.

“The Whitney I knew,” Costner said, “despite her success and worldwide fame, still wondered: Am I good enough? Am I pretty enough? Will they like me? It was the burden that made her great and the part that cause her to stumble in the end.”

Costner’s voice began to break as he concluded his love letter to the late legend, drawing attention to the parallels between her role in ‘The Bodyguard’ and the rest of her life. “Whitney, if you could hear me now, I would tell you: You weren’t just good enough. You were great,” he said. “You sang the whole damn song without a band. You made the picture what it was. A lot of leading men could have played my part … But you, Whitney, I truly believe were the only one who could have played Rachel Maron at that time,” Costner sighed.

“People didn’t just like you, Whitney. They loved you.”

Watch Kevin Costner’s Speech at Whitney Houston’s Funeral

Source: PopCrush.com

Vince Bucci, Getty Images

Whitney Houston‘s three-hour funeral was aired on CNN and streamed online today (Feb. 18). While pop divas like Mariah Carey and Mary J. Blige were in attendance and the likes of Alicia Keys, R. Kelly and Stevie Wonder performed, it was still a traditional Baptist worship service at New Hope Baptist Church in Newark, N.J., where Houston was born.

At the beginning of the ceremony, the priest said, “We gonna have church today,” and that’s just what they had while celebrating the singer’s life and her immovable faith.

The services began with soulful choirs raising the roof so high that Whitney herself probably heard them up in heaven.

Actor/director/producer Tyler Perry recalled Houston’s candor, praising how she had immovable faith even in times of heaviness. Her ‘The Bodyguard’ co-star Kevin Costner, who actually suggested that she sing ‘I Will Always Love You’ and to do the first few bars a capella, asked everyone to remember the “sweet miracle of Whitney” and with his voice cracking, he said, “People didn’t just like you. They loved you.”

Alicia Keys took a seat at the piano at 1:35, saying Whit called her “Keys on the keys” and shared that their nickname for one another was “Mema” before belting out ‘Prelude to a Kiss.’

Houston’s mentor Clive Davis was composed but compassionate, saying, “You wait for a voice like that for a lifetime, a face, a smile, a presence like that for a lifetime. When one person embodies it all, it takes your breath away. That’s how I felt in 1993,” when Whitney shattered him with her version of ‘The Greatest Love of All.’ He also referred to her as “an eternally loyal friend.”

Stevie Wonder performed “Ribbon in the Sky’ while R. Kelly crooned ‘I Look to You.’

Overall, the ceremony was very worship and faith driven. When her casket was rolled out, ‘I Will Always Love You’ played. R.I.P, Whitney Houston. You and your beautiful voice will be missed.

Source: PopCrush.com