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Glitzburgh has moved!

You can now find us at the new website:

http://Glitzburgh.co Bookmark it, and visit often!

– Ashley,
Glitzburgh

Rest in Peace, Whitney Houston

Whitney Houston, music legend, died yesterday, February 11th, 2012, and, according to TMZ, was found under water in a bathtub in her hotel room. According to one report on CNN, one music executive said the star looked “healthy and happy” just days before her death. But, according the L.A. Times and other outlets, the singer had appeared disheveled with erratic behavior in the days leading up to that fateful day. The Times also stated that, “while an autopsy on pop star Whitney Houston could occur in the next day, it is likely to take weeks before the L.A. County coroner’s office makes an official cause-of-death ruling.Both the Beverly Hills Police Department and Los Angeles County coroner’s office are investigating Houston’s death. No cause has been established, and authorities said Saturday night it’s too early to determine whether she died of natural causes.”

Strangely, a Twitter user by the name of @chilemasgrande broke the news of Houston’s death before the AP or any other major media outlets, but, there were no signs of criminal intent. (Though the user in question has not been able to be reached for comment.)

Houston’s last performance, chillingly, was “Yes, Jesus Loves Me” and appeared to have been Friday night in Los Angeles, where she was in town for a pre-Grammy party. (Sadly, according to multiple media outlets including CNN and The Insider, Houston appeared “dazed” and “aggressive” leaving this particular party. TMZ also reports that Whitney would take Xanax before big performances like she was scheduled to make at the Clive Davis party last night.)

News just broke of Houston’s daughter, Bobbi Kristina Brown, age 18, being rushed to Cedars Sinai Hospital late this afternoon. Sources say that the cause was believed to be panic or anxiety, but this is unconfirmed. This was not her first, but her second trip to the hospital since learning of her mother’s passing.

Many were not surprised by Whitney Houston’s death, but the world is truly mourning at the tragic turn the embattled star’s life had taken.

Despite her struggles with addiction and substance abuse, Houston was, in addition to being a lovely person according to most who knew her, also one of the most talented voices in music history and one of the most acclaimed and successful singers of all time.

Whitney had won 2 Emmy awards, had 4 US number-one albums, 6 People’s Choice awards, 6 Grammy awards, 7 Soul Train music awards, 11 number-one songs, 16 NAACP Image Awards, 22 American Music Awards, 30 Billboard Music Awards, 99 RIAA awards, had 562 total award nominations with 415 wins. She sold 170 million albums, singles, and videos worldwide, and starred in a serious of movies, most notably, The Bodyguard. Her album Whitney was also the first female album to ever debut at #1 on the Billboard Charts!

She was loved by her many fans, her family, and will be greatly missed. Tonight’s 54th Annual Grammy Awards will have a special tribute to the late singer.

 

Poll: Can any other singers come close to Whitney Houston’s vocal talents? http://www.civicscience.com/u/Question/?q=11438

Remembering the good times:  Considered by many the best rendition of the United States National Anthem ever – VIDEO, here.

Photos:

Glitzburgh Glam: Lady Gaga, Best or Worst Dressed? -By Natalie DeBarto, Intern

When it comes to Lady Gaga, it’s impossible to be shocked by her outfits. After all, she did strut the stage is an outfit made of raw meat, and nothing can beat that on the shock meter. It seems this year she has been voted at the top and the bottom of the outfit pole. Sometimes she’s put together and fashionable, and other times she’s, well, covered in meat. Here’s the best and worst of Lady Gaga:

Best:

**Even though the character was annoying, Gaga looked great in the outfit!

Worst:

Lady Gaga definitely has more good outfits than bad, and her unique sense of fashion is changing the industry. Who knows, maybe the fashion of 2012 will include studded platforms, and meat dresses. Fashion is an ever changing world.

Candlelight Prayer Vigil for Missing Bridgeville Man Jimmy Slack

Tonight, December 22nd, 2011, a Prayer Vigil will be held at Bethany Presbyterian Church in Bridgeville, PA. The service will be an outdoors candlelight vigil, weather permitting, and will honor Jimmy Slack, age 25, who has been missing for 2 weeks.

Slack is from Bridgeville, and went missing on December 6th, 2011 after a String Cheese Incident concert at Stage AE in the North Shore.

The prayer vigil is to gather together to pray for his safe return, to offer the family support, and to keep hope and faith present in a difficult situation.

We hope that he will be found safe and sound, and that he will be home as soon as possible.

This vigil is open to the public. More information can be found at the links below:

Prayer Vigil for Jimmy Slack and Family 

Help Find Jimmy Slack

Prayer Vigil Planned for Jim Slack – Chartiers Patch

If you have any tips, clues, leads, or information regarding his disappearance, please call the Pittsburgh Police at 412-323-7800. They will accept anonymous calls.

For directions to Bethany Church visit http://bethanypresby.org/ –– again, the prayer vigil is 12/22/11 at 7pm-10pm EST. If you cannot attend, please keep spreading the word about his disappearance to help bring him home! Or, at least keep him and his family in your prayers.

Read the past two Glitzburgh entries on the story, below:

Missing Person: Jimmy Slack, Last Seen at Stage AE on Tuesday – Have You Seen Him? Please Re-Post! [UPDATED]

MISSING PERSON: Update on James Slack: Help Find Jimmy! – Reward

PHOTOS BELOW ARE: JIM SLACK’S CURRENT FACEBOOK PROFILE PHOTO, THE LAST KNOWN PHOTO OF JIM SLACK TAKEN THE NIGHT HE WENT MISSING (MIDDLE), and the MISSING PERSON FLYER (RIGHT)

MISSING PERSON: Update on James Slack: Help Find Jimmy – REWARD

Thank you to the Steelers’ Ryan Clark, the Pariots’ Ross Ventrone, and employees of 96.1 KISS fm who, among many other kindhearted individuals and news outlets, have tweeted, Facebooked, and blogged about missing person Jimmy Slack (a.k.a. James Slack II, Jim Slack) of Bridgeville, PA.

I wanted to share with you some of the latest links for information, the Facebook page dedicated to finding Jimmy, as well as the Missing Person poster if you’d like to share it.

Please continue to spread the word, and remember that he may not be in the Pittsburgh area anymore – he could be anywhere.

He was last seen on December 6th, at Stage AE in the North Shore for a String Cheese Incident concert.

LINKS:

Pittsburgh Cops Take Up Search for Bridgeville Man

Help Find Jimmy Slack Facebook Page

Search for Missing Man Continues; Slack Family to Offer Reward

Missing Person: Jimmy Slack, Last Seen at Stage AE on Tuesday – Have You Seen Him? Please Re-Post! [UPDATED]

MSNBC Local Report on James Slack, II – Reward Being Offered

** The family is begging anyone who knows anything at all to come forward. Any lead, clue, or piece of information will help. They are offering a $1,000 reward. People can call with any information including anonymous tips at 412-323-7800

Glitzburgh has been trying to get in touch with Nancy Grace, to no avail. But, let’s not leave any avenue unexplored.

Bring Jim home for the Holidays!

 

Congratulations to Britney Spears: Brit Brit and beau Jason Trawick are Engaged

“OMG. Last night Jason surprised me with the one gift I’ve been waiting for. Can’t wait to show you! SO SO SO excited!!!! Xxo” read a tweet from Britney Spears this morning.

Last night, her boyfriend (now fiancé) Jason Trawick proposed to Spears in front of her two boys, Sean Preston and Jayden James.

“Yes, we are engaged,” Trawick said, saying he’s “over the moon” and so is Britney.

 The couple had been talking marriage for a long time. Spears has had two unsuccessful marriages, but feels that Trawick is “the one” for her. He has really been a stable, positive force in her life. Trawick worked with famed jewelry designer Neil Lane to come up with Britney’s “dream” engagement ring – a bauble that reportedly features a 3-plus carat round stone and pave diamonds.

So congratulations to Britney Spears! I hope that media outlets will let her enjoy this happy time with her future husband and her loved ones, and here’s hoping that this marriage is a long, happy one filled with many good memories to come.

Britney recently celebrated her 30th birthday, and her most recent album and coinciding tour, “Femme Fatale” was one of the most successful of 2011, and has been critically touted as her best work yet.

MISSING PERSON: Jimmy Slack, Last Seen at Stage AE on Tuesday – Have You Seen Him? Please Re-Post! [UPDATED]

MISSING PERSON: Jimmy Slack: Has anyone seen the young man pictured below??? He was last seen at Stage AE in PITTSBURGH’s North Shore on Tuesday night.  He is from Chartiers Valley (Bridgeville area.)

Family and friends are worried sick! Please share this. He on a wrestling team in HS with my brother, and his family is friends with mine. He is in his mid-20’s.

Any info please call 412-221-5795 (the number I was instructed to give), tweet me at @Glitzburgh, or email me ASAP at ashley.boynes@me.com so that I can pass it along! Sorry that the photo isn’t the best; I am working on getting a better picture!

HELP! Re-post and share this blog.

Thank You!

Here’s hoping for his safe return.

UPDATE:

Better photo:

Real Housewives of New Jersey Star Teresa Giudice in Pittsburgh to Knock Out Cancer

Last night, Teresa Giudice, the reality star known for her spot in the Real Housewives of New Jersey cast, was in Pittsburgh to appear at the Knock Out Cancer event at the Galleria.

Not only did she give Glitzburgh a quick shout-out (see video, below) but she happily posed with fans at a VIP reception before the main event. After the meet-and-greet, she signed cookbooks and posed with photos with other fans who bought a copy of her latest book, Fabulicious.

Tall Cathy from 96.1 KISS interviwed Ms. Giudice on stage, where Teresa said, “Now that I’m in Pittsburgh, I’ll say, I LOVE the Steelers. Go Steelers!” which the crowd loved. She spoke candidly about her feuds with the other women and her brother, and also mentioned that her dad (who is occasionally seen on the show) is in the hospital and is in ill health.

Giudice said that she was still having problems with some of her castmates, but that she is as proud as ever of her talented and adorable daughters, and that her husband “Juicy Joe” is thinking about opening up a winery near where they live in New Jersey. “We want to host wine tastings and stuff,” she said.

This wasn’t her first time in Pittsburgh. She says that in Season 4 you see that they actually had a layover here at the Pittsburgh airport.

Later, she took to Twitter to say she loved meeting her fans from Pittsburgh and she shared some photos of the event. Knock Out Cancer featured vendors and raffles, and proceeds from the night went to support research and awareness of various forms of cancer. SHAG Salon of Robinson was on hand to do fun pink extensions for breast cancer research, local singers performed, a caricature artist did drawings, and more. A lot of fun for a great cause!

Enjoy photos and video, below.

VIDEO OF RHONJ’S TERESA GIVING GLITZBURGH A “HELLO!” ->

Tweeting with Oprah

As some of you know, I do health and advocacy work as well as my Glitzburgh blog.
Last week, I had an amazing surprise when one of my heroes, Oprah Winfrey herself, sent me a tweet.

The fact that the Big O took the time to read my bio and then tweet me about it? Amazing.

I would like to share….

Check it out – the 4th one down to @ArthritisAshley (one of my many other twitter accounts besides @Glitzburgh!)

Oprah said, “I read ur bio. U r a survivor and now in the the healing business. Allowing others to “emerge” from their pain.” You can see the original tweet, here.

Tom Cruise and American Idol in Pittsburgh!

Tom Cruise is in Pittsburgh filming his upcoming movie, One Shot. (Fun fact? He follows @Glitzburgh on Twitter and also gave us a shout-out one day last week!)

Anyway….when Cruise and wife, actress Katie Holmes, and their daughter, Suri, weren’t busy enjoying the Milkshake Factory or Soergel’s Orchard & Farm in Wexford, they were likely taking in all that Pittsburgh has to offer.

Recently, Werner Herzog was cast to play opposite Tom Cruise in “One Shot,” as the movie’s villain, so be sure to keep your eyes peeled for him around the city, too.

Last week also found celebrities Steven Tyler, Jennifer Lopez, Randy Jackson, and Ryan Seacrest in town. They were here judging American Idol auditions at the Convention Center and also held a press conference. (From all accounts, J.Lo is STUNNING in person!)

Tell us: have you had any celebrity sightings here in “Glitzburgh” lately?

PS: Tom Cruise’s film One Shot is now casting!! If you are interested, contact Nancy Mosser Casting for more information. Call 412-621-1160 if you are interested in being an extra this weekend and next week.