Week in Review: Whitney Houston Remembered, Adele's Grammy Triumph & Chris Brown Controversy

Plus, Stephen Colbert suspends the Report, White Collar's Matt Bomer comes out, Khloé Kardashian Odom talks a Kim-Reggie reunion and Katy Perry asserts her independence

By Natalie Finn Feb 18, 2012 2:00 PMTags
Whitney Houston, Adele, Chris Brown, Stephen Colbert, Matt BomerWireImage; Getty Images

The week started off with the unbelievable—the death of Whitney Houston—and...well, it's still pretty unbelievable.

Events big and small, from the 2012 Grammys on Sunday to the NAACP Image Awards last night, occurred in the shadow of what happened to Whitney and the sudden absence it left in the music world.

Though her career had waned over the last decade, her tunes from as far back as 1985 can make even the most lead-footed curmudgeon get up and dance. Or, in the case of her biggest hits from The Bodyguard—slow-dance.

Here's a rundown of the week's news:

SPEECHLESS: What else can be said right now about the death of Whitney Houston at the tragically young age of 48? What a waste. From the initial shocking moments when the news first broke to the latest on today's funeral, we've got it covered.

DEEP SIX: Vogue cover girl Adele won every award she was nominated for at the 54th Annual Grammy Awards, including Album of the Year (about this guy?), at a ceremony that managed to be a celebration as much as it was an impromptu Whitney memorial. Of course, with great triumph comes sex tape rumors.

SHARP CHORDS: Katy Perry seemed to be sending Russell Brown a "who needs you?" message, Nicki Minaj ticked off Catholics with her talent-suppressing exorcism schtick, and both artists and critics decried the attention paid to Chris Brown, who won his first Grammy and was attending for the first time since the Rihanna debacle. And you know what happens when Chris feels wrongly put-upon! So, who can't wait to the new remix of Rihanna's "Birthday Cake" featuring...Chris Brown?!

THE WORD: Stephen Colbert unexpectedly suspended production on The Colbert Report midweek to tend to a family emergency—reportedly that his 91-year-old mother is seriously ill.

OUT AND ABOUT: White Collar star Matt Bomer revealed that he is gay—but he remains an equally appealing object of lust for all.

REBOUND LEADER: Khloé Kardashian Odom wouldn't mind if sister Kim Kardashian reunites with Reggie Bush one bit! (Of course, Reggie's gonna have to go through Bruce Jenner if there's another time around.)

TUCKERED OUT: Nick Cannon finally dropped a gig—his morning radio show—after a doctor who treated him for blood clots in his lungs and an enlarged right ventricle warned him to slow down or else.

RING THEORY: Who wouldn't want a ring from this sweet and sensitive cutie? But neither Justin Bieber nor Selena Gomez are talking about what the sparkly "J" on her finger means...Lil Wayne gave his lady a ring, but just because he wanted her to be his Valentine.

ROYAL PAIN: Sean Penn slammed the Royal Air Force for sending Prince William to the Falkland Islands, "knowing the great emotional sensitivity" of those who lost loved ones in Britain's conflict with Argentina.

AT ODDS: Playboy Playmate Claire Sinclair opened up about alleged abuse  suffered at the hands of Hugh Hefner's son, Marston. She says she just wants the 21-year-old to get help.

NESTING: Jennifer Aniston and Justin Theroux have taken that next step—they adopted a puppy...Hilary Duff's hubby, expectant dad Mike Comrie, retired from the NHL.

TV LAND: You picked Glee's Quinn and Rachel as your Favorite TV Couple. Wait, what?...Even the kids love Johnny Depp...Janet Jackson wouldn't mind joining The X Factor...Jessica Simpson will be on The Biggest Loser...Warner Bros. warns Charlie Sheen not to use Two and a Half Men pics in Anger Management promos...Paget Brewster is leaving Criminal Minds for good...Oprah Winfrey tweeted a please-watch plea for OWN. Whoops.

RECAPVILLE: Catch up on the past week's episodes of Grey's Anatomy, Jersey Shore, American Idol in Vegas and Hollywood, Project Runway: All Stars, Revenge, Survivor: One World, Teen Mom 2, Glee, Gossip Girl, The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, The Voice, The Bachelor and The Walking Dead.

SCREEN PLAY: Colin Farrell gave Meryl Streep a hand at the BAFTAs...Angelina Jolie teared up at the Bosnian premiere of her war-set film In the Land of Blood and Honey...George Clooney reveals how things really are with Brad Pitt off-camera...Josh Duhamel is done with Transformers...Billy Bob Thornton denies basing his new movie on his relationship with Angelina...Pics from Robert Pattinson's and Kristen Stewart's post-Twilight films...Al Pacino awarded a National Medal of Arts...The Artist's Uggie is top dog at Golden Collar Awards...Watch the Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter trailer...Check out our review of This Means War.

MUSICAL NOTES: Beyoncé's got two albums in mind for 2012...John Mayer teases first single since throat surgery, "Shadow Days"...Lil Kim isn't a fan of Nicki Minaj's "Stupid Hoe"...No Glee concert tour this summer...Red Hot Chili Peppers, Radiohead top Bonnaroo fest lineup...Watch the video for "Safe & Sound," Taylor Swift's contribution to The Hunger Games...Turns out Nicki Minaj didn't like M.I.A.'s flip-off, either...Selena Gomez is eschewing The Scene.

LAW & DISORDER: Tareq Salahi sued wife Michaele Salahi and her new man, Neal Schon, for embarrassing him. They insist Tareq is embarrassing himself...Amber Portwood will complete her drug-court program at a halfway house after being released from jail...Gary Busey, hoarder?...Robin Thicke caught smoking pot...Gabriel Aubry off the hook in nanny controversy...A woman who claimed to be dating Kenny Chesney was arrested on his property...Lindsay Lohan is figuring our her tax trouble...Blake Lively secured a restraining order...Rumer Willis' Hollywood Hills home burglarized...Chris Pine sued by his former talent agency.

FAREWELL: David Kelly, Irish actor who played Grandpa Joe in Tim Burton's Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, died at 82 following a short illness...Philip Bruns, Jerry's original dad on Seinfeld, died at 80 of natural causes.

FASHION FRENZY: Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue cover featuring Kate Upton leaks ahead of the big reveal (there was plenty left to reveal)...Kendall Jenner went blond...Taylor Momsen went classy at the Marchesa show...Blake Shelton slipped a glittering bird ring on Miranda Lambert's finger for Valentine's Day...Vanessa Hudgens unveiled her new bob in Paris...Miley Cyrus unveiled her new bob on Twitter...Ben Affleck ditched the beard, finally...Demi Lovato lightened up.