Michael Jackson and Whitney Houston in 1988
Photo: WireImage

Few people will forget where they were when they heard that the King of Pop, Michael Jackson, had died in June 2009. And now, the same can be said for 1980s and ’90s Queen of Pop Whitney Houston.

The beloved, long-suffering singer died Saturday inside a Beverly Hills hotel room, hours before she was expected to attend a pre-Grammy Awards party thrown by her longtime mentor Clive Davis. And while the official cause of death is yet unknown — what’s been speculated so far is that Houston may have drowned in the bathtub after taking prescription drugs, including Xanax — given her very public struggle with substance abuse, depression and anxiety over the past decade, it’s hard not to conclude that some drug- or alcohol-related accident may have been to blame. It’s much like, most recently, British singer Amy Winehouse and the late, great Michael Jackson before her, who died after taking a fatal cocktail of propofol and two other drugs. Also like Jackson, Houston’s sudden death — at the age of 48 — has stopped the world in its tracks, an enormous, one-of-a-kind musical flame forever extinguished. Even Jackson’s brother, Jermaine — who was first introduced to Houston years ago by Clive Davis at the same Beverly Hills Hilton where the singer passed away — could not help but draw the comparison. In an interview with CNN overnight, he paid tribute to the two fallen musical giants. “They shared a lot of success in the late ’80s and they were great friends,” he said. “I’m happy and honored to have been a part of their lives.” And oh, what lives they led: Like Jackson — who died at just 50 years old, after years of struggling with personal demons — Houston, too, had an intensely profound and everlasting impact on the world of entertainment. Mariah Carey, Christina Aguilera, Jennifer Hudson and countless other chart-topping entertainers have all name-checked her as their musical mentor, icon and inspiration: To date, she is one of the best-selling artists of all time, with more than 170 million albums, songs and videos sold. In her lifetime, Houston achieved what precious few of them have or ever will — stacking an astonishing 415 awards, including six Grammys, two Emmys, 22 American Music Awards, 30 Billboard Awards. Her voice, in its prime, was a national treasure. “X Factor” mastermind Simon Cowell may have summed it up the best: On “Piers Morgan Tonight,” he said, “She was one of the greatest voices in our lifetime. Whitney was the number one singer that other singers want to emulate. People like that can’t be manufactured. They’ve either got, it or they don’t.” He added, “You will always remember where you were and what you were doing when you heard the news.” Like Michael before her, gone too soon.

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“Glee”
Photo: FOX

“Glee” paid tribute to Michael Jackson during Tuesday night’s episode and, shockingly, kept the story moving along in the midst of several MJ-inspired musical numbers. Kurt, Rachel and Quinn all received great news about college, Rachel finally accepted Finn’s proposal and evil Sebastian’s plot to harm Kurt with a doctored slushee backfired when Blaine took the hit for his boyfriend.

Yet the forced “all Michael, all the time” song selection led to some head-scratching scenes including Kurt, Rachel and Finn serenading an injured Blaine with Jackson’s love song to a rat, “Ben,” and two different music-video re-enactments only appealed to Jackson superfans. The rest of us can enjoy my latest “Glee-cap”! Hit play on the embedded video and sing along with these lyrics. “Glee,” “Glee” ‘s really hit the skids
MJ would have loved all the singing kids Time for a tribute
Veiled as a dispute
They all imitate
Michael’s vocal takes Wish they didn’t try
To simply ape his sigh
I guess “Glee” got paid
In tickets to Cirque du Soleil It’s bad! It’s bad! Come on! Oh, pointless themed episodes
Make me push fast-forward on my TiVo Artie’s “Scream” remake
Complete with head shakes
Tired of getting dissed
Mike Chang’s now his sis? Warblers fight for songs
No prob doing wrong
They’re all blindly cruel
Since Blaine left their school Quinn sang goodbye to every ex
Have a seat, this’ll take awhile
(She’s had lots of sex)
Quinn got into Yale
And I’m all, “How?”
Then got distracted by Damian’s hyper eyebrows They’re bad! They’re bad! Relax them!
If you don’t, I will come wax them! Slutpig tried to slushee Kurt
But Blaine got in the way
Left him needing surgery
How dare you hurt my gay!
Despite Blaine’s cute eye patch
Kurt is hungry for revenge
But that’s a different better show on ABC, my friend “Glee,” drop the shtick, you’re better than this
Forcing Jackson songs is just as bad as this forced kiss
Just because you can afford it doesn’t mean it has worth
Unless you’re trying to give me nightmares
In that case, it worked No more bells and whistles, please
Clever songs are all you need
I get it, Ryan Murphy, Blaine had to bleed
So Darren could star in “How to Succeed” But making Kurt and Finchel sing “Ben” to Blaine
Is the very definition of insane
I hope next week they get it right
With no stupid guests hogging “Glee” ‘s spotlight [Cue clip of next week's episode starring Ricky Martin] Whoops! What did you think of this week’s “Glee”? Let us know in the comments!

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Chris Colfer
Photo: Frazer Harrison/ Getty Images

Fox’s song-and-dance series “Glee” is no stranger to a star-studded cameo or two, with the likes of Gwyneth Paltrow, John Stamos and Kristin Chenoweth all walking the halls of McKinley High during the past two and a half seasons. And as the show returns from a month-long hiatus, Gleeks aren’t the only ones anticipating a few more famous faces. As star Chris Colfer told MTV News on the Golden Globes red carpet, there’s plenty to look forward to when New Directions warble again January 17. “Well, the Michael Jackson episode …,” Colfer answered when asked about his most-anticipated upcoming episodes. “We have a Spanish episode coming up with Ricky Martin. We have a Valentine’s Day episode coming up, so that’s going to be fun.”

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Darren Criss, Damian McGinty, Chord Overstreet, Mark Salling, Cory Monteith and Harry Shum Jr. perform on “Glee”
Photo: Adam Rose / FOX

“Glee” has already dedicated entire episodes to Madonna, Britney Spears and Lady Gaga, and come 2012, it’s the King of Pop’s turn. A rumored set list for the January 24 “Glee” Michael Jackson tribute episode has hit the Web, and it features some of the late singer’s greatest hits. Perez Hilton reports that 14 tracks have made the final cut, although the list has yet to be confirmed by anyone connected with the show.

The set list (along with who will perform the track) reportedly includes “Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin’ ” (Blaine), “Bad” (the New Directions and the Warblers), “I Just Can’t Stop Loving You” (Finn and Rachel), “Smooth Criminal” (Santana and Sebastian), “Never Can Say Goodbye” (Quinn), “In the Closet” (Brittany and Santana), “We Are the World” (the New Directions and the Warblers), “Black and White” (Puck), “Ghost”/”Monster” (New Directions), “Beat It”/”Billie Jean” (Warblers), “The Way You Make Me Feel” (Kurt) and “Don’t Stop ‘Til You Get Enough” (Artie). This is hardly the first time the show has paid homage to Jackson. Back in 2010, the New Directions performed his track “Thriller,” complete with zombie garb, during an episode that aired after the Super Bowl. The show has also previously covered “P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing)” and “Man in the Mirror.” Back in 2010, the cast of the hit Fox show had only imagined what it would be like to have an entire episode dedicated to Jackson. “I would love to do a Michael Jackson episode,” Amber Riley told MTV News at the time. “You know, it’s so many [songs that I love], but my favorite song by him is ‘Human Nature.’ I love that song.” While Riley seemed psyched about the opportunity, castmate Jenna Ushkowitz found the possibility a little more daunting. “That’s a scary, scary episode to do,” she said. “[But] that would be absolutely amazing.” Are you happy with the rumored set list? What’s missing? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

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Dr. Conrad Murray arrives for his arraignment of at the Airport Los Angeles Courthouse today
Photo: Frederick M. Brown/ Getty Images

Just weeks after being sent to jail for four years following a conviction on a felony involuntary manslaughter charge in the death of Michael Jackson, cardiologist Conrad Murray is throwing himself on the mercy of the court. The doctor had been slated to earn up to $150,000 a month to act as Jackson’s personal physician before the pop icon’s death in June 2009 from an overdose of the Murray-administered surgical anesthetic propofol. But on Tuesday E! News reported that Murray filed a notice of appeal in Los Angeles Superior Court in which he claimed that he is “indigent and respectfully requests the appointment of counsel on appeal.” Murray, 58, is planning to appeal both his conviction and his sentence, but has not yet filed papers with the California Appeals Court. He had hired two lawyers to handle his manslaughter case, but is now seeking attorneys with appeal experience. One of those former lawyers, J. Michael Flanagan, told E! that he was shocked at how his client is being treated in jail. “It is crazy and unbelievable how [the sheriffs] are treating” Murray in jail, said Flanagan, who claimed he waited over an hour to see Murray, who was brought out in handcuffs and leg chains. Flanagan was further shocked to see Murray handcuffed to the table for their meeting, something the lawyer said he’d never seen before in the case of a low-level, non-violent offender. Charles Peckham, who is handling civil cases against Murray, told the Associated Press that his client is under tight security and isolation that is more intense than other inmates at the Los Angeles Men’s Central Jail. “Treating him like Hannibal Lecter is offensive,” said Peckham. “This man who saved lives made a mistake, and they’re going to [make] him pay like a mass-murderer.” Sheriff’s officials defended the tight security, saying it was for Murray’s safety.

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