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PHOTOS: J.Lo Strips Down

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Jennifer Lopez has certainly turned herself into quite the perfumer over the last ten years, and she has no apparent plans of stopping either making perfume or churning out sexy ads to go with it.

J.Lo is launching her 18th fragrance, Glowing, a scent that she describes as an "evolution" of her first fragrance, Glow, which debuted in 2002:

"This is a very woodsy scent. So it's not exactly what I created 10 years ago, it's the evolution of that. At the essence, it's still natural, earthy, clean and real, but a little different side of that. It's the woodsy side of it, which I think is kind of New York-y, darker and sexier."

According to Women's Wear Daily, Glowing is a floral woody amber that has notes of bergamot, mandarin and cypress along with sandalwood, vanilla and cashmere musk, amongst other tantalizing oils.

And natch, Jen's released a sexy ad to promote the scent, in which she strips naked and poses with a... glowing orb thing?

The perfume, which comes in a bottle that literally glows (cool!), will launch in the United States this May and will be sold exclusively in Kohl's Department Stores.

Lopez isn't the only starlet to have her nose in the perfume business. Her peers Beyonce, Jessica Simpson and Britney Spears have all created multiple perfumes and colognes.

Check out the perfume bottle and of course, the sexy ad below, and click through our slideshow to see a list of celebrities who dabble in the fragrance business.


WATCH: Which Star Couple Is Reportedly Trademarking Their Child's Name?

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Are Jay-Z and Beyonce trying to patent their daughter's name? Apparently!

Beyonce's company, BGK Trademark Holdings, filed a request to prevent any use of Blue Ivy Cater's name. According to the report, the first 2 patents filed were rejected while the 3rd is is in limbo but is expected to be accepted.

Watch the video above for details.

Harley Pasternak Tells Us How To Get Celebrity Body Parts We Want

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It's easy to look at celebrities' bodies and dismiss them as owing genetics a huge favour. That is, until you talk to Harley Pasternak.

The Toronto-born trainer to the stars has worked with everyone from Halle Berry to Ke$ha (and many more), and knows firsthand the sweat and tears that go into those rock-hard abs and burning biceps. He's currently part of the team of experts on ABC's new daily show The Revolution, alongside Tim Gunn and Ty Pennington. Pasternak advises the show's "heroes" -- everyday women who are looking to completely overhaul their lives -- on their fitness and weight goals using his 5 Factor Diet as a jumping off point.

"It's not like one of those makeover shows where people are taken away from their jobs and their families -- this is everyday life," Pasternak told the Huffington Post Canada. "And with my system, you don't just lose body water and lean tissue, you’re actually lose body fat. You're sculpting and toning your body with 25 minutes a day of exercise, with equipment you can use at home. You're making simple five-minute recipes, and everyone has five minutes." Pasternak is appearing on The Shopping Channel starting February 11, selling his complete system, including workouts, shopping lists, cooking DVDs, exercise logs and equipment, across North America.

The trainer's popularity amongst the celebrity set means that he knows just what it takes to make them look that way. He told us which exercises his famous clients use to enhance their -- let's admit it -- pretty perfect body parts For each of these, Pasternak recommends three sets of 20 reptitions, twice a week, to start:

Lady Gaga's Abs: The key is training her abs is from all four directions. We train the front of her abs by doing a double crunch, where we have her lie on her back and have her do a regular crunch, but we also bring her knees into her chest and bring her chest into her knees (see slide #2 for video). The next exercise is a dumbbell side bend. That works the sides, the obliques and the love handles (see slide #3). We also do a trunk twist. That works the torso muscle that wraps all the way around the mid-section (see slide #4). And we also do an exercise called 'superman', and that's tightening the back of her mid-section, which is also important so she can look good from every angle (see slide #5).

Rihanna's Legs: Pasternak: We focus on her legs from every angle as well, so we'll do a simple movement like an alternating forward lunge for the front of her thighs (see slide #7). We'll also do a stiff leg dead lift for the back of her thighs (see slide #8) and we'll also do a cable abduction for her inner thighs (see slide #9). And we try not to do too much outer thighs, as the outer thigh is already a pretty strong muscle in most women.

Megan Fox's Butt: We do a skater lunge for her, which is like a lunge, but you step back and across your body. I love that because it tones and tightens your butt (see slide #11). We do bench step-ups, because that's another great one where you really access your butt (see slide #12). And we'll also do a single leg dead lift, which works the hamstrings straight into the butt (see slide #13).

Amanda Seyfried's Arms: The key for her is we do an exercise called a curl press, and we use a Harley bar, but you can use a bottle of water or cans of soup. It's a bicep curl, straight into a shoulder press. It gives you great shoulders and arms, because they're kind of one thing (see slide #15). As well, we'll do an overhead dumbbell tricep extension for the back of her arms, which covers her shoulders, her biceps and her triceps all together (see slide #16).

Katy Perry's Chest: Believe it or not, the key to a great women's chest is actually leaving the chest alone. You don't want to do any push-ups, any bench presses that will pull your shoulders forward more and actually make your boobs sag. So the key to having a great chest is to strengthen the upper back. And we do that by strengthening a muscle called the rhomboid by doing a dumbbell row into a seated dumbbell row, and that pulls the shoulders back all the way (see slide #18). Also, we focus on the triceps -- we focus on strengthening the muscles in the back of her arm, which helps roll the shoulders back a bit. And for that we'll do a lying dumbbell traction extension (see slide #19).

Hilary Duff Post-Pregnancy: We just recently met about her plan of attack of what she's going to do as soon as she gives birth. Once she gets medical clearance, we're going to make sure she starts off walking with her baby, spending as much time as possible. We're going to show her lots of exercise she can do with her baby, a little baby circuit. And then from there we're going to have her right on to the 5 Factor full blown program: the workouts, the diet and the exercise and eveything all together.

Rebecca Black's 'Friday' Celebrates One-Year Anniversary

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One year ago today the Internet began to buzz, the music industry gasped and the world was changed forever. It was 365 days ago that Rebecca Black's curiously simply song, "Friday," was uploaded to YouTube.

Little did Black, then 13, know that her life was about to change. Months earlier, Black's parents shelled out $4,000 for Ark Music Factory to write a song for their daughter and shoot a video. What they got in return was priceless.

By mid-March the video went viral and Rebecca Black became an Internet sensation and one of the most hated people on earth.

Responses to the song ranged from kind to downright vicious, even prompting death threats. The combination of the oversimplified lyrics and extreme use of Auto-Tune elicited a dark reaction among listeners.

Thousands of parodies soon hit YouTube and talk show host Jimmy Fallon performed a delightful cover of the song with Steven Colbert.

Black went from being an average middle schooler to the Internet's favorite punching bag, before she was able to capitalize on what many have called the worst song ever written. Katy Perry covered the song at one of her concerts and later adopted Black as her video sidekick in Perry's ode to the best day of the week, "Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F)."

In July, Black released her follow-up to "Friday" with "My Moment," a slick pop song with a direct message to everyone who thought she'd fade into oblivion.

The message, however, fell short -- without the Auto-Tune and ridiculous lyrics, the song flopped, and things didn't seem to be looking up for Black. In August, it was reported that Black's mother had pulled her daughter from school and is now homeschooling her, so that Black will avoid bullies and focus on her career.

In November, Black released her third single, "Person Of Interest." There's not much to say about it, because few people have listened to it.

That brings us to today, the one-year anniversary of "Friday." Let's celebrate with a look back at all the "fun, fun, fun, fun," because we really are "looking forward to the weekend."


Reunion Alert: John Goodman & Roseanne To Reunite Onscreen?

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"Roseanne" fans should sit down on a big, comfy couch for this one.

Fifteen years after the end of their hit sitcom "Roseanne," John Goodman may be reuniting with Roseanne Barr in the NBC comedy pilot "Downwardly Mobile," Variety reported.

Goodman recently told The Huffington Post: "I wouldn't mind being on a series again. You get tired living out of a suitcase."

He is allegedly close to finalizing a deal to co-star in Barr's pilot, according to Variety. Goodman and Barr previously played functionally dysfunctional TV spouses from 1988 to 1997.

On the recently-announced pilot for "Downwardly Mobile," Barr stars as the proprietor of a mobile home park who becomes a surrogate mother to its financially struggling residents.

Goodman has returned to the screen in recent years in HBO's "Treme," DirecTV's "Damages" and the Oscar-nominated film "The Artist." And Roseanne is slowly making her way back into the spotlight as well. In the summer of 2011, she was featured on her own Lifetime reality series "Roseanne's Nuts." She also put her name on California's primary ballot for the Green Party.


Katy Perry Sings 'Hey Jude,' But What's On Her Head?!

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Katy Perry sure knows how to make an impression. The pop star, along with Coldplay, Tony Bennett, The Foo Fighters and Neil Young, honored Sir Paul McCartney Friday night as the MusiCares Person of the Year.

Perry gave a soulful performance of "Hey Jude," but it was the "Teenage Dream" singer's pink flower hat that grabbed everyone's attention.

The singer tweeted prior to the event that "Tonight's [look] is Petal Power themed."

During her last public performance at the offical pre-Super Bowl party, Perry -- sans petals -- flirted with Denver Broncos quarterback Tim Tebow by dedicating her provocative song "Peacock" to him. Perry recently split from her husband Russell Brand in December.

Check out more photos of Perry and her "petal power themed" hat -- and a video of her "Hey Jude" performance -- below.

WATCH:

Bachmann Blasts Stern Over Criticism

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Congresswoman Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.) hit back at radio host Howard Stern after he called her "the worst person in the world."

Stern actually called Bachmann one of the "worst two people on the planet" while criticizing the former Republican presidential hopeful and current GOP candidate Rick Santorum for their views on gay rights. Bachmann and Santorum have both been outspoken on their opposition to same-sex marriage, rallying against it in Republican debates and signing anti-gay marriage pledges.

Bachmann sent an email to supporters Saturday blasting Stern for his "years of corrupting America's youth" and negative message:

Earlier this week, notorious shock jock Howard Stern called me "the worst person in the world" during his daily radio show.

To conservatives, this message from Howard Stern, a man whose only contribution to our culture was years of corrupting America's youth on public airwaves, was clear: "either abandon your beliefs and agree with me, or be dragged through the mud and demonized on national radio." I don't accept this false choice, and I know you don't either.

While Stern can say anything he wants on satellite radio, his words have an impact on his millions of listeners as well as the people his listeners talk to, which is why I need your help to counteract with our positive message. We must fight back and maintain our focus on what is important.

...

These are serious times, and our nation faces serious issues. The direction that America is headed requires serious discussion by serious people, and Howard Stern is not a serious person. We cannot allow attacks from him or anybody else to distract us from a laser focus on what is truly important: holding President Obama and his Democratic allies accountable for their mortgaging of our future. I know you share my determination and, with your help, our message of prosperity for our nation's future will drown out the noise of their attacks.

Love Is All You Need: Paul McCartney Honored By The Legends Of Rock

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Sure, everyone gets nervous before going on stage. But when you're about to perform some of the most beloved music in history and on a grand stage in front of the man who made it all famous ... well, that calls for grander measures.

Backstage in the talent tent for the MusiCares Person of the Year gala, music legends requested everything from Advil to space heaters. Elvis Costello stood outside wife Diana Krall's dressing room, chatting with Rock & Roll Hall-of-Famer Duane Eddy, while Neil Young prepared separately in his tour bus. 85-year-old Tony Bennett made a call from his dressing room asking for vodka.

It was hard to know where to look on Friday night inside the packed LA Convention Center ballroom -- but all eyes were decidedly on the man of the night, Sir Paul McCartney. As guests sat down to his personally chosen vegetarian dinner, McCartney ceremoniously chewed the fat with a crowd full of music legends and industry heavy-hitters alike, including Smokey Robinson, Bonnie Raitt, Carole King, Herbie Hancock, Brian Wilson, David Crosby, Jack Nicholson, Richard Branson, Norman Lear and Lou Adler.

It's unclear if tribute concerts often begin with a performance by the person being honored, but Paul McCartney is the biggest rock star that MusiCares has honored (no offense Sting, Elton, Barbara or Stevie) -- and so he opened the night, after a quick welcome from Cirque du Soleil's LOVE acrobats, with "Magical Mystery Tour."

And a magical tour it was -- with Eddie Izzard as emcee and faux-historian, claiming that McCartney's parents were Jacques Cousteau and Katherine Hepburn and that he grew up on a fishing boat playing air guitar. It was a dizzying tale of pop culture folklore and he reminded us, "For Paul McCartney, words are not needed. The music speaks for itself."

The Foo Fighters rocked hard to "Jet" (eliciting a standing ovation from McCartney), and a stunning Alicia Keys belted out "Blackbird" on the piano after saying, "This song has [a] personal effect on me. It's a beautiful honor to be here tonight."

Bluegrass babe Alison Krauss and Union Station performed an acoustic "No More Lonely Nights" on a standalone rotating stage, Tony Bennett crooned "Here, There And Everywhere," and Duane Eddy twanged out an instrumental version of "And I Love Her."

McCartney sat close to the stage -- soaking in the unique versions of each of his songs -- and smiled and laughed with tablemates Tom Hanks and wife Rita Wilson, Stevie Van Zandt, George Harrison's widow Olivia and a white-hatted and sunglass-clad Yoko Ono.

The tenderness of Norah Jones' stunning "Oh! Darling" brought a hush over the crowd, as a part-Victorian, part-country Katy Perry (wearing a gigantic pink petal headpiece) nailed "Hey Jude" on the rotating stage, complete with a rhinestone mic and baton, which she used when the "na-na-na-na" part came in. McCartney gladly mouthed the words.

But the showstopper was decidedly Neil Young & Crazy Horse's "And I Saw Her Standing There," an electric performance that drew an easy standing ovation from the entire audience. Coldplay's phenomenal acoustic "We Can Work It Out" brought depth and sadness to the piece, but front man Chris Martin joked halfway through the song, "Why aren't we spinning?" about the satellite stage. He also managed to squeeze in, "We're so happy to be here. We love Paul."

The evening drew to an emotional and intimate close with the duo-ed James Taylor and Diana Krall; first performing "Yesterday" (Taylor) and "For No One" (Krall).

But there's no other way to end a Paul McCartney tribute concert other than with McCartney himself, again. He hopped back on stage, and four days before Valentine's Day, played "My Valentine" for his bride Nancy Shevell. "I'm Gonna Sit Right Down And Write Myself A Letter" and the Wing's song "Nineteen Hundred and Eighty-Five" reminded us how long, and with what depth, McCartney has created music over the last five decades. In a perfect conclusion to the night, McCartney sang a lullaby. "Golden Slumbers" melted into "Carry That Weight," and finally, "The End."

Bottles were finished, coats were draped over dates' shoulders, the crew began to strike the set and musicians stepped into black cars or floated off to McCartney's backstage after party. He said little on stage over the course of the evening aside from thanking everyone. But even after the music stopped, McCartney repeated the final words of his song: "In the end, the love you take is equal to the love you make."

MusiCares is the SWAT team of the music industry, providing "a safety net of critical assistance for music people in times of need," according to their mission statement. The 2012 MusiCares Person of the Year Tribute to Paul McCartney raised $6.5 million (the most in history). Ringo Starr's personal baby grand piano, signed by Starr and McCartney and painted by Peter Max, went for $175,000 in the live auction. Performer Katy Perry pledged $250,000.


PHOTOS:


Whitney Houston Dead At 48

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Whitney Houston is dead at 48 years old.

The superstar singer and actress's publicist, Kristin Foster, broke the news of Houston's passing to the AP. She was found and pronounced dead at the Beverly Hills Hilton on Saturday afternoon; thus far, no cause of death has been revealed. In recent years, she struggled with drug abuse.

Her self-titled debut album, released in 1985, sold 25 million copies worldwide. In total, she released seven albums and three film soundtracks; a winner of six Grammys, Houston sold over 200 million albums and singles worldwide. She earned 30 Billboard Awards, 22 American Music Awards and two Emmy Awards.

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From The AP:

"I am absolutely heartbroken at the news of Whitney's passing," music producer Quincy Jones said in a written statement. "I always regretted not having had the opportunity to work with her. She was a true original and a talent beyond compare. I will miss her terribly."

At her peak, Houston the golden girl of the music industry. From the middle 1980s to the late 1990s, she was one of the world's best-selling artists. She wowed audiences with effortless, powerful, and peerless vocals that were rooted in the black church but made palatable to the masses with a pop sheen.

Her success carried her beyond music to movies, where she starred in hits like "The Bodyguard" and "Waiting to Exhale."

She had the he perfect voice, and the perfect image: a gorgeous singer who had sex appeal but was never overtly sexual, who maintained perfect poise.

She influenced a generation of younger singers, from Christina Aguilera to Mariah Carey, who when she first came out sounded so much like Houston that many thought it was Houston.

But by the end of her career, Houston became a stunning cautionary tale of the toll of drug use. Her album sales plummeted and the hits stopped coming; her once serene image was shattered by a wild demeanor and bizarre public appearances. She confessed to abusing cocaine, marijuana and pills, and her once pristine voice became raspy and hoarse, unable to hit the high notes as she had during her prime.

"The biggest devil is me. I'm either my best friend or my worst enemy," Houston told ABC's Diane Sawyer in an infamous 2002 interview with then-husband Brown by her side.

It was a tragic fall for a superstar who was one of the top-selling artists in pop music history, with more than 55 million records sold in the United States alone.

She seemed to be born into greatness. She was the daughter of gospel singer Cissy Houston, the cousin of 1960s pop diva Dionne Warwick and the goddaughter of Aretha Franklin.

Houston first started singing in the church as a child. In her teens, she sang backup for Chaka Khan, Jermaine Jackson and others, in addition to modeling. It was around that time when music mogul Clive Davis first heard Houston perform.

"The time that I first saw her singing in her mother's act in a club ... it was such a stunning impact," Davis told "Good Morning America."

"To hear this young girl breathe such fire into this song. I mean, it really sent the proverbial tingles up my spine," he added.

Before long, the rest of the country would feel it, too. Houston made her album debut in 1985 with "Whitney Houston," which sold millions and spawned hit after hit. "Saving All My Love for You" brought her her first Grammy, for best female pop vocal. "How Will I Know," ''You Give Good Love" and "The Greatest Love of All" also became hit singles.

Another multiplatinum album, "Whitney," came out in 1987 and included hits like "Where Do Broken Hearts Go" and "I Wanna Dance With Somebody."

The New York Times wrote that Houston "possesses one of her generation's most powerful gospel-trained voices, but she eschews many of the churchier mannerisms of her forerunners. She uses ornamental gospel phrasing only sparingly, and instead of projecting an earthy, tearful vulnerability, communicates cool self-assurance and strength, building pop ballads to majestic, sustained peaks of intensity."

Her decision not to follow the more soulful inflections of singers like Franklin drew criticism by some who saw her as playing down her black roots to go pop and reach white audiences. The criticism would become a constant refrain through much of her career. She was even booed during the "Soul Train Awards" in 1989.

"Sometimes it gets down to that, you know?" she told Katie Couric in 1996. "You're not black enough for them. I don't know. You're not R&B enough. You're very pop. The white audience has taken you away from them."

Some saw her 1992 marriage to former New Edition member and soul crooner Bobby Brown as an attempt to refute those critics. It seemed to be an odd union; she was seen as pop's pure princess while he had a bad-boy image, and already had children of his own. (The couple had a daughter, Bobbi Kristina, in 1993.) Over the years, he would be arrested several times, on charges ranging from DUI to failure to pay child support.

But Houston said their true personalities were not as far apart as people may have believed.

"When you love, you love. I mean, do you stop loving somebody because you have different images? You know, Bobby and I basically come from the same place," she told Rolling Stone in 1993. "You see somebody, and you deal with their image, that's their image. It's part of them, it's not the whole picture. I am not always in a sequined gown. I am nobody's angel. I can get down and dirty. I can get raunchy."

It would take several years, however, for the public to see that side of Houston. Her moving 1991 rendition of "The Star Spangled Banner" at the Super Bowl, amid the first Gulf War, set a new standard and once again reaffirmed her as America's sweetheart.

In 1992, she became a star in the acting world with "The Bodyguard." Despite mixed reviews, the story of a singer (Houston) guarded by a former Secret Service agent (Kevin Costner) was an international success.

It also gave her perhaps her most memorable hit: a searing, stunning rendition of Dolly Parton's "I Will Always Love You," which sat atop the charts for weeks. It was Grammy's record of the year and best female pop vocal, and the "Bodyguard" soundtrack was named album of the year.

She returned to the big screen in 1995-96 with "Waiting to Exhale" and "The Preacher's Wife." Both spawned soundtrack albums, and another hit studio album, "My Love Is Your Love," in 1998, brought her a Grammy for best female R&B vocal for the cut "It's Not Right But It's Okay."

But during these career and personal highs, Houston was using drugs. In an interview with Oprah Winfrey in 2010, she said by the time "The Preacher's Wife" was released, "(doing drugs) was an everyday thing. ... I would do my work, but after I did my work, for a whole year or two, it was every day. ... I wasn't happy by that point in time. I was losing myself."

In the interview, Houston blamed her rocky marriage to Brown, which included a charge of domestic abuse against Brown in 1993. They divorced in 2007.

Houston would go to rehab twice before she would declare herself drug-free to Winfrey in 2010. But in the interim, there were missed concert dates, a stop at an airport due to drugs, and public meltdowns.

She was so startlingly thin during a 2001 Michael Jackson tribute concert that rumors spread she had died the next day. Her crude behavior and jittery appearance on Brown's reality show, "Being Bobby Brown," was an example of her sad decline. Her Sawyer interview, where she declared "crack is whack," was often parodied. She dropped out of the spotlight for a few years.

Houston staged what seemed to be a successful comeback with the 2009 album "I Look To You." The album debuted on the top of the charts, and would eventually go platinum.

Things soon fell apart. A concert to promote the album on "Good Morning America" went awry as Houston's voice sounded ragged and off-key. She blamed an interview with Winfrey for straining her voice.

A world tour launched overseas, however, only confirmed suspicions that Houston had lost her treasured gift, as she failed to hit notes and left many fans unimpressed; some walked out. Canceled concert dates raised speculation that she may have been abusing drugs, but she denied those claims and said she was in great shape, blaming illness for cancellations.


'Glee' Adding Last-Minute Whitney Houston Tribute?

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With a cover of Whitney Houston/Dolly Parton's "I Will Always Love You" set to be included in Tuesday's Glee, producers of the Fox musical dramedy on Saturday were mulling whether to add a tribute to the late singer during Tuesday's episode.

Michelle Obama: 'At One Point I Was Normal'

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DALLAS -- In just the past few days, she's danced with cheering school kids, chatted with troops, swapped ideas with busy parents and engaged in a friendly cooking competition with stars from "Top Chef."

Michelle Obama's national tour was intended to promote the second anniversary of her campaign against childhood obesity. The images have been disarming, intriguing and nonpolitical, just the type of thing her husband's re-election campaign can't get enough of.

Five years to the day after Sen. Barack Obama announced he was running for president, Mrs. Obama's travels this past week offered fresh evidence of what an out-sized role she's assumed in the public eye and how powerful a political asset a first lady can be.

Make no mistake, Mrs. Obama said she's "incredibly enthusiastic" about making the case for her husband's re-election.

Simply put, "I want him to be my president for another four years," she said in a 40-minute interview Friday with a few reporters.

In recent weeks Mrs. Obama has seemingly been everywhere: doing pushups with Ellen DeGeneres, serving veggie pizza to Jay Leno, playing tug-of-war with Jimmy Fallon in the White House. Then came the tour of Arkansas, Florida, Iowa and Texas to mark the two-year-point for her "Let's Move" initiative.

The first lady draws a line between her policy efforts on childhood obesity and her political activities. But such distinctions often are lost on the public.

In an election year, it's all to the good for Barack Obama that his popular wife is traveling the country promoting can't-miss issues like healthy living.

"This is a bit of a two-fer," Mrs. Obama said in her interview on Friday, "because it's an issue that I care about, and it's an issue that's important to the country. ... I want to make sure that what I do enhances him."

The first lady added that she knew from the beginning of her husband's presidency that she had to choose issues that were important to her personally because "if you're just doing it for political reasons or there's some ulterior, people smell that out so easily and it's hard to sustain."

To a more limited extent, Mrs. Obama also fills a more overtly political role by headlining private fundraisers that raise millions for her husband's campaign, reaching out to supporters through conference calls to various states and shooting out periodic emails to campaign backers around the country.

That part of her labors will increase considerably in the months to come.

But the first lady said she's careful to protect her time as "Sasha and Malia's mom."

"My approach to campaigning is, `This is the time that I have to give to the campaign and whatever you do with that time is up to you, but when it's over, don't even look at me. ... No calls. No anything."

For now, the first lady's most visible role is tied to her signature issue of fighting obesity, allowing her to connect with voters on an emotional level and relate to them as a mother who has struggled with some of the same challenges that other families face.

"We're constantly trying to make sure that what we do is on point with what is going on in people's lives," Mrs. Obama told parents this past week as she chatted with them over low-calorie plates of chicken and pasta at an Olive Garden restaurant in Fort Worth. "I mean, at one point I was normal. I went to the grocery store and I did all that."

Voters typically don't pay attention to whether an event is political or not, said Democratic strategist Chris Lehane.

"They're paying attention to whether they like what they're seeing and whether they connect to it," Lehane said. Wth a first lady talking about issues that transcend the partisan divide, he said, "the mere fact that they're out there talking reflects well on their spouse."

It can't be lost on Obama's political advisers that Iowa and Florida will be strongly contested in the fall election.

While the president's favorability ratings and those of Vice President Joe Biden slipped considerably over their first three years in office, Mrs. Obama's have remained strong.

Barack Obama's favorability rating now stands at 51 percent, Biden's at 38 percent. By contrast, 66 percent of Americans have a favorable opinion of the first lady, about even with her ratings on Inauguration Day, according to the Pew Research Center.

That's about where Laura Bush stood in the fourth year of her husband's first term, and it's considerably higher than Hillary Rodham Clinton's 42 percent at the start of her husband's fourth year as president.

Mrs. Obama is particularly popular with women and younger Americans, polling shows. And she does well with the moderate and liberal Republicans and independents whom Democrats will try to lure away in the fall elections.

There are other ways to measure her appeal: Her Twitter account shot up to more than a half-million followers in less than a month. And her Facebook page has more than 6.6 million "likes."

The first lady still has her detractors. Her anti-obesity campaign has attracted some "nanny state" grumbling from conservatives who think it intrudes on personal matters.

She said Friday that the five years since her husband announced for president actually have turned her from a natural pessimist into more of an optimist, hoping to make the most of her time in the White House.

"There's a window," she said. "Whether it's four years or eight years, it's not a lot of time."

As for how she's preparing her daughters for the coming campaign, sure to be hard-fought and bitter at times, Mrs. Obama said her focus is on reassuring the girls that "whatever happens, you guys are going to be good. So don't worry about this, just focus on your world."

Preparing them for a victory or loss, she said, "I just try to play both sides of the scenario and make both sides seem great."

So far, Mrs. Obama has headlined 32 fundraisers over the past 10 months, including six this year. Tickets to her political events range from $100 to $10,000, making them more accessible than higher-dollar fundraisers for the president. And her political schedule includes smaller cities, such as Charlottesville, Va., and Cape Elizabeth, Maine, that aren't likely to draw a presidential visit.

Still, she's hauling in millions with a fundraising stump speech that mixes a recitation of administration policy initiatives with a personal sketch of her husband as a man who stays up late after the children are in bed fretting over the concerns of ordinary Americans.

It's the same humanizing role that Mrs. Obama serves regularly in her public appearances, as she mixes public policy with stories about her own family.

What parent wouldn't think it was cool when she confessed to her dinner guests at the Olive Garden that her daughters aren't that interested in the White House kitchen garden – "because anything I do they're not interested in."

___

Christian Music Star Takes Surprising Guest To Grammys

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NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Christian singer Brandon Heath doesn't need to win a Grammy on Sunday to thank his biggest supporter publicly. She's going with him to the show.

The 33-year old Heath is taking his former high school choir teacher, Bobby Jean Frost. Heath is up for three awards, including best contemporary Christian album for "Leaving Eden" and contemporary Christian song and performance for "Your Love."

"I've got the hottest date at the Grammys, y'all," Heath said.

"The oldest, too," added Frost, 79, laughing.

Frost taught at Nashville's Hillsboro High School for 31 years and had Heath for four of them. During his freshman year in the choir, Frost encouraged him to audition for "Grammy in the Schools" with a chance to perform at an event in New York featuring Gloria Estefan.

Heath submitted a video of himself singing Garth Brooks' "One Night A Day" – and he won.

"That was really the moment when I thought, `I could actually do this for a career,'" Heath said. "So I figure, I'm nominated for a Grammy, I've got to take BJ with me."

Asked what she saw in Heath at that early age, Frost said "personality" without hesitation. Heath translated: "She means I talked a lot."

"I knew that he had talent, but sometimes talent only takes you so far," Frost said. "He had a willingness to work and to use his personality to get himself ahead."

That combination has taken Heath to the top of the Christian music charts, with No. 1 hits including "I'm Not Who I Was," "Give Me Your Eyes" and "Your Love." He has won an Emmy Award and was the Gospel Music Association's male vocalist of the year in 2009 and 2010.

Heath said that teaching can be one of the most thankless jobs, but that there are special teachers who make a difference.

"I thought she kind of gave me a gift when I was young and had a vision that I could succeed in music," said Heath. "So I wanted to just show her that she was right."

Frost calls it a huge honor to be going to the Grammys with Heath, and said: "When your students do succeed, it is not a thankless job."

The Grammys air Sunday from Los Angeles on CBS.

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WATCH AND LISTEN: Whitney's Hits

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Legendary singer and actress Whitney Houston died on Saturday in Beverly Hills at the age of 48, the Associated Press reported.

According to TMZ, Houston was found unresponsive in the Beverly Hilton hotel on Saturday afternoon. Her cause of death was not immediately known.

SCROLL DOWN FOR MUSIC VIDEOS

Her career, which spanned more than 30 years, was filled with accolades. Houston took home six Grammys, 22 American Music Awards and two Emmy Awards, TMZ reports.

According to her official website, she was "the only artist to chart seven consecutive #1 Billboard Hot 100 hits." She also released seven consecutive albums that went multi-platinum.

Scroll through the slideshow below to hear some of her biggest hits, including "I Will Always Love You," "Saving All My Love For You," "How Will I Know," "I Wanna Dance With Somebody (Who Loves Me)" and more.

What are your favorites? What are your memories of Whitney? Let us know in the comments.

Is Whitney Houston Joining 'The X Factor'?

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UPDATE: Sadly, on Saturday, Feb. 11, Whitney Houston's publicist broke news that the Grammy-winning singer had died at the age of 48.

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Is Whitney Houston joining Simon Cowell and L.A. Reid on "The X Factor’s" judges panel? According to The Hollywood Reporter, the six-time Grammy Award winner has been approached to join the show.

With Mariah Carey -- Cowell's top choice since the initial casting of the show -- raising her newborn twins, it looks like Cowell has been after a whole range of superstar divas since January, including Houston, Katy Perry and Beyonce, who recently gave birth to her daughter, Blue Ivy Carter.

Last month, "The X Factor" axed judges Paula Abdul and Nicole Scherzinger and host Steve Jones from Fox singing competition series.

Scherzinger recently told "Access Hollywood" that she was completely committed to the show. "Well, all I know is that I gave 110 percent to that show," she said. "I know everybody's talking about it. They're saying good, bad, they love me or hate me, but the one thing you can't say is that I didn't give it my all."

Scherzinger and Abdul served on the judges panel alongside Simon Cowell and L.A. Reid. Scherzinger was originally tapped to co-host the series alongside Jones, but when British singer Cheryl Cole was abruptly fired as a judge, Scherzinger took her place at the table, and Jones was then left as the lone "X Factor" host.

"I loved being a part of my ‘X Factor’ family," Scherzinger said. "Nothing could obviously prepare me for everything I had to go through, all the emotions and stuff, but I have no regrets."

So far, no official replacements have been named, but that didn't stop HuffPost TV from naming a few people we think would do well on the show, Whitney Houston included.

Check out our casting suggestions in this gallery, and share your own in the comments.

Remembering Whitney: Watch Her TV Debut

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As we look back on the life of the late Whitney Houston, who died at the age of 48 on Feb. 11, it's nearly impossible to choose her best performance. But in the video above, take a look at her first.

On April 29, 1985, a teenage Houston made her national television debut on "The Merv Griffin Show." In an off-the-shoulder gown, she stepped onto the stage with clenched hands to sing a cover of "Home" from "The Wiz."

Then-Arista Records head Clive Davis introduced Houston to world on the late night show. He'd seen her at a New York nightclub, signed her and helped her become one of the biggest selling artists in music history.

Before she belted the song -- which was originally sung on the stage by Stephanie Mills and Diana Ross in the 1978 film adaptation -- Davis sung Houston's praises to Griffin before anyone knew her name.

"There was Lena Horne. There is Dionne Warwick. But if the mantle is to pass to somebody who's 19, who's elegant, who's sensuous, who's innocent, who's got an incredible range of talent, but guts and soul at the same time, it will be Whitney Houston in my opinion," Davis said. "It's her natural charm. You either got it or you don't have it. She's got it."

Of course, it was just the first of many impressive performances from Houston, who flashed her signature smile and blew kisses to the crowd after hitting her final note.

"We won't forget that name," Griffin said after the singer wowed Griffin, the studio audiences and all of America watching. "Whitney Houston."


Bill Murray's Wild Pebble Beach Outfit

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Bill Murray has still got it.

Much to the delight of fans, the legendary actor donned a Ghillie suit (channeling his inner Carl Spackler, perhaps?) at the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am golf tournament in California on Saturday.

Murray has been a hit at the tournament since it began on Thursday. After missing a putt on the 18th green on Friday, the actor attempted to putt backwards with his hand over his eyes, SB Nation reports. He then proceeded to tickle a cameraman after he finally made the shot.

(SCROLL DOWN FOR PHOTOS)

Murray is famous for, among other roles, his portrayal of Spackler in "Caddyshack" in 1980.

Deadspin has some great video of Murray teeing off (and punting a football) in the camouflage Ghillie suit, so be sure to swing over there to check it out.

LOOK: Bill Murray wears a Ghillie suit at the third round of the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am golf tournament in Pebble Beach, Calif.

Celebrities In The Bedroom: Star Sex Product Endorsements

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We've all had fantasies about celebrities, but would you really want to invite them to your bedroom?

Recently, Kris Jenner, the "momager" behind the Kardashian clan and reality star of "Keeping Up With the Kardashians," has been named the official spokesperson for Zestra Essential Arousal Oils, or "female Viagra" for short.

In the next 10 years, the number of sex-related products could increase to 400 million worldwide because of celebrity 'endorsements,' according to a study in the Daily Mail.

And all celebrities have to do is talk about sex. Teri Hatcher, Eva Longoria and Halle Berry have all praised their sex toys and Cameron Diaz also told Jimmy Kimmel about her love of porn. These simple words are just enough to boost sales of pleasure products.

Celebrities have endorsed everything from drinks to clothing lines, but when it comes sex products, most of them are hush-hush. Here are the few brave souls who weren't shy to let us into their bedrooms.

They say reading helps your imagination. Now picture reading about someone's personal sex life -- Jenny McCarthy's sex life, specifically. In McCarthy's, "Belly Laughs: The Naked Truth About Pregnancy and Childbirth," she salutes her pocket rocket to her orgasms, her "O-Yeahs," during pregnancy.

With an explicit album entitled "Doggystyle", we're not really surprised this rapper decided to create his own adult film. In 2001, Snoop partnered with Hustler to direct "Snoop Dogg's Doggystyle" that later received a "Top Selling Release of the Year" award at the 2002 Adult Film Awards.

Reality star Kandi Burruss of "The Real Housewives of Atlanta," recently launched her own sex toy and product line, "Bedroom Kandi."
Let's just say this woman is all about convenience. Her pink-coated sex toys not only look like items in your makeup bag, they're meant to charge on your laptop.

Stay safe kids. In 2010, this rock star knew she wanted her little monsters to be safe, so she teamed up with designer Jeremy Scott to to produce her own condom collection.

The queen of home decor obviously should know a thing or two about the bedroom. Stewart once told Howard Stern she was excited with her, "new $1,200 vibrator." As it turns out, the vibrator she was talking about is the classic Thumper (not Bambi) and it usually retails for $13.

Well, this is kind of cute. Britain's biggest boy band JLS teamed up with Durex Condoms to raise awareness about sexual health and safe sex. Oh and don't worry, this line is slightly thicker, with extra lubrication.

The woman likes garbage bags, glitter and waking up in bathtubs. With this wild lifestyle, we're not surprised Ke$sha teamed up with Lifestyle to have her own custom condom line. Here's the catch: her face would be on the wrapper$ and she doesn't really have a guarantee for pregnancy prevention -- she told the BBC, "If it breaks, you have to name you daughter or son after me."

When he doesn't want you to lick his lollipop, rapper 50 Cent was once rumoured to be releasing a sex toy line -- to reflect his own manhood. The blue vibrator would also be waterproof -- at least the man was thinking outside the box.

Somebody decided to take former Eurythmics bandmate Dave Stewart's "Little Steel Tonight" a little too seriously. This branded version of the Jimmyjane vibrator, encircled with a band of 28 round-cut black diamonds and personalized messages, works best while listening to the song.

In 2009 drummer Phil Varone signed into rehab -- for his sex addiction. It only makes sense, then, that afterwards Varone would launch his own sex toy line including everything from a pierced dildo to "rock hard" nipple clamps.

Musicians And Stars React To Whitney Houston's Passing

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After news broke Saturday of Whitney Houston's death, musicians and celebrities took to Twitter to memorialize an icon they held dear as an idol and a friend.

The singer was found unresponsive at the Beverly Hilton Hotel. A cause of death was not immediately known. Houston was in town in part to attend Clive Davis' annual pre-Grammys party.

A video of Houston performing what is believed to be her last performance has appeared online. Houston is seen singing "Yes, Jesus Loves Me" on February 10, the eve of her passing.

Her self-titled debut album, released in 1985, sold 25 million copies worldwide. In total, she released seven albums and three film soundtracks; a winner of six Grammys, Houston sold over 200 million albums and singles worldwide. She earned 30 Billboard Awards, 22 American Music Awards and two Emmy Awards.

Stars react to Whitney Houston's death:

Happy Birthday, Jennifer Aniston!

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Jennifer Aniston turns 43 today, and, given how well her personal life is going these days, we’re guessing it may go down as her best birthday yet.

The Emmy-winning beauty has been on a pretty good run as of late. She’s hooked up with boyfriend Justin Theroux, and has a new movie, Wanderlust, out later this month (Feb. 24).

WATCH: Whitney Houston's Last Performance

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Just one night before she passed away at the age of 48, Whitney Houston took to the stage to sing "Yes, Jesus Loves Me" at the Kelly Price & Friends pre-Grammy concert on February 10th.

Watch the video below to see Houston's strong, and now eerie, performance.

The singer passed on the eve of the Grammy Awards in Los Angeles. The singer was pronounced dead at 3:55 pm at the Beverly Hills Hilton Hotel, according to TMZ. A cause of death was not immediately known, and details are still emerging at this time.

For more updates on the shocking news, check in with HuffPost's comprehensive coverage here.


Musicians and other celebrities post messages about Houston's passing on Twitter:


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