Whitney Houston’s final autopsy report was released today, and it will probably shock you to hear this, but… cops found cocaine in Whitney’s hotel room. In more than one place. And it appears that she had been doing cocaine for years. Who knew? She certainly hid it so well! TMZ says:

The report, which gives a detailed description of Whitney’s room when officials arrived, says “Located on the south portion of the counter was a small spoon with a white crystal-like substance in it and a rolled up piece of white paper, along with other miscellaneous items.”

“Located in the top drawer, in the north side of the counter were remnants of a white powdery substance, and a portable mirror on a base.” Officials found more white powder on the base of the mirror.

Whitney’s body was discovered FACE DOWN in the bath tub … with a “bloody purge coming from her nose.”

The report notes Whitney had a history of substance abuse, which was evident by a “perforation of posterior nasal septum.”

The singer’s official cause of death is listed as accidental drowning — but heart disease and “chronic” cocaine use were contributing factors.

Face down with a bloody purge coming from the nose? Ooh, I know what I’m gonna be for Halloween!

In news that really isn’t news, drugs were a major factor in Whitney Houston’s untimely death. You can return to your regularly scheduled program. TMZ reports,

An official for the L.A. County Coroner’s Office just stated … Whitney Houston used cocaine immediately prior to her death.

Coroner Chief Craig Harvey just held a news conference — claiming the toxicology results suggested Whitney was a “chronic” cocaine user.

Harvey described the cocaine level in Whitney’s system as “acute” — indicating Whitney used the drug not long before she accidentally drowned in a bathtub at the Beverly Hilton hotel last month. “Accidental drowning” is listed as Whitney’s official cause of death.

According to Harvey, the autopsy revealed a 60% narrowing of Whitney’s arteries — a direct result of the chronic cocaine use. Harvey claims the artery constriction led to a cardiac event before her death.

As for the other drugs in her system — marijuana, Benadryl, Flexeril, and Xanax — which Harvey claims were all at or below therapeutic levels … and did not significantly contribute to her death.

It would all be pretty cut and dried, except for the fact that someone was able to rid her room of all incriminating evidence before the cops showed up:

Sources connected to Whitney Houston who were with Whitney the day she died tell TMZ … an individual removed all traces of cocaine from the room before authorities arrived.

The Coroner’s Office says Whitney used cocaine “immediately prior to her collapse.” Investigators who arrived on scene found no traces of cocaine or any other illegal substance.

One source who is extremely close to the situation tells us … the individual who removed the cocaine was also the person who supplied it to Whitney.

That has to be a lot of coke to narrow your arteries by 60%. Hell, she must have had so much of that shit in her system she farted white powder. It would be like that America’s Funniest Home Videos clip where the baby farts and sends a baby powder-loaded fart into the air, except of course it’s a lot cuter and there isn’t a cardiac arrest and inhalation of bath water involved. That doesn’t go very well with the family demographic.

Elizabeth Banks, Malin Akerman and Milla Jovovich at the Restoration Hardware Spring launch in LA:

Although there were reports that fellow “Kim Kardashian Superstar” co-star Ray J was “sitting on a ton of sexually explicit photos and videos starring he and the late Whitney Houston” that he planned to use to extort money out of her family, that doesn’t actually seem to be the case. Thank God. TMZ says:

Ray J is adamant … he is NOT secretly harboring a stash of sexually explicit photos and video, depicting him and Whitney Houston in the throes of passion — because no such stash exists.

But Ray J’s rep [said]: “The despicable tabloid report released today claiming the existence of a sex tape between Ray J and Whitney Houston is not true … There is no sex tape.”

Sources extremely close to Ray J tell us the singer insists he NEVER took sexually explicit pics of Whitney … or recorded ANY of their intimate encounters.

So you can rest easy — there’s no Whitney Houston sex tape. Which reminds me… you know who else doesn’t have a sex tape? Victoria’s Secret supermodel Isabel Goulart! Crazy, right? And I just happen to have ten pics of her in Harper’s Bazaar Espana right here! Remember, boys and girls, relevancy is just a matter of perspective!

Whitney Houston’s will was officially filed in court yesterday, and as previously reported, ex-husband Bobby Brown doesn’t get jack shit — her estate will be going to her only daughter, Bobbi Kristina. Radar Online says:

The will is very straightforward and states that Whitney’s assets, real estate, jewelry, clothing and cars will all go to Bobbi Kristina. The money will be held in a trust until she turns 21.

The executors of the will and estate are Whitney’s mother, Cissy Houston, her brother Gary and her sister-in-law, Pat Houston.

She might have inherited what was left of her mother’s estate, but Bobbi Kristina won’t ever see any royalty checks from Whitney’s record company, thanks to the multiple advances and loans Whitney took from the $100 million deal she cut with Sony a decade ago. The Daily says:

Houston was out of cash in 2001 when she signed what was said to be a $100 million deal with Sony for six albums. While the agreement could have been worth $100 million if things had gone right, Houston only collected about $40 million. “It’s really an advance against sales. They loaned her the money, and her records didn’t sell,” a [label executive] explained.

Based on the meager sales figures, “She owes Sony at least $20 million… she’s going to have to sell 5 million more records before her family sees a dime.”

Inheriting an estate isn’t necessarily all that great, you know. You also inherit the debt and responsibility that come with it. And I’m sure it doesn’t help when the “investment portfolio” you’re inheriting is actually just a shoebox full of scratch-offs and a half-drunk bottle of Wild Turkey.

Whitney Houston’s family announced yesterday that there would be no public memorial service or public wake before the singer’s funeral on Saturday (although the funeral will be televised), leaving thousands of fans understandably disappointed. Almost as disappointed as Whitney’s family was when they learned that Clive Davis — who had been footing all of Whitney’s bills for the last year — would not be paying for her funeral. A source told Radar Online:

“Clive was paying the majority of Whitney’s bills before she died. He was even paying for her room at the Beverly Hilton Hotel; she was out of money. She didn’t have anything left.

Clive won’t be paying for any part of Whitney’s funeral though. Whitney’s family will be responsible for all the costs.

Whitney’s fortune is gone… music industry heavy hitters [were] supporting her and her label [was] fronting her cash against her next album. She might [have been] homeless if not for people saving her. She [was] broke as a joke.”

Is anybody really surprised to discover she was broke? Crackheads aren’t exactly known for their sound investments and fiscal prowess. Not unless you count the return on aluminum cans and most cigarette-and-homemade-shank-traded commodities.

Nina Agdal in the 2012 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue:

The body of Whitney Houston arrived in New Jersey late last night via private plane as it was revealed that Whitney will be laid to rest in her childhood hometown of Newark. People Magazine says:

The late singer’s body was flown from Los Angeles via a plane owned by actor-producer Tyler Perry.

Security was tight at the Teterboro, N.J., airport, where a gold hearse left the airport heading to the Whigham Funeral Home in Newark. About 50 fans mourning the death of 48-year-old Houston [and] sung along to some of her greatest hits and lit candles in her memory.

Houston’s invitation-only funeral will take place Saturday at noon at the New Hope Baptist Church in Newark, N.J.

Houston was born in Newark, where she began singing in church as a child in the choir.

Right after she died, I heard someone on the radio talking about the three divas up in heaven — Amy Winehouse, Etta James, and Whitney Houston — and they were waxing on and on about how they’d all be singing together and be best buds, then I thought to myself, wait… no, they wouldn’t. They’d fucking kill each other. Every last one of those bitches is crazy. Amy will just as soon beat you with her own beehive as look at you and you just know Whitney Houston’s stabbed somebody before, and Etta James — well, Etta James is old and black. I trust you’ve seen enough Tyler Perry movies to know how dangerous a combination that is.

Last night’s Grammy Awards was the second most watched Grammys ever, with over 39 million viewers tuning in to see the tribute to the late Whitney Houston. People Magazine says:

Whitney Houston’s death 24 hours before the event turned the CBS special into a night of mourning and celebration cresting on big, pure emotions.

LL Cool J, who handled the hosting duties without any perceptible wrinkling in his uncanny smoothness, opened with a simple prayer for Houston, “a woman who we loved … our fallen sister.” This set up a clip of the six-time Grammy winner belting her signature hit “I Will Always Love You.”

The song was reprised by Jennifer Hudson in one of the night’s high points. You wouldn’t have blamed Hudson if she fumbled it, but it was a strong, humble, honest interpretation – a sincere salute to Houston, and not an attempt to outshine her.

My heart is as black and as cold as they come, but seeing her in her prime in that tribute clip really gave me a case of the sads. Lipsynching “Greatest Love of All” into a hairbrush was practically a rite of passage for girls in the eighties. I can’t stand Barbra Streisand, but I really think she said it best: “How sad her gifts could not bring her the same happiness they brought us.” Rest in peace, Whitney.

A complete list of the night’s winners after the jump; Jennifer Hudson’s tribute to Whitney below:

(more…)

I wanna try to get all the Whitney stuff out of the way before we start talking about last night’s Grammy Awards, so you might want to sit down before you read any further. Turns out it was a mixture of pills and alcohol that killed her, not drowning. Shocking, I know. The Daily Mail says:

Whitney Houston died from mixing a cocktail of Xanax and other powerful prescription drugs with alcohol.

Her family has allegedly been told by Los Angeles County Coroner officials there was not enough water in her lungs to conclude she had drowned in her luxury hotel bathtub and in fact died before her head went under water.

And in more depressing Whitney-related news, daughter Bobbi Kristina has been hospitalized twice in the last 24 hours amidst rumors that she’s become suicidal. The Daily Mail says:

The teenager was first admitted after allegedly passing out after drinking alcohol and then taking a sedative pill given to her by one of her mother’s entourage to calm her down upon learning of [her mother's death].

She was then pictured being taken out of the Beverly Hilton — the same hotel where her mother had died just hours earlier — on a stretcher at 10:30 am yesterday and being rushed to Cedars-Sinai where she was treated for extreme anxiety.

She was released several hours later, but friends and family are still very concerned about her mental state.

It’s all just so tragic. I’m sure you’ve been bummed out all morning. But hopefully, these nude(ish) pics of Olivia Wilde for Lance Staedler will cheer you up just as much as they did me. They really did wonders for the ol’ morale, if you know what I mean.

In fact, I think I’m gonna go cheer myself up with them again right now. BRB:

By now you’ve no doubt heard, but 48-year-old pop legend Whitney Houston was found dead in her Beverly Hills hotel room bathtub on Saturday, just hours before she was to take the stage at Clive Davis’s annual pre-Grammy party. TMZ says:

Her stylist, hairdresser and two bodyguards were among the people in the room… theybecame worried about Whitney because she had been in the bathroom for over an hour and it was time to start getting ready for the Clive Davis party.

They began to knock on the door and there was no answer. The hairdresser, who is female, went in to check on Whitney. She immediately screamed and, according to our sources, one of the bodyguards came running in and pulled her out of the tub.

We’re told Whitney’s face was below the water and her legs were up, like she had slid down the back of the tub.

Her body was very cold and the bodyguard attempted CPR. That’s when hotel security was called.

Paramedics arrived shortly thereafter, but Whitney was pronounced dead at 3:55 PM.

Initial coroner’s reports indicate that water was found in Whitney’s lungs, but whether she died from drowning or whether it was the “plethora of sedatives, including Lorazepam, Valium, Xanax, and sleeping medication” found in her room that actually did her in still remains to be seen, and toxicology results won’t be back for at least another month. So sad. Such a waste of talent and life. Not to mention I had Lindsay Lohan waaaay ahead of her in my celebrity death pool. That’s another five bucks I won’t be getting back.

You already knew that crack was wack — apparently, airplane seat belts are wack, too. Whitney Houston almost got kicked off a Delta Airlines flight for refusing to buckle hers yesterday. TMZ says:

Whitney boarded a flight in Atlanta Wednesday afternoon, and when she settled into her seat, a crew member asked her to buckle up.

Whitney refused and “got diva” on the crew member … until another crew member came over and warned Houston that if she didn’t buckle up, she would have to get off the plane.

Whitney eventually allowed one of the crew members to grab the buckle and fasten it for the singer — and the plane was then cleared for takeoff.

Sources close to the singer tell us … Whitney “overreacted a little bit after missing an earlier flight but she’s still 100% sober and was on the way to Detroit for her first day of shooting a new movie.”

Well, having to buckle Whitney Houston’s seat belt is still better than having to dig a doody bubble out of her butt. Flight attendant, 1; Bobby Brown, 0.

Whitney Houston has been banned from attending any future Prince concerts after repeatedly trying to make her way onstage at his shows while high on crack and Wild Turkey. TMZ says:

Whitney attended several Prince concerts in the last few weeks and appeared to be “intoxicated” at each show.

Whitney was constantly badgering Prince’s staff to let her up on the stage … but Team prince shot her down every time because P’s people “didn’t want her to embarrass herself.”

Our sources say Whitney’s erratic behavior, coupled with repeated and excessive ticket demands became too much for Prince — and his team ultimately banned Houston from his concerts.

Personally, I never burn a bridge until I’ve urinated or vomited on it first, but that’s just me. Whitney wasn’t even given the chance. She got trumped before she even played her card. And ten bucks said that card would have been one of her weaves covered in puke and crack residue and a hilarious video we could watch over and over again on YouTube. Way to ruin it for everybody, Prince!

Oh, look — even MORE pics of Julianne Hough in a bikini. What are the odds?:

PHOTO SOURCE: Fame Pictures

Her rep tried to pass it off as a “cleanse” at first, but it has since admitted that Whitney Houston has entered an out-patient treatment program for her ongoing problem with booze and crack. Us Magazine says:

Whitney Houston is currently in an out-patient rehab program for drug and alcohol treatment. Whitney voluntarily entered the program to support her long-standing recovery process.

Out-patient rehab isn’t really even rehab at all. It’s just someone following your around all day saying things like “The last thing you need is a drink, young lady!” and “That can’t be good for your sinus condition!” and “Don’t you dare put that nasty thing in your mouth!” It’s like hanging out with my damn mom all night.