ARETHA FRANKLIN SAYS “STOP THE BS”

Aretha Franklin was planning to sing for her late goddaughter, Whitney Houston, but unexpectedly canceled her appearance. She said in a statement on Saturday that she had “every intention” of being at the service, but, “I had terrible leg spasms and locked leg muscles.” Franklin did perform at Radio City on Saturday night, with AP reporting that the Queen of Soul “danced and shimmied, kicked off her heels and paced the stage barefoot...” Suddenly, rumors started flying that Franklin was un-invited to the funeral because she ticked off Cissy Houston, Whitney’s mom, with remarks she made on the “Today” show last week. Franklin told Al Roker, “Parents really have to talk to their children before they leave home. They have to make sure when they leave home, they have all the right things. She left home with all the right things, but she just kind of lost her way along the way.” Today, Aretha is putting her foot down with the following statement denying any rift with Cissy:” Extra TV, the New York Post and Newsday (New York) should stop the BS. They are more interested in sensationalism and negative speculations than the truth. People are getting their information from the wrong source. The intelligent and the thoughtful thing to do would be to respect and have some sensitivity to the moment…I know Whitney left home right and properly. I was generalizing and it was a well intended statement for any young adult coming into the music industry.”

DID SOMEONE GET COLD FEET?

This past weekend, the quarterback of the Oakland Raiders and his wife Jenny, were supposed to become husband and wife.  But 30-year-old Mississippi native Jason Campbell and 32-year-old fiance Yenicia “Jenny” Montes called off the wedding last minute.  So last minute that guests had already flown down to the Dominican Republic wedding destination and received the news once they arrived TO THE WEDDING. Jason denies he "left her at the altar."  He instead claims their decision to call off the wedding was "mutual."  Jason told CSN Bay Area reporter, Kate Longworth, it's not in his character to do something of that nature.  The Washington Post says the 162 guests were informed Saturday afternoon of the drama, but weren't given a reason the wedding was called off.  They spoke to Jason yesterday, but he would only give vague details.  “I love her enough not to leave her at the altar. I love her enough to talk to her before it gets that far. It’s just the fact that I have a lot going on right now with recovering from injury. There’s just so much going on in both our lives right now. We’re not trying to force anything right now. We’re taking everything one day at all time, trying to let all the air and the dust clear.”

CELEBRITY QUICKIES

Terrence Howard has been ordered to write a big ol’ fat check to a woman he’s accused of being an evil racist … his wife Michelle, according to TMZ. Howard was in L.A. County Superior Court (on Tuesday) to deal with his exceptionally nasty divorce from Michelle Ghent Howard … and was ordered to shell out more than $50,000 to hold her over until they hammer out a long-term arrangement. The judge ruled that Michelle needs: $10k in temporary support for rent, food, etc., $20k so she can pay her lawyers. $20k so she can pay her accountants, and $1,800 per month for her Range Rover car payments. Terrence has to fork over the dough within 30 days.

In connection with her 24th birthday, Rihanna finally unveiled her “Birthday Cake” remix, featuring Chris Brown, online on Monday night (Feb. 20), just as Brown released his “Turn Up The Music” remix featuring his ex-girlfriend. The controversy surrounding their musical reunion was swift, with folks questioning their decision to musically reunite three years after getting into a violent altercation before the 2009 Grammy Awards. Producer The-Dream, who helmed Rihanna’s “Birthday Cake” remix, doesn’t believe that the collaborations should be judged against the former couple’s past. “For me, it’s just music — two talented people doing a record together, doing two records together, and that’s what it was.”

Is Musiq really taking a break from recording new music? According to the "Anything" singer, the time has come to focus more on writing and producing following the release of six studio albums.  "I think I want to take a step back a little bit as an artist," Musiq confirmed in an interview Monday. While the prospect of hearing a new album and single from Musiq may not happen for sometime, he is not stepping away completely. In fact, Musiq has begun writing and producing for other artists including Chrisette Michele and Bow Wow.

MAGIC JOHNSON’S LATEST BUSINESS MOVE

Magic Johnson is gearing up for the next phase of his expansive business portfolio – running his own network. According to the Los Angeles Times, the Hall of Famer is preparing for the summer launch of Aspire. “This is so exciting for me, I’m pinching myself,” Johnson told the LA Times’ Greg Braxton and Meg James in a phone interview. “This is big for myself, for the African American community and the African American creative community. I wanted a vehicle to show positive images and to have stories written, produced and directed by African Americans for our community. Aspire — that’s how I’ve been leading my life.” Aspire’s mix will include film, TV, music and comedy, with a combination of acquired projects and original programming. Earvin Magic Johnson isn’t the only one moving forward with his own cable network. According to the Times, Sean “Diddy” Combs’ channel “Revolt” could launch at the end of the year; it’s poised to be a mix of music and news content inspired by the 24-7 flow of social-networking sites.

ANOTHER NASTY DIVORCE

Apparently Terrence Howard can’t get work anymore because everyone is scared to hire him after his estranged wife alleged he violently abused her. TMZ has obtained new documents in the nasty divorce between Terrence and Michelle Howard.  Michelle has accused Terrence of smacking her in the face and chipping her tooth with his wedding ring, slugging her in the face and neck and threatening to throw her off a balcony … the list goes on. Terrence has denied all the allegations, but he says, “I am gravely concerned that her actions have had an incredibly negative effect on my career and my ability to obtain future work as an actor.” Terrence’s agent, Jim Toth — Reese Witherspoon’s hubby — submitted a declaration in which he says Terrence has not received any “suitable offers” since the allegations were made, and he only pulled in $60,000 for his last project which ended in September. Yes Mr. Howard, it does sound like you’ve got a serious female problem alright. Good luck, sir.

CISSY’S FINAL GOODBYE TO WHITNEY HOUSTON

It's no secret that Whitney Houston and her mother Cissy shared an unbreakable bond, and Whitney attributed her passion for singing to her mother, the acclaimed Gospel star. Though Cissy has remained private about her grieving, she penned an open letter to her daughter that was placed in the program of her home-going service, according to TMZ. The letter reveals an interesting event that happened the day Whitney died. Find out what Cissy said about Whitney and the spirit. “Dear Whitney: The presence of God blessed our home with life, love, joy and peace. You and your brothers were the center of divine love attracting God's richest blessings. You were a child of God. We had so much love in our home that was truly from on high. You always gave without expecting anything in return and our love was the force that multiplied these blessings higher and higher. I never told you that when you were born the Holy Spirit told me that you would not be with me long and I thank God for the beautiful flower he allowed me to raise and cherish for 48 years. God said it's time Nippy; your work is done. The other day on February 11th He came for you. But not without warning.” Click here to read the full letter.

CELEBRITY QUICKIES

Some of Whitney Houston’s belongings – including a pair of earrings and a vest that she wore in the 1992 movie “The Bodyguard” – will go on the auction block next month. The items, swooped up by celebrity auctioneer Darren Julien after her Feb. 11 death, will be included in the Hollywood Legends auction, which will be held at Julien’s Auctions in Beverly Hills on March 31 and April 1. The Houston items up for sale include several dresses, black velvet dress owned by the singer and more.  

The leader of the Parliament-Funkadelic, George Clinton, known as one of the originators of funk, has been awarded  an honorary doctor of music degree from the prestige Berklee College of Music. P-Funk held a four-day teaching residency at Boston college prior to receiving his honorary cap and gown. He closed his educational class with a concert. Clinton's innovative contributions to music have held a place in video games, films, and music leaving his imprint on people from all walks of life.

A judge has thrown out Joe Jackson’s wrongful death lawsuit against Dr. Conrad Murray and AEG, but only because his wife Katherine Jackson already has a similar suit pending – both on her behalf, and on behalf of Jackson’s three kids, reports TMZ. The judge said you can’t have two suits that allege the exact same thing, and since Katherine filed first Joe’s was tossed, the website reported. It’s unclear why Joe didn’t try to join in Katherine’s suit rather than filing a separate one on his own.

Ok, so after the drama, we thought there was no turning back. But Kobe and Vanessa were spotted making out on Valentine’s Day, doing the most. So now sources say the basketball player is begging for his wife to take him back. He swears he won’t cheat again. Sources tell TMZ that he’s been aggressively pursuing Vanessa over the past three weeks and she’s been giving him the attention he wants. He’s been flooding his wife with lavish gifts and attempting to revive their marriage. But Vanessa isn’t sure if she wants to go back there, however the divorce papers were withdrawn.

WAYS TO WATCH WHITNEY HOUSTON’S FUNERAL

Whitney Houston’s funeral is going to be a significantly smaller, private affair than that of Michael Jackson or James Brown. It will be held at Houston’s childhood church, New Hope Baptist Church, in Newark, N.J. But it will be readily available to catch via Web, TV or radio. Here are some of your sundry options: On television: BET, Centric and E! will be airing the funeral live starting at 11:30 a.m. EST. CNN will begin coverage at 11 a.m., anchored by by Piers Morgan, Soledad O’Brien, and Don Lemon. HLN will have anchors Ryan Smith and Susan Hendricks with Jane Velez-Mitchell and AJ Hammer in Newark starting at noon. New Atlanta-based network Bounce TV and Fuse TV will the funeral beginning at noon. Fox News will cover it as a live news event with Uma Pemmaraju and Jon Scott anchoring and correspondent Kelly Wright outside the church.MSNBC coverage begins at noon with Alex Witt anchoring.