People now know The Voice as a musical TV show featuring Adam Levine, Cee Lo Green, Christina Aguilera, and Blake Shelton. But way back when, the only thing “The Voice” ever referred to was the Queen of Pop herself, Whitney Houston. Countless diva-wannabes out there have tried to copy her earth-shattering mezzo-soprano tone, but no one has ever come close to copying the magic that was simply Whitney. In wake of her funeral, we realize that a legend has truly passed but we are comforted by the fact that her music will always rule the airwaves.

Here’s a list of our top 5 favorite Whitney Houston songs.

5. “I Wanna Dance With Somebody”

We’re all so used to seeing Whitney in diva mode, belting some of the highest and craziest notes known to balladeering kind, but in “I Wanna Dance With Somebody,” we saw Whitney as a young, vivacious girl, colorful in her 80s best and looking for somebody to dance with. Years after, I look at this and can’t help but think that I’ve finally unlocked the secret behind Katy Perry’s “TGIF.”

Don’t even get us started on that hair!

4. “Greatest Love of All”

A resounding message of self-confidence and empowerment that has never sounded as poignant as when it came from Whitney’s powerful voice. With Kevin Costner’s eulogy in mind, the song is made more intense with the knowledge of Whitney’s insecurity and feelings of insufficiency just boggles the mind, given that she inspired so many.

3. “I’m Every Woman”

Whitney was a singer more known for her covers than her original songs. She wowed us with her ability to make popular songs her own, and making her renditions the standard for all those to follow. How she was ever able to top Chaka Khan is beyond us. But she did it nonetheless, and gave us this anthem that just screams, “You go girl!”

2. “I Have Nothing”

Confession time: as a child…I loved The Bodyguard. I know, weird for a little girl to love a movie about a pop star and her lackey, but I did! Blame my parents, I guess?

One of the most amazing moments in the movie was when she sang this song. Cue the fireworks spelling out her name, and it about reflected the feelings of every single person who just stood slack-jawed in awe of how effortlessly she sang a song that has been the downfall of many an American Idol hopeful.

1. “I Will Always Love You”

In light of my little confession earlier, this top choice shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone. But then again, isn’t it on everyone’s list? It makes you want to carry someone off as you kick a few reporters around just to get through the crowd. No wonder Jennifer Hudson sang this in her Grammy’s tribute. “I Will Always Love You” is quintessential Whitney, and it is also a message her fans echo as they send off the iconic star.

RIP Whitney. We’ll always love you!—DEXYLEBOWSKI

Never—we repeat—never cut off Adele in the middle of her speech, or else she’ll give you a middle of her own.

After winning the award for British Album of The Year at this year’s BRIT awards, the six Grammy award-winning Adele gave a heartfelt speech about how proud she was of British music and how thrilled she was to wave the Queen’s banner overseas. But a few seconds later, an apologetic James Corden went up to her with cease order from the suits up on high. The result, a fiesta for TV censoring officials the world over. Catch the show below:

Check yourself before you wreck yourself, BRIT producers. That’ll teach you not to mess with Madame Adele.—DEXYLEBOWSKI

via EW, DailyMail

Summer is just around the corner, before we head go on with planning trips and picking out bikinis to sport in all that wonderful sand and sunlight, we’d like to do a quick rundown of some of our favorite trends from New York Fashion Week. Let’s take a look at some of the looks that we absolutely loved. -LADYZAZA

Detailed textured jackets
A good outfit only deserves a good cover-up to match. And who says you have to stick to just a basic trench?

Fur details
Oh, the perennial Fall staple! You don’t need to go all Cruella de Vil when sporting this trend. A faux fur scarf can keep you warm without earning you nasty looks from animal lovers.

Full length florals
Not all of Spring’s blossoming buds were left out in the cold to wilt. These floor-sweeping floral dresses add color to the usually muted shades of Fall.

It was something I missed in its premiere which featured Beach House, Deerhunter, Ladyhawke, The Temper Trap, Warpaint, and Yeasayer among others, so I booked a flight quite early for this year. Besides having to fly for the Fuji Rock Festival or for Laneway’s Australian locations, this has to be the best in the region. I do have a lot of materials from this fest, so meanwhile, I’ll tell you what happened. Stories of closer encounters with the bands to follow in the coming weeks.

I arrived in Singapore less than a decent sleep to go before the fest, and I was greeted with news that Whitney Houston just passed away. Luckily, Fort Canning is closer to where I was staying than I imagined, so I didn’t have to worry about the 11am media call time (the first presscon was at 1230pm, and the event officially started just a little before 2PM). I entered the media tent hoping for someone to announce adding a Whitney tribute–could it be Austra, or Feist? (You probably heard by now, but I won’t divulge here until further below.) Cults were doing their sound check as we enter. The tropical noon weather was taunting us with a light drizzle.

Inside the (whew, air conditioned) media tent, we met the first of them, Cults. On the right is vocalist Madeline Follin obviously amused at the Asian press. We, of course, were taking photos of her taking photos of us. The white tent looked like a microwave from outside, but it also allowed divine light to flow in for nice photos. Taking care of those is my coverage partner for the fest, the reliable music photojournalist Niña Sandejas.

Also hanging out backstage and having his one-on-ones with the bands was MTV Asia’s VJ Rich. Aside from a couple more journalists and a bucketful of Filipinos at the audience, seeing him felt almost like I’m covering just another event back home.

Expectedly, I heard that the line was incredibly long outside, so there were very few people, and they’re all roasting under the noon sun by the stage when Cults opened the fest. What a waste! True to everyone in the lineup, the live performances really brought another layer of appeal to their already incredible records. Many missed at the queue, for example, the way Madeline Follin and Brian Oblivion swished their long hair IRL and not just on their album cover, and then there’s hearing their beautifully rendered live sound in “Go Outside” or “You Know What I Mean”.

Yuck’s Daniel Blumberg in his signature denims (a cutoff version for the heat) had few words but strong ones at the Q&As. Outside, the audience had grown fuller, and I did hear some friends shout for a funny request, a reprise of “Shook Down”! The local BlackBerry data service I availed started to conk out at this point, so I couldn’t tweet the joy of their anthems like “Get Away” and “Holing Out” and, yeah, watching their lady bassist Mariko Doi.

Many, including myself, were disappointed with the withdrawal of Wu Lyf from the lineup, but the entry of Chairlift, although they’re much different, appeased me so. First, just look at the beauty that is Caroline Polachek. Second, they came across with great intelligence and a healthy regard for pop (indie Beyonce, say what?). Too bad she couldn’t do the dance in the “Amanaemonesia” music video as she had to play the synths.

Possibly a great surprise for many was how fun the Austra girls were. By now, everybody in Laneway would agree on wanting to cop those mad moves in the next party they’re going to. Dressed as a techno gypsy with her girls, Katie Stelmanis wowed the crowd with the steps to “Beat and the Pulse” and also with her opera-trained vocals in “Lose It”.

Now, this sh*t cray. Remember my Whitney suggestion in the morning? Well, Austra didn’t have it, and it might have been awkward in the middle of their dancy set, but guess who brought “I Will Always Love You”. Christopher Owens of Girls didn’t do the most amazing cover but the most heartfelt one. That pretty much sold him to the girls, and then he had to throw flowers, tons of them, to the audience, until every girl had a daisy in her hair while singing to “Lust for Life” and “Laura”.

The Drums’s Jonathan Pierce was almost too tough at the tent and then totally worked his wonky legs ala Jake Shears and his voice ala Morrissey onstage. They were a consistent favorite among people I know. I wasn’t by the stage the entire set, but I was dancing inside while lounging for the next press slot. A total fan here, but through this set (“Let’s Go Surfing”, “Down by the Water”, “The Future”, etc.), I realized how many hits The Drums can manage in just a couple of albums.

Aside from receiving an almighty blurb from Brian Eno (“biggest thing since Patti Smith”), Anna Calvi was actually great–fiery, magnetic, rock n roll flamenco, and as you can see here (with me as a happy camping journalist), quite a beautiful English lady.

And then a stylish man: Twin Shadow.  I was working backstage (and getting anxious about not getting out as I overhear “When We’re Dancing” and “Shooting Holes”) during the entire time he was performing but got wind of the news that he gave his guitar to our very own supermodel Raya Mananquil! Many friends attest to him delivering one of the most beautiful sets in the festival.

As I made my way to the stage, I thought Laura Marling was covering Joni Mitchell, and then I realized she’s just being Laura Marling. It didn’t seem to be as long as the other performances, but it was also easily one of the most emotional. I think I saw some sparkling eyes as she sang “Rambling Man”.

What fun (and pain–as there were some technical difficulties onstage, they even had to exit the stage for a second) to watch The Pains of Being Pure at Heart play “Heart in Your Heartbreak”, “Heaven’s Gonna Happen Now”, and “A Teenager in Love”. I had some moment with them backstage, and Kip Berman told me how excited they are about their leap day gig in Manila next week.

Another act en route to Manila that time was Toro y Moi who gushed about the “crazy response” he’s been getting from the Philippines. “As you know, I’m half-Filipino,” he would say during the local gig, and of course, everybody swooned besides the admiration for his fuller live sound. This was them goofing off backstage.

My BlackBerry data service finally got back as Feist took over the stage, and I was still feeling sorry for having not tweeted enough for @statusmagazine. It was almost midnight, and the presscons are finally over. Was it just the rest I was finally having, or was it entirely beautiful–from the stage set-up to their earthy get-ups and quiet self-assurance of a refined artist? The did play some Feist classics like “Mushaboom” and “I Feel It All”, but the new “The Bad in Each Other” and “How Come You Never Go There” were just as entrancing.

Their ardent crowd was happy when The Horrors had their time, but many were just so antsy for…

M83, named after the spiral galaxy Messier 83, was just that–stellar. Their complex shoegaze sound made this symphonic wall of sound so dramatic with the entire Fort Canning lit up. Glowsticks came aview, and many of those lying or sitting down on the field had to get up. “We’re having a moment of our lives,” Anthony Gonzalez shouted as they deliver a surprisingly apt and strong closing.

That’s Anthony showing some love to Singapore, where almost two thousand more people showed up compared to last year. By now, it should be safe to say that Singapore has become a destination for just Laneway. That was a reassuring promise for an even bigger show and better lineup next season. -NANSAN

Photos by (in order of appearance) Aloysius Lim, nansan, Niña Sandejas, nansan, nansan, Ryan Chang, nansan, Dawn Chua + Glenn Yong, Niña Sandejas, Niña Sandejas, Niña Sandejas, Glenn Yong, Niña Sandejas, Glenn Yong, nansan, Niña Sandejas, Aloysius Lim, Niña Sandejas, Aloysius Lim

Ok…maybe Anna Thiessen doesn’t have any concrete summer plans yet but we’re pretty sure that where ever she goes, she’ll have a ton of new photos to add to her portfolio. Although she loves shooting inside the studio, she says that she wants to shoot more on location. Hopefully she gets her wish. We hear Germany, Fiji, or even Kansas is nice this time of year.—LADYZAZA

What was the last place you visited?
Anna: The last place I visited were West Hollywood and Malibu. I loved the weather! The sky was a completely different shade of blue then on the east coast.  The Andaz Hotel was rad.

How was your last vacation?
A: The last official vacation I had was spent in Hawaii. I went with my now fiancé.  He is a huge U2 fan. We went to see them play outside. It was amazing.

If you could travel somewhere you haven’t been to where would it be?
A: Hmmmm… Fiji for its beauty, sun, and beaches.  And also Germany because I am a huge World War II history nut.

Where do you go when you want to take photos?
A: I shoot in NYC. I love shooting in the studio although I want to shoot more location. Pretty much anywhere that I have a great team to collaborate with.

What are your traveling essentials?
A: Absolute musts: iPhone Charger, Cinnamon flavored toothpaste, Nook, and my panther and tiger rings: they bring me good luck.

Who’s the best person for you to travel with?
A: I haven’t really found that person yet.  It is definitely not my boyfriend. He is, hands down, the worst.

Summer plans?
A: I want to take a drive to Kansas and visit my grandpa. Other than that, I haven’t really thought about it.

Drink of choice that would keep you cool this summer?
A: Mimosa and German Wheat Beer are both great year round. And of course Pepsi Max, but that’s for everyday!

• Busting the myth of being “fashionably late.” – Arriving at the venue late will always be a no-no. The only thing you’ll get out of it are crappy seats at the back of the hall, and that’s only if you get in. Best keep track of time with a classic time piece that you could wear with any outfit.
• No ID, No Entry. – If you’re part of the press, be sure to claim your IDs early in the week. Don’t lose them. As for others, always keep your invites at hand. You may think that it’s face value for some, but truth be told even the VIPs stash their entry passes inside their tiny purses.
• Save yourself from the embarrassment! – The first few rows are usually reserved for guests of the designers, and the media. Unless you fall under these categories, don’t squeeze yourself into those seats. You don’t want to be bunked down to the back.
• Dress the part. – You’re at Fashion Week so might as well clean up more that usual. Whether you decide to go simple and sleek or all decked out in eye catching garments—never step out of the house without taking a good look at a full body mirror or there will be a steep fine to pay.
• Mingle, mix, and be.– Smile and be friendly with your seatmates as well as every other person you meet. You never know who’ll show up in these things. If you see someone famous, keep your cool and stay classy. Don’t go on fangirl mode and badger them for photos… but if you are desperate for one, you might as well do it discretely.—LADYZAZA

Who doesn’t love those vampin’ vixens at Victoria’s Secret? They’re fun, they’re beautiful, they own the ramp and everyone who watches them, and most of all, they’re sexy and they know it. Whether you’re a girl or a guy, you can’t help but love the scantily clad angels as they represent one of the biggest brands on earth.

This season, Victoria’s Secret’s popularity hits its fever pitch as summer roles along and everyone is dying to look like an angel. Part of that is dressing like an angel as well. Candice Swanepoel sizzles in this preview of what’s hot this 2012. Can’t wait till these designs hit the rack!—DEXYLEBOWSKI

via Refinery29

Before clubs and bars, there were trucks and coolers of beer. Simpler days when all you needed were a bunch of friends and an open space to park. Get those and you had one hell of a chill out session. Nowadays, we only get to do tailgate-style parties when en route to a vacation destination.

We’ll don’t you worry about a thing! STATUS found you the perfect nostalgia bum out event to go to. This Saturday, Live 5 opens sat Trinoma’s Mindanao open parking area. Pump your fist to the smooth live perfromances by A+ Dropouts, The Summer Set, The Ready Set, A Rocket to the Moon, and Forever the Sickest Kids while taking in the fresh air, setting sun, and the purely good vibes going around.—DEXYLEBOWSKI

Telling a girl that a shoe store has new arrivals is like telling a kid that he’s in for a trip to the ice cream parlor. It’s exciting, it’s sweet, and it really has you wondering which one you’re gonna get. Well double scoops for us please because these morsels are too cute for restraint. Ranging from candy-colored platform pumps to wedged brogues and earthy wingtips, these designs mirror the split personality of head designer Marisa Spinella. Penelope is the classic, dainty chick with Old Hollywood dripping from her red lipstick while little miss Coco lives in leopard and sass with a style that isn’t afraid to be a little loud.

Who says you need to choose? Penelope and Coco encourages you to be both.—DEXYLEBOWSKI

You know that STATUS loves a good party so we thought of giving you a heads up on two awesome nights that are about to get down at REPUBLIQ. First of all, the dude who created disco himself. Amazing Scottish DJ, songwriter, and record producer Calvin Harris of the “We Found Love” fame with Rihanna is coming over with Burns and Marc Naval is poised to drop some mind-blowing sets this February 23, 2012.

And the first day of summer ushers in the coming of remix-master R3HAB. And more than just a night of good house music, REPUBLIQ also promises a night that will rain shots. Come in your fave “white hot beach club outfit” and you get a free shot on the house. Match made in heaven, if you ask us.—DEXYLEBOWSKI