UPI NewsTrack Entertainment News

Adele cleans up at Grammy Awards

LOS ANGELES, Feb. 13 (UPI) -- British soul singer Adele won six Grammy Awards, including the top prize of Album of the Year, in Los Angeles Sunday night.

The 23-year-old recording star also made a triumphant return to the stage after undergoing throat surgery and canceling a U.S. concert tour last year.

She looked radiant as she belted out her hit "Rolling in the Deep," which won the awards for Song of the Year, Record of the Year and Short Form Music Video.

Adele also scooped up the prizes for Pop Solo Performance for her song "Someone Like You." In addition to winning the Album of the Year title, "21" also earned the statuette for Pop Vocal Album.

She went into Sunday's competition with six nominations and won all of her categories.

"Thank you so much," Adele tearfully said as she collected her final award of the night. "This record is inspired by something really normal and everyone's been through it, which is a rubbish relationship. And it's gone on to do things, I can't tell you how I feel about it. It's been the most life-changing year."

Foo Fighters won the Grammys for Long Form Music Video for "Foo Fighters: Back and Forth," Hard Rock/Metal Performance for "White Limo,"

Rock Song and Rock Performance for "Walk" and Rock Album for "Wasting Light."

The prize for Rap Performance went to Jay-Z and Kanye West for "Otis." The Rap/Sung Collaboration trophy was shared by West, Rihanna, Kid Cudi and Fergie for "All of the Lights," which also won the title for Best Rap Song. West also picked up the award for Rap Album for "My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy."

The Grammy for Traditional Pop Vocal Album was awarded to "Duets II" by Tony Bennett and Various Artists. "Body and Soul," a track Bennett recorded with Amy Winehouse before she died last year, won the prize for Pop Duo/Group Performance.

Cee Lo Green picked up the awards for Traditional R&B Performance and R&B Song for "Fool for You."

Taylor Swift went home with the trophies for Country Solo Performance and Country Song for "Mean."

The evening featured tributes to late music industry titans Etta James, Don Cornelius and Whitney Houston, and performances by the Beach Boys, Katy Perry, Paul McCartney, Maroon 5, Foster the People, Rihanna, Coldplay, Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band, Taylor Swift, Bruno Mars, Chris Brown, Alicia Keys and Bonnie Raitt.

LL Cool J served as host of the event.

New Jersey funeral planned for Whitney

NEWARK, N.J., Feb. 13 (UPI) -- A funeral is being planned for songstress Whitney Houston in her hometown of Newark, N.J., later this week, sources close to her family told NBC New York.

Houston, 48, was found dead in her Los Angeles hotel room Saturday, the eve of the Grammy Awards ceremony, a music industry event she was slated to attend. Officials said they are awaiting the results of toxicology tests before determining the cause of her death.

NBC said Houston's body may be flown as early as Monday evening to New Jersey where the Whigham Funeral Home is handling arrangements.

Houston, born in Newark and raised in East Orange, started her music career in the choir at New Hope Baptist Church in Newark. Known for her beauty and extraordinary voice, Houston's career was overshadowed in recent years as she battled addictions to drugs and alcohol.

Billy Watson, her brother-in-law, said Monday the singer's death was accidental and she had no intention of committing suicide, ABCNews.com reported.

"Oh, no, this is accidental," Watson said, reacting to speculation on the Internet that Houston's death may have been a suicide. "She wouldn't have left her daughter like that. She wouldn't have done that to her daughter."

Prescription drug bottles were found in Houston's hotel room, but Ed Winter, assistant chief coroner in Los Angeles, said there wasn't anything "alarming" or "out of the ordinary" about them.

"I have more prescriptions than what was found in her room," Winter said.

TMZ reported coroner's officials told family members that Houston likely died from a combination of the drug Xanax and other prescription medication mixed with alcohol.

39 million watched Grammy Awards show

LOS ANGELES, Feb. 13 (UPI) -- More than 39 million viewers tuned in to the 54th annual Grammy Awards show in Los Angeles, CBS announced Monday.

Sunday night's prize presentation was the most watched edition of the event since 1984 and the second most viewed telecast in Grammy history.

Highlights of Sunday's show included British soul singer Adele's sweep of six award categories, as well a Beach Boys reunion and touching tributes to recording star Whitney Houston, who died Saturday at the age of 48.

'The Artist' wins big at BAFTAs

LONDON, Feb. 13 (UPI) -- "The Artist," a black-and-white ode to cinema's silent film era, was named Best Picture by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts

The movie also picked up the prizes for Best Original Screenplay, Cinematography, Music and Costume Design at Sunday's awards ceremony, while star Jean Dujardin was named Best Actor and Michel Hazanavicius went home with the Best Director trophy.

The Cold War-era spy thriller "Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy" won the awards for Best British Film and Best Adapted Screenplay.

Meryl Streep was named Best Actress for her work in "The Iron Lady," and Christopher Plummer and Octavia Spencer won matching Supporting Actor and Actress BAFTA masks for their respective work in "Beginners" and "The Help."

The BAFTAs were handed out at the Royal Opera House in London's Covent Garden.

Comedian, actor and author Stephen Fry served as host of the ceremony.