But then, Whitney Houston died. Yes, I know that is not a very happy Valentine’s Day post… or so it seems on the surface. But when you look just beneath the surface you find this

This my friends, in my opinion, is one of the greatest love songs of all time. This song was actually released by Dolly Parton in 1974, but that was a bit before my time. So I am quite fond of the Whitney Houston song, that I have been listening to since it’s release in 1994, when I was 8 years old. I remember the movie fondly, it’s always been one of my mom’s favorites. And I remember sitting in the car, doing my best to hit the high note in this song, never having any luck. I am a horrible singer. I even remember one road trip where I was so proud of how close I was to the note, just for my cousin Craig to tell me I wasn’t really close at all. Yes, I guess I am holding a grudge against him nearly 20 years later for this.

I was at my cousin Lisa’s house on Saturday when it was announced that Whitney had died. We had just finished up a marathon Just Dance competition when I got the AP Alert on my phone. I think it was kind of fitting that I was with Lisa. She has been a Whitney fan since I can remember, thought the good years and bad, and would have been the first person I thought of when I heard the news. We spent the night listening to the Top 10 Whitney Songs that I found online and watching CNN and Twitter for the latest news.

During out little Whitney-a-thon, I really listened and thought about all the great love songs she sang, from I Will Always Love You to The Greatest Love of All.

In Whitney’s honor, I have had her Pandora station running non-stop for a couple of days now. And let me tell you what, that station is so fitting for Valentine’s Day. From Whitney, to Toni Braxton, to Mariah Carey, to Michael Jackson, the love songs on the Whitney Pandora station are endless and unfortunately it took her death for me to realize how much love her music spread. Much like when the Christmas holiday rolls around, I really get into the holiday spirit with music, I am the same way with Valentine’s Day. I can listen to love songs all the time… well most of the time. Some days I need something a little more upbeat. But this year, I just can’t turn it off.

So what is your favorite love song? Whether it be one that reminds you of your loved one, helps you get through a break up, or is just one that whenever you hear it, you crank it and sing it at the top of your lungs and always feel better when it’s over.

If you are looking for some good love songs, let me suggest cranking the Whitey Houston station on your Pandora Radio, or even checking out the Love Songs station, which also is fabulous for a day like today.

Here’s a list of some of my favorite love songs:
“I Will Always Love You” by Whitney Houston
Making Memories of Us” by Keith Urban (our wedding song)
At Last” by Etta James (this was performed at our wedding by my maid of honor)

Also check out this list of the Top Love Songs. There are some classics on here, but others that fit the bill that I never thought of.

So I am going to round out this post with a Happy Valentine’s Day wish to my Valentine, my very loving husband, who should receive an award for just putting up with me on a daily basis. And Happy Valentine’s Day to you my readers!! xoxo

When I was on my way to work, I was talking to my parents about Farrah and started thinking, this is the first celebrity that I remember dying that I REALLY felt something. Farrah was huge and although I didn’t know a lot about her, it made me really sad. And then Michael, I’m not going to lie, I got a little teary eyed. I know that many celebrities have died in the past 22 years, but I just feel like this is the first round that I’ve been old enough and have had any connection with to feel anything for it.

And tonight on my way home, I realized my job has made this day bittersweet. As soon as I walked in today, we started talking about Farrah. Some people still hadn’t heard so we broke the news. Then we talked about Carrie Cline’s recent interview with Ryan O’Neal.

Just when things started to get calm, my News Director came out and told me to check TMZthat Michael had been transported to the hospital in cardiac arrest. I immediately opened it and put it in my show. I kept clicking the refresh and nearly every time I did, there was an update. First it told us when the 911 call came in, then said he’s in really bad shape, then a message from his dad saying he wasn’t doing well.  When I updated at 5:20, that’s when it hit “Michael Jackson Dies.” I remember yelling it and immediately calling the 5pm producer and telling him. At that time, no one else was reporting his death, but TMZ is a show on myZ and yes, it’s not CNN, NBC or FOX, but it’s one of the most credible entertainment sites out there. We immediately aired it, with credit to TMZ.

At that time, other stations were just starting to report that he was taken to the hospital and that he was in a coma. We got a number of nasty calls and comments on our web story because people said we were jumping the gun. It wasn’t until 6:25 that NBC officialy reported Michael’s death. If people don’t give TMZ credit, they should now. They had the information confirmed and reported an hour before the major media outlets picked it up.

The rest of the night was a blur. We were trying to find a national story about Michael’s life and death to run in the 10. We were also trying to find a live shot or two of California to pull up during our show. All the while, we had CNN (I think) cranked to hear their updates. We turned those down when the NBC special came on. It was all Michael and Farrah all the time.

Shortly after my News Director left tonight, he called me and told me that some websites were reporting that actor Jeff Goldblum fell from a cliff and died today while on set for a movie. Those rumors turned out to be false.

The reason I say today was bittersweet: The bitter is obvious. Farrah has been an icon for women for 40 years. She’s a woman I’ve admired for her beauty and she was just so down-to-earth everywhere she went. The last couple of years, I’ve really admired her for being a fighter. Michael Jackson has been a part of my life since I exited the womb. My mom told me today she considered Michael Jackson the Elvis of her era. So that may show you where I get my love for him. The bitter continues though with my job. Working in the news business, there’s no way to push the news aside. No matter if you want to hear more, you are going to.

But that also leads me to the sweet: I want to know news now. I don’t know if this is something you feel when you see the news, or if it’s just me being a news nerd. But when things happen, I want to be the first to know. The business I am in definitely fills that need. I can’t describe the feelings I had when I read the headline that Michael Jackson had died. But I can tell you that after an hour of us reporting it and having it up on our web page, it was a sigh of relief when everyone else picked it up. The more I write this, the more I feel like I am sounding insensitive. I am sorry if you take it that way. In every business, there is a goal for you to be number 1. In ours, it’s being first and being accurate. And despite all of the harsh comments about premature reporting, we did both of those tonight.

In any sense, Ed, Farrah and Michael will all be missed tremendously.

I am sure MANY websites now have full coverage of Michael Jackson’s death, but I encourage you to check out the TMZ site. They have 3 pages of posts, everything Michael. From pictures of his family, quotes from loved ones and the original post that we broke the news from.

I am not going to add the picture, but here is a link to the Entertainment Tonightsite. They have a picture taken from the ambulance as Michael was transported to the hospital. He has a breathing tube in his mouth and they are trying to resuscitate him. Very, very sad photo.

And finally, my favorite Michael song is “Man in the Mirror.” One of my fellow Tweeters sent me this link tonight. This is Chris Cendana. Born and raise in Beckley and a Marshall University Grad. Love it!

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xA8lFK88KkM]