I’m sure the winners at the Grammy Awards will be sending out Christmas cards to those who voted for them as a token of their thanks for having been the recipients of the music industry’s highest honor. Come to think of it, the real winners were us—the viewing public—who were treated to the most entertaining of all Grammy shows in decades. Watching snippets over the past few years made me feel a bit old and disconnected as it seemed that censors had to bleep out acceptance speeches more and more. This year’s show had none of that, as everyone watched their mouths and behaved like courteous human beings.

Paul McCartney doesn't miss a beat, and his music is as young and fresh as ever!

Granted, I have reached the age (not to be mentioned) where most of the folks who populate the Billboard charts and who performed Sunday night were people who I have never heard of (and they probably know little about Harry S Truman, who was President of the United States when I was born). But the Grammy people did a smart thing for this year’s program: they made sure that there were enough artists who appealed to baby boomers to spur enough interest to have older music lovers tune in just to see their geriatric favorites.

And what a lineup! The show opened with 62-year-old Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band singing Bruce’s new single, “We Take Care of Our Own”. There was Paul McCartney, almost 70—with a schmaltzy orchestra (this was our boomers’ parents’ music!)– backing him on his new ballad, “My Valentine”, he wrote for his bride, Nancy. Also on tap were the wrinkly-looking Beach Boys—including comatose-like Brian Wilson—who were part of a three-song tribute which ended with them singing, “Good Vibrations” from 1966. A rousing tribute to Glenn Campbell, who announced months ago that he is suffering from Alzheimer’s, was extremely poignant, especially when Campbell himself came out to finish the medley with “Rhinestone Cowboy”, backed by Taylor Swift on banjo, among others. Even octogenarian Tony Bennett was there to sing and to present an award. But the biggest thrill of all for me, as a Beatles fan, was when McCartney came onstage after the final Gammy had been awarded to sing the “Golden Slumbers” medley from the Beatles’ Abbey Road album (from 1969). For this rousing finale, he was backed by his touring band and also joined onstage by Springsteen, Dave Grohl from the Foo Fighters and Joe Walsh, current Eagle and brother-in-law of McCartney’s fellow Beatle Ringo Starr.

In addition to the above, younger artists such as Adele, Katy Perry, Justin Vernon and the above-mentioned Swift all helped make the event very entertaining. Of course, the most memorable moment was Jennifer Hudson’s beautiful rendition of “I Will Always Love You” to honor Whitney Houston who had died the day before. Her performance will go down as one of the best in the history of the Grammy awards telecast. Very moving!

Let’s hope that those in charge of next year’s program use the same kind of ideas for this year’s highly successful show and give us old folks another great musical evening to remember.

Our thoughts turn from Christmas cards to Sympathy cards, as we here at CelebrityChristmasCards, along with the rest of the world, mourn the loss of a pop icon. On Saturday, February 11, at 3:55 PM PST, Whitney Houston was pronounced dead in her hotel room at the Beverly Hills Hilton, on the very night of her mentor Clive Davis’ pre-Grammy gala. With every possible media outlet covering the shocking news, it was hard to grasp the reality of the situation, to make sense of what was flashing onscreen and being reported online. It was the end of a stunning musical legacy, one sadly tarnished and marred in is final years.

We will always love and remember Whitney Houston for her incredible talent.

Reports as to the exact cause of death keep emerging, with new details released almost daily. But it will be a while before any conclusive results will be revealed, as toxicology reports will not be ready for some time.

As is the case with many celebrity deaths, Whitney’s album and singles sales have spiked, with Amazon and iTunes reporting impressive movement of Houston’s music. It is a time where many fans are reconnecting with the pop diva, rediscovering why they will always love her.

I’ve learned a great deal about Whitney, reading so many articles and watching the news these past couple of days. She actually started her career as a model, being one of the first African-American women to be featured on the cover of Seventeen Magazine. She was Aretha Franklin’s goddaughter, and cousin to Dionne Warwick. She garnered six Grammy awards during her illustrious career. During the 1980s and early 90s, Houston scored seven number 1 hits, including “I Wanna Dance With Somebody,” “Saving All My Love For You,” and my personal favorite, “Greatest Love of All”. Her most well-known song, “I Will Always Love You,” off The Bodyguard soundtrack (a movie in which she also starred), spent 14 weeks atop the Billboard charts. And her rendition of the Star-Spangled Banner at the 1991 Super Bowl has become an instant classic, and, according to some reports, the standard by which all other National Anthem performances are measured.

It is sad to note that though she will be lauded for her beautiful and impressive voice, Houston will also be remembered for her drug-use and erratic behavior in the later years of her life. She was plagued by drug-addiction, famously admitting her drug use to Diane Sawyer in 2002, where she was quoted as saying “Crack is whack”. Her marriage to singer Bobby Brown also had its effects on her, resulting in unwanted publicity and negative press. Towards the end of her life, it was clear that her voice had been affected by her drug use.

But through it all, let us remember Whitney for her music. Her voice was a treasure to hear, one we were lucky to have. As she so famously sang, “No matter what they take from me, they can’t take away my dignity.” In your passing, Whitney, we will respect that dignity, and we will always love you.

As a huge fan of Denzel Washington, who happens to be my favorite actor, I was extremely curious as to what kind of Christmas cards he had chosen for his family holiday greetings. What did I find? Nada, zilch, zero! I did some more research and I came across several bios explaining how he keeps his family life private and how hard he tries to keep his family out of the celebrity limelight as well as little tidbits about his childhood in Mt. Vernon, N.Y., his support of the YMCA where he spent many of his younger years, and how he is a father of four, his two youngest being twins.

A heavenly angel from a movie is as close as we are going to get to seeing Denzel's Christmas cards!

Even though I couldn’t find Christmas cards sent by Denzel or the Washington family, I did find a picture that is noteworthy. I came across a Christmas picture from a movie Denzel made back in 1996, and looking at the photo I knew it would make a wonderful Christmas card that Denzel would be proud to send to his many adoring fans, myself included. The scene was from the movie The Preacher’s Wife and all I could see clearly was Denzel’s dreamy face and mega watt smile beaming back at me and boy did it take my breath away. The Christmas movie also included several other African American celebrities, Whitney Houston being one of them, but my main focus was on Denzel. The movie is a remake of the 1948 classic The Bishop’s Wife, but with a modern twist. The cast was all African American and the location of the story took place in Denzel’s home town of Mt. Vernon. The bishop was now a Baptist minister and the cathedral was now a small neighborhood Baptist church. But what really tickled my fancy and my attention was the ever handsome Denzel Washington who played the angel Dudley sent from above to help the minister with certain church and personal affairs. Wow, what a handsome Christmas angel he made! Denzel Washington posing as Dudley the angel would make the perfect celebrity Christmas card to send out to his fans.