Peter Kramer / Getty Images file

Nancy Grace

Nancy Grace was put into the hot seat this week on ABC's “The View” over her suggestion that Whitney Houston's Feb. 11 death may have been murder.

Barbara Walters and the other "View" hosts questioned Grace about her Feb. 13 suggestion that the late pop singer, found submerged in a bathtub at the Beverly Hills Hilton, may have been “pushed under the water."

“Did it ever occur to you that maybe implying someone murdered the woman would put the family into a tizzy?” "View"co-host Joy Behar snapped at the HLN host.

Grace responded with equal fervor, commenting, “I'm sure it's all fun to sit around and throw stones from behind a coffee cup."

Grace said that she chose to hit on each of the three possible results of a death investigation: natural causes, accident, and foul play, saying her commentary was meant to objectively approach the situation like an autopsy.

The hosts didn’t buy it. As Walters pointed out, this is television, not forensic science, and no one disagreed with the fact that an autopsy was good protocol. It was Grace’s bad timing that hit a nerve.

“It just happened and you had a family that is grieving,” added Sherri Shepherd. “This woman affected people in a very deep way. Do you think maybe you could have waited before putting that out there?”

This wasn’t the first time the opinionated pundit was challenged regarding her statements. She similarly defended herself on “Good Morning America,” remarking, “I understand that some people would consider that jarring or harsh, but there is nothing delicate or nice about a murder, a death, an unexpected death, or an autopsy and that is what autopsies are for.”

She did, however, acknowledge that she now had no honest belief Houston had been pushed under the water.

"It is not a homicide and I'm thankful for that," Grace said, "but I still want the truth."

 Most agree with the ‘View’ hosts on the issue, although some have risen to Grace’s defense.

“I agree with Nancy Grace, and I appreciate her directness,” writes bbaptiste10 on The Huffington Post. “I don't like her, but I believe that is why she is on TV – to say the things that everyone’s thinking but doesn't have the…nerve, and ability to say.”

Was Nancy Grace right to bring up the homicide angle, or was it just pandering for ratings? Tell us on Facebook.

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Albert L. Ortega / Getty Images

Davy Jones in 2012.

Following the passing of Monkees’ star Davy Jones this week, a tape of one of his final recordings has surfaced.

TMZ uncovered this short clip of a lullaby-like song, recorded several months ago by the singer-songwriter. The piece is from a children’s television show called “Shushybye” which premieres in May on BabyFirst TV, a DirecTV network.

The song offers a simple anecdote about the world of dreamland, as the late English musician sings in his classically soothing voice,  “Here's my wish, my wish for what I want my dream to be. The star will bring you to the dreamery. Just for me, just for me."

“Shushybye” is a new television show, set in the world of the clouds, where residents of the celestial town make dreams and store them in boxes.

Show creator and songwriter Steve Syatt tweeted about Jones’ passing, “Deeply saddened by the loss of Davy Jones at too young an age. He sang a Shushybye song and I had a memorable recording session with him.”

News of Jones’ death broke earlier this week, with a Florida medical examiner’s office confirming the cause to be a heart attack. Known mostly for his role in The Monkees and their chart-topping hits like “Daydream Believer,” the singer was 66 at his passing.

In wake of the loss, Jones’ friends and fellow bandmates have come forward to honor and remember their cohort, including former "Brady Bunch" star Maureen McCormick and fellow Monkee Micky Dolenz.

This newly discovered children’s tune, while innocent, leaves a lasting impression of the singer’s consistent quality of sound.

“Unmistakably Davy...beautiful,” comments Wash. Hts. Girl on TMZ.

“What a beautiful song. It made me cry,” adds Jamie. “Oh Davy, we will all miss you so much.”

Did Davy Jones still have that vocal magic? Listen to the song below and tell us what you think on Facebook.

Related content:

• Micky Dolenz: Davy was the go-to guy for fun
• Marcia Brady remembers Davy Jones
• Monkees star Davy Jones dies at 66
• Meeting Davy made one woman a daydream believer
• Video: Remembering Monkees singer Davy Jones
• Slideshow: Looking back at Davy Jones in pictures 

Yes, there was a real man behind the pen name "Dr. Seuss," and Theodor Seuss Geisel was born on this day in 1904. He died of throat cancer in 1991, but his stories live on wherever there are children or adults with childlike hearts.

Seuss' latest movie, "The Lorax," opens today, but we want to know your favorite Seuss movie of all time. Vote in our poll, and tell us why you made your pick on Facebook.

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“American Idol” picked its 13 finalists on Thursday night, and for the three wild-card picks that was a lucky number indeed.

Slideshow: Meet the final 13 contestants

With the field of 24 cut nearly in half, there were a lot of nerves and sad faces among the contestants. That was particularly true when they heard the comments of Jimmy Iovine, who offered taped comments on the Tuesday and Wednesday shows. Unlike the judges, he did not spare anyone’s feelings.

“Carrie Underwood karaoke is not gonna fly,” he said of Chelsea Sorrell. “Way too kitschy for me. Way too cabaret” was his review of Reed Grimm. “The judges loved him. I didn’t,” he said of Creighton Fraker.

No shocker that all three were cut. In fact, there were few surprises among the top 10 vote-getters.

Skylar Laine, Shannon Magrane and Jessica Sanchez would have been on nearly every list of favorites from Wednesday, with Hollie Cavanagh and Elise Testone also getting nothing but positive feedback. The guys had a deeper pool, but Phillip Phillips, Joshua Ledet, Heejun Han and Colton Dixon have been favorites all season, and Jermaine Jones got to close Tuesday’s show, always a huge advantage.

That left the judges to pick six people to sing for wild-card spots, which gave new life to Jen Hirsh, Jeremy Rosado, Brielle Von Hugel, DeAndre Brackensick, Erika Van Pelt and Grimm.

Randy Jackson picked Van Pelt to move on. Jennifer Lopez went with Rosado, who made her cry with his performance on Thursday. And Steven Tyler chose Brackensick, who has the greatest potential of the three if he can harness his considerable talent. But keep in mind that a year ago, two of the three wild-cards were eliminated by the end of March, with Ashton Jones going home the first week, so this will be a short reprieve if they don’t strike a chord with the audience early.

The one-week-only semifinals leaves a lot up to luck and chance. Perhaps Adam Brock and Hallie Day would have made it if they had gotten to close their shows instead of Jones and Testone, and perhaps Eben Franckewitz and Baylie Brown would have done much better after getting the nerves out of the way the first week. But since that’s not how it works any more, all four are gone for good (well, maybe ... Iovine did request a rule change that would allow Franckewitz to come back in a future season). 

At least Brown did have one of the lines of the night when Ryan Seacrest asked her what she would have done differently. “Sing on key, I guess,” she said.

Iovine wasn’t all negative in his comments. He said he’d sign Phillips and Sanchez right now, though I’m pretty sure that’s against the rules of the competition. But he didn’t have nice things to say about all of the finalists.

He liked Ledet, but said he’d have to make sure he didn’t turn into “Sister Act 3.” And Han? It’s safe to say he doesn’t get America’s infatuation.  “This isn’t ‘American Comedian.' It’s ‘American Idol',” he said

“Who’s that?” Han sniped when Seacrest asked him what he thought of Iovine's comments.

That should be a fun little coaching session between the two next week, when the guys take on Stevie Wonder and the girls do a Whitney Houston tribute. And fortunately for everyone, only one singer will go home each week from now until May.

Are you pleased with the judges' picks? Did your favorite get left out of the final 13? Let us know on Facebook. For more “Idol” during “Idol,” follow @CraigBerman as he live tweets each show!

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REVIEW: This is not your father's teen movie. Where Ferris Bueller's idea of a good time was to skip school and see a baseball game, maybe sing in a parade, the kids of "Project X," raised on YouTube and "Jersey Shore," want to throw an enormous house party where they and the rest of their underage classmates drink, do drugs, swim topless, have sex, and dirty dance. And if that means mom and dad's house gets ruined in the process, eh, as long as the girl next door still thinks they're cute.

They have no respect for property or neighbors, never met a joke that wasn't profane, and won't even talk to a girl who's less than a 10, even though they themselves are as plain as unbuttered toast.

That said, high-schooler Thomas (Thomas Mann) still seems like a pretty good kid, but he's more than willing to let loudmouth pal Costa talk him into stealing from a drug dealer, lying to his trusting parents, and accidentally setting fire to his Pasadena neighborhood when his 17th birthday party gets way out of hand. Of course, since this is the "pics or it didn't happen" generation, everything is filmed, and at least one viewer at my screening complained about the shaky hand-held camera work.

Although supposedly loosely based on an infamous Australian teen's out-of-hand party, "Project X" feels like pure teen fantasy, and fantasy can indeed be fun to watch. Once the party kicks in, it's hard not to get caught up in the wave of ever-escalating action, which doesn't end until innocent neighbors are Tased, homes set on fire, SWAT teams deployed, and dad's luxury car is at the bottom of the pool. The dialogue is believable (and R-rated), and a funny subplot involving two skinny teens who act as the party's security gets some big laughs.

The filmmakers held a nationwide search to cast the film, although Mann has some acting experience. The three leads (and creepy cameraman Dax, who gets a great black-humored sideplot) are easy to accept as real teens, even if one hopes that real teens would have some sort of good judgment.

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REVIEW: The Lorax isn't really in that much of "The Lorax." The little orange critter (voice of Danny DeVito) who "speaks for the trees" pops up occasionally, but it's Ed Helms' Once-ler who steals the show.

The famed Dr. Seuss tale takes place in and around Thneedville, a spanking-clean town where trees are inflatable and everyone breathes bottled air sold to them by a creepy little villain (Rob Riggle). Pretty Audrey (Taylor Swift) longs for a real tree, and 12-year-old Ted (Zac Efron) is determined to find her one. With the help of Grammy (Betty White, as awesome as ever), he seeks out the Once-ler, and the old hermit tells the tale of how he broke a promise to The Lorax and cut down all the trees so he could sell the populace the briefly trendy Thneeds.

Get it? It's not exactly subtle. Lust for a fleeting consumer product ruined the trees, and for want of the trees we all must pay for bottled air, and the beauty that once covered the landscape (the trees look like pastel swirls of cotton candy) has been replaced by shattered tree trunks.

You can see why Lou Dobbs threw a fit, and why Helms came to the film's defense. Dobbs hadn't even watched the movie when he complained -- imagine if he'd heard the song that features the lyrics "the people with the money make this ever-loving world go round" and "the customers are buying, the PR people are lying, who cares if a few trees are dying?" There's even a "Too Big to Fail" mention.

But kids are smart enough to understand that the message of "The Lorax" isn't that no one can have a business, but that it's smart to be judicious with natural resources. They might be less understanding with the overlong, jumpy plot that drags in spots. Ted and Audrey aren't that interesting, and the filmmakers saw fit to add in endless scenes of Ted's eternal commutes in and out of town. But White's Grammy is delightful, the songs are catchy, and the dazzling colors and shapes of the Seussian universe, shown in 3-D of course, spill out on the screen like a basket of jelly beans. 

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• FOX host attacks 'Lorax' as left-wing brainwashing

Kevin Winter / Getty Images file

Janet Jackson turns down Simon Cowell? Yes, but only in a professional capacity.

Jackson, who was heavily rumored to be one of the two people filling the vacant spots on The X Factor judging table, has confirmed that she won't be taking the gig...

MORE: Five reasons you can't miss tonight's 'Awake' premiere

The singer says in a statement that she is "very flattered that X Factor let me know that I was being considered for next season, but it just wouldn't be possible."

Her rep tells E! News that the singer's commitment to her Number Ones Up Close and Personal Tour and as well as a Tyler Perry movie is the reason behind her passing on the show. But what's even more interesting is the fact that Janet's team claims they had "absolutely no meetings" with The X Factor in regards to a possible judging spot.

PHOTOS: TV celebrity stunt casting

Guess the rumors really were just rumors this time (there was no comment from The X Factor). Time to take to the phones again, Cowell. Might we suggest a Britney or Mariah?

Bummed to see Janet turn down X Factor? Any other ideas for who should be on the judging table? Share your thoughts on Facebook.

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Maureen McCormick played Marcia Brady, the president of her school's Davy Jones Fan Club, in a memorable "Brady Bunch" episode.

Marcia Brady wasn't the only girl who loved Davy Jones, but she certainly was the most memorable.

Fittingly, Maureen McCormick has spoken out in the wake of The Monkees' singer's death, paying tribute to the man who will forever be—at least partially—remembered as the dreamiest TV prom date ever to hit prime-time.

MORE: Autopsy results reveal Jones' cause of death

 "Davy was a beautiful soul who spread love and goodness around the world," the erstwhile "Brady Bunch" star said in a statement. "He filled our lives with happiness, music and joy. He will live on in our hearts forever."

And in our classic sitcoms.

Earlier today, preliminary autopsy results revealed that Jones died at age 66 after suffering a heart attack. RIP, Davy.

 Do you remember seeing Davy Jones on "The Brady Bunch"? Tell us on Facebook.

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In the new issue of Life & Style magazine, Taylor Armstrong offers some advice to Rihanna and Chris Brown.

"Real Housewives of Beverly Hills" star Taylor Armstrong is no stranger to the topic of domestic violence. She's discussed the alleged abuse she suffered at the hands of her late husband, Russell Armstrong, on her reality show. She's even written about it in her book, "Hiding from Reality." Now she hopes her experience might lead others to listen to her advice and warnings -- specifically, a couple of very famous "others."

In a new interview with Life & Style Weekly, Armstrong discussed singer Rihanna's recent choice to work with ex-boyfriend Chris Brown three years after he attacked her, and how she thinks the former couple should handle things now.

"I hope they'll make a statement about what transpired over the past three years that makes it safe for them to be around each other now," Armstrong said. "If someone has slapped you, shoved you or pushed you, things will always escalate. They don't get better -- they get worse -- unless some type of intervention is done via therapy or separation."

And Armstrong believes Brown, in particular, needs to "be a man" and speak up about that now.

"He needs to come out and say, 'I did something really wrong, and let me tell you what I've done since then to be a better person," she insisted. "This is a real opportunity for him to step up and be a man."

Do you think Armstrong is in a position to offer advice to Brown and Rihanna? Do you think they'll listen? Share your thoughts on our Facebook page.

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One of the few controversial aspects of this year's Oscars was the brief appearance of host Billy Crystal in blackface, reviving his "Saturday Night Live" parody of Sammy Davis, Jr.

Davis’ daughter, however, says the joke would have been fine with her late father. 

“I am 100 percent certain that my father is smiling,” Tracey Davis, 50, told The Hollywood Reporter. “Billy previously played my father when he was alive, and my father gave Billy his full blessing.”

Crystal often impersonated Davis on "SNL" in the 1980s, and Davis' daughter said the impersonation carries "legendary starus."

Davis goes on to say that while she wasn’t insulted by Crystal’s performance, she does have a problem with people using the term blackface to describe it. And it seems others would agree.

“This was NOT blackface,” comments Jquincy on the story. “This was not mocking an entire race of people. This was an affectionate impersonation that Crystal has been doing forever and one that Sammy Davis, Jr. loved. All this manufactured controversy is getting really tiresome.”

Writes a reader on msnbc.com partner TheGrio, “When Crystal did this on SNL in the ‘80s there were black people, particularly entertainers, that didn't like it. Today I think a lot of black people take offense to the 'SNL' portrayal of President Obama by a nonblack comedian in blackface…The lack of criticism now and in the 80s is less about the hypocrisy of white liberalism and more about fear of a racist discriminatory industry of Hollywood.”

Should the debate about this end now that the Davis family has weighed in? Tell us on Facebook.

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Comedy Central

Having taken his home state of Michigan with a relatively small margin (3.2%) in the primaries, GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney is putting a positive spin on things, joking "we didn't win by a lot, but we won by enough." This inspired "The Colbert Report's" Stephen Colbert Wednesday night to pen a new campaign slogan for the GOP frontrunner: "Romney 2012: Enough."

Still, Colbert admitted he's a bit scared. Rick Santorum's momentum has weakened the GOP, which is now desperate to find a non-Romney leader, he said. If they can’t find a solid candidate before Super Tuesday, they’ll have to suck it up and rally around Romney.

"Get Bobby Jindal a fake ID if he isn’t 35 yet!" Colbert suggested. Others he’d like to see in the race? New Jersey Governor Chris Christie or Florida Senator Marco Rubio. Colbert said he’ll even take “that lady who’s not a witch.” (That is Delaware’s Christine O’Donnell). Facing the harsh reality that Mitt might be it for Republicans, Colbert started the Countdown to Loving Mitt Clock.

“We now have 6 days, 23 hours, 59 minutes to find a replacement for this robotic plutocrat who couldn’t hold the attention of cats with a can of tuna,” Colbert deadpanned.

Meanwhile, Jon Stewart began last night with a new segment: The Long, Winding, Bumpy-A-- Road to The White House. The “Daily Show” host tuned in pretty late and Michigan hadn’t been called yet, so he flipped over to the cable news regulars for their updates on the episodic primary. And what he got there was a mélange of uncertainty, some cool high-tech equipment (a computer screen) being shown to kill time, and Anderson Cooper giving a tour of the fancy glass CNN studio -- all without any solid information. 

He then turned to the most reliable news team around -- the "Daily Show" reporters -- who were all stuffed in a glass box. They had nothing to report either.

And finally, at least someone seems to like Mitt: Arizona Senator John McCain sat down with "Tonight Show" host Jay Leno to remind everyone that he was still a Romney supporter. He added that he really would have liked to see a larger margin between Romney and his closest competitor, Rick Santorum. Then McCain expressed his disgust with the concept of Super PACs, calling them corrupt -- which drew considerable applause from Leno's audience. And in what seemed like the nicest way he could put it, McCain made it clear that he isn’t really a fan of Rick Santorum.

What do you think about the hosts' comments? Share your thoughts on Facebook.

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Lindsay Lohan wants to make amends: For her wild partying, for her very public arrests and court appearances, for -- at the age of 25 -- needing to make a comeback in an industry that once considered her a promising young talent. But when she sat down with TODAY's Matt Lauer in an exclusive interview Thursday, she noted that having fallen so far so early in life might turn out to have a silver lining.

"I'd rather it be now and not have to deal with it -- go through it later," she said. "It's not that I don't -- I regret the choices that I've made, but I'm grateful for where I am today, because of them. I don't need to see any more negative stuff. I don't need to put myself in those places any more."

During the interview Lohan was well-spoken and composed, answering Lauer's questions thoughtfully on a number of topics, including what she learned from her community service spent working in the L.A. County Morgue last year.

"The two women that I work with there have been so wonderful to me. I've learned so much from them.... It's been a learning experience. I'm grateful that I've learned from it. It's helped me," she said.

And, she admitted, "It had to come to that. I needed to experience it for whatever reason there is. And I'm grateful that I've learned from it. It's helped me.... It was humbling."

She's looking forward to her March 3 hosting slot on "Saturday Night Live" ("I want to poke fun at myself") and told Lauer that almost anything will go in terms of sketches ... though she did speak to her attorney about not being disrespectful to the judge who presided over her case. "I've asked if certain things would be inappropriate or off-limits," she explained.

They also brushed by her romantic life, which she says is not occupied at the moment -- and she's fine with that.

"I want to focus on me. And I want to focus on work," she said.

Life seems to be on the upswing for Lohan -- her role as Elizabeth Taylor, "SNL," getting the all clear from the judicial system -- and undoubtedly many do wish her well. But as Lauer mentioned, many will also expect that Lindsay 2.0 can't possibly last. "How do you feel when you know there are doubters out there like that?" he asked.

"If I harped on that and only focused on the negative and the people that doubted me, then I might be right back where they think I'll be," she said. "But that's not what I want for me.... I don't want to go back to that place. I want to move forward with my life.... I want to keep growing and I want to keep growing in the right ways."

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Just as fans were left reeling from the news of the sudden death of actor-singer Davy Jones on Wednesday, so too was his longtime friend and bandmate Micky Dolenz.

On Thursday morning, the fellow member of The Monkees visited TODAY to discuss the loss and to look back at Jones' life.

"It came as a pretty big shocker – right out of the blue," Dolenz told host Ann Curry. "You know, he was the last one that I thought would (go first)… the youngest one of (The Monkees). … I suspect a little bit might have been genetics. I think both of his parents passed pretty early on."

But despite those early losses, Dolenz always thought of Jones as a happy guy that looked on the bright side of life.

"He was always the go-to guy for fun and a laugh," the singer explained. "He was a jokester and always was. We hung out a lot together. I remember very clearly. We had similar backgrounds…. Even in the earlier auditions I remember we kind of connected because I'd been in show business as a kid. He'd been on stage doing 'Oliver!' So we had that kind of connection in common, so immediately we just kind of hit it off and stayed very good friends."

It all started with The Monkees, a show and a band that Dolenz considers a bit of magic.

"It was that serendipitous sort of thing – catching lightning in a bottle," he said. "I don't think … there's no formula. But you get lucky and certain people get together and that chemistry happens. It's like a little bit of magic. And it did certainly happen with us."

But oddly enough, now that Jones is gone, the memories of the man that have surfaced most for Dolenz have nothing to do with the show or the music. They're just random, happy images of his friend.

"I keep going back to just watching him play soccer -- kicking around a soccer ball," he recalled. "We used to have a private plane on tour, and we would land at a private airport where we were going to go play a gig. For some reason images come back to me of him and a bunch of other guys running around the grass around the plane, kicking a soccer ball. That's one (memory) that comes to mind, or hanging out swimming in the pool or something like that."

Most of all, he just remembers Jones as a great guy, great father and true friend.

"Ultimately, we all became pretty good friends, and he and I probably the best of friends.," he said.

How do you remember Davy Jones? Tell us on Facebook. 

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