WHITNEYED

I remember sitting at my desk when someone a few cubes down shouted out (not uncommon in my office, btw) "Michael Jackson died!" We all were so intrigued. The King of Pop was gone! So sad.

Here's the thing: I listened to a lot of Michael Jackson in high school and college. But I've been listening to Whitney Houston since I was two. I probably could recite "All at Once" before I could recite my own address. Michael Jackson figured out how to be a great entertainer and performer. But Whitney had straight-up, unparalleled, God-given TALENT.

Simon Cowell put it best yesterday when he said that Whitney was the voice by which all other voices were and will be measured. I don't expect that to change anytime soon. She opened her mouth and made it all just seem effortless.

I think that's why I am so sad. I consider myself a little bit of snob when it comes to voices. I've been told I'm "hard to impress" when it comes to that and maybe that's true, but here's the real truth: no other singer I'VE ever heard holds a candle to Whitney.

So many of her lyrics are so ironic right now, but none more so than this: "And if by chance that special place that you've been dreaming of leads you to a lonely place, find your strength in love."