"Vision of Love" (1990) Who was this 20-year-old, ethnically-ambiguous gal with big hair and an even bigger voice? With "Vision of Love," her first of 18 number 1 hits, Mariah began her meteoric ascent to divadom on the wave of her curly locks.

"Dreamlover" (1993) Wearing pigtails, Daisy Dukes and that staple of the early 90s -- a plaid shirt -- Mariah was working the America's Sweetheart angle a little too hard.

"All I Want for Christmas Is You" (1994) Mimi's Christmas catsuit was sexy without being trashy, unlike the completely unnecessary -- and verging on creepy -- revamp of her classic carol with Justin Bieber.

"Honey" (1997) Following her much-publicized divorce from Tommy Mottola, Mariah got in touch with her sexy side and has been touching herself ever since.

"Breakdown" (1998) By far my favorite Mariah song, and one of her best videos, "Breakdown" was c0-directed by Carey herself. While portraying a showgirl in a casino, Mimi also paid homage to Liza Minnelli's iconic Sally Bowles character from Cabaret.

"The Roof (Back in Time)" (1998) Also co-directed by Carey, the video for "The Roof" saw the diva getting personal and taking it back to the 80s with feathered hair and Gloria Vanderbilt jeans.

"When You Believe" (1998) When divas collide! Whitney Houston -- may she rest -- and Mariah Carey had been rumored rivals for most of the 90s and so they sought to put those rumors to bed with this duet from The Prince of Egypt. The ladies classed it up in black gowns for the video only to later make fun of their supposed rivalry at the VMAs in matching dresses.

"Heartbreaker (Remix)" (1999) In a nod to 70s roller-disco, Mimi donned a pair of skates along with a gold lamé bikini top and matching booty shorts.

"Loverboy" (2001) While the videos for Breakdown" and "The Roof" were creative highs for Mariah, "Loverboy," directed by David LaChapelle, was a notorious low. From that brilliant disaster known as Glitter, Mariah pretty much let it all hang out in a pair of booty shorts that left very little to the imagination.

"We Belong Together" (2005) In true diva fashion, Mariah came roaring back in one of the greatest comebacks in recent memory with "We Belong Together." For the video, she recycled the Vera Wang wedding dress she wore for her 1993 wedding to Mottola -- 27-foot train and all.

"Shake It Off" (2005) Note the heels. Apparently, the pumps were so uncomfortable, the diva had the crew of the video carry her around the set and when the director suggested she wear flats, Mariah responded, "My feet repel them dahling." And that's how it's done, kids.

"Touch My Body" (2008) Sure, this princess dress looks like something a girl half -- or a third -- of Carey's age would wear to the prom, but for her record-breaking 18th number 1 hit, Mariah clearly could do and wear whatever the hell she wanted. You've come a long way, Mimi.

Following a moment of silence for Gibb, Natasha Bedingfield performed Summer’s seminal “Last Dance” before being abruptly interrupted by a commercial break. Cee Lo Green and Goodie Mob performed a tribute to MCA with a little  ”(You Gotta) Fight for Your Right (to Party!)”  while Whitney was honored with the posthumous Millennium Award.

Accepting the award on her behalf was daughter Bobbi Kristina, who was brought to tears and to her feet by John Legend ’s rendition of “The Greatest Love of All” and Houston’s Sparkle co-star Jordin Sparks’ beautiful take on “I Will Always Love You. ”

Check out Whit’s tribute below and click here for the full list of winners.

- Opening Ceremony is coming to print.

- Blinged-out nails.

- “Every cutie wit a booty bought a Coogi.”

- Boy bands are back in fashion and in style.

- These musician’s ink stink.

- Whitney Houston videography.

- Jewelry you can jam to.

- Karl Lagerfeld plays God and Snoop Dogg pimps himself out in a music video.

- The insanely bizarre lengths we’ll go to for beauty.

- J.Lo is the most powerful celebrity in the world.

- Skechers ordered to shape-up lies about Shape-ups.

- 5-minute masks.

- Music’s most fashionable album covers.

- Match your outfit to your drug of choice.

- 60s rock & roll style with Peter Asher.

- Cannes Film Festival trend report.

- Dolce & Gabbana lipstick-off.

- Have you ever stared at your closet and thought, “my clothes could really use a little more male genitalia?”

- Donna Summer music and style retrospective.

- Tips on dressing for a wedding.

This is how a diva dresses: fur for days over a thigh-high slit. 1. "I Feel Love" (1977) - The birth mother of all modern day electronic music, thanks to papa Giorgio Moroder.

A hooded jumpsuit, need I say more? 2. "Last Dance"  (1978) - Sending every party off -- and telling everyone to get the fuck out -- on a high note for the past 35 years.

This dress is actually made out of countless tiny disco balls. 3. "Hot Stuff" (1979) - Disco met rock & roll then had coked up sex that neither remembers nor will ever forget.

'Cause we are living in an ethereal world and Donna is an ethereal girl. 4. "No More Tears (Enough Is Enough)" (1979) - Two of the biggest divas of the day came together -- Donna and Barbra Streisand -- and somehow the gays didn't explode like a thousand glitter bombs in the night sky.

Off the shoulder and still on-trend. 5. "Bad Girls" (1979) - Five words: toot toot heeeeeeeeeey beep beep.

Well, here's my beach look. 6. "MacArthur Park" (1978) - And we'll never have that recipe again...

Donna and the amazing technicolor dream-dress. 7. "Love to Love You Baby" (1975) - 16 minutes of disco lovin' -- 13 of which is mostly just orgasms.

Going 40s retro with a little leopard and a giant flower. 8. "On the Radio" (1979) - Who says love isn't found on the radio clearly never heard this gem.

As a rule, sleeves should at least fall to the knee if not the floor. 9. "She Works Hard for the Money" (1983) - The anthem for every shoulder-padded businesswoman and fishnetted prostitute of the 80s.

Nary a priest in sight, but Donna was in a nuptial mood nonetheless. 10. "Dim All the Lights" (1979) - Despite the lights dimming, 1979 was a bright year for Summer when she effectively earned the Queen of Disco crown. Forever on the throne, forever in our hearts, forever on our feet. R.I.P. Queen.

Featuring Amanda Lear

Featuring Twiggy

Featuring Jerry Hall

Photographed by Herb Ritts

Photographed by Annie Leibovitz

Photographed by Helmut Newton

Photographed by Herb Ritts

Photographed by Bruce Weber

Photographed by Richard Avedon

Photographed by Jean Baptiste Mondino

Photographed by Juergen Teller

Photographed by Jean Baptiste Mondino

Photographed by Patrick Demarchelier

Photographed by Herb Ritts

Photographed by Ellen Von Unwerth

Photographed by Steven Meisel

Photographed by Mario Testino

Photographe by Steven Klein

Photographed by David Lachapelle

Photographed by Inez & Vinoodh

Photographed by Patrick Demarchelier

Photographed by Nick Knight

Photographed by Ellen Von Unwerth

Photographed by Terry Richardson

Photographed by Mario Sorrenti

Photographed by Peter Lindbergh

Photographed by Hedi Slimane

Featuring Kate Moss

Designed by Givenchy's Riccardo Tisci

Photographed by Mert & Marcus

What a feeling Whit's having as she sports the off-the-shoulder Flashdance look.

Whitney began her affair with hair crimping and accessorized it with a quintessentially 80s accessory, the hair bow.

America's then-sweetheart glammed it up to brag about how much she loved herself.

The hair crimping was taken to new heights -- all the way to the sky. And can we talk about this stunning makeup story and matching earrings?

Whitney payed homage to fashion icons Marlene Dietrich, Diana Ross and Audrey Hepburn as she danced her way through Harlem Renaissance, Motown and Funny Face.

The shoulders make a triumphant return, this time jazzed up by some well-placed rhinestones.

A lesser-known Houston hit, Whitney donned a blond wig in an ode to Alfred Hitchcock's Vertigo.

It may look like she's wearing a beaded curtain on her head, but it was only after she was forced to close one more door.

Before Beyoncé was putting rings on things and Lady Gaga rolling around with paparazzi, Whitney was rocking Thierry Mugler.

Who says you can't wear a fur coat on the beach? When you're a diva, you can wear whatever the hell you want wherever the hell you want. It's part of the job.

Hands down my favorite Houston hairstyle, Whitney's smart and sassy flip was perfect for the dominatrix look she's shutting down.

Rachel Zoe's fingerprints are all over Whitney's final video, from the fur jacket Whitney rocks in the beginning to the silver sequined gown she stomps away in at the end. A fitting and fitted finale.

- Gareth Pugh‘s costumes for the Royal Opera House production of the ballet Carbon Life — which also features music by Mark Ronson — and it’s safe to say this is not your traditional tutu. Which is perhaps the only safe thing about this. [Telegraph]

- While American Apparel is too salacious for the Brits, David Beckham is only “mildly sexual.” There may be a few million ladies who’d beg to differ. [Vogue UK]

- Karl Lagerfeld may have sent Adele a few “I’m sorry” Chanel handbags after calling her “a little too fat.” In other news, Karl Lagerfeld called me a “tawdry skank.” I’ll take my apology in couture. [The Cut]

- Tranny, get your gown! Disqualified and disgraced transgendered beauty queen Jenna Talackova may be allowed to compete in the Miss Universe Canada pageant after all. [Styleite]

- Unofficial sexiest man alive Ryan Gosling allegedly saved some crazy lady journalist with a pink wig — that somehow factors into the story — from getting hit by a taxi. [Celebitchy]

- The trailer for Whitney Houston‘s final film has hit the interwebs prompting the all-important question: where’s the goddamn posthumous Oscar? [MTV]

Whitney Houston died on February 11, hours before a pre-Grammy party and was found submerged in the bathtub of her room at the Beverly Hilton. Houston’s well-documented history of chronic cocaine use contributed to atherosclerotic heart disease — a hardening of the arteries that can lead to stroke, heart attack and death.

Harvey also revealed that Houston had an “acute” level of cocaine in her system, suggesting that she had used the drug “immediately prior” to drowning. Other drugs found in her system — marijuana, Benadryl, Xanax and Flexeril — were at “therapeutic or sub-therapeutic levels” and did not play a significant role in her death.

Cocaine coupled with the atherosclerotic heart disease led to a “cardiac event,” although Houston was reportedly conscious before slipping underwater, therefore drowning has been established as the main cause of death. [TMZ]

- Speaking of delightful harridans, these paper dolls of Dame Maggie Smith‘s sublime Dowager Countess from Downton Abbey are everything. Ever. [Vulture]

- America’s Next Top Model is still happening. Now in its 18th cycle, this time around it’s a “British Invasion” with seven British models versus seven American models. Sort of like a 21st century Revolutionary War with bikinis and smizing. [The Cut]

- Proving once again that you indeed have to pay the cost to be the boss, Britney Spears had to pay an undisclosed amount to Brand Sense for cutting them out on a secret deal she had with Elizabeth Arden. [ONTD!]

- The Marni for H&M lookbook, y’all. [Fashionologie]

- Stella McCartney staged a magic show and a flash mob during her elegant dinner party with a little help from her friends Shalom Harlow, Alexa Chung, Amber Valletta and Yasmin Le Bon. Kate Moss was there but she didn’t do shit except throw shade at everyone. [Styleite]

- And finally, Whitney Houston was laid to rest this weekend and I think this serves as a very fitting tribute.

- Cindy Crawford‘s 10 year old daughter won’t be seen on any runways for at least another 7 years. That is, unless Marc Jacobs gets his hands on her. [Styleite]

- A woman streaked at Lincoln Center on the last day of New York Fashion Week. Cathy Horyn praised the show, calling it revelatory. [Refinery29]

- Whitney Houston‘s funeral, befitting the passing of a legend, will be live-streamed and will include performances by Aretha Franklin and Stevie Wonder. [Vanity Fair]

- Meanwhile, Houston’s final movie, a remake of Sparkle, will hit theaters this year and reportedly would have marked a major comeback for the singer. [Vanity Fair]

- Nicki Minaj explains her “controversial” Grammys performance as a preview for a film she’s working on, tentatively titled, Really Bad Idea. [Huff Po]

- Oh, Anna Wintour. You’re such a card. During NYFW, you were as icy as ever, but even an intimidating revolving door won’t stop you from throwing shade all over the world. Go. Head. Girl. Friend. [The Cut]

Photo: Los Angeles Times

Hudson’s emotional performance was one of several poignant moments during the telecast, including Alicia Keys and Bonnie Raitt paying tribute to the late Etta James and Amy Winehouse‘s parents accepting their daughter’s trophy with Tony Bennett for their duet, “Body and Soul.”

While Adele had to hitch a U-Haul to her limo to take home her six trophies, the Foo Fighters walked away with five including Best Rock Album for Wasting Light while Kanye West won four, including Best Rap Album for My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy and Best Rap Song for “All of the Lights.”

Last but certainly not least, one Ms. Diana Ross was honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award, her first Grammy after 800 years in the business. The supreme diva took to the stage in a cloud of hair at the end of the night to present Adele with her Album of the Year award. And while the show featured countless moments that would best be forgotten — I’m looking at you Katy Perry and Taylor Swift — the symbolic passing of the torch from Whitney to Jennifer and Ms. Ross to Adele made this a night to remember.

Check out the full list of winners here.

Triskaidekaphobia, the morbid fear of the number 13, has led to buildings without a thirteenth floor, airports without a 13th gate, a neverending film franchise and of course, the most notorious day of the year. For your Friday the 13th viewing terror, here are 13 style superstitions to heed and fear:

1. Crack a coke mirror, get 7 years of bad blow.

2. Cross a black catwalk, fall on the runway.

3. Naomi Campbell-walking under a ladder will bring several dirty looking pebbles to you in the night.

4. Botox a day keeps the wrinkles away.

5. Listening to Lady Gaga will make you gay — as will  one drunken time in college.

6. Step on her crack, Whitney Houston will break your motherf*cking back.

7. Opening an umbrella indoors makes it rain on a whore.

8. For the lucky bride — something old, something new, something borrowed, and no pre-nup, boo.

9. Hanging Sarah Jessica Parker‘s shoe on the wall will bring good luck.

10. Never wear Uggs after Labor Day — or ever.

11. Find a tranny on her head pick her up, all night long you’ll get free shots.

12. Kissing a toad gives you warts — as will kissing a guido.

13. Garlic protects you from vampires, evil spirits and ever having a date.

Take it easy out there today kids for as a wise blind man once said, “Superstition ain’t the way.”

The My Life Holiday Gift Set, including an eau de parfum, body lotion and shower cream, sold out all of its 6,000 available units while the Blossom Gift Set — eau de parfum, body cream and a copy of MJB’s new CD because bitch is working — was in larger supply but equal demand, selling out all 20,000 available sets.

Fittingly, one of the songs Blige performed during her HSN stint was “No More Drama” and no wonder with the amount of dough she’s raking in. The Queen of Hip Hop Soul has come a long way since smoking crack — allegedly — and hanging out with Biggie to become a sophisticated chanteuse and superstar in her own right. It’s as if she and Whitney Houston had some sort of Freak Friday switcheroo in the late-90s that no one knows or talks about. [WWD]

White reminisces on so-called “happier times” in the Telegraph for no other reason than to spill this photo of of herself with Naomi — wearing a little Whitney Houston on her face — and BFF Christy Turlington before the Burns.

Picture it, the early 1990s. White’s three major clients, the Holy Trinity — Naomi, Christy and Linda Evangelista — command a staggering £300,000 for a campaign (that’s like half a mil in $$) and won’t even get out of bed for less than $10,000.

Naomi, surprisingly, let all that success and ferocity go to her head; or as Carole puts it “when everyone is telling you that you look fantastic, showering you with gifts and wanting to befriend you, your perception of life gets distorted.”

Tell me about it, that’s the story of my life.

While Christy was “a dream, very professional and calm” Naomi was” less disciplined,” often showing up late to shoots if bothering to show up at all. White then points to this one time Naomi apparently wiped out an entire genus of plant:

[A] Dutch nursery named a rare black tulip after her and asked her to promote it. Hundreds of the flowers were driven to London in a refrigerated van to fill a studio. Naomi was supposed to lie in the middle of them for a commercial, but she didn’t turn up for the shoot – she was sick. These poor guys watched the tulips wilt in the studio and the ad never happened.

White’s article abruptly ends there probably — I’m assuming — because Mia Farrow, as usual wanted to put in her two cents and decided to finish it her damn  self. [Telegraph]

1. Crack a coke mirror, get 7 years of bad blow.

2. Cross a black catwalk, fall on the runway.

3. Naomi Campbell-walking under a ladder will bring several dirty looking pebbles to you in the night.

4. Botox a day keeps the wrinkles away.

5. Listening to Lady Gaga will make you gay — as will  one drunken time in college.

6. Step on her crack, Whitney Houston will break your motherf*cking back.

7. Opening an umbrella indoors makes it rain on a whore.

8. For the lucky bride — something old, something new, something borrowed, and no pre-nup, boo.

9. Hanging Sarah Jessica Parker‘s shoe on the wall will bring good luck.

10. Never wear Uggs after Labor Day — or ever.

11. Find a tranny on her head pick her up, all night long you’ll get free shots.

12. Kissing a toad gives you warts — as will kissing a guido.

13. Garlic protects you from vampires, evil spirits and ever having a date.

Take it easy out there today kids for as a wise blind man once said, “Superstition ain’t the way.”

You come from an eclectic, non-traditional family of artists. What type of art did you grow up around?
My grandfather revolutionized the interior design industry. He was one of the first people to bring colored wallpaper to California during the late 1960s and 70s. My cousin was in the music industry and has written songs for Whitney Houston. My grandmother was an illustrator, my mom’s first cousin’s husband is a well-known sculptor and she is an amazing painter who began her craft at 50 years old. Hillary Clinton asked her to paint a portrait of Chelsea when they were in the White House. My entire family gets together in Ojai, CA for Thanksgiving, and it’s like Woodstock revisited – with all these artists together, it’s the best energy and love you could ask for.

So you were very encouraged as a child to follow your dreams and do whatever your heart desired?
Both of my parents are entrepreneurs, so it makes sense that my brother, sister and I are independent. I wouldn’t say art was pushed on us, but we went towards it naturally. I spent most of my early days as a soccer player, competing on the early Olympic Development Team and in college as well. But somewhere in college, I decided I wanted to do something creative. I thought maybe I didn’t have the art gene, but suddenly, it’s all I wanted to do. I went back to school to study interior design at Parsons and took milliner classes at FIT. I secured an interior design job working with Bill Sofield, where I worked on everything from high-end residential to Tom Ford stores to the SoHo and Tribeca Grand hotels.

Interior design can be a very mathematical and structural craft. How did working in that industry influence your millinery?
I always say I make structurally interesting hats. Because I worked for an interior/architecture firm, I consider proportion, scale and how things move and look. I have the mind of an interior designer and the advantage of having worked with different materials. Unlike many designers perfecting their craft in the fashion industry, I came from people working with wood and ceramic. I am always asking how can I take these materials and techniques and construct them into something else, something new. That is my challenge, working with non-traditional materials.

Hats are almost becoming a lost dressing art. What made you want to go into the millinery business? Was it a lack of good product in the industry?
My aunt was a fashion designer in California and was always putting us kids in the fun hats she was making. Apparently, my great-grandmother was also a milliner in New York. My husband used to go to a milliner in the East Village, who we loved. I wanted to figure out how a milliner worked, so I asked if I could apprentice her, an unpaid position. Unfortunately, she rudely said no. It was very discouraging, but it motivated me to learn the trade and prove her wrong.

It came to the point where I was working long hours at the firm and was constantly stressed out. I asked myself “if I only had six months to live, would I be doing what I am doing now?” And I thought, “no, I would be working on my own. “ I looked down, saw all these hats I made and realized how much I loved making them. Selling hats to friends turned into selling them online. I just began selling at Charles Nolan, ABC Carpet & Home and will be in Treasure & Bond in the fall. But my big goal is Bendels.

Where does your inspiration come from on a daily basis? Do nature and people inspire you? What about the architecture of the city?
It’s so random. My husband and I travel a lot, and I spent a lot of time photographing anything I find interesting. I often find myself searching for things I photographed more than fives years ago and is relevant to my current project. I could be walking down the street, see something and think it would make a terrific structure or a cool color combination. People must think I’m a tourist because I walk the city with my head up. I see plants and flower arrangements and examine the proportion compared to the vase. I don’t make many large hats; I try to take the idea of a big hat and make it more me. I just styled women for the Frederick Olmsted Awards at Central Park and the Kentucky Derby with small fascinators and headpieces. I think small is the new big – fascinators are really in this season.

In the future, is there any other type of art you want to explore? What else could you design that the Satya woman would love?
I am a huge fan of dresses with pockets. Charles Nolan and I began our friendship over it – he always made them and I always love them. So I think next year, there might be a collection of vintage-inspired dresses and smoking jackets for women. I strangely like uniforms. Like the cartoon Daria, I work towards wearing the same thing every day. I want the same dress in a dozen colors and patterns to wear with black tights, black shoes and a jacket. I don’t like to think hard about what I’m going to wear. Comfortable, beautiful and chic is my motto. That is the Satya woman.

You can see more photos of Satya’s work and read her blog on her website.

- Porno producer Steven Hirsch was so taken with Pippa Middleton at the Royal Wedding that he's offered her $5 mil to appear in "just one explicit scene." After "racy photos" of Pip in nothing but a bra and panties surfaced, Hirsch was inspired to write a letter to the Duchess of Cambridge's younger, spotlight-stealing sister. Short but sweet -- if "sweet" means kind of douchebaggy  -- Hirsch also offered James Middleton (whose own scandalous pictures also leaked recently) $1 mil if she "would like to bring [him] along.” But hey, Hirsch is a class-act! There will be no royal incest on his watch because that mil is for a “separate scene.” [TMZ]

- Whitney Houston has apparently fallen off the wagon yet again — and knowing Whit she probably hit a few other wagons on the way down. The legendary singer has entered rehab for a third time for drug and alcohol treatment. My heart is breaking so, clearly I need to ask you, Whitney, where do broken hearts go? [People]

- Stefano Gabbana apparently leaked Penelope Cruz‘s Vogue cover on his Tumblr after receiving an advanced copy with the Oscar winner in a Dolce & Gabbana dress. Then Anna Wintour swooped down from on high, shut down the internet and removed said leaked cover from said Tumblr. Gabbana was later found quivering in the fetal position, clutching a piece of lace under the soothing spritz of his shower. [Styleite]

- Looks like someone’s been bitten by the diva bug. Pint-sized popper Justin Beiber was a brat while on the set of CSI filming his multi-episode stint, according to co-star Marg Helgenberger. Speaking on a French radio show, Helgenberger remarked: ”I probably shouldn’t say this, but he was kind of a brat….He locked one of the producers in a closet…and he put his fist through a cake that was on the craft services table.” Bieber, never one to sit back while his good name is dragged through the mud of network television responded like only an adult could — via Twitter: “It’s kinda lame when someone you met briefly and never worked with comments on you. I will continue to wish them luck and be kind.” Which basically translates to, “I don’t know or care who you are but I could buy you.” [Refinery29]

- Aguilera’s alcoholism knows no boozy bounds. [Celebitchy]

- Kirsten Dunst steps in to fill Julianne Moore‘s nonexistent shoes at Bulgari. Dunst won’t have to suckle any cubs, however, as the lion is now fully grown. Cue the opening to “Circle of Life.” [Huff Po]

- OMG, even James Franco‘s design illustration for his Gucci tux at the Oscars is dreamy. And, let’s be real, probably stoned too. [Style.com]

- Rachel Zoe thought her water could “totally break” at the opening for the new Tom Ford store on Rodeo Drive last night. That baby’s first words would have been, “I. Die.” [NY Mag]

- Lady Gaga‘s perfume will contain samples of her blood and will smell like an “expensive hooker.” [Huff Po]

- Salvatore Ferragamo was a friend of Dorothy. The designer created Dorothy’s Ruby Slippers for The Wizard of Oz, and is one of many designers to have collaborated in film. From Coco Chanel to Rodarte, explore a brief history of fashion in film. [Style.com]

- Just when you thought the White House couldn’t get more fierce, there’s a new bitch in town. Jeremy Bernard is the brand new, openly gay White House Social Secretary. I can’t wait for him and Mo to get mani-peds together while dishing over Barack‘s approval rating. In the bedroom. Go head girl! [Gawker]

- Ladies at the Oscars this year are not fucking around with their heels The rule is go sky high or go home. [NY Mag]

Photo: Celebitchy/WENN

Flores alleges that Spears walked around naked in her house. As does everyone at some point. Granted there may not be a crew from Access Hollywood in the living room, but it’s her prerogative. It’s. Her. Prerogative.

Brit Brit’s handlers fear that Flores wants to give her the old shake down by having the case tried in civil court and are campaigning for a private case in probate court.

Damn you Flores. Hasn’t Britney suffered enough? As if shouldering the burden of teen pop superstardom, pretending to date Justin Timberlake for all those years and then a pubic breakdown that served as fodder for countless late night talk show hosts for years, the girl deserves some peace.

Where’s that “Leave Britney alone!” tranny when you need her?

However, thanks to a truly touching storyline and a great selection of songs, the gang at William McKinley High School managed to pull together their best episode this season.

The season premiere was a bit of a letdown (except for an epic performance of “Listen” by Charice — Beyoncé, watch your back). The Britney episode would have been near perfect if not for a boring (second consecutive)  Rachel Barry solo closing number — massive loss of points for denying us “I’m Not a Girl, Not Yet a Woman.”

Though entertaining, these episodes were by and large fluff; flashy musical numbers with little story, tied together by random — though often funny — nonsequiters. Last night’s dramatic storyline was, therefore a welcome departure, touching on controversial and pertinent topics, and proving that the show is more than just visual and aural candy.

After Kurt’s dad (Mike O’Malley, I’ve loved you since Guts) suffers a heart attack, the kids of New Directions are prompted to think about religion and spirituality. Sue Sylvester wages a “separation of church and state” campaign, Kurt has to come to grips with his own atheism as his friends try to find ways to lend their support and Finn has a deliciously religious experience. Hence…Grilled Cheesus.

Walking the ridiculously thin line between offending and pandering to everyone, the writers managed to come off neither cynical nor overly sentimental. Kurt’s refusal to even consider the existence of a god stems from his anger at being the target of ridicule and oppression for being gay. Coming on the heels of a rash of gay teen suicides, Kurt’s anger is not only understandable, but terribly and tragically relevant.

Kurt’s dad’s heart attack forces him to question everything he does, or does not, believe in and Glee coach Will Scheuster (doesn’t he also teach Spanish…?) forces the kids to explore the theme of spirituality in a not at all surprising twist.

With the exclusion of “Only the Good Die Young” (huh?) the song selection was apropos and entertaining. Lea Michele managed to redeem herself with a “yeah, that was kind of amazing” rendition of “Papa, Can You Hear Me?” Mercedes got not one but two solos and rose to both occasions, first on “I Look to You” (Whitney, no matter the innumerable list of horrors, is still good for an inspirational ballad) and then a gospel-tinged “Bridge Over Troubled Water.”

Kurt’s solo on “I Want to Hold Your Hand” would have brought tears to my eyes were my tear ducts not completely paralyzed from my laissez-faire attitude towards Botox about my brow.  Then the gang brought it on home with Joan Osbourne’s  “One of Us,” an obvious but nonetheless pleasing choice.

When Glee is good, it’s really good. When it’s bad, it’s still for the most part entertaining. “Grilled Cheesus” was not only a good episode, it was a reaffirming piece of pop culture that goes to show not everything on TV or on the radio (note: I haven’t listened to the radio in seven years) isn’t complete crap.

Of course, after the show I watched the DVR’d premiere of Logo’s The A-List and all previous good will went flying out of the goddamn window.

We’re not just talking about the skin on the back of your head. No, we are talking about the skin, the skull and the brain. And we’re not talking about a fashion statement. We are talking about a “stylish” (more like disgusting) method to feel high…all the time:

They drill small holes in your  scull, then pass a metal ring through them. The trick is that the ring presses the brain tissue and invokes euphoria…The people who do already have it say that brain-piercing is something less harmful and cheaper than drugs. Doctors say it may cause an irretrievable damage for your brain. But no pleasure comes for free.

The procedure will set you back about $1000…not bad in comparison to the expensive drug habit you picked up at Whitney Houston’s 4th of July BBQ. Oh, and by the way, good luck telling your dealer in Washington Square Park that you no longer need his “stuff”. 

Thanks Tattooique!