Houston died from drowning, coroner says

Whitney Houston died from drowning in a hotel bathtub, but coroner's officials said Thursday that heart disease and chronic cocaine use were contributing factors to the singer's death. The release of the autopsy findings ends weeks of speculation about what killed the Grammy-winning singer on Feb. 11 on the eve of the Grammy Awards. Houston was found submerged in the bathtub of her room at the Beverly Hilton Hotel and her death has been ruled as accidental. Several bottles of prescription medications were found in her hotel room, but coroner's officials said they weren't in excessive quantities. Beverly Hills police said in a statement there was no evidence of wrongdoing in connection with Houston's death. "We are saddened to learn of the toxicology results, although we are glad to now have closure," said Patricia Houston, the singer's sister-in-law and manager. Coroner's Chief of Operations Craig Harvey said cocaine and its byproducts were found in Houston's system, and it was listed as a contributing factor in her death. He said the results indicated Houston was a chronic cocaine user. Toxicology results also showed Houston had marijuana, Xanax, the muscle relaxant Flexeril, and the allergy medication Benadryl in her system. Houston died just hours before she was scheduled to appear at producer Clive Davis' pre-Grammy Awards bash. The singer also had a heart disease that caused blockages in her arteries. Houston, 48, was buried in a New Jersey cemetery next to her father after an emotional four-hour funeral service that was attended by friends, family and superstars such as Oprah Winfrey, Tyler Perry, Alicia Keys, Mariah Carey, Mary J. Blige, Jennifer Hudson and Roberta Flack Houston, a sensation from her first, eponymous album in 1985, was one of the world's best-selling artists from the mid-1980s to the late 1990s, turning out such hits as "I Wanna Dance With Somebody," ''How Will I Know," ''The Greatest Love of All" and "I Will Always Love You." But as she struggled with drugs, her majestic voice became raspy, and she couldn't hit the high notes. Interest in her music skyrocketed after her death, pushing her songs back on to charts and into heavy rotation on the radio. A full autopsy report is expected to be released in two weeks.

The New iPad is here!

Apple today announced its new iPad -- a powerful updated model with a new processor and a high-definition display. The new "Retina Display" screen has 2048 x 1536 resolution, which is higher than that found any other tablet on the market. The result, said Apple, will be much crisper pictures and video. After weeks of rumors that it might be called the "iPad 3" or "iPad HD," Apple only referred to it as "the new iPad" at today's rollout in San Francisco. Apple's Senior Vice President of Marketing, Philip W. Schiller, touted the new screen on stage. "You are going to see sharper images," he said. "Photos are just going to look amazing." On the outside, the new iPad looks very similar to the tablet Apple has been selling for more than a year. But with an A5x processor and quad-core graphics, Apple said images would have 44 percent greater color saturation than one sees on the previous model. There will be 3.1 million pixels on the screen, 264 pixels per inch. The new tablet will have 10 hours of battery life, Schiller said, nine hours when receiving 4G signals. It will be all of 9.5 mm thick. Schiller said the new iPad would have a more powerful "iSight" 5-megapixel camera built in. The camera, he said, can capture 1080p video. It also has image stabilization. Apple has also added 4G LTE capabilities from Verizon and AT&T, meaning those who opt for the 3G / 4G models will get faster browsing and Internet speeds. This is the first time Apple has decided to integrate LTE into one of its products. The base model, which will start at $499, will have 16GB of memory and only Wi-Fi connectivity. That's the same price Apple has listed for the existing iPad 2. It said starting prices for the existing model would drop $100, to $399. Apple said it would start taking pre-orders for the new iPad in 10 countries today, and it will be available March 16. A version with 64GB of memory will retail for $699. Presiding over the announcement was Tim Cook, Apple's new CEO and founder Steve Jobs' chosen successor. "You are going to see a lot more of this kind of innovation. We are just getting started."" Cook said. Among other features, the new tablet will take dictation. Speak into a microphone, Apple said, and your words will be transcribed on the screen. The new iPad announcement comes as the company faces stiff scrutiny over how its products are made in China. Following reports of underage labor and unsafe working conditions on assembly lines at Apple suppliers, the Fair Labor Association will submit a report on Apple's Foxconn production lines this month. ABC News got an exclusive look inside Apple's production line last month.

Live Coverage: The iPad 3 Event March 7 2012

Live video for mobile from Ustream

Yelawolf Rushed To The Hospital After Concert In Wisconsin

Yelawolf was admitted to the hospital after a concert in Madison, Wis., reports concert promoter Live Nation. The hip-hop artist was scheduled to perform March 6 at Saint Andrew's Hall in Detroit.But that is now cancelled due to the unknown illness. "He remains under observation for illness," Live Nation announced. "At the request of his doctor, the show will be postponed to a later date." Tickets must be returned at point of purchase for a refund. They also will be honored at yet-to-be determined rescheduled concert.

Young Buck Escapes Attempted Drive-By Shooting

The former G-Unit rapper was shot at 11 times, girlfriend grazed by bullet.An SUV driven by rapper Young Buck was the target of a drive-by shooting early Sunday morning. According to a WSMV.com, a local NBC affiliate in Nashville, TN, a white Chevrolet Tahoe opened fired on the former G-Unit rapper’s vehicle following a dispute at a local club. Buck’s black SUV was hit 11 times during the drive-by and his girlfriend Kenyetta Rainey was grazed in the shoulder by one of the bullets. Another passenger in the vehicle was unharmed. Rainey has since been treated and released from Vanderbilt Hospital. Police investigating the crime are looking into an incident that occurred between Buck and several men at a local nightclub, La Bamba, in South Nashville. It is believed that after the heated argument the suspects in the case followed the rapper out of the club and blazed shots at his vehicle soon after. Buck, a native of Nashville, was reportedly in the area to work on a music project. Since his departure from 50 Cent’s G-Unit crew in 2008, Buck has fallen on tough financial times. He has faced tax problems and filed for bankruptcy in August 2010.

Wiz Khalifa & Amber Rose Are Engaged

Congratulations are in order for Wiz Khalifa and Amber Rose. The Pittsburgh rapper just popped the question to the model/singer today (March 1) and showed his Twitter followers the ring via Instragram. "She Said Yes," Wiz Khalifa tweeted. "Love Is Everywhere." While chatting with her for The Juice's Love Doctor, Rose couldn't help but glow when talking about marriage and babies. "We [Wiz Khalifa and I] are very much in love and we're really, really busy. He [Wiz Khalifa] is in LA working on his album. I'm in NY working on my album. We travel a lot, separately. We do want to get married and will get married," Amber Rose told The Juice. "But we want to get married, enjoy each other, have babies and be able to take time off. We'll get married when things calm down a little bit." Are there babies on the way? Cue the "aws"! This will be the first trip down the aisle for Khalifa (real name Cameron Jibril Thomaz) and Rose, who previously dated rapper Kanye West.