Dancing With The Stars 20th Anniversary Extravaganza and New Relay Round Twist

Whitney Houston was an American singer and actress renowned for her powerful voice and significant impact on popular music. She debuted in 1985 with her self-titled album *Whitney Houston*, which produced multiple number-one singles including "Saving All My Love for You," "How Will I Know," and "Greatest Love of All." This album set a record as the biggest-selling debut by a solo artist at the time and earned her several Grammy Awards. Her follow-up album, *Whitney* (1987), was the first by a female artist to debut at number one on the *Billboard* 200 chart and featured hits like "I Wanna Dance With Somebody" and "Where Do Broken Hearts Go," establishing her record of seven consecutive number-one singles, surpassing The Beatles and Bee Gees[1][2][5]. In 1992, Houston expanded her career into acting with her role in *The Bodyguard*, which was a commercial success and featured her iconic rendition of "I Will Always Love You." This song became the best-selling single by a female artist in history and won multiple Grammy Awards. She continued to release successful albums and soundtracks, including *Waiting to Exhale* (1995) and *The Preacher’s Wife* (1996), both accompanied by hit soundtracks. Over her career, Houston sold over 200 million records worldwide and won numerous accolades, including eight Grammy Awards, 11 American Music Awards, and two Emmy Awards[1][2][3][4][5]. Beyond music and film, Houston was known for her philanthropy, supporting causes such as children’s welfare, HIV/AIDS awareness, and 9/11 first responders. Despite a career decline in the late 1990s and personal struggles, her influence on vocal performance and popular music remains profound. Houston holds Guinness World Records as the most awarded female artist of all time and for her historic chart achievements[6][7]. Whitney Houston passed away in 2012, but her legacy endures as one of the most influential and successful vocalists in modern music history.

Mark, traditionally known as Mark the Evangelist or John Mark, is a significant early Christian figure credited with authoring the Gospel of Mark, one of the four canonical gospels in the New Testament. He was likely an Egyptian by origin and is traditionally considered the founder of the Church of Alexandria in Egypt, thus regarded as a pivotal figure in establishing Christianity in Africa. Mark’s Gospel is the shortest and is noted for its emphasis on the deeds, strength, and determination of Jesus, highlighting Jesus' power over evil and his Passion, the suffering and death. Biblical accounts identify Mark as the son of Mary, whose house in Jerusalem served as a meeting place for early Christians. He accompanied the apostles Paul and Barnabas on their first missionary journey but left early, which caused a temporary rift between Paul and Barnabas. Later, Mark traveled with Barnabas to Cyprus. Despite earlier tensions, Paul later mentions Mark positively in his final letter, indicating reconciliation and Mark’s continuing role in early Christian ministry. Early church tradition holds that Mark was the first bishop of Alexandria, founding the church there around AD 49. This position made him an important ecclesiastical leader, with the see of Alexandria becoming one of the most influential centers of Christianity. Mark is venerated as a saint, with his feast day celebrated on April 25, and his symbol is the winged lion. Various Christian traditions, including the Coptic Orthodox and Greek Orthodox churches, trace their origins to Mark’s foundational work. While modern scholarship debates the exact authorship of the Gospel of Mark and the historicity of some traditions, Mark remains a central figure in Christian history for his contributions to the spread of Christianity and the shaping of early Christian texts and communities.