Whitney Houston’s comeback album drops in just six weeks. And it was the superstar diva herself who best summed up the excitement for her return when she took center stage at last night’s VIP-only album listening party in Beverly Hills. “I’m back home,” she said. “I’m back home where I belong.” Among the VIP guests packed into a ballroom at the Beverly Hilton hotel to hear nine songs from I Look to You were Halle Berry, Stevie Wonder, Magic Johnson, Barry Manilow, Penny Marshall, model Beverly Johnson and a slew of music industry heavyweights … Sitting in a front row seat was Jane Fonda, who attended with her music producer boyfriend Richard Perry. “When they told me you were here tonight, I almost croaked,” Houston said to the Oscar winner after the two embraced. “I was like, ‘Jane Fonda is at my listening party? How cool am I?’” Sony music honcho and Houston’s mentor since he discovered her oh-so-many years ago Clive Davis hosted the evening. And Ms. Whitney looked fantastically fabulous last night (she kept it simple with a short black dress, killer heels and little makeup). The music was true Houston. Among the songs Davis introduced and played for the crowd were the Alicia Keys-written “Million Dollar Bill,” the up-tempo “Nothing But Love,” the ballad “I Didn’t Know My Own Strength,” the island song duet with Akon “Like I Never Left,” and the title track, one of two collaborations with R. Kelly. The album took about three and a half years. “For the years we were apart, I felt kind of lost,” Houston said to Davis, referring to her troubled past. “But I’m home where I truly belong, don’t ya think?” The audience went wild. Pointing to Bobbi Kristina, her daughter with ex-husband Bobby Brown, Houston smiled, “There’s my baby, my inspiration. Mama loves you so much.” Looking out to Berry, Houston cooed, “How’s the baby?” “Fantastic,” Berry said. And we have a feeling Houston’s fans will be saying the same and a whole lot more when I Look to You drops on Sept. 1.

I, too, was fortunate enough to attend last night’s listening party and let me tell you … I was floored. I’ll have all of my personal thoughts on the album in a post a little later on today. But let me assure you, Whitney Houston — the voice, the diva, the legend — is back. I Look To You is packed with amazingly strong songs … powerful ballads, hip upbeat dance tracks and quite a few candidates for hit singles. It was truly an honor to be among the first people to hear Whitney’s new album in full … I can’t wait to tell you all about it later on today. After the jump, check out a few photos of Whitney posing with some of the celebrity friends who came out to the Beverly Hilton Hotel last night to share the night with Whitney and Clive …

The guest list really was a Who’s Who of big name celebs … as each new celeb showed up, I kept gasping out loud. But, it was when Stevie Wonder was led to his front row seat that folks really took notice. It was such a special night for Whitney … she was beaming from ear to ear. I’ve never been that close to her before and she looked stunning. You can tell she is very proud of her new album … and you could tell that Clive Davis is very anxious to have people hear it for themselves. The album is killer, I’m pretty confident that Whitney Houston fans will be very pleased with the final results. I Look To You hits stores on September 1, you’re deffo gonna wanna pick it up.

[Photo credit: Wireimage; Source]

I understand that Halle took little Nahla for a few personal swimming lessons in their hotel pool before the big trip to the beach yesterday. The happy family did spend quite a bit of time frolicking on the beach … but they also spent some time in the water. After the jump, check out those adorable photos …

I can hardly stand it … Nahla is the cutest little darling ever! Those cheeks! I’m dying. Gabriel Aubry is still a fine lookin’ man, too, btw. I can see how it could be very easy to hate Halle for having such a beautifully, adorable family … it really looks like she has it all.

[Photo credit: Splash News]

I can absolutely understand Halle’s distress and commend her for handling herself with grace. I know I would not want to find myself on the receiving end of that finger … she looks about 2 secs. away from opening a can of whoop ass on the fool to dares to cross her. Halle rules!

[Photo credit: X17]

She has an “angel” of a boyfriend, Dutch bass player Martyn Lenoble, “who loves me from head to toe.” She has a cozy Malibu beach house that she calls “the best thing I’ve ever done for myself.” And, after a very public battle with breast cancer that has given her a gratifying “feeling of purpose,” Christina Applegate has a new lease on life. “I used to be really shy but I started to come into my own in my late 20s and early 30s,” Applegate, 37, tells PEOPLE in the cover interview for the annual Most Beautiful issue – her first interview since her reconstructive breast surgery last November. “Now I’m not afraid to speak up in a room full of people and be a part of the conversation.” The Samantha Who? star says she’s finding balance and embracing her body after undergoing a double mastectomy in July. “You have to get through the physical transformations then buck up, go to work and try to be the normal, happy Christina for everyone around you,” she says. One source of strength has been Lenoble. “He’s been a friend for about 13 years,” Applegate says. “Our relationship gets stronger and stronger. I’m really lucky.” And, more importantly, he makes the actress feel “beautiful” about her new body. “I’m very grateful to Martyn for coming along at a time that he did because he’s been my rock through all of this,” Applegate says. “He gave me something to really want to live for and something to smile about.”

Considering the life-changing effect that enduring a double mastectomy has on a woman, I am very impressed with Christina’s attitude about her beauty (which is on full display in this issue of People magazine). I, for the life of me, cannot imagine what it must be like to survive a bout with cancer so my hat is off to her in that respect. I suppose congrats are in order for being named by People magazine as one of the 100 Most Beautiful People. But, there are 99 other folks who have been deemed beautiful by People — after the jump, check out a few of those pretty faces …

There is no denying that each one of these people is beautiful but I gotta question the selection choice of some of these photos. The 90210 girls were photographed without make-up (on purpose) but the photo is set in the harsh beach sun which makes each of the young girls look haggard. Also, I think the mag could’ve selected better photos of Robert Pattinson and Michelle Obama. Each one of them is incredibly beautiful and, yet, these photos in my opinion do not showcase their beauty at all. I do love the photo of Kristen Wiig and, of course, Tristan Wilds and Zac Efron both look supercute. I know the People magazine list of the 100 Most Beautiful People is meant to be fun and I think they generally get it right … but what do you think? Who would YOU have selected for the cover of this mag?

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One doesn’t want to enter the Berry/Aubry residence in Los Angeles feeling less than fantastic. Because the image that greets you — by the pristine pool, past the vegetable garden, and under a blazing blue sky — could be detrimental to one’s self image. Halle, 42, and her partner, model Gabriel Aubry, who met on a Versace shoot in 2005, and baby Nahla are, to quote that great fashion sage Derek Zoolander, “really, really, really good-looking.” Gabriel, carrying Nahla, bids adieu, while Halle, relaxed in a long black jersey dress, retires to the art-filled pool house to talk

LB: Whose style do you like?
HB: Eva Mendes. She’s beautiful, and she’s sexy and hot, and I love her.

Halle Berry is a beautiful woman both inside and out … it’s hard not to like her. She really does come across as a likable person, who is both talented and savvy. I still don’t get why she’s is so uninterested in marrying her hot man Gabriel Aubry but she appears to be loving her life and living it to the fullest. You have to respect that. After the jump, check out a few photos from Halle’s Harper’s Bazaar photospread …

She’s such a doll. Halle deffo deserves to be featured in as many magazines as possible … pics like this are always a treat. Doesn’t she look fab?

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OMG … so cute!! Even after an outfit change, Nahla seems no more interested in sleeping and even more so in drooling on her mother’s shoulder. This little girl is absolutely adorable. We don’t get to see much of little Miss Nahla out and about so these pics are a real treat. Tutu? Seriously, the cutest thing ever. Get some sleep, Nahla … we’ll be right here waiting for you to wake up ;)

[Photo credit: X17]

Now, we all know that Halle Berry has no problem gettin’ nekkid in movies if it’s an important part of the story … so we have to assume that all of this running around topless is for a good reason, right? After the jump, check out a few uncensored NSFW images of Halle’s berries on the set of her new movie …

I smell an Oscar! And, I hope she doesn’t catch cold. BRRRRR.

[Photo credit: Bauer-Griffin]

Set in the 1970’s, Frankie and Alice tells the tale of a young woman suffering from multiple personality disorder … which causes some strife for the African American woman because one of her personalities is racist. Um, while the premise does sound a bit comical, I’m sure the drama will be a serious effort rather than a comedic one. Halle looks pretty damn good in this skimpy little outfit, I gotta say. I’m diggin’ the hair … and the Foxy Brownness of her character overall. She looks hawt, y’all.

[Photo credit: INFdaily]

Nicole Kidman, Jane Fonda, Jennifer Lopez, Diane Keaton and Halle Berry joined dozens of other stars in a ballroom at the Four Seasons Hotel on Monday for Elle magazine’s 15th annual Women in Hollywood tribute, honoring seven noteworthy women in entertainment. Fonda served as an informal entertainment ambassador before the program, chatting up actress Kat Dennings and introducing Amber Tamblyn to Shirley MacLaine. Meanwhile, the evening’s host, Chelsea Handler, shared laughs with Jenny McCarthy and Cheryl Hines. Other guests included Kate Beckinsale, Courteney Cox, Eva Mendes, Angie Harmon and Cheryl Tiegs. Elle’s annual dinner pays tribute to women “who are telling our stories” in Hollywood, said editor Roberta Myers. This year’s honorees included Berry, Fonda, Kidman, Anne Hathaway, Sigourney Weaver, Isla Fisher and director Catherine Hardwicke — all of whom are featured in the magazine’s November issue. “Someday hopefully it won’t be necessary to allocate a special evening to celebrate where we are and how far we’ve come,” Weaver said. “Someday women writers, producers and crew members will be so commonplace, and roles and salaries for actresses will outstrip those for men, and pigs will fly.” Though things have improved for women, “we do have a long way to go,” she said. Hathaway said in today’s Hollywood “women are about so much more than how they look. I think it’s pretty remarkable that, at 25, I’m able to say that my role as a woman in Hollywood is purely as an artist, not a cause,” Hathaway said. “I’m free to play my characters as I imagine them, far beyond what size jeans they wear.” Fisher thanked “my baby daddy SBC” (Sacha Baron Cohen) and paid homage to Kidman, “who paved the way for all us Aussies.” MacLaine continued the praise. “Nicole Kidman has been a revelation to me, and it’s not easy for me to be revelated,” she said, calling Kidman “my star child.” Kidman thanked all the directors who “molded” her, particularly Anthony Minghella and Sydney Pollack. “They were men in Hollywood who loved women,” she said. Fonda thanked all the women in the house — and Hollywood itself. “Aren’t we glad we’re not bankers,” she said. “We are in the most fantastic business.”

I feel I must echo Sigourney Weaver’s comments and am also very much looking forward to the day when events like this are no longer necessary. Hopefully the day will soon come when there’ll be no need to honor women in Hollywood on a singular night of tribute because they will be afforded the same tribute as their male counterparts every single day. I find it criminal that Johnny Depp (and no offense to him in any way) can demand $55 million dollars for a film role when women cannot garner the same pay. There is still a huge disparity between wages paid to men over women. We may have come a long way (baby) but there is still a long way to go yet. In any event, congrats and kudos to the women honored at last night’s event. It sounds like due tribute was paid to some very deserving women.

[Photo credit: Splash News; Source]