A stunning-looking and strong-sounding Whitney Houston made a triumphant return to the stage at a pre-Grammy party honoring her mentor, music mogul Clive Davis. “I’ve got it, I’ve got it!” Houston, looking glamorous in a skintight leopard dress, sang early Sunday morning as she belted a line from one of her classic hits, “I’m Every Woman.” But more than a lyric, it summarized to the crowd of A-list superstars and top industry execs that the superstar — whose drug use and erratic behavior had caused a shocking fall from grace just a few years ago — was back in top form … Houston’s mini-concert put an exclamation point on a night that included a rousing performance by Kelly Clarkson, an unlikely but magical duet between Jennifer Hudson and Barry Manilow and a rambling monologue by Kanye West. “I have to bow in the presence of greats right now,” West said as he looked out into the crowd, which at one point included Sir Paul McCartney, Prince, Diddy, Rihanna, the Jonas Brothers, Taylor Swift, Quincy Jones, and other luminaries. “I’m just humbled by your greatness, and also Clive,” West told the audience. Davis, the music mogul who founded labels, signed greats ranging from Houston to Bruce Springsteen to Janis Joplin, and resuscitated the careers of veterans like Rod Stewart and Carlos Santana, was honored by the Recording Academy as an industry icon on Saturday, hours before Sunday’s Grammys. For nearly three decades, Davis’ pre-Grammy party and concert had become one of the industry’s most coveted invites; this year, the Recording Academy took the event over and honored Davis instead. But while Davis got an award, he still held court like it was his own party, acting as the evening’s host as he introduced performers like Stewart, the Kings of Leon and Leona Lewis. Diddy got the often staid crowd on their feet with a moving rendition of his tribute to the slain Notorious B.I.G., “I’ll Be Missing You,” with Biggie’s widow, singer Faith Evans, and a gospel choir. Clarkson got one of the evening’s biggest ovations with her performance of her new single, “My Life Would Suck Without You” and the Joplin gem “Piece of My Heart.” But Hudson was perhaps the night’s biggest star — until Houston hit the stage. Starting with the Super Bowl last Sunday, Hudson has been raising her profile after spending months in seclusion following the slayings of her mother, brother and nephew last October. A smiling Houston performed her hit “Spotlight,” which earned her one of her four Grammy nominations, and got a standing ovation from the crowd. But she raised the bar with a pairing with Barry Manilow, injecting one of his signature songs, “Weekend in New England,” with a lacking ingredient — soul. Afterward, the Oscar-winner joined the audience (and friend Fantasia), stood in the front and danced and sang as Houston performed. Houston started off with “I Will Always Love You,” but didn’t hit the high, sustaining notes that made the song such a dramatic, stirring hit. Instead, she kept her voice at medium power, deciding to croon rather than soar. But as she got into hits like “It’s Not Right, But It’s O.K.,” her voice appeared to get stronger — and louder, and while she never replicated the vocal gymnastics of some of her past work, delivered a mesmerizing performance nonetheless. The 45-year-old, one of the best-selling artists of all time and among the greatest singers, hasn’t made an album since 2002. Then she was was sinking due to drug use and a tumultuous personal life — a far cry from the princess image she cultivated since her debut in the 1980s. But the singer is expected to release an album sometime this year, and unlike other reported returns, this comeback seems to be the real deal. “She was on it, she was happy — she’s back,” said Foxx. “Everybody else watch out.”

This Grammy Awards Salute to Icons affair sounded like a night to remember. I cannot even fathom what it must be like to be in presence of so much talent all in one room. The fact that even Kanye West was humbled, well, that should tell you something. After the jump, check out a bunch of photos that range from the performance stage to the interaction in the audience …

Wow … Jennifer Hudson, Kelly Clarkson, Leona Lewis AND Whitney Houston? Clive really has the magic touch and knows how to cultivate talent and make it flourish. I’m not sure there are many more ways to honor Clive Davis anymore … but this annual event that culls together the richest talent and most amazing voices in tribute to him, well, that sounds like a pretty sweet way to honor him. I must say, tho, that I’m bummed that Britney Spears didn’t attend … it was reported that she would be in attendance. Ah well, I guess Clive Davis can’t have it all. In any regard, congrats Clive!!

[Photo credit: Splash News, Wireimage; Source]

For the most part, all of the ladies who showed up for the BET Awards were lookin’ pretty hot … only Lil’ Kim looked a little peeved at something. She was throwin’ dagger with her eyes all over the place … dunno what her deal was. Nonetheless, there was a whole lotta pretty on the red carpet. Only the guys wore the ridiculous outfits (Chris Brown shopping with Michael Jackson? T-Pain shopping with a blind assistant?). But the BET Awards aren’t only about the fashions … they also had a few awards to hand out to some deserving folks …

Here are a few pics of some of the winners and live performances from last night’s show:

Kanye West, Chris Brown and Alicia Keys were big winners at Tuesday’s Black Entertainment Television Awards in Los Angeles. Kanye West, Chris Brown and Alicia Keys were big winners at Tuesday’s Black Entertainment Television Awards in Los Angeles. West came out a double winner, snagging awards for both Best Male Hip Hop Artist and Best Collaboration for his single “Good Life,” sharing the award with rapper-producer T-Pain. West brought Lil’ Wayne onstage when he accepted the for Best Male Hip Hop Artist, praising the fellow rapper for being his biggest competition. Lil’ Wayne, who sold one million copies of his recent album in its first week, returned the favor when he picked up the Viewers’ Choice Award for “Lollipop.” Brown took home the Best Male R&B Artist award at the star-studded event, hosted by DL Hughley, which boasted an opening performance of “Love In This Club” by Usher. Brown enlisted the help of Ciara for his “Take You Down” performance, while the crooner’s girlfriend Rihanna entertained the audience with her ballad “Take a Bow” … ill Scott, Anthony Hamilton and Maxwell paid a musical tribute to Al Green who received the Legendary Lifetime Award. Actress Queen Latifah presented Quincy Jones with the Humanitarian Award.

The performances were hot — I loved the Ciara and Chris Brown collabo (Ciara is actually one of my fave performers, she doesn’t get nearly as much love as she should). Quincy Jones is seriously the man … he is truly a legend and it’s wonderful that his humanitarian efforts were acknowledged by the folks at BET:

Queen Latifah introduced Humanitarian Award recipient Quincy Jones, calling him “an international artist, an innovator … and a leader.” “He showed us black entertainment is more than just a hustle,” she said. “It’s more than just selling albums. It’s about inspiration.” Jones said growing up on the south side of Chicago during the depression moved him to give back to people in need. “My piece of bread only belongs to me if everybody has a piece to eat,” he said. Receiving the award “is one of the very treasured moments of my life,” Jones said, “and I always hope to live up to this honor.”

Jennifer Hudson, who was in attendance last night, did not perform during the show but she did debut her new music video (her first) for her single Spotlight from her debut self-titled album which is due out in September … check it out: