Whitney Houston Makes A Return Clean And Sober

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.

"We all crossed our fingers that her beautiful story would end (happily)," said Jamie Foxx, who stood at the front of the stage and took video of Houston like he was just another fan in the crowd. "This is a new beginning."

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.

More on Clives Party at AP

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OK, It's not all doom and gloom. Just in time for Mother's Day, one of my favorite moms Whitney Houston, gave a fantastic concert the other night at the Legends Ball in London.

Unlike that BET Anniversary Show two years ago, this time Whitney hit every note and showed why she too is a legend.

Could it be all that recent Mariah Carey heat has motivated her to reclaim her crown? After all Mimi...

is looking quite delicious these days. She has a hot new CD, a sizzling new body and that cute new husband Nick Cannon. Yes sista' Maria is on a roll.

After all that crack pipe abuse Whitney must give it up to God, because he crated a human body and a spirit that's able to heals it's self in an incredible way. Happy Mother's Day.

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Under Attack, Bobby Brown Goes Country To Get His Groove Back: Good Luck With That Brotha!

Being Bobby Brown has had better episodes. After experiencing severe chest pains a few weeks ago, Brown was taken to two different hospitals before finally being admitted for having a mild heart attack.

The 38 year-old singer and former member of ‘80s R&B boy band New Edition has no history of heart problems as doctors attributed the attack to stress and diet, despite what many must have thought upon hearing the news. Since Brown has been known to use drugs along with ex-wife, ex-diva Whitney Houston (looking like her old self again with daughter Bobby Christina pictured below), it’s not a stretch to wonder if the years of abuse played a part in the struggling health of such a young man.

With the days of “Candy Girl” and “Mr. Telephone Man” flashing before his eyes in a hospital bed in Tarzana, California, he made a goodbye video just in case he didn’t pull through. When asked to tell if there were any secrets to tell, he admitted his love for his girlfriend/manager, declared that the heart attack was not brought on by drugs, claiming he’s been clean for over 2 years, and gave Whitney two final words in the form of a vulgar gesture.

Bobby has received a great prognosis from his doctors and should fully recover, giving him the opportunity to become the "captain of country?"

We'll find out during the course of a new reality show. The CMT series "Gone Country" will star the former New Edition member as he tries his hand at wooing a hillbilly loving audience.

A group of d-list celebrities will all live together in a Nashville mansion and after a couple of weeks, the celebrity considered to be the best suited to go before a country audience will get to record and release a song. The six-episode series will begin airing in January, 2008, just in time for the custody battle to subside and maybe a promise never to return to VH-1 to do another "Being Bobby Brown."

Our boy Jayar Jackson contributed most of the story on this piece.

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MERV GRIFFIN TELEVISION HOST, HOTEL AND MEDIA TYCOON DIES

Merv Griffin, the big band-era crooner turned impresario who parlayed his "Jeopardy" and "Wheel of Fortune" game shows into a multimillion-dollar empire, died Sunday from prostate cancer. He was 82.

From his beginning as a $100-a-week San Francisco radio singer, Griffin moved on as vocalist for Freddy Martin's band, sometime film actor in films and TV game and talk show host, and made Forbes' list of richest Americans several times.

PIONEER OF TALK SHOWS
Merv Griffin had a series of overlapping careers. His stint as a television talk show host was associated from the beginning with that of Johnny Carson, the reigning "king of late night talk" from the 1960s through the 1980s.

Griffin's first daytime talk show on NBC began the same day as Carson's reign on the Tonight show, and if Carson was consistently rated number one as national talk show host, Griffin was for significant periods of time clearly number two.

SENORED FOR VIETNAM WAR STANCE
As the late night television talk show wars heated up between Carson, Joey Bishop, Dick Cavett, and David Frost, Griffin entered the fray in 1969 as CBS's candidate to take on Carson in his own time slot.

He immediately ran afoul of network censors with controversial guests and topics. Concerned with the number of statements being made against the War in Vietnam in 1969, CBS lawyers sent Griffin a memo: "In the past six weeks 34 antiwar statements have been made and only one pro-war statement, by John Wayne." Griffin shot back: "Find me someone as famous as Mr. Wayne to speak in favor the war and we'll book him."

KING OF SYNDICATION TELEVISION

By the beginning of 1972, Griffin had had enough. He secretly negotiated a new syndication deal with Metromedia which gave him a daytime talk show on the syndicated network the first Monday after any day he was fired. A penalty clause in his contract with CBS would give him a million 1971 dollars as well.

With his ratings sagging, CBS predictably lowered the boom and Griffin went immediately to Metromedia where his daytime talk show ran for another 13 years. In 1986 he retired from the show to devote full time to his highly profitable game shows.

But when it came to Black entertainers and news makers, we will remember Merv was the first to interview Black notables like Martin Luther King Jr., and start the careers of performers like young teenage Whitney Huston ...

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