Whitney Houston sang. Barry Manilow did a new tribute. Kanye West changed his mind about leaving the tribute to Clive Davis on Saturday at the Beverly Hilton and came back to say:
"A big part of the game means being part of the game. I had a pompous attitude last year. You don't chose the Grammys; they choose you. Being hip-hop... being black, you don't get away with that. For people to have confidence in you ... you've got to deal. ... I feel like I have spearheaded taking pop back to a new level of respect. I feel like Katy Perry (has done it). You make the emotions cut through. Peop le heed quality and greatness. The reason why I walked back in was I came to see Puffy. I am humbled by the greatness in the room."

Props to Kanye for seeing that. There was a palpable sense that this was the end of  an era, that future bashes under the Recording Academy's auspices will never be as elaborate or star and executive packed. Some of that owes to stars no longer having the sort of relationship with the starmakers that Davis and his artists have shared. 

Babyface and L.A. Reid talked about the faith Davis invested in them and every part of their speech rang out with sincerity. Clive can pour it on at these bashes with a unique blend of ego and humility - and that's part of the charm. Besides, at what other cocktail party will you see Joan Collins and  Dave Grohl?
In the room Saturday: Paul McCartney, Prince, Rod Stewart, Sheryl Crow, Sean Combs, Berry Gordy, Kelly Clarkson, Carrie Underwood, Taylor Swft, Chris Brown, Rihanna, Jennifer Hudson, Ashford & Simpson, Babyface, Dave Grohl, Leona Lewis, Andy Williams, Natalie Cole, the heads of Sony Music, Universal Music and  Warner Music Group along with CBS' Leslie Moonves.

Houston was the final performer in the transitional Clive Davis party in which Davis was an honoree under the Recording Academy's auspices. She sang well without hitting any of her trademark notes, closing out with a version of the Chaka Khan hit "I'm Every Woman."  

Jennifer Hudson and Rod Stewart delivered the highlights in the show. Rod sang "Some Guys Have all the Luck" and John Fogerty's "Have You Every Seen Rain?," which appeared on his '70s rock covers album. He could have knocked our socks off by playing "Stay With Me" and announcing a reunion of the Faces, but that would only happen in a dream. 

Gossip mongers: The good news is that Janet Jackson and Whitney Houston (pictured between Alicia Keys and Fergie) look fabulous. Carrie Underwood was on hand at Clive Davis's party at the Beverly Hilton Hotel Saturday with Chace Crawford of "Gossip Girl" and she looked rather disinterested in the evening, even waving off Clive's effusive introduction.
Fellow "Idol" moneymaker Chris Daughtry played the highly respectful guest, giving the standing O to every major celebrity announced. And at the next table, Randy Jackson was big on the cheers, too.
As far as the music went, though, the evening was not one of Davis' more legendary marathon events. Videotapes of past years' highlights were played regularly to remind attendees how the party has achieved its legendary status and even Davis suggested that the evening would not be setting a new bar. Still, there were enough highlights to make this a good, if not great, night of pop music.
Evaluations, in order of appearance:
Foo Fighters. Did two songs, "The Pretender" and "Best of You." Potent and hearty, it was exactly what one would expect from Dave Grohl and the boys. Nothing we haven't seen before.
Leona Lewis. The British "Pop Idol" champ did two songs, the second of which was "First Time Ever You Saw My Face." She has a big voice and tender personality, two trademarks of Whitney Houston in her early years. But what I didn't sense from Lewis that I did sense from Houston back then was the desire to be liked and welcomed into the music world. Lewis steps in gingerly, with a graciousness that should endear her to many. But is she a major pop star? Not sure. The album comes out in two months.
Daughtry with Chad Kroeger and Slash. First tune, by just Chris Daughtry and his band, was rote commercial rock; to spice things up, the "American Idol" contender and guests waddled through John Fogerty's "Born on the Bayou." Slash delivered standard-issue solos - enough to hold the interest but not necessarily amaze. Worse, Kroeger has a banal voice and Daughtry seems hell-bent on following in his footsteps.
Josh Groban and Andrea Bocelli. On paper, this sounds like a PBS nightmare. I have a fear of heights and this is the sappy musical equivalent of peering over the edge of the observation deck of the Empire State Building. Yet their performance of "The Prayer" worked. Not chill-inducing, but a pleasant interaction between two singers working with just piano and synth accompaniment. Both stayed within themselves and made it a delightful two-voice performance.
Fantasia. On Broadway, she stopped "The Color Purple" with "I'm Here" and she did it again Saturday night. Right performer, right song. And if the music industry is truly paying attention, they should realize that contemporary Broadway composers are creating interesting and dramatic material that can work for modern singers. In the digital download age, Broadway shows could be a great source of material and there are not enough A&R execs mining this increasingly rich territory.
Alicia Keys. Performs "Like You'll Never See Me Again" and "No One" after Davis gives her a lengthy introduction that suggests the label people were somehow surprised that her record would be great, sell vast quantities and should have somehow been in consideration for a Grammy. No, the J folks chose to release it in the 2008-09 eligibility period and just place the single in the 07-08 territory. Keys, as she has done at so many of Davis's parties, was spectacular. "No One" was the night's rousing highlight and there's no amount of praise that can be heaped on this woman that goes too far. She is simply the best.
Akon and Wyclef. Nice pairing and they dove into a little Bob Marley ("No Woman No Cry") and some political wordplay promoting Barack Obama and Clive Davis for president. The two sang about blood diamonds and romped through Akon's  "I Wanna Love You" with grace and precision.
Davis always introduces members of the audience - he  gave props to about 70 Saturday - and 
the biggest cheers of the night went to Michael Strahan, Gladys Knight and Quincy Jones.

Gimme the beatbox to free my soul: Blake Lewis has inked with 19 Recordings/Arista and his debut should be in stores by the end of the year.
Clive Davis, who decides which "American Idol" participants get contracts with BMG labels, says Blake is already following instructions well. “His collaborators are all knocked out by him."
Producers working with Lewis include Jonathan “JR” Rotem (Rihanna's "SOS”); Ryan “Alias” Tedder (Timbaland); and S*A*M & Sluggo (Gym Class Heroes, Boys Like Girls).
Lewis came in second place behind Jordin Sparks on last season's show.He has been recording between tour dates with Sparks and the other finalists; tour ends Sept. 22 in Manchester, N.H.
Lewis, 26, hails from Redmond, Wash., and was a member of the a cappella group Kickshaw for four years.