oh my gosh! tonight i was so very fortunate to attend a listening party (complete with drinks and hors d’oeuvres) over at the beverly hilton for the brand new whitney houston album i look to you (her first album in seven years!) hosted by legendary music mogul clive davis and ms. houston herself! of course there were a bunch of stars in attendance including: jane fonda, halle berry, stevie wonder, brian mcknight, barry manilow, beverly johnson, penny marshall, jackie collins, magic johnson, brett ratner, and diane warren! (before we were ushered into the main room – i was chatting a little bit with penny marshall – she’s such a character!) mr. davis spoke before each of the nine tracks were played (giving a little insight on the song at hand including who wrote & produced it) on the last track (an incredible cover of a song for you) whitney came out – everyone jumped up – she looked amazing – i even got a little emotional & misty – for awhile i thought we had lost her but thankfully i’m super happy to report – girlfriend is back – and in a major way! (and she has left the drugs and her messy baggage (aka ex-hubby bobby brown) in the past)
i must say i really liked all nine tracks (even the ones written by r. kelly (including the title track) who i don’t really care for) there’s definitely a couple of hits in the making on the album (fans will be pleased) a few ballads and plenty of more upbeat tracks (the alicia keys penned track million dollar bill should be dropping soon on the radio) i seriously can’t wait to get my paws on a copy when it lands in stores on september 1st! a huge thanks goes out to my peeps who helped me secure a spot at tonight’s unforgettable event – i still can’t believe i was in the same room as stevie wonder & jane fonda – listening to new whitney houston songs – a totally incredible and magical experience! finally i must give a quick shout-out to my new pal mariah (not THAT mariah) who i met tonight – she was very friendly and since i was by myself it was nice to chat with her (i did see a couple of people in the room whom i’ve met before but they decided to ignore me – including one little dude who used to work in my building – i’ve seen and said hi to him many times but tonight he acted like he didn’t know me … los angeles is sure full of shady bitches!) popbytes over & out for tonight … xoxo
PS i wish i had pictures or audio to share but they were pretty strict about snapping pics – and of course they didn’t want anyone to record & leak songs!
Arista Records hosted a second star-studded listening event this week for the Whitney Houston album “I Look To You” on July 23rd at the Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills. Whitney Houston’s album “I Look To You” is scheduled for release September 1, 2009 on Arista Records.
An exclusive, VIP crowd gathered at the famed Beverly Hilton to enjoy an evening hosted by Clive Davis, Chief Creative Officer of Sony Music Entertainment Worldwide, to celebrate the upcoming release of Whitney Houston’s new album. Celebrity attendees included Halle Berry, Stevie Wonder, Barry Manilow, Jane Fonda, Penny Marshall, Magic Johnson, Beverly Johnson, Jackie Collins, Garcelle Beauvais, Brian McKnight, Brett Ratner, Pleasure P, BC Jean; as well as album collaborators David Foster, Diane Warren, Claude Kelly, Johnta Austin, Harvey Mason, Jr., among others. Notable entertainment industry heavyweights included Neil Portnow, Suzanne de Passe, Ricky Minor, Peter Lopez, Amanda Brooks, Warren Boyd, Arnold Steifel, Garry Kief, Clarence Avant, Barbara Davis, Randy Phillips, Patrick Whitesell, Dave Wirtschafter, and many more.
Guests arrived to a cocktail reception. Tom Corson, Executive Vice President and GM of RCA Label Group, kicked off the evening, introducing Clive Davis who presented several tracks from album. Whitney Houston was greeted by a standing ovation as she took the stage to thank the crowd for their incredible reaction to the album and shared anecdotes about the recording process.
PHOTOS | TAMMIE ARROYO / PictureGroup