first public appearance

Kate Middleton made her first public appearance Saturday night since announcing her engagement to Prince William, joining him at a cancer charity fundraising event in Norfolk.

The film director Roman Polanski, free after nine months of detention, arrived Saturday at the Montreux Jazz Festival in his first public appearance since being released this week from house arrest.

John Travolta and his family made their first public appearance in their adopted Florida hometown since his son's death, helping raise thousands of dollars for charity at a screening of the actor's new comedy Friday night.

Whitney Houston sang live yesterday morning in Central Park for her first public appearance in years. Her performance was loved, as usual, with the exception of a couple of missed notes.

But, the pop diva kept it movin' and her adoring fans filled in for her.

She looked good and she explained to the public that she performed on Oprah's show on Monday and her voice was strained.

"I should be singing when I'm talking," she said.

*While BET celebrated the life of Michael Jackson the entertainer, Janet Jackson - in her first public appearance since her brother's shocking death - memorialized him as her beloved sibling and family member, eliciting tears as she vowed his memory would live forever.

"To you, Michael is an icon," said Jackson, holding back tears at Sunday's BET Awards.

"To us, Michael is family and he will forever live in all of our hearts. On behalf of my family and myself, thank you for all of your love, thank you for all of your support.

We miss him so much, thank you so much."