--

The power of Oprah was on display once again on Thursday night, as she partied with Janet Jackson, Mariah Carey and many more in New York.

One year ago, Oprah welcomed the people she admired to her Legends Ball.  But on Thursday, Access Hollywood?s Tim Vincent was there for a Legends reunion important enough to lure Janet and her new body.

And talk about fabulous at 40!

Janet, who showed up arm in arm with boyfriend Jermaine Dupri, looked stunning in a black vintage Aliah suit, revealing her newly slimmed down tiny waist.

?I just went in my closet and threw it on,? Janet smiled.

Miss Jackson turns the big 4-0 on Tuesday and she has much to celebrate. Her new ?20 Years Old? album is due out in September, and then she will begin her world tour.

So what does Janet have planned for her b-day?

?Party, I guess,? she laughed.

And what better place to start than at the screening of ?Oprah Winfrey?s Legends Ball? on Thursday!

?The last time I watched it, I was watching it with Stedman in our house the other night and I was boo hooing and he was crying too,? Oprah told us. ?We were like ?Oh my God, it gets better with time.??

?Like ?Terms of Endearment,?? Tim joked.

?Yes. It just gets better with time,? she said.

The ABC special (which airs Monday at 8 p.m.) features 25 inspiration women who were honored on Oprah?s Montecito ranch a year ago in a lavish affair.

?What is one moment that stands out to you that makes it very special?? Tim asked Oprah.

?There is a moment when Halle Berry, Tina Turner, Maya Angelou and Cecily Tyson, and there is Roberta Flack and there is Mary J. Blige and Gladys Knight,? she shared. ?And I thought ?Oh my God they are all in your living room!??

Oprah, in a long black Ferre skirt and simple white Anne Fontaine blouse, arrived with best friend Gayle King and newly elected Newark, New Jersey mayor Cory Booker.

But one legend noticeably absent then and now is Whitney Houston, who is struggling once again with substance abuse.

?She was invited last year and she was invited again this year,? Oprah said with a shrug.

?Have you reached out to her and know that she is OK?? Tim asked.

?I can?t say that I know she is ok,? Oprah replied.

Copyright 2009 by NBC Universal, Inc. All rights reserved.
This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Keep your Access to everything in Hollywood! Breaking news and personal commentary from Nancy, Billy, Tony, Shaun, Maria & all of our producers! Follow us on Facebook and Twitter now!