Music mogul Clive Davis shrugs over Jennifer Hudson’s widely reported quotes in Essence magazine that she considered her stint on "American Idol" "abusive." Says the industry superpower, who has signed a number of "American Idol" personalities to his record label and served as a judge on the show, "I don’t think she regrets `American Idol’ at all. It gives an unknown artist unparalleled visibility."

However, "I didn’t sign her from `American Idol,’ " notes Davis. "I signed her from her screen test for `Dreamgirls.’ A friend sent it to me, and I was blown away by her acting ability, by her doing a simple piano and voice version of the songs Effie sings in `Dreamgirls’ - her tremendous range and soulfulness. I called her in months ago, before `Dreamgirls’ was released. Now she’s up for best supporting actress."

And he says he and Hudson expect to go into the studio to begin recording her album "somewhere between March 20 and April 1.

"We’ve gone to what we consider to be the best songwriters to find the best material - all original material."

Not surprisingly, Hudson will be on hand for Clive’s annual pre-Grammy party - always one of, if not the hottest soiree in town, complete with surprise superstar per-formers.

Or, as he puts it, "It’s not just a party, it’s a celebration of the passion of music."

Well! No wonder "Dreamgirl" Beyonce and her real-life leading man, Jay-Z, are also expected to be among the swarm of glitterati on hand at the Feb. 10 event - along with Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera, Janet Jackson, Tony Bennett, "Idol’s" Carrie Underwood and Chris Daughtry, and huge names from outside the music industry such as Meryl Streep and CBS chieftain Les Moonves.

"We are at the Beverly Hilton. We did outgrow the Beverly Hills Hotel. We haven’t reduced the exclusivity of it, but this gives us a little more leeway," notes Davis, "from about 600 guests to about 800."

There’s a certain irony to the fact the CBS sitcom "How I Met Your Mother" has a big Super Bowl episode airing today - the day after the real Super Bowl.

Meanwhile, she says, the most pressing project the first part of this new year is on the home front. "I would like to complete the organization in my house," says Hannigan, who’s married to her former "Buffy, the Vampire Slayer" co-star, Alexis Denisof. "We’ve hired an organizer to help us come in and do it really right."

The couple has lived in their home for four years now, but she says, "We never did it properly when we moved because we were both working. We never took the time to make sure everything had a perfect place."