Even Whitney Houston was starstruck. That's how positively A-list Monday's gala AmFar benefit was.

Which explains this little scene: Ms. Houston herself clamoring to get an autograph from superstar Tom Hanks for her mother, Cissy.

"Absolutely," agreed Hanks, who then walked over to Houston's table and, tongue in cheek, said to her mother, "Who better to sign your book than me? I have my finger on the pulse of black America."

Who better indeed. Hanks seemed to be enjoying his 15 minutes of controversy resulting from his remarks to the New Yorker magazine about his $10,000 donation to President Clinton's defense fund. And like the politician he says he really doesn't want to be, the actor also faced an unending stream of questions about the donation from the assembled media horde.

When that was over, Hanks got on with the business of being honored, along with Barbara Walters and Clive Davis, at the AIDS benefit, held at the World Financial Center's Winter Garden ballroom.

Given a chance to relax, the two-time Academy Award winner spent the better part of the event smiling politely as a parade of people stopped to have pictures taken with him at his table. After all, he's again a leading Oscar contender, for his performance in "Saving Private Ryan," and his second film with Meg Ryan, "You've Got Mail," is due out Dec. 18.

Then he shooed everyone away, saying, "That's it."

Surrounded by his wife, Rita Wilson, her parents and actor Kevin Kline and his wife, Phoebe Cates, Hanks held up his hand in front of a woman hoping for another photo. "I'm king of this table, and I say no more shots."

The embargo lasted five minutes.

And once again, with his tongue firmly reimplanted in cheek, Hollywood's so-called "nicest guy" stepped up to the lectern to receive his AmFar award and quipped, "My fellow Americans. As to rumors about me in the rumor capital of media outlets, let me say this about that — no comment!"

Sean (Puffy) Combs, who performed for AmFar along with Whitney Houston and Barry Manilow, also sang the praises of honoree Clive Davis. Puff Daddy said that when he made a deal with the Arista chief some years ago it was written into his contract that he must spend "a few hours a month" at Davis' side in order to learn more about the business.

Grammy-winning producer David Foster, who presented Davis with his award, added that he planned to "kiss Clive's a-- into the next millennium" if it meant that he too could learn how to be a better record executive.