Press

Stanley Tucci To Play Clive Davis in Whitney Houston Biopic ‘I Wanna Dance With Somebody’

EXCLUSIVE: Oscar-nominated actor Stanley Tucci has been tapped to play Grammy-winning producer Clive Davis in the biopic I Wanna Dance With Somebody, the upcoming feature film about the late musical icon Whitney Houston.

Naomi Ackie will play Houston in the musical biopic, which is based on Houston’s epic life and music. Kasi Lemmons is directing, with Anthony McCarten penning the script. Davis was the lawyer-turned-music producer and executive who had an extraordinary eye for spotting talent. That ability to find a star before they erupted on the scene led him to the wildly talented Houston before anyone knew who she was and, and he guided her to becoming a star.

To read the rest, visit the Deadline story here.

Sony’s TriStar Wins Auction For Whitney Houston Biopic: Anthony McCarten Script, Stella Meghie Directs, Clive Davis & Estate Aboard

EXCLUSIVE: Sony’s TriStar Pictures has won a hot and heavy auction for I Wanna Dance With Somebody, the feature film on the life and music of iconic songstress Whitney Houston. The studio has already staked out a Thanksgiving 2022 release date for the film. Deadline revealed the project’s formation back in April, with The Whitney Houston Estate, Primary Wave and Grammy-winning music producer and Houston’s mentor Clive Davis all aboard. Stella Meghie is directing. She helmed The Photograph, starring Issa Rae and LaKeith Stanfield and her credits include Jean and the Jones, The Weekend, and Everything, Everything.

Scripting and producing is Anthony McCarten, the Oscar-nominated screenwriter who was the catalyst for the project, self-financing a life rights option, writing the script on spec and lining up rights and music to create a tantalizing package leaving only one question: Which young actress can play Whitney Houston?

To read the rest, visit the Deadline article here.

A new gallery about musician Clive Davis just opened at NYU

Legendary record producer Clive Davis is officially the subject of an entirely new gallery aptly named the Clive Davis Gallery at New York University. The university’s prestigious Tisch School of the Arts hosted the opening of the new space last week at 370 Jay Street, by NYU’s downtown Brooklyn campus. 

Celebrities of all stripes ventured to the borough for the ribbon cutting ceremony, including Barry Manilow, Beverly Johnson, Don Lemon and, of course, Davis and his family.

To read the rest, visit the Timeout article here.

Aretha Franklin

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I’m absolutely devastated by Aretha’s passing.  She was truly one of a kind.  She was more than the Queen of Soul.  She was a national treasure to be cherished by every generation throughout the world.  Apart from our long professional relationship, Aretha was my friend.  Her loss is deeply profound and my heart is full of sadness. -Clive

Variety: Jay-Z to Be Honored as Industry Icon at Clive Davis’ Pre-Grammy Gala

Variety: Jay-Z to Be Honored as Industry Icon at Clive Davis’ Pre-Grammy Gala

CREDIT: COURTESY OF TIDAL

Jay-Z to Be Honored as Industry Icon at Clive Davis’ Pre-Grammy Gala

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Jay-Z will be honored by Clive Davis and the Recording Academy at the annual Pre-Grammy Gala (a.k.a. “The Clive Party”) on Jan. 27, 2018. The 21-time Grammy winner and entrepreneur will be recognized as the 2018 Grammy Salute to Industry Icons honoree for his significant contributions to the music industry and his numerous philanthropic endeavors.

Past recipients of the honor include Davis himself, A&M Records founders Herb Alpert and Jerry Moss, veteran manager Irving Azoff, Sony/ATV Music Publishing chairman/CEO Martin Bandier, Virgin Records founder Sir Richard Branson, Atlantic Records cofounder Ahmet Ertegun, David Geffen, Motown Records founder Berry Gordy, Universal Music Group chairman/CEO Lucian Grainge, BET CEO Debra L. Lee, Sony Music Entertainment chairman Doug Morris, longtime Warner Bros. Records CEO Mo Ostin and former Epic Records CEO Antonio “L.A.” Reid.

The gala will be held at the Sheraton New York Times Square on the evening before the Grammy Awards ceremony, which is being held in New York for only the second time since 1998.
For the full article please click on link below:

http://variety.com/2017/music/news/jay-z-to-be-honored-as-industry-icon-at-clive-davis-pre-grammy-gala-1202603393/

The New York Times Review: Soundtrack Of Our Lives

The New York Times Review: Soundtrack Of Our Lives

 

Review: In ‘Clive Davis,’ the Evolution of a Music Mogul

The New York Times Review: Soundtrack Of Our Lives

Chris Perkel’s reverent documentary “Clive Davis: The Soundtrack of Our Lives” is a valedictory for Mr. Davis, the music executive whose Midas touch with radio hits across genres — especially at Arista Records, from 1975-2000 — is industry legend. The career of Mr. Davis, now 85, covering the 1960s to the present, is remarkable when you consider his longevity and resilience given pop music’s core audience of young listeners. Entertainment luminaries — Aretha Franklin, Puff Daddy, Bruce Springsteen, Patti Smith, Alicia Keys and many others — attest to his golden ear and marketplace savvy.

For the full article please click on link below:

 

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/09/26/movies/clive-davis-the-soundtrack-of-our-lives-review.html