Credit: Melissa Ruggieri
Credit: Melissa Ruggieri
BY MELISSA RUGGIERI
BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. – A few minutes into his introduction of Clive Davis, the king of the biggest bash on Grammy weekend outside of the show itself, Magic Johnson asked for silence.
Johnson was in the middle of recounting Davis’ legendary career in the record industry and reminded the audience that Davis discovered Whitney Houston.
But in the middle of his speech, Johnson paused and asked the crowd to send their thoughts to Bobbi Kristina Brown, who is still hospitalized after being found unresponsive in a bathtub eight days ago.
“If we can, let’s have 30 seconds of silence for (Whitney’s) daughter, who is in the hospital. We want to make sure she is OK and that she can recover from her accident,” Johnson said, as the audience of celebrities hushed. And then, “Let’s clap for Bobbi and hope she’ll be OK.”
Davis’ famed pre-Grammy Gala and Salute to Industry Icons was the scene of Houston’s death on the eve of the Grammy Awards three years ago.
The coincidence wasn’t lost on R&B singer Ashanti, who counted Houston among her idols.
"I think it is so sad. It's so scary what can happen and how your life is affected. I think it's so eerie that it was near Bobby's birthday and near the anniversary of her mother's death," Ashanti said on the red carpet inside the Beverly Hilton. "My mom said, you know, it seems like Bobbi kinda wanted to be with her mom, and when you think about it in hindsight like that, it's really, really sad. It's gotta be tough for everyone involved."
Some other musical luminaries commented on the tragic situation with Houston’s daughter (keep reading), but most wanted to commend Davis for his insight and longevity, as well as discuss their own upcoming projects (Ashanti also has a movie, “Stuck,” a drama about six people trapped in a New York subway car, coming this summer).
Credit: Melissa Ruggieri
Credit: Melissa Ruggieri
On the red carpet, Johnson called Davis, “a celebrity in his own right and a genius at this music stuff.”
The glitzy event summoned an array of stars, including Taylor Swift (looking leggy and girlish); Jennifer Hudson (clad in a short black dress – she later performed the funky-fun “Trouble” with Iggy Azalea); Pharrell Williams (who caused a traffic jam on the carpet when he, Davis and Joni Mitchell shared the same space for a few minutes); and Sam Smith (dapper in a gray suit and smooth as always performing “My Funny Valentine” and “Stay with Me” during the gala).
Some quick bites from the red carpet:
Kathy Griffin joked that "no one was safe" on "Fashion Police," "not even my mom."
Credit: Melissa Ruggieri
Credit: Melissa Ruggieri
The candid comedienne said that musically, “I’m into Taylor Swift. I’m interested to see how excited she gets when she dances in the front row. She’s a very excited front-row dancer. I do get afraid that she might knock someone over, maybe Lorde? I know they’re friends, but she could knock Lorde on her (butt), frankly.”
The Bee Gees, along with George Harrison and Buddy Guy, are among the artists receiving a Lifetime Achievement Award at the Grammys on Sunday.
Barry Gibb called it, “The greatest award we can be given in this industry.” He also shared that he’s going into the studio in March to record a new album and plans to do some more live shows.
Credit: Melissa Ruggieri
Credit: Melissa Ruggieri
Faith Evans, whose new album, "Incomparable," bowed in November, was a personal and professional friend of Houston's (they recorded "Heartbreak Hotel" with Kelly Price in 1998) and shared her thoughts on Bobbi Kristina's situation.
“My family is definitely praying for Krissy and we let (the family) know that we’re here for them, whatever they need. We love her.”
Earth Wind & Fire's Verdine White said the road warriors will indeed tour this summer. As usual, they'll have a special pairing, but, White joked, "It's gonna be a secret for a while."
The group's Ralph Johnson had a message for Bobbi Kristina and her family: "Just know that (you're) in our prayers. It's just one of those things that is unfortunate and you have to take a wait and see kind of attitude, but definitely, we're lifting it up."
Credit: Melissa Ruggieri
Credit: Melissa Ruggieri
Pentatonix will play The Tabernacle on March 21 and the group's Kevin Olusola said of the upcoming tour, "It's definitely a bigger production than last year. There are a lot more new songs and it's definitely more high energy."
The group, which is nominated for a Best Arrangement, Instrument or A Capella Grammy (for “Daft Punk”), was chosen by Davis to perform a medley of Bee Gees songs during the gala.
Pentatonix had tremendous success with their Christmas album, “That’s Christmas to Me,” and said they’ll likely revisit a seasonal offering soon, but they first plan to release a new non-holiday album in late spring.
A carefree Joni Mitchell was forthright when asked if there were any young artists she felt projected strong messages in their music.
Credit: Melissa Ruggieri
Credit: Melissa Ruggieri
“I don’t really know, I’m not exposed to it and I don’t know where to find it. I’m not on the Internet. I use my cell phone as a camera, I don’t let it ring!” she said with a laugh.
Mitchell, who talked while surrounded by a group of friends, said she brought them to the party because, “I love them, and we just want to have fun.”
Neil Portnow, president of the National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences said he'll start thinking about next year's Grammys show on Monday.
"I have a folder on my desk that says 'The 58th Annual Grammy Awards" and on Monday we'll start populating that folder. But we build our show based on the nominations, and that's when you see the talent pool that is there to work with," he said. "The thing about our show, we're so well known for these performances, artists start thinking about their own ideas and what they might want to do. "
Portnow was also a long-time friend of Houston’s, but he deferred to Davis when asked to comment on Bobbi Kristina.
“I worked with Whitney personally and at this time, when the family really needs privacy and is pulling together, as close as I am with Clive, I’ve been able to have my sentiments expressed through him, which I think is appropriate given his closeness to the family,” Portnow said.
Credit: Melissa Ruggieri
Credit: Melissa Ruggieri
"Weird" A Yankovic, he of the lushest hair on the red carpet, talked about the huge success of his "Mandatory Fun" album.
“This album has been my biggest, and also the first No. 1 comedy album since 1963,” he said, while adding that it’s ironic that he’s already said it will be his final traditional album.
“I still feel like albums aren’t the best way to get my music out there. Releasing things digitally as a single makes more sense. It’s hard to be topical and timely when you’re waiting to release 12 songs at once,” the tux-clad Yankovic said.
The "Mandatory Fun" tour, which comes to Chastain Park Amphitheatre on June 20, will be a "multimedia experience," he said.
“It’s not just being on stage with the guys rocking out. There are costume changes and film on a big screen. I’m working with a stylist to come up with costumes. There are a lot of moving parts.”
Aloe Blacc is for up for Best R&B Album, but was self-deprecating about his chances of winning.
Credit: Melissa Ruggieri
Credit: Melissa Ruggieri
“I will pretty much continue to be ‘Grammy-nominated’ for another year, and that’s OK, it’s a great title.”
Blacc believes the Robert Glasper Experiment will win, or possibly Babyface’s collaboration with Toni Braxton.
Georgia native Sharon Jones (and the Dap-Kings) is also nominated in Blacc’s category and lamented in a recent interview the lack of a soul category at the Grammys.
Blacc commented, “It’s a tough distinction. The Grammy committees battled for quite a while about what categories are going to be posted. I agree with Sharon, but if we were going to dissect every category, it would be quite difficult. So, R&B…rhythm and blues…what I do is blues and rhythm…soul music is coming from rhythm and blues. I agree, but I understand the challenge.”
Blacc plans to spend a week in Nashville in the upcoming weeks to prepare for his new album. He’s met Lady Antebellum, Zac Brown and Gavin DeGraw and wants to give them a call when he gets to town.
“I’m going to see if I can get a session with them. I love the ethic in Nashville of country writing and I want to be groomed for about a week,” he said.
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