Hollywood Week: Clive Davis Dies, ABC Battles FCC, Nancy Guthrie Update, Christina Ricci, Liam Payne

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Category: Entertainment News

Published on Saturday, 27 June 2026 10:11

Written by Janet Walker

Clive Davis, the hitmaker known for shepherding five decades of artists from obscurity to superstardom including Janis Joplin and Simon & Garfunkel to Carlos Santana and Whitney Houston, died this week in his home. He was 94.

Clive Davis, Master of the Song, Dies

Clive Davis, a name synonymous with music, the music industry and developing little known talent into global sensations died this week, his family announced.

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The Brooklyn born Davis, who become a towering pillar in the music industry, worked as a corporate lawyer in a firm that represented CBS, and later the firm to become in-house counsel for CBS. It was 1960. It wasn't until 1967, the Summer of Love, that Davis realized he had other talent.

A well-circulated story of Davis attending the Monterrey Music Festival and essentially becoming infused with the spirit of the sound, listened as a young electrifying Janis Joplin took the stage. He explains the sensations that filled him were otherworldly, almost spiritual, as he listened to a young Joplin bring the audience to a climatic finish.

"Mr. Davis persuaded Joplin to sign a contract with Columbia, then politely declined her offer for a celebratory sexual encounter, he wrote in an autobiography. She became the first of a legion of artists he would launch or rejuvenate into superstardom over a five-decade career in entertainment. The roster included Barry Manilow, Simon & Garfunkel, Bob Dylan, Johnny Cash, Aretha Franklin, Bruce Springsteen, Billy Joel, Aerosmith, Barbra Streisand, Miles Davis, the Grateful Dead, Patti Smith, Whitney Houston, Alicia Keys and Carlos Santana," The Washington Post reported.

While the world gravitates to the singer, the hitmaker is the matchmaker, matching the artist with the song that will define or elevate them. Mr. Davis initially had an untapped ability, then as the years continued, he developed both the skill, talent, and experience to propel many unknown artists to the top of the charts.

Mr. Davis also shepherded a young Whitney Houston, who later become the most successful artists under his mentorship. They remained close until her death from an accidental drowning on the eve of his annual Grammy party, February 11, 2012.

Success was not predetermined for Mr. Davis. His early career was marred by alleged theft and misuse of funds, an implication due largely to a broader federal probe on a widening payola and drug use industry scandal. Mr. Davis eventually paid a fine and while he called the experience, "the most humiliating" of his life. It propelled him to new more lucrative horizons.

It was after this that was offered the head of Columbia records, he changed the name to Arista, and for anyone who had any knowledge of the music industry the rest is really history. Arista records went on, under Mr. Davis, leadership to become one of the most successful in the music industry.

Mr. Davis, who "stoked the star-making machinery" longer than any industry executive, wasn't finished when Columbia explained they were. He refused to take a demotion and threatened to quit. His track record of success wrote his next chapter, and Columbia developed BMG, a start-up label for Mr. Davis, invested $150million and allowed Mr. Davis to take five of their most successful artists.

This stellar check-mate move, propelled Mr. Davis to new heights, and for millions, across musical genres, and every demographic, Mr. Davis created the music that became "The Soundtrack of Our Lives."

Clive Davis died June 22, 2026. He is survived by his children.

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ABC Battles the FCC

The View, the syndicated morning talk show on the ABC network is facing challenges from the FCC chief Brendon Carr, over "Equal Time" rule as the Trump Administration continues to exert control over television programming.

The FCC claims the morning talk show on the embattled network, whose parent company Disney, is running "campaign of misinformation" about the regulatory agency's inquiry into the network's daytime talk show "The View." On Monday, Disney's ABC launched a campaign in opposition to the FCC's investigation into whether "The View" should be subject to its "equal time" rules, which require a network that features a candidate during election season to offer similar airtime to rival contenders," The Wall Street Journal reported.

This attack by the FCC on The View is indication of a broader effort by the FCC to control speech and what is allowed to be said on the network airwaves. The battle between the FCC and ABC dates back to Jimmy Kimmel's ill-timed comments after the assassination of Charlie Kirk, which forced the network to suspend Kimmel, when NexStar Media Group and Sinclair Broadcast Group preempted the programming.

This kicked off a week protests by Kimmel supporters who picketed the Burbank behemoth and media who debated the boundaries of free speech. In the end Kimmel returned to work, explaining the week, and returned to his campaign of skewering the president. He had remained a target of the Trump Administration, and the Brendan Carr's FCC has attempted to find another way to control ABC and its parent company Disney's efforts to sway public opinion.

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Nancy Guthrie Update

Major media organization are reporting that Nancy Guthrie, 84, the mother of NBC Today show host, Savannah Guthrie, who was kidnapped and disappeared without a trace, on February 1, 2026,  received communication from the alleged kidnappers indicating Guthrie had died shortly after her abduction.

The first communique which demanded a ransom in bitcoin was followed by a second which explained the Guthrie's death and expressed sadness. However, no further information was presented demanding ransom in exchange for her remains.

Authorities have pieced together a limited timeline, which only provided evidence of the abduction, by a masked intruder, who had been stalking the elder Guthrie, and appeared at least twice on her doorbell camera. Detectives also found blood on the entryway to her Tucson are home. Bizarrely, the evidence trail goes cold. As the elder Guthrie was the mother of a celebrated personality, the initial effort brought in personal from state, federal and local law enforcement.

"More than four months later, investigators have not identified any suspects or persons of interest, and Nancy's whereabouts remain unknown. The FBI declined to comment on the contents of the second note when reached by PEOPLE on Tuesday, while the PCSO said the investigation into Nancy's kidnapping "remains active and ongoing," People Magazine reported.

In hopes of generating click bait news, some well-known television true crime hosts indicated, sources within the investigation indicated family members were responsible. All active agencies have cleared any member of the Guthrie family from involvement.

In all likelihood, Nancy Guthrie died early after the kidnapping. Her medical condition was precarious, and she needed prescription medication daily, additionally she suffered from mobility issues, and was often seen on national television using a cane. Unless the public assists the investigation it will be next to impossible for authorities to find the remains of the elder Guthrie.

If anyone have any information, even if you are unsure if it really matters, please call the confidential tip-line at 1-800-CALL-FBI (1-800-225-5324) or the Pima County Sheriff's Department at 520-351-4900.

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Christina Ricci Faces Immediate Retaliation Over Jimmy Fallon

Christina Ricci, the Emmy nominated actress, faced immediate retaliation after calling out late night talk show host Jimmy Fallon over his booking of Irish UFC fighter Conor McGregor, 37, who had been held libel for the sexual assault of make-up artist, Nikita Hand.

One day later, Ricci's ex-husband, James Heerdegen, filed an emergency custody petition to have their eleven-year-old son removed immediately from the home of the star, after it was alleged the star had been drinking on a flight earlier in the month.

Heerdegen alleged the text received by his son were indication of more sinister behavior. The son supported his mother during the custodial hearings and explained he overreacted. Heerdegen's petition was denied.

The Adams Family star posted this statement regarding Ian McGregor and Jimmy Fallon. "Conor McGregor raped a woman so brutally that the EMT who saw her commented on the severity of her bruising. She also had to have the tampon she was using when he raped her surgically removed, as it had been shoved so far inside her. Why the ABSOLUTE F--- is this piece of human garbage being given a platform on Jimmy Fallon's show?," reported The Daily Beast.

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Scott Pelley Signs with CAA

Fired "60 Minutes" journalist, Scott Pelley has emerged from his recent termination by CBS's Bari Weiss, over the newsmagazines direction and journalistic freedom, to sign with Creative Artists Agency.

Liam Payne Estate Settled

The entirety of One Direction's Liam Payne, 31, estate, valued at $29million will be held in trust for his son, Bear, 9, whom the Payne fathered with former "X-Factor" judge Cheryl Cole.

"During a 2019 appearance on "The Jonathan Ross Show," Payne opened up about fatherhood and spending time with Bear after the singer and Cole had called it quits. "He comes over to my house every so often, and we just hang out and do whatever," Payne said of his then-2-year-old son. "I think you put pressure on yourself as a dad sometimes. It's hard to connect with it with a 2-year-old ... but they literally will laugh at anything," The LA Times reported.  

Payne died October 16, 2024, after falling from the balcony of his suite at the CasaSur Palermo Hotel. The blunt force trauma sustained in the fall were noted to have caused the death. Toxicology reports also indicated that the One Direction singer had a mix of drugs and alcohol in his system.

Payne's death was ruled a homicide and five people who reportedly had access to the singer where charged.  

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Janet Walker is the publisher, founder, and sole owner of Haute-Lifestyle.com. A graduate of New York University, she has been covering international news through the Beltway Insider, a weekly review of the nation's top stories, for more than a decade.  A general beat writer/reporter and entertainment/film critic, she is also an accomplished news/investigative news/crime reporter and submitted for Pulitzer Prize consideration "Cops Conspire to Deep Six Sex Assaults" in the Breaking News Category and was persuaded to withdraw the submission. Ms. Walker has completed five award-winning screenplays "The Six Sides of Truth," "The Assassins of Fifth Avenue," "The Wednesday Killer," "The Manhattan Project," and the sci-fi thriller "Project 13: The Last Day." She has also published "Unholy Alliances: A True Crime Story," a non-fiction narrative, "Days, Times, Seasons, and Events: A Collection of Poetry & Prose," and "Songs of Freedom: A Collection of Biblical Teachings," which can be purchased here. She is a member of the Authors Guild, the Los Angeles Press Club, the National Writers Union, and a member of the International Federation of Journalists.