Friday, March 29, 2024

Aretha Franklin Celebrates Her Birthday in NYC with Denzel and Friends

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Aretha Franklin– wearing a cream color St. John knit suit and looking like billion bucks– celebrated her birthday in style last night in New York. First the Queen of Soul took friends to dinner at La Grenoiulle. Then the group limo’d across town to see Denzel Washington and LaTanya Richardson in “A Raisin in the Sun.”

But by 10:30 the fun really began over at the Ritz Carlton Hotel on Central Park South. There Ms. Franklin welcomed the one and only Clive Davis with pals including Nikki Haskell, Rep. Charles Rangel, congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee, and a ton of well wishers to an elegant soiree in the big lobby tea court. Coming over from Broadway were Denzel, as well as Clifton Davis from “Aladdin.”

Meantime, music was provided by Denise Thimes, St. Louis’s hottest jazz vocalist (she plays on Tuesday at Minton’s on West 118th St.) and the Dizzy Gillespie All Stars– an eight piece jazz ensemble with horns. And they were still rockin’ at 1 am!

And yes, everyone keeps asking me so I will tell you: Aretha looks great, trim and svelte, with a short haircut and a lot of energy. In two weeks she goes into the studio to start recording a great new record for Clive. They are each forever young!

 

c2014 Showbiz411

 

Roger Friedman
Roger Friedmanhttps://www.showbiz411.com
Roger Friedman began his Showbiz411 column in April 2009 after 10 years with Fox News, where he created the Fox411 column. His movie reviews are carried by Rotten Tomatoes, and he is a member of both the movie and TV branches of the Critics Choice Awards. His articles have appeared in dozens of publications over the years including New York Magazine, where he wrote the Intelligencer column in the mid 90s and covered the OJ Simpson trial, and Fox News (when it wasn't so crazy) where he covered Michael Jackson. He is also the writer and co-producer of "Only the Strong Survive," a selection of the Cannes, Sundance, and Telluride Film festivals, directed by DA Pennebaker and Chris Hegedus.
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