Thursday, March 28, 2024

UPDATES: Warner Bros. Discovery Will Be the New Studio, John Mayer Is an “SOB,” Clive Davis Makes Magic Upstate

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JACK WARNER can rest easy in his grave. The studio he and his brothers founded almost a hundred years ago will continue to bear their name.

Warner Bros. Discovery is the result of AT&T  spinning off its WarnerMedia properties and merging them with the Discovery networks. Why not? After all, we’ve had Warner Communications, Time Warner, Time Warner AOL, then Time was sold for firewood, and WarnerMedia.

The combined companies comprise everything that isn’t Disney-Fox, Paramount-CBS, or NBC Universal.

David Zaslav, of Discovery, will run the show. He said this morning:

“Warner Bros. Discovery will aspire to be the most innovative, exciting and fun place to tell stories in the world – that is what the company will be about. We love the new company’s name because it represents the combination of Warner Bros.’ fabled hundred year legacy of creative, authentic storytelling and taking bold risks to bring the most amazing stories to life, with Discovery’s global brand that has always stood brightly for integrity, innovation and inspiration. There are so many wonderful, creative and journalistic cultures that will make up the Warner Bros. Discovery family. We believe it will be the best and most exciting place in the world to tell big, important and impactful stories across any genre – and across any platform: film, television and streaming.”

JOHN MAYER hasn’t had a new album in a while. The talented guitarist with quirky social skills has been busy making deals for talk shows and so on. But he’s releasing a new collection on July 16th called “SOB Rock.” At first I thought it was sob, as in sob sister. But then I realized it was SOB, and not sounds of Brazil. The tag line is “It’s time to love an album again.” I hope it’s this album! Fans will speculate about the lyrics, are they about this one or that one? Mayer has had his hits including pinching “Waiting for the World to Change” from Curtis Mayfield. So haha people get ready, there’ a new album coming…

CLIVE DAVIS hosted his annual Memorial Day dinner in upstate New York over the weekend. Clive looked royal himself in a royal blue linen dinner jacket, and welcomed so many great guests like Julian Casablancas of the Strokes, Gregg Alexander of New Radicals, Broadway great Julie White, famed singer songwriter Valerie Simpson, HitCo record exec Charles Goldstuck, actress Lisa Banes, and Republic Records chief Monte Lippman. For entertainment after the swanky dinner, Clive imported mentalist Gerard Senehi, who freaked out “Madame Secretary” actor Erich Bergen (now a big Zoom producer) by reading his mind and almost revealing his PIN Number to the crowd! A swell night, and Clive– what can you say? — he is our living legend. We are not worthy!

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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