Justin Biebers return to the Grammy Awards was memorable.

He performed in his underwear and in sicks with holes, no shirt.

Performed is maybe stretching it. Most of it was karaoke with pre-programmed music. He held a guitar but didn’t use it.

Ah, Justin. Mental illness is his calling card. But at 32 years old as the father of a toddler, this is unacceptable. It’s not cutting edge, just embarrassing.

The audience in the Crypto/Staples Center was either bored, disinterested, or digusted. Bieber’s self-amusing concept met with little applause when it was over.

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Forget the Oscars or the Grammys.

The crowd at Clive Davis’s 51st annual pre-Grammy dinner last night in Hollywood was massively over the top.

I don’t just mean the performers — everyone from new hitmakers Jelly Rolly, Olivia Dean, Alex Warren — to legacy stars like Art Garfunkel, who brought the house down with “Bridge Over Troubled Water.”

The audience was off the hook with Stevie Wonder, Joni Mitchell, Nancy Pelosi, Oscar nominee Teyana Taylor, Shaboozey, and on and on.

No less than former president Barack Obama sent a video introduction praising the 93 year legendary music mogul.

Gayle King quoted songwriter Diane Warren about Davis: “The best friend a song ever had.”

Then journalist Don Lemon received the most thunderous standing ovation from the ballroom packed with celebrities. Lemon arrived from being arrested by the Trump government for doing his job as a reporter and exercising his First Amendment rights. He got a hero’s welcome.

There were tables and tables of stars. One included Motown founder Berry Gordy, Smokey Robinson, Gladys Knight, and Valerie Simpson with Suzanne dePasse. Stevie Wonder made a beeline over there, then appeared on stage for a touching tribute to Republic Records honorees Monte and Avery Lipman.

The room ranged from the very legendary 91 year old Frankie Valli to hot young star Yungblood. There was Paris Hilton, parents Kathy and Rick, Whitney Houston producer Narada Michael Walden and Whitney’s sister-in-law/manager Pat Houston, Jimmy “Jam”Harris with his beautiful wife and daughter, top of the pops singer Noah Kahan, comedians Jeff Ross and Alex Edelman…

More performers: Darren Criss and Laufey stole the show their Bernie Taupin tribute on “Bennie and the Jets” and “Don’t Go Breaking My Heart.”

Machine Gun Kelly — MGK –and Jelly Roll — now half his original size — opened the show with a rocking tribute to Ozzy Osbourne.

All these hot young acts — SOMBR, Olivia Dean, Alex Warren — showed that the future is bright for pop music.

So did the KPop singers from “Demon Hunters” who sang their smash hit, “Golden.”

There wasn’t a dry eye in the house when legendary singer Art Garfunkel closed the three hour show with “Bridge Over Troubled Water,” thanking Davis for his career as one half of Simon and Garfunkel. No less than Lana Del Rey broke into tears at my table. Brandi Carlile was beside herself.

Garfunkel’s stirring finale was preceded by superstars Dan and Shay singing SG’s “Mrs. Robinson” and Garfunkel’s mid 70s hit, “All I Know.”

My own dinner partners included superstars Melissa Manchester, Taylor Dayne, and Ray Parker Jr.

Jennifer Hudson stunned the crowd with a magnificent cover of Roberta Flack’s “First Time Ever I Saw Your Face.” The full force of her sensational voice actually stopped the crowd of nearly 1,000 stars and commanded their attention. Wow!

It’s stunning to see Davis, almost 94, in an exquisite black on black beaded bespoke jacket, run the show from the stage for three hours, for the 51st year in a row. He called the hundreds of guests an “extended family,” and he was so right. There were people who’ve been coming for all five decades, always looking for the new party to top the old ones — and they’re never disappointed!

Who else was there? Martha Stewart, Paul Stanley from KISS, Cameron Crowe, Verdine White from Earth Wind & Fire, John Legend (who blew the stage out with Pusha T and Malice — sensational) and his famous wife Chrissy Teigen. Everyone wanted a picture with Oscar nominated actor Colman Domingo. Davis also had Kenny G, Karol G, and Becky G!

How about “Succession” star Brian Cox, Dave Grohl of Foo Fighters fame? Matt Sorum, famed producer Peter Asher, Diplo, John Stamos, LA Reid, all the music label heads like Lucian Grainge of Universal Music, Rob Stringer from Sony/Columbia Records, Tom Corson of Warner Music, and even Tommy Mottola! Larry Jackson took bows for his Gamma Records at Apple Music. The gangs from Sirius and Spotify were on hand!

Other tables were centered around Demi Lovato, Bebe Rexha, and actress Rita Wilson. Busta Rhymes was so in demand for selfies, people down front were asking him to sit down! Pharrell Williams got a Davis shout out, as did Heidi Klum.

Recording Academy president Harvey Mason Jr. also welcomed the crowd that included “Wicked” star Jeff Goldblum, “Knots Landing” star Michele Lee, Paul Shaffer, Jack Antonoff, Madison Beer, Babyface, Lil Jon and the elegant Paris Jackson. Also “Weird” Al Yankovic, Billy Porter, MSNOW’s Ari Melber, CBS’s Anthony Mason, and so on!

And, oh Hollywood! Clive was able fit even more people in the ballroom last night because everyone here is on Ozempic!

More to come…keep refreshing…

EXCLUSIVE Music mogul Clive Davis’s big pre-Grammy gala happens tonight, Saturday, at the Beverly Hilton Hotel.

But Friday, Davis, 93, threw a “small,” intimate dinner for 150 close A list friends at the Beverly Hills Hotel.

Only Davis could pull this off the night before his massive stat studded Grammy party with the Recording Academy. (Some of tonight’s featured performers were mentioned but I’m not allowed to say that everyone from Jelly Roll to Art Garfunkel is on the program!)

Davis arranged for Tony award winner Darren Criss to entertain a crowd that included “Succession” actor Brian Cox, famed Motown songwriter Valerie Simpson, Oscar nominated Diane Warren, lifestyle guru Sandra Lee, Kenny “Babyface” Edmonds, and an A list of record execs and other LA notables including “Laugh In” creator George Schlatter, comedian Jeff Ross, plus Nikki Haskell, Candy Spelling, and Denise Rich.

The evening began with a special tribute to Recording Academy honorees Monte and Avery Lipman of Republic Records, the hottest record label in the business.

Davis also saluted Barry Manilow, who’s getting ready to hit the road again after staring down a cancer diagnosis. He played a new version of a 40 year old Peter Allen and Dean Pitchford song, “Once Before I Go,” produced by Babyface at Clive’s direction. You should have seen all those A listers waving their hands in the air and grooving along.

Davis surprised everyone when he announced that the single was hitting the Billboard Adult Contemporary Chart next week — meaning he and Manilow, who he signed in 1974 — are having a new hit over 50 years after they they began their legendary collaboration with “Mandy”! (You can listen below.)

But the star attraction who only Clive could present was none other than the legendary Liza Minnelli, one of the few winners of an Oscar, Tonys, Emmy, and Grammy Awards. A real EGOT! Liza not only took pictures with everyone but appeared center stage and spoke off the top of her head. Then she said, “I guess I should sing something.”

The crowd went wild.

Talk about a standing ovation! Liza’s voice has all of its legacy timbre, and she remains famously charming at all times. Part of the way through her song, Minnelli took a breath for dramatic emphasis. Great pop singer Taylor Dayne — who Davis had many hits with in the 1980s — instinctively sang out a lyric, which caused Liza to exclaim, “I know the words!”

She sure did. She also told the crowd everything she learned came from famed French singer Charles Aznavour. And of course praised Davis, whom she’s known her whole career.

Liza said, with great emotion and candor, “I ran away from home and went to Broadway because I didn’t want to be just Judy Garland’s daughter.”

I had a couple of nice conversations with Minnelli, who was the center of attention all night. She was accompanied by her doctor, Dr. Lawrence Piro, for what was going to be just a nice social night out. But he asked if she wanted to go to Clive’s party and she responded in the affirmative.

I told Liza one of my favorite parts she played was in Martin Scorsese’s “New York, New York” — especially the famous 12 minute mini musical within that movie called “Happy Endings.” (If you’ve never seen it’s, it’s brilliant.)

Then Liza confided to me something that took me aback. She said, “If you see Marty, tell him he was the great love of my life.”

Noted.

The pair were an item when they shot the film in 1977. Liza was also married four different times.

Minnelli also told me exclusively that she would be happy to accept a Kennedy Center honor, even under Donald Trump. “I have everything else,” she said, “but I don’t have that.” Many people expected that under a Kamala Harris presidency, Minnelli would be the obvious next choice.

Liza’s no fan of Trump, but she’s practical. She’s turning 80, has some health issues, and knows she’s the most famous American performer without a KC Honor. Given that Trump will president through 2028, why should she wait?

I agree. Maybe the Kennedy Center’s current regime will wise up and make the offer.

Photo c2026 by Peter Shapiro.