The famous Clive Davis Grammy party photo at the Beverly Hilton has resurfaced in The Hollywood Reporter and Billboard this year — two years after last running in People.
The photos are in THR’s issue that hits Wednesday.
The photo had been a staple at People for nearly a decade, from 2004 to 2011, but it looks like People was not pushing too hard to bring it back this year.
The streak was interrupted by the untimely overdose death of Whitney Houston at the Beverly Hilton two years ago, only a day before she was to have attended the annual bash of the recording industry mogul who had shaped her early meteoric career.
The party that year went on anyway, but Davis turned it into a Whitney tribute.
Last year, Davis released his autobiography at the event, generating coverage about his bisexuality and stars he managed, ranging from Houston to Kelly Clarkson.
Two weeks ago, the deck shuffled at People, with top editor Larry Hackett getting the old heave-ho, replaced as editor by Jess Cagle from Entertainment Weekly — but the photo streak appeared likely to end even before the shake-up.
“We were delighted to feature exclusive photos from Clive’s Grammy party from 2004 to 2011,” a People spokeswoman said. “However, after eight years we decided it was time for a change. We wish him and the Recording Academy all the best with this event.”
At one point, Davis’s party was the only pre-Grammy party that mattered, but in recent years, other competing soirees have cropped up on the same day, including one tossed by People itself and others thrown by 50 Cent, Primary Wave Music and others.
“Five years ago that never would have happened,” said one music industry source.
Still this year’s Clive photo did pull in stars from Jennifer Hudson to Miley Cyrus, the Foo Fighters and Imagine Dragons.
“It all just fell into place,” said Janice Min, co-president of Guggenheim Media, which owns THR, who had breakfast with Davis last Thursday where they hatched the deal.
Min said THR paid no money for the photos.
“I think he appreciates THR,” Min noted. “If you want to talk to Hollywood, THR is the place to be. It’s the high-end high school newspaper of Hollywood.”