Saturday marks the five-year anniversary ofWhitney Houstonsdeath, and her longtime producer, Clive Davis, tells PEOPLE he is dedicated to making sure that her legacy lives on.
Davis discovered Houston in 1983, and he says hes proud that their bond is highlighted in the upcoming documentary about his life,Clive Davis: The Soundtrack of Our Lives which premieres at the Tribeca Film Festival in April.
This week I saw a sneak preview of a documentary that the Ridley Scott firm has done on my life, Davis told PEOPLE Thursday ahead of his annual pre-Grammys gala. It was quite a special experience because my feeling about Whitney comes out in this documentary, where I am dedicated to make sure that her legacy is known [and] celebrated the uniqueness of it.
Houston died after being found submerged in the bathtub in her suite at the Beverly Hilton Hotel on Feb. 11, 2012 the same day as Davis annual pre-Grammys party on Feb. 11, 2012.The cause of death was deemed accidental drowning, and an autopsy showed she had various drugs in her system.
Yes, she became afflicted and it led to her premature passing with drugs, Davis says. But those of us that knew Whitney, those of us who were aware of who she really was, and what her talent represented its so unique.
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And Davis, 84, says hes thrilled that the real Whitney comes through shining in the documentary as well.
Yes, it touches and it shows her battling this life-threatening and ultimately premature passing, he says. But her story and her incredibly unique talent comes soaring through.
Adds Davis: Its the fifth anniversary of her passing. The years go by quickly. But her music, her talent Im dedicated to making sure that people never forget her.
In a breaking news story that unfolded on the evening of February 10, 2017, breathlessly recanted by a succession of on-air hosts, CNN reported that multiple current and former U.S. law enforcement and intelligence officials had informed the news organization that conversations between Russian officials, intercepted by U.S. intelligence services, provided corroboration of certain aspects of the so-called Trump Dossier, written by a former British intelligence officer named Christopher Steele. Steele had worked for British Intelligence (MI6) in Moscow during the 1990s, and after he left active service started his own business intelligence company.
While CNNs sources were not able to confirm which specific conversations linked to the dossier had been intercepted by U.S. intelligence, they did note that some of the intercepted conversations took place between the same individuals on the same days and from the same locations as detailed in the dossier, providing American investigators with greater confidence in the credibility of some aspects of the dossier.
Christopher Steele had been hired by political operatives opposed to the candidacy of Donald Trump to find Russian sources that could show a connection between Trump and the Russian government that would derail Trumps presidential bid. The dossier Steele assembled contained a diverse range of information, ranging from the salacious to the politically unsavory; any one of the reports, if proven to be true, could prove to be Trumps downfall.
Steeles employers were trying to prevent Trump from prevailing in the Republican primary; when Trump won, they rescinded their interest in the dossier. steele maintains that he was so shocked by the contents of the dossier that he sought a way to publicize the contents. After shopping the documents around various political and journalistic outlets, the dossier and its contents came to light in January 2017, after Trump had won the presidential election.
The timing of the revelation of the dossiers existence, coinciding as it did with the release of an assessment by the U.S. Intelligence Community that Russia had sought to influence the 2016 presidential election in Trumps favor, guaranteed maximum exposure for Steeles information. But the dossier contained some errors which, when combined with the unverified nature of the allegations contained within, damaged its credibility until CNNs alarming breaking news report gave it new life.
The White House Press Secretary, Sean Spicer, when asked for a comment on the CNN story, was dismissive of the report. We continue to be disgusted by CNNs fake news reporting, Spicer declared. Spicer and the White House had every reason to be frustrated by the CNN report, which lacked any specificity to back up the conclusions reached. President Trump had already dismissed the dossier in its entirety, echoing Spicers charge of fake news.
By CNN standards, this was real news, and the reporters were just doing their job.
But was it fake news? CNN would undoubtedly argue against such a label. The reporters involved, Jim Sciutto and Evan Perez, claimed to have sources that presumably met whatever journalistic standard CNN uses to measure source credibility. According to the Journalism 101 formulation in play at CNN, the sources provided information, and CNN dutifully reported it. By CNN standards, this was real news, and the reporters were just doing their job.
On the surface, this is a damning piece of information that would definitely be newsworthy if it were true. One of the major problems with the dossier in question, however, is that it doesnt provide nearly the level of detail the CNN report claims. The dossier, by way of example, never states anywhere that Named Person A spoke to Named Person B. Instead, the dossier reports that a trusted compatriot spoke to Source A (a senior Russian Foreign Ministry figure), Source B (former top level Russian intelligence officer still active inside the Kremlin) and Source C (a senior Russian financial official), among others. When names are provided, they were always at least one person removed from the named individual a Source close to MEDVEDEV (the former prime minister), a Close confidant to IVANOV (a presidential advisor), or even a separate source close to IVANOV who confided to a compatriot.
Moreover, nowhere in the dossier is there any linking of the reporting provided with a specific date of the event in question. Each report within the dossier contains a date the report was written, but this far different from being the date a specific activity is to have taken place. The reports contained in the dossier provide vague time frames June 2016, late July 2016, mid-September 2016 but do not provide a specific date, let alone a specific location, for any of the information provided. Any contention by CNNs sources that the U.S. intelligence community had intercepted conversations that conform to the same days and from the same locations as detailed in the dossier is facially false something any competent journalist would have been able to confirm prior to airing the report.
CNN also reported U.S. intelligence agencies checked out the former MI6 operative and his vast network throughout Europe and found him and his sources to be credible sources that, as CNN notes, were heavily involved in gathering intelligence damaging to Hillary Clinton. Here, too, the dossier falls short. One of the primary sources cited in the dossier pertaining to the collection of information on Hillary Clinton by the Russians Source B (the former top level Russian intelligence officer still active inside the Kremlin) reported (via a trusted compatriot) that Department K of the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) had collated reports for many years derived from bugged conversations and phone intercepts that focused on things that [Clinton] had said which contradicted her current position on various issues.
There are several problems with this report. First and foremost, Department K is part of the Economic Security Service of the FSB, responsible for customs enforcement, smuggling and corruption. Collecting and collating a dossier of compromising information on a first lady/secretary of state is far removed from the legal and operational mandate of Department K, unless Mrs. Clinton was involved in credit card fraud, caviar smuggling, or some other untoward activity. But the stated purpose of Department K was to collect political intelligence; the likelihood that Department K would have been given such a sensitive task, when there are other intelligence agencies and departments who are specifically trained, equipped and tasked with this sort of collection, is so remote as to verge on nil.
The author of the Trump Dossier, Christopher Steele, served in Moscow with MI6, one of the worlds premier intelligence services. MI6 officers have a well-founded reputation for being very knowledgeable and exceptionally well briefed. Any MI6 officer with Moscow experience would know the opposition intelligence services organizational structures, responsibilities and capabilities like the back of his hand. This level of professionalism would be expected to continue after retirement, especially if contracting out services as a Russian expert, as was Mr. Steele; Steele would have known Department K would not be involved in collecting political intelligence against Hillary Clinton. The same holds true for Source B (the former top level Russian intelligence officer still active inside the Kremlin), if he was indeed that which the dossier claimed.
The inclusion of such easily refutable information in the Trump Dossier (i.e., that Department K was collecting political intelligence on Hillary Clinton) sheds genuine doubt on the reliability of Steeles so-called vast network that U.S. intelligence sources and CNN found to be so credible. It also reflects poorly on the viability of both Christopher Steele and the very law enforcement and intelligence sources CNN relied upon for its reporting. Source B fails the credibility test, something Christopher Steele would have known when he reported it, and any U.S. intelligence officer worth their salt would have assessed after a cursory analysis of the information. The same, too, can be said of any journalist who responsibly verified the information provided by their sources. Despite all this, CNN still aired the report.
Genuine criticism of the Trump administration is one thing; there is a plethora of legitimate investigatory paths CNN can follow in this regard.
How did this happen? Occams razor suggests that the answer is obvious. Christopher Steele, when he wrote the reports in question, was not an intelligence officer; he should not be treated as one, and as such his dossier should not be viewed as the product of an intelligence officer. Steele was a paid rumormonger, hired by politically motivated persons for the sole purpose of collecting information that would be harmful to Donald Trump. Steeles job wasnt to tell the truth so much as it was to provide a product acceptable to his employer. His sources were not credible on their face, something Christopher Steele, the MI6 professional, knew only too well. So would any credible law enforcement or intelligence professional that CNN may have been in contact with about this story.
Steeles aggressive peddling of what he knew to be poorly sourced information, combined with law enforcement and intelligence sources giving the dossier undeserved credence, and CNN airing the resultant in such a high profile manner, points to the existence of a shared motive centered around the undermining of public confidence in the presidency of Donald Trump.
Genuine criticism of the Trump administration is one thing; there is a plethora of legitimate investigatory paths CNN can follow in this regard, including National Security Advisor Michael Flynns communications with Russian authorities and the sources and methods used by the U.S. Intelligence Community in preparing its assessment of Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election. These are desirable and necessary journalistic inquiries that CNN, and all other journalistic outlets, should be strongly pursuing.
CNN chose instead to breathe life into a discredited dossier whose very existence screams partisan politics. It is one thing to report on the nuts and bolts of a story about the politicization of intelligence. Deliberately using CNNs journalistic cache to give credence to highly politicized intelligence that everyone in the informational chain of custody including the journalists involved knew (or should have known) was factually unsustainable, is something else altogether.
That is the very definition of fake news, and in this case, at least, CNN is guilty as charged.
The Zags (22-0) jumped up from third when Villanova and Kansas both were beaten in a week when seven of the top 10 lost.
Gonzaga received 46 first-place votes from the 65-member national media panel Monday. The Zags were No. 1 for the last three weeks of the 2012-13 season.
Gonzaga is the fifth team to reach No. 1 this season joining Duke, Kentucky, Villanova and Baylor.
Baylor (20-1), one of the three top 10 teams to not lose, jumped from fifth to second. The Bears had six first-place votes and were one point ahead of Kansas (19-2), which dropped one place after losing at West Virginia before winning at Kentucky. The Jayhawks had nine first-place votes.
Villanova, which had been No. 1 for the last two weeks and six overall, dropped to fourth after losing at Marquette. The Wildcats (20-2), who also had a last-second win over Virginia, were No. 1 on four ballots.
Northwestern (18-4) is the weeks lone newcomer. The Wildcats were last ranked for one week in 2009-10.
Arizona, the other top 10 team to get through the week without a loss, moved from seventh to fifth and was followed by Louisville, West Virginia, Kentucky, Virginia and Wisconsin.
UCLA was 11th and was followed by North Carolina, Oregon, Cincinnati, Florida State, Butler, Maryland, Saint Marys, South Carolina and Notre Dame.
The last five ranked teams were Duke, Creighton, Purdue, Florida and Northwestern.
Xavier (15-6), which has lost four of six with all the losses to ranked teams, dropped out from 24th. The Musketeers, who had been ranked for the last 29 polls, were seventh in the preseason voting.
West Virginia, which beat Kansas and Texas A&M, had the weeks biggest jump from 18th to No. 7. Louisville, which beat Pittsburgh and North Carolina State by an average of 40 points, moved from 13th to No. 6.
Florida States fall from sixth to No. 15 followed the Seminoles losses to Georgia Tech and Syracuse. Kentucky also lost twice last week to Tennessee and Kansas and the Wildcats dropped from fourth to eighth.
He was a really good kid, and its not fair that he will be defined by one thing, a 10-page paper, Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim told ESPN. He worked his tail off to become a really good player, and was a nice kid.
We dont know the cause yet. Its so hard right now, so hard to believe. Its a sad, sad day.
The cause of death is not yet known, although it is believed that Melo died in his mothers house, according to ESPN.
Melo played two seasons for the Orange before becoming the 22nd pick in the 2012 draft by the Boston Celtics. The paper that Boeheim is referring to was part of the investigation into academic impropriety within the Syracuse program that resulted in the self-imposed NCAA tournament ban during the 2014-15 season.
In this season of firsts for the Gonzaga Bulldogs, time to add a few more.
The Zags will play at home as the nations No. 1 team for the first time in program history when Santa Clara visits the McCarthey Athletic Center on Saturday.
Gonzagas rise to No. 1 in 2013 came after the conclusion of the regular season.
The program also has a new name at the top of the all-time wins list. Gonzagas 85-75 road victory over BYU on Thursday gave senior center Przemek Karnowski 123 career wins, one ahead of his former teammates Kyle Dranginis and Kevin Pangos.
Karnowskis career mark is 123-13. Pangos finished 122-20, Dranginis 122-21.
Karnowski took it in stride when he reached 122 career wins after the rout over Pepperdine last Saturday.
Ive been here forever, Ive been here a long time, the fifth-year senior said. Im happy that when Im here we keep winning, its all about that.
Karnowski on Friday was named one of 10 finalists for the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award, presented annually to the top center in college basketball.
The 7-foot-1 center had a big offensive rebound with 90 seconds left, leading to a pair of Nigel Williams-Goss free throws that helped Gonzaga hold off BYU. Williams-Goss poured in 33 points as the Zags earned their program-record 23rd consecutive victory.
One of those wins came in dominating fashion against Santa Clara just over two weeks ago. Karnowski and Zach Collins combined for 35 points in 37 minutes as the Zags rolled 88-57. The two posts combined to make 10 of 13 shots and 15 of 17 free throws.
The Broncos, though, have pieced together a solid WCC season. They thumped Portland on Thursday to move into a tie for third with BYU at 7-4. Santa Clara (13-11 overall) lost to BYU by 30 in its conference opener in late December before upsetting the cougars last week.
gonzaga is back at full strength with the return of freshman forward Killian Tillie. He played 12 minutes against BYU after missing the previous two games with a sprained ankle.
It feels good to be back, Tillie said. I did a good job with Josh (Therrien, trainer) to come back as quick as possible.
Paul Pierce Fab Melo go 1-on-1 Celtics practice In a report Saturday night, former Syracuse Orange big man Fab Melo passed away in Brazil.
A SporTV journalist reported that Melo, 26, died in his home in Brazil. The cause of death hasnt been confirmed, but its possible that the former Orangeman suffered a heart attack in his sleep.
According to RealGM, Melo last suited up with Uniceub-BRB-Brasilia of Liga Sudamericana in Brazil, and he averaged 2.3 points and 3.7 rebounds in seven games. Melo made the jump to playing internationally after his NBA career didnt pan out, and the former McDonalds All-American appeared in just six games with the Boston Celtics back in 2012-13.
Melo spent some time in the D-League before that but was never able to stand out like he did during his two seasons with Syracuse back in 2011 and 2012. His most notable moment during that time was when he recorded a triple-double on Dec. 22, 2012. Melo scored 15 points, hauled in 16 boards and swatted a D-League record 14 shots.
As a sophomore with the Orange, Melo brought home the Big Easts Defensive Player of the Year award after averaging 2.9 blocks per game, and that number ballooned to 3.7 in conference play.
That team finished the year 34-3 overall after losing to Ohio State in the Elite Eight, but Melo was unable to play in any postseason games because of academic ineligibility.
We send our prayers and condolences to the Melo family, and Fab was a player who was definitely good enough to carve out a niche playing professionally overseas. He was taken too soon.
