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Nicole David Exits WME; Top Talent Agent Who Voiced ‘Scooby-Doo’s Velma Eyes Next Chapter

By MIKE FLEMING JR | Monday February 4, 2013 @ 4:33pm PSTTags: Patrick Swayze, Whitney Houston, WMA, WME
Mike Fleming

EXCLUSIVE: Nicole David, a stalwart talent agent for Triad and WMA, is leaving WME. She is not retiring, but hasn’t yet figured out if she will resurface as an agent or a manager, or a producer for that matter. David has been an important figure for women in the industry, rising to prominence at a time when there weren’t that many in top jobs. David and Arnold Rifkin formed Rifkin/David in 1982, and a decade later sold that agency for upwards of $25 million to WMA. She has been at that agency ever since, continuing after its merger with Endeavor. In that time, she helped build the movie careers of talent that included the late Patrick Swayze and Whitney Houston, and her current list includes: Alicia Keys, Elijah Wood, Emma Thompson, Jaden Smith, Julia Andrews, Linda Hunt, Melanie Griffith, Rihanna and Willow Smith.

David started her career in acting and is still a member of The Actors Studio. She also voiced the role of the bespectacled sleuth Velma in the animated Hanna-Barbera series Scooby-Doo. She has also helped launch a lot of careers, giving early jobs to an impressive list of women that includes Stacey Snider, Hylda Queally, Michelle Bohan, Carla Hacken, Tracey Jacobs and Ilene Feldman, to name a few.

David today told the WME staff that she would be leaving, and she will take a nice vacation before she decides on the next career adventure. She has never been much for press or showing off in general, but in that meeting she did give herself some credit, acknowledging she had “done okay for a so-so actress with a high school education.”

For the record, she gave me this statement: “In my 3½ years at William Morris Endeavor, it has been extraordinary to be a part of what Ari, Patrick, and the entire WME family have built. I’m grateful for the experience and I’m very proud of our accomplishments. I look forward to creating new projects and continuing to give this industry that I love the best I have to offer.”

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CBS Plans Grammy Special On The Year In Music, Including Whitney Houston: TCA

By THE DEADLINE TEAM | Saturday January 12, 2013 @ 11:32am PSTTags: CBS, Grammy Awards, Whitney Houston

Grammy Awards executive producer Ken Erlich announced today at TCA that CBS will present a documentary on “what happened this year” in music, including the Whitney Houston story. “The footage came in after the fact — we didn’t plan to do … Read More »

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Too Soon? Whitney Houston’s Family To Star In Docu-Reality Series For Lifetime

By NELLIE ANDREEVA | Friday May 11, 2012 @ 10:15am PDTTags: Lifetime, Whitney Houston
Nellie Andreeva

Lifetime The Houston Family ChroniclesShould a teenage girl grieving over the passing of her mom be the subject of a reality series? Three months after Whitney Houston’s sudden death, her family has signed on to do a reality series. … Read More »

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Hot Trailer: ‘Sparkle’

By THE DEADLINE TEAM | Tuesday April 3, 2012 @ 3:17pm PDTTags: Whitney Houston

Sparkle looks like it has a lot going for it. It also happens to be the movie Whitney Houston finished before she died. She plays the mother of a trio of singing sisters destined for stardom during the Motown era. Title character is played by Jordin Sparks, and her sisters … Read More »

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Tyler Perry Eulogizes Whitney Houston

By NIKKI FINKE, Editor in Chief | Saturday February 18, 2012 @ 3:19pm PSTTags: Tyler Perry, Whitney Houston

Kevin Costner Eulogizes Whitney Houston

Watch the latest video at video.foxnews.com

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Kevin Costner Eulogizes Whitney Houston

By NIKKI FINKE, Editor in Chief | Saturday February 18, 2012 @ 12:19pm PSTTags: Kevin Costner, Whitney Houston

Tyler Perry Eulogizes Whitney Houston

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Whitney Houston Funeral To Stream Live

By THE DEADLINE TEAM | Thursday February 16, 2012 @ 10:13am PSTTags: Whitney Houston

Expect the cable news networks to pick up on Whitney Houston’s private memorial service Saturday. BET News and Centric will broadcast live coverage of the services beginning at 8:30AM PT/11:30 ET. Immediately following the service BET will air … Read More »

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Remembered: Jennifer Hudson To Perform Whitney Houston Tribute At The Grammys

By NELLIE ANDREEVA | Saturday February 11, 2012 @ 8:59pm PSTTags: Grammys, Whitney Houston
Nellie Andreeva

R.I.P. Whitney Houston

UPDATED: Whitney Houston’s shocking death just 24 hours before the music industry’s biggest event, the annual Grammy Awards, sent CBS, the Recording Academy and the show’s  producers scrambling to put together a fitting tribute to … Read More »

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R.I.P. Whitney Houston

By MIKE FLEMING JR | Saturday February 11, 2012 @ 5:37pm PSTTags: R.I.P., Whitney Houston
Mike Fleming

Jennifer Hudson To Perform Tribute At The Grammys

Whitney Houston DeadUPDATE: I’ve confirmed that a rough cut of Sparkle was turned in, though I’m not sure whether Whitney Houston saw it before she died. Sony publicist Steve … Read More »

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AP: Publicist Says Whitney Houston Dead

By NIKKI FINKE, Editor in Chief | Saturday February 11, 2012 @ 5:10pm PSTTags: Whitney Houston

UPDATE: Whitney Houston died at the Beverly Hilton Hotel, news reports now say. The AP is quoting the singer-actress’ publicist Kristen Foster as making the announcement today. Deadline is trying to confirm.

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