Dionne's new single from soon to be released CD "Dionne Warwick NOW" entitled "Is There Anybody Out There?" ....... It's getting airplay in the UK!
http://snd.sc/PAMNb8
Listen to Dionne's New Single
Moderator: mark
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BachtoBacharach
- Posts: 530
- Joined: Wed Jul 11, 2007 3:32 pm
Re: Listen to Dionne's New Single
On second look, this isn't bad at all especially after hearing the dreadful B side of this single, Always Something There to Remind Me. Dionne can still manage to sound good. I am betting that this track was produced by Phil Ramone and ASTTRM was produced by Damon Elliott...the production values are much better on this track.
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Blair N. Cummings
- Posts: 1123
- Joined: Fri Jun 11, 2004 4:14 pm
Re: Listen to Dionne's New Single
Okay, it`s not the embarrassment I thought it might be but neither is it in any way memorable. It`s Burt at his laziest and Dionne taking advantage of it.
The cut-and-pastes from the Warner album confirm that this is an even bigger mess than I had imagined. For a supposedly grand occasion, all involved seem to have signed off on the sloppiest, most half-assed pastiche possible.
I have a dark enough sense of humor to give vent to a cynical laugh but for others I think it will be just kind of sad.
Or they`ll just think I`m being "venomous" again.
The cut-and-pastes from the Warner album confirm that this is an even bigger mess than I had imagined. For a supposedly grand occasion, all involved seem to have signed off on the sloppiest, most half-assed pastiche possible.
I have a dark enough sense of humor to give vent to a cynical laugh but for others I think it will be just kind of sad.
Or they`ll just think I`m being "venomous" again.
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ron hertel
- Posts: 481
- Joined: Tue Mar 16, 2004 7:08 pm
Re: Listen to Dionne's New Single
What I truly appreciate about this forum is that it brings together a very diverse group of individuals with differing opinions on the one thing we all have in common - an appreciation for the talent and contributions of Burt, Hal and Dionne. ........ With few exceptions - my friends, family members and business associates could not care less about these 3 artists; however, they all associate me with BB/HD/DW and let me know whenever any of them do something newsworthy. This makes for a pretty exclusive group of individuals with sophisticated taste in music that participate in these discussions. ......... We speculate, criticize, analyze, pontificate, lament, advise, appreciate, admonish and even find some humor in the content of these posts. ........ Hope that NEVER changes! ...... Regarding this upcoming single release - if it does happen to make it to the Billboard Charts - Dionne will be one of the very few recording artists to chart over a 50 year time frame.
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BachtoBacharach
- Posts: 530
- Joined: Wed Jul 11, 2007 3:32 pm
Re: Listen to Dionne's New Single
Ron, many rabid fans (fanatics!) who haven't been with Dionne for the entire 50 years of her career don't understand. You get it. They assume those who are critical of Dionne's choices these days don't appreciate her. She's a remarkable woman who has accomplished probably more than any other female vocalist in the past 50 years. Because of some of her choices, she has tarnished her legacy. Other celebrities have as well but Dionne has been defensive and arrogant at times regarding her denial of her own choices; Dionne was interviewed in 1999 and the interviewer quoted both Burt and Hal regarding the PFN to her when the discussion rolled around to the Psychic Friends Network and how it affected her credibility and tarnished her image in the US along with the unfortunate involvement in the Warwick Foundation. She became very arrogant in her defense of the PFN and the foundation and terminated the interview early. It had been agreed that nothing was off the table when the interview was arranged. At times, interviewers have been very leary of tackling Dionne because she has a reputation of being unable to handle really tough questions and can be intimidating to a rookie. She is much more comfortable having the "press agent" types around who don't challenge her. She isn't taken very seriously these days in the USA and that's unfortunate, but she seems to take the safe, dull, lethargic route these days of recycling her old material, etc. I lament the fact that her loss of stature and status in the entertainment industry in the USA has happened due to her own actions and poor choices. I am hoping her new release will serve one purpose; to bring attention to and perhaps pique new interest in her remarkable legacy through those three tunes on the new album from 1964 and 1971. In my opinion, they are the only three tunes on the album worth more than a cursory listen to. Gillanddon even knew that the comparison of the old tunes to the new tunes would showcase the weaknesses and limitations and lead to unfortunate comparisons of her current voice to her voice in her heydey. But if it sends people to her old recordings, it's worth a shot. She's getting a lot of great press in the UK. One reason for that is that the foundation scandals and the PFN were for the most part not part of the public consciousness in the UK but were in the US. The PFN network achieved, in my opinion, almost a career destroying notoriety in the US (for about 5 years, it was the most popular infomercial in the US) and became permanently a part of the pop culture of the 1990s, and Dionne has not been able to escape it yet. She is still ridiculed for her participation in those events. You can't blame fans and the fickle public for an individual's poor judgment. Dionne's never truly owned her involvement but has made excuses ("needed the money, wanted to keep my face before the public, any publicity is good publicity, poor advisors, I'm just a singer, not an accountant") etc. Dionne is not a person who ever takes a really critical look at herself and it comes across loud and clear. I think she would have more respect if she owned these things. I think she would have a new respect if she would acknowledge that she made big mistakes and quit making excuses for them; however that is not her nature.
Last edited by BachtoBacharach on Mon Sep 24, 2012 12:19 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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BachtoBacharach
- Posts: 530
- Joined: Wed Jul 11, 2007 3:32 pm
Re: Listen to Dionne's New Single
This explains far better than I can the almost betrayal many in the public felt about Dionne's fall from grace in the USA.
Western Sieve - High on Dionne Warwick
She'll beat the weed charge with no worries, but will she ever really be free?
By Joey Sweeney Add Comment
|
By the time you read this, it may have just bolted by you, another blip on the radar of pop culture, but for some reason, it seems worth repeating: Dionne Warwick was busted for weed.
Warwick's pot bust comes roughly 30 years after such a thing was in vogue. Where once she would have held ground with McCartney or the Stones, now it seems like an almost cruel exercise.
Even though she glided out of the airport and into the glare of the cameras with the utmost grace, every news report I saw contained some snide element that came off as either disrespectful or dismissive. And that treatment, to my mind, at least, says loads about the arc of Warwick's career and the ways in which she herself may have debased it along the way, going from being one of the classiest women in American song to being part of the problem--a huckster for telephone psychics.
You could argue and win any debate that had Warwick never gotten involved in the world of infomercials the entire world would see her in a different light. But what interests me is how so little could topple so much.
When did Dionne Warwick become a joke? And what would it take for her to ride high again?
It's an awful word choice, I'll grant you, but it gets to the heart of her weed imbroglio. Had Dionne Warwick not squandered her celebrity--no, not her celebrity so much as a silent pact with her audience--would her bust ever have been made public? It's a question worth asking.
Go back and listen to the records; it simply isn't fair. The string of hit collaborations with Burt Bacharach and Hal David that gave rise to her career in the '60s are among the most sophisticated pop tunes of that era. And it's no accident that Warwick was handpicked, plucked out of girl-group obscurity, to sing them. Something in Warwick's voice rings through each time with the promises of civility and elegance, a sort of high-class cool that is completely missing from the pop landscape even today.
With the exception perhaps of Sade--who can rake in sophistication points merely by virtue of not being American--there's no one out there. Which is where the pact comes in.
Something about that sophistication has always been implicit in Warwick's delivery and the way she carried herself. It was the currency with which she entered into trade with that audience way back when.
Other stars--dig Davey Jones on the AM Gold infomercial--might be able to get away with it scot free, simply because they have no dignity left to trade on. But Warwick fans, even the subliminal ones, have never let the whole Psychic Friends thing go.
It seemed then and now a ridiculous betrayal, rife not with the want of filthy lucre but with what's an even more patently American crime: low self-esteem. What woman who changed the face of pop--to say nothing of the face of African-American women in pop--would shill for such a nickel-and-dime operation and not consider that it was violating the very magic that propelled her there?
Why, it's simple: a woman who maybe never believed that she deserved to be there in the first place. From that point on, all has been folly with Warwick. And the pot bust is just a logical conclusion to that--a media taunt, a pop culture debasement. But at the heart of it is the recurring feeling that the modern world--that is to say everything post-1970--has given Warwick a bum rap.
It's not her fault. Some of her friends said that those joints--and you've gotta love a lady who travels with pre-rolled joints sealed away in a silver lipstick case--were for glaucoma; some said they were to be delivered to AIDS patients. What no one wanted to say is that Dionne Warwick, who sang some of the greatest pop songs of her time and sang them better than anyone else and then proceeded to raise money for all the disaffected of the world by singing them again, fucking right on deserved to smoke a few joints if she wanted to.
You just know it's what everyone else was thinking. And therein lies the rub: At the height of what was to be a full-scale media humiliation, suddenly, maybe the whole world forgot about the Psychic Friends and started rooting, in a low, humble way, for Dionne Warwick all over again.
Maybe this was the beginning of a triumphant comeback, the kind accorded to Elvis or Johnny Cash. Maybe the tide was finally turning. It hurt at first, but in the end, it was a beautiful thing to behold.
.
Read more: http://www.philadelphiaweekly.com/news- ... z27JKuX5wA
Western Sieve - High on Dionne Warwick
She'll beat the weed charge with no worries, but will she ever really be free?
By Joey Sweeney Add Comment
|
By the time you read this, it may have just bolted by you, another blip on the radar of pop culture, but for some reason, it seems worth repeating: Dionne Warwick was busted for weed.
Warwick's pot bust comes roughly 30 years after such a thing was in vogue. Where once she would have held ground with McCartney or the Stones, now it seems like an almost cruel exercise.
Even though she glided out of the airport and into the glare of the cameras with the utmost grace, every news report I saw contained some snide element that came off as either disrespectful or dismissive. And that treatment, to my mind, at least, says loads about the arc of Warwick's career and the ways in which she herself may have debased it along the way, going from being one of the classiest women in American song to being part of the problem--a huckster for telephone psychics.
You could argue and win any debate that had Warwick never gotten involved in the world of infomercials the entire world would see her in a different light. But what interests me is how so little could topple so much.
When did Dionne Warwick become a joke? And what would it take for her to ride high again?
It's an awful word choice, I'll grant you, but it gets to the heart of her weed imbroglio. Had Dionne Warwick not squandered her celebrity--no, not her celebrity so much as a silent pact with her audience--would her bust ever have been made public? It's a question worth asking.
Go back and listen to the records; it simply isn't fair. The string of hit collaborations with Burt Bacharach and Hal David that gave rise to her career in the '60s are among the most sophisticated pop tunes of that era. And it's no accident that Warwick was handpicked, plucked out of girl-group obscurity, to sing them. Something in Warwick's voice rings through each time with the promises of civility and elegance, a sort of high-class cool that is completely missing from the pop landscape even today.
With the exception perhaps of Sade--who can rake in sophistication points merely by virtue of not being American--there's no one out there. Which is where the pact comes in.
Something about that sophistication has always been implicit in Warwick's delivery and the way she carried herself. It was the currency with which she entered into trade with that audience way back when.
Other stars--dig Davey Jones on the AM Gold infomercial--might be able to get away with it scot free, simply because they have no dignity left to trade on. But Warwick fans, even the subliminal ones, have never let the whole Psychic Friends thing go.
It seemed then and now a ridiculous betrayal, rife not with the want of filthy lucre but with what's an even more patently American crime: low self-esteem. What woman who changed the face of pop--to say nothing of the face of African-American women in pop--would shill for such a nickel-and-dime operation and not consider that it was violating the very magic that propelled her there?
Why, it's simple: a woman who maybe never believed that she deserved to be there in the first place. From that point on, all has been folly with Warwick. And the pot bust is just a logical conclusion to that--a media taunt, a pop culture debasement. But at the heart of it is the recurring feeling that the modern world--that is to say everything post-1970--has given Warwick a bum rap.
It's not her fault. Some of her friends said that those joints--and you've gotta love a lady who travels with pre-rolled joints sealed away in a silver lipstick case--were for glaucoma; some said they were to be delivered to AIDS patients. What no one wanted to say is that Dionne Warwick, who sang some of the greatest pop songs of her time and sang them better than anyone else and then proceeded to raise money for all the disaffected of the world by singing them again, fucking right on deserved to smoke a few joints if she wanted to.
You just know it's what everyone else was thinking. And therein lies the rub: At the height of what was to be a full-scale media humiliation, suddenly, maybe the whole world forgot about the Psychic Friends and started rooting, in a low, humble way, for Dionne Warwick all over again.
Maybe this was the beginning of a triumphant comeback, the kind accorded to Elvis or Johnny Cash. Maybe the tide was finally turning. It hurt at first, but in the end, it was a beautiful thing to behold.
.
Read more: http://www.philadelphiaweekly.com/news- ... z27JKuX5wA
Re: Listen to Dionne's New Single
What a perceptive and beautifully written essay.
Pretty much captures a lot of the Dionne Dilemma for a lot of us, even on this listserv, where there seems to be a rather schizophrenic treatment of the lady.
Pretty much captures a lot of the Dionne Dilemma for a lot of us, even on this listserv, where there seems to be a rather schizophrenic treatment of the lady.
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gillanddon
- Posts: 224
- Joined: Tue Dec 14, 2010 6:54 am
Re: Listen to Dionne's New Single
Thank you BacktoBacharach. It makes for upsetting reading I must say but hard to understand why such a huge backlash for what seem to be relatively 'minor' occurances in the scheme of things. Many artists get led astray and do crazy things!! Maybe that's from my British perspective? There was virtually no coverage of either of those bad moves over here. Only an interview with Burt when he was asked why she was doing the psychic thing and he briefly replied 'we all have to pay for the roof over our heads'. Many artists are driven by low self esteem and I'm sure the years after Bacharach and David must have been very difficult years. To reinvent yourself, now on your own, after such a triumphant beginning would be nigh on impossible for most performers. It's never been easy for her. Dionne was very shy in the early days and has learnt how to toughen up. As you mentioned before, she is at her best singing live and in front of the band but I've always thought the PR bit and interviews for her have always been a bit awkward and she seems to leans on learnt repetitive answers to deal with probing questions and you get the feeling she has her eye on the door for rapid escape!
Sorry, went off the point there! Yes, she seems to be getting massive coverage over here at the moment and very positive reactions. Not always exactly right .. twice she has been referred to as a Motown artist. In yesterday's Sunday Times in an article about Bettye LaVette's new biography Dione was listed as one of Motown's great who left her (Bettye) behind to achieve great fame and fortune.
Sorry, went off the point there! Yes, she seems to be getting massive coverage over here at the moment and very positive reactions. Not always exactly right .. twice she has been referred to as a Motown artist. In yesterday's Sunday Times in an article about Bettye LaVette's new biography Dione was listed as one of Motown's great who left her (Bettye) behind to achieve great fame and fortune.
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BachtoBacharach
- Posts: 530
- Joined: Wed Jul 11, 2007 3:32 pm
Re: Listen to Dionne's New Single
Jerry,
If only the pot bust had the effect on her career that the author of the article had hoped. No one roots harder for Dionne Warwick to regain the stature she lost at her own hand than those of us who have known and supported her throughout her entire career. However, she seems to be unable to use good judgment these days and she still surrounds herself with yes-people as she always has and keeps getting burned. The latest scandal was the Obama Inauguration Ball scandals in which the "American Music Ball" hosted by Dionne Warwick and concocted by Guy Draper bilked hundreds of people out of the cost of the tickets to a ball with stellar guest list, which later many denied that they were appearing. Many ticket purchasers have not received refunds yet. I have spoken about Guy Draper before and he and Dionne go back to 1968 when he became an A & R man for Scepter Records. He was one of the folks behind Dionne's failed record label in 1971-1972, Sonday Records. He was heavily involved in her Warwick Foundation. Dionne told Giraldo Rivera in 1992 when the ABC news story broke that accused Warwick of padding expenses and traveling first class with her entourage on the foundation dime, that if she had known the reputations of some of the folks involved in the foundation, she wouldn't have ever lent her name to it and Guy Draper was mentioned specifically. This is the betrayal of herself at her own hands that has left so many of us scratching our heads in disbelief. And then later that same year, became involved in basically a huckster's dream scheme of the PFN which really destroyed much of her incredible legacy. She was no longer taken seriously. How could she give away so much for the money (allegedly 3 million per year to appear as the shill) and not realize the credibility it cost her. I am still scratching my head.
If only the pot bust had the effect on her career that the author of the article had hoped. No one roots harder for Dionne Warwick to regain the stature she lost at her own hand than those of us who have known and supported her throughout her entire career. However, she seems to be unable to use good judgment these days and she still surrounds herself with yes-people as she always has and keeps getting burned. The latest scandal was the Obama Inauguration Ball scandals in which the "American Music Ball" hosted by Dionne Warwick and concocted by Guy Draper bilked hundreds of people out of the cost of the tickets to a ball with stellar guest list, which later many denied that they were appearing. Many ticket purchasers have not received refunds yet. I have spoken about Guy Draper before and he and Dionne go back to 1968 when he became an A & R man for Scepter Records. He was one of the folks behind Dionne's failed record label in 1971-1972, Sonday Records. He was heavily involved in her Warwick Foundation. Dionne told Giraldo Rivera in 1992 when the ABC news story broke that accused Warwick of padding expenses and traveling first class with her entourage on the foundation dime, that if she had known the reputations of some of the folks involved in the foundation, she wouldn't have ever lent her name to it and Guy Draper was mentioned specifically. This is the betrayal of herself at her own hands that has left so many of us scratching our heads in disbelief. And then later that same year, became involved in basically a huckster's dream scheme of the PFN which really destroyed much of her incredible legacy. She was no longer taken seriously. How could she give away so much for the money (allegedly 3 million per year to appear as the shill) and not realize the credibility it cost her. I am still scratching my head.
Last edited by BachtoBacharach on Mon Sep 24, 2012 4:17 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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BachtoBacharach
- Posts: 530
- Joined: Wed Jul 11, 2007 3:32 pm
Re: Listen to Dionne's New Single
Gillanddon,
Maybe I can put this in perspective. Dionne was not just another celebrity. She had a stature in the recording and entertainment industry that was second to none prior to 1991. Then came the foundation scandal and following on the heels of that, the PFN. For her to associate herself with such a shockingly low rent outfit as the Psychic Friends Network would be like Elizabeth Taylor selling timeshares for Las Vegas Whorehouses. I can't even explain how pervasive these infomercials were. They were saturating the airwaves in every market in the USA for over 5 years and aired numerous times each and every day. I do have to ask this; where did you get the idea that Dionne was shy? Dionne was NEVER shy! Reserved, yes! Shy never in a millions years. She has always been opinionated and has never been a wall-flour or a shrinking violet.
Maybe I can put this in perspective. Dionne was not just another celebrity. She had a stature in the recording and entertainment industry that was second to none prior to 1991. Then came the foundation scandal and following on the heels of that, the PFN. For her to associate herself with such a shockingly low rent outfit as the Psychic Friends Network would be like Elizabeth Taylor selling timeshares for Las Vegas Whorehouses. I can't even explain how pervasive these infomercials were. They were saturating the airwaves in every market in the USA for over 5 years and aired numerous times each and every day. I do have to ask this; where did you get the idea that Dionne was shy? Dionne was NEVER shy! Reserved, yes! Shy never in a millions years. She has always been opinionated and has never been a wall-flour or a shrinking violet.
Re: Listen to Dionne's New Single
Hi Bach & Gillanddon-
Yes, I agree BtoB, I would not characterize the lady who told Hal & Burt, 'Don't make me over!', as the shy retiring type! She obviously has not done as good a job as other artists at shielding herself and her money from the parasites who populate the fringes of show biz. I also think it's a mistake not to show up at events like the Gershwin Prize ceremony and the Hal David memorial. For whatever reasons she did not, I truly think that offering support to the two individuals who, basically, MADE her career was a mistake.
But like all others, this is just an opinion and may be taken however ye wish, Bacharachians!
Yes, I agree BtoB, I would not characterize the lady who told Hal & Burt, 'Don't make me over!', as the shy retiring type! She obviously has not done as good a job as other artists at shielding herself and her money from the parasites who populate the fringes of show biz. I also think it's a mistake not to show up at events like the Gershwin Prize ceremony and the Hal David memorial. For whatever reasons she did not, I truly think that offering support to the two individuals who, basically, MADE her career was a mistake.
But like all others, this is just an opinion and may be taken however ye wish, Bacharachians!
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maestrofan
- Posts: 38
- Joined: Wed May 19, 2010 5:31 pm
Re: Listen to Dionne's New Single
frosting on the cake was Miss Warwick's puzzling appearance on Trump's Celebrity Apprentice show where she displayed such "boorish behavior". Friends who know that I am a fan of Mr. Bacharach and Miss Warwick still ask me how I could still be a fan. Worst thing about the Psychic Friends stint was that it appealed to so many down and out minorities who could not afford the $4.00 per minute conversations with a charlatan giving them false hopes for a better life. 3 million dollars a year? Do the math - a lot of $4.00 minutes keeping those unfortunate victims on the phone and enhancing their misfortune with false hopes for a better life. Think the Warwick foundation was started with the best on intentions. Same for the Obama Ball fiasco. As far as the airport marijuana bust - forget about it! I still can not understand why anyone would drop a cosmetic case filled with pre-rolled reefers into anyones purse at an airport. Give us a break Miss Warwick! Stick to the singing! Looking forward to hearing Miss Warwick's new album!
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BachtoBacharach
- Posts: 530
- Joined: Wed Jul 11, 2007 3:32 pm
Re: Listen to Dionne's New Single
maestrofan,
I believe Warwick's intentions were good with the foundation; however it was her extravagance at the expense of the foundation which was an issue. Guy Draper who has a history of this type of thing handled a lot of the finances for the foundation...so why would she get back into bed with Draper once again in 2009 with the ball fiasco, after telling Giraldo Rivera in 1993 about Draper "had I only known...." when she knew full well what kind of person Draper was since she has been dealing with him since 1968. Here is a summary of the investigation aired on Day One. Dionne's defense was to accuse the media of racism and she stated that if she had been a white entertainer, this wouldn't have been an issue. I supported and donated to the Warwick Foundation in 1988 and my donation was never acknowledged. Many others had the same experience. Guy Draper handled the donations for her charity. Draper also handled the ticket sales for the ball THROUGH the tax ID number and mailing address of the defunct Warwick Foundation! As I said, I am still scratching my head as to why Warwick continues these associations.
When the below aired, to say that people were shocked is a gross understatement. It was tantamount to a betrayal of the trust of Warwick's loyal supporters and fans. The report started with a 1970 clip of Warwick singing "What the World Needs Now" and the narrator started by saying "When Dionne Warwick sang, the whole world listened....." and it was all downhill from there. Shortly before this aired, she began her association with the Psychic Friends Network. I believe both these occurring in such a short time precipitated the rapid decline of her stature in the USA. How sad.
That's what friends are for?
Number 9760
Subject Nonprofits
Source ABC News Day One
State NY
Year 1993
Publication Date Nov. 1
Summary "In 1988, Dionne Warwick, an entertainer known for her humanitarian efforts, established the Warwick Foundation, a nonprofit charity whose primary goal was to raise badly needed funds for AIDS service organizations in the black community. Through high profile gala concerts, the Warwick Foundation succeeded in raising 2.1 million dollars but gave only $56,000 in direct grants to charities. In 1990 the foundation closed its doors with $690,000 in debts and 62 creditors. ... The story examines the often bitter experiences of the charities involved and exposes the mismanagement and extravagance that led to a dismal bottom line."
Category None
Pages 21
And here's more from an article in the early 90s:
Charitable Gains And Losses
Dionne Warwick's foundation faces financial perils -- Three-year-old AIDS education group demonstrates the difficulties in getting established
By Andrew Feinberg
Celebrity involvement in a charity is no guarantee of financial success, as the Warwick Foundation has amply demonstrated. The three-year-old AIDS education group, created by singer Dionne Warwick, is clearly in financial distress. Although the foundation has raised about $2 million, it showed a loss of $20,029 in its first year and $203,687 in its second, according to public tax records. (Figures for the fiscal year ending Sept. 30, 1990 are not yet available.) The foundation is unable to pay all its bills. And when it tried to register with New York State's charities regulator in January, its $25 check bounced.
Critics say some Warwick Foundation activities have suffered from poor planning, mismanagement, and overspending. The group's defenders counter that the charity's crusade on behalf of minorities, women, and children with AIDS has been successful, pointing to its educational comic books, videos, and seminars. They maintain that the money woes are largely typical start-up problems compounded by inadequate corporate support and lack of attention from the media. ''I'm extremely impressed by what they've done,'' says Ella S. McDonald, executive director of the Richard Allen Center on Life, a New York-based foster care and adoption service. Adds Warwick: ''We are accomplishing our [education and advocacy] mission.''
Others are disappointed. ''It's just horrible that a foundation concerned about minorities and AIDS does such a lousy job of handling its money,'' says a person involved in the group's L.A. gala fund-raisers last summer. (The benefits ranged from a black-tie dinner to an all-star concert featuring Kenny Rogers and Stevie Wonder.) According to L.A.'s Social Service Department, the foundation raised $801,505 from the benefits but spent a full $608,848, including $84,874 on salaries and commissions. That translates into an expense ratio of 75.9 percent, far above the 1990 L.A. benefit average of 36 percent, and means that less than 25 percent of the money could have been used for charity. Guy Draper, the concert's producer, disputes such accounting, saying that some expense money paid for workshops, and adds that every event was educational in some way, including the concert.
Even critics acknowledge that Warwick is sincere about her foundation. But the singer has apparently recognized that her charity needs to make some operational changes. ''She is moving the foundation's primary offices from Washington, D.C., to Los Angeles so she can be more hands-on,'' says her administrative assistant.
I believe Warwick's intentions were good with the foundation; however it was her extravagance at the expense of the foundation which was an issue. Guy Draper who has a history of this type of thing handled a lot of the finances for the foundation...so why would she get back into bed with Draper once again in 2009 with the ball fiasco, after telling Giraldo Rivera in 1993 about Draper "had I only known...." when she knew full well what kind of person Draper was since she has been dealing with him since 1968. Here is a summary of the investigation aired on Day One. Dionne's defense was to accuse the media of racism and she stated that if she had been a white entertainer, this wouldn't have been an issue. I supported and donated to the Warwick Foundation in 1988 and my donation was never acknowledged. Many others had the same experience. Guy Draper handled the donations for her charity. Draper also handled the ticket sales for the ball THROUGH the tax ID number and mailing address of the defunct Warwick Foundation! As I said, I am still scratching my head as to why Warwick continues these associations.
When the below aired, to say that people were shocked is a gross understatement. It was tantamount to a betrayal of the trust of Warwick's loyal supporters and fans. The report started with a 1970 clip of Warwick singing "What the World Needs Now" and the narrator started by saying "When Dionne Warwick sang, the whole world listened....." and it was all downhill from there. Shortly before this aired, she began her association with the Psychic Friends Network. I believe both these occurring in such a short time precipitated the rapid decline of her stature in the USA. How sad.
That's what friends are for?
Number 9760
Subject Nonprofits
Source ABC News Day One
State NY
Year 1993
Publication Date Nov. 1
Summary "In 1988, Dionne Warwick, an entertainer known for her humanitarian efforts, established the Warwick Foundation, a nonprofit charity whose primary goal was to raise badly needed funds for AIDS service organizations in the black community. Through high profile gala concerts, the Warwick Foundation succeeded in raising 2.1 million dollars but gave only $56,000 in direct grants to charities. In 1990 the foundation closed its doors with $690,000 in debts and 62 creditors. ... The story examines the often bitter experiences of the charities involved and exposes the mismanagement and extravagance that led to a dismal bottom line."
Category None
Pages 21
And here's more from an article in the early 90s:
Charitable Gains And Losses
Dionne Warwick's foundation faces financial perils -- Three-year-old AIDS education group demonstrates the difficulties in getting established
By Andrew Feinberg
Celebrity involvement in a charity is no guarantee of financial success, as the Warwick Foundation has amply demonstrated. The three-year-old AIDS education group, created by singer Dionne Warwick, is clearly in financial distress. Although the foundation has raised about $2 million, it showed a loss of $20,029 in its first year and $203,687 in its second, according to public tax records. (Figures for the fiscal year ending Sept. 30, 1990 are not yet available.) The foundation is unable to pay all its bills. And when it tried to register with New York State's charities regulator in January, its $25 check bounced.
Critics say some Warwick Foundation activities have suffered from poor planning, mismanagement, and overspending. The group's defenders counter that the charity's crusade on behalf of minorities, women, and children with AIDS has been successful, pointing to its educational comic books, videos, and seminars. They maintain that the money woes are largely typical start-up problems compounded by inadequate corporate support and lack of attention from the media. ''I'm extremely impressed by what they've done,'' says Ella S. McDonald, executive director of the Richard Allen Center on Life, a New York-based foster care and adoption service. Adds Warwick: ''We are accomplishing our [education and advocacy] mission.''
Others are disappointed. ''It's just horrible that a foundation concerned about minorities and AIDS does such a lousy job of handling its money,'' says a person involved in the group's L.A. gala fund-raisers last summer. (The benefits ranged from a black-tie dinner to an all-star concert featuring Kenny Rogers and Stevie Wonder.) According to L.A.'s Social Service Department, the foundation raised $801,505 from the benefits but spent a full $608,848, including $84,874 on salaries and commissions. That translates into an expense ratio of 75.9 percent, far above the 1990 L.A. benefit average of 36 percent, and means that less than 25 percent of the money could have been used for charity. Guy Draper, the concert's producer, disputes such accounting, saying that some expense money paid for workshops, and adds that every event was educational in some way, including the concert.
Even critics acknowledge that Warwick is sincere about her foundation. But the singer has apparently recognized that her charity needs to make some operational changes. ''She is moving the foundation's primary offices from Washington, D.C., to Los Angeles so she can be more hands-on,'' says her administrative assistant.
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BachtoBacharach
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Re: Listen to Dionne's New Single
The following link will take you to a link for a particularly damning article written by Lance Loud which appeared in "The Advocate" on January 24, 1994 entitled 'That's What Funds Are For' regarding The Warwick Foundation and Guy Draper. This is probably the most potent article explaining why Dionne Warwick has lost so much of her legend and star power in the USA. It was quite a scandal in 1993-1994. Dionne's arrogant responses to Lance Loud in a telephone interview regarding the allegations are particularly distrubing. Once you take the link, you can search for the article.
http://books.google.com/books?id=P2MEAAAAMBAJ
http://books.google.com/books?id=P2MEAAAAMBAJ
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Roberto Pinardi
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