Clive and Aretha Bond

MUTUAL RESPECT: After putting out her own album last year, Aretha Franklin has made a deal with Clive Davis to distribute her next release on RCA, home of her Arista catalog, according to Showbiz411’s man on the scene Roger Friedman. The Queen of Soul and the legendary music exec celebrated her 70th birthday last night with a dinner at the Helmsley Park Lane hotel in New York. Look for an official announcement soon. Among those on hand were Diane Sawyer, Rev. Al Sharpton, singer Nona Hendryx, Harlem musical theater great Vy Higginsen, BET’s Debra Lee and opera legend Kathleen Battle. (3/27p)