Parties You Will Never Get Into

Celebrities from the nation’s capital recently gathered to honor the funniest members of the community.

The Hill reports that staffers and government officials gathered recently for the 17th annual “Funniest Celebrity in D.C.” contest, which handed out awards to the most laugh-inducing people around. Taking home the top prize was Jonathan Lovett, a West Wing speechwriter, who was encouraged by Deputy Press Secretary Bill Burton and senior speechwriter Jon Favreau.

Performing in front of the crowd, Lovett took some jabs at a major airline, much to the delight of those in attendance.

“Virgin America (Airlines) had to change their name to, ‘Technically, Still A Virgin America,’” Lovett said.

Among the other celebrities in attendance was musician Jonathan Edwards, who performed on both guitar and piano to the cheering crowd. The runner-up for the prize was Representative Rick Larsen, a Democrat from Washington State, the website reported.

No matter what the event, when those in government gather it can be a great time for all involved. It is important for those in high-ranking positions to prove they have a softer, less serious side.

One of the most famous reality TV heiresses was recently on hand to party with her son and other celebrity parents at one of the hippest kids parties in recent memory.

The Daily Mail reports that Nicole Richie, daughter of singer Lionel Richie and former star of The Simple Life, gathered with others in Los Angeles to attend the Yo Gabba Gabba! Live! There’s A Party event with her fiancée, Joel Madden. And while Richie could be seen singing and dancing on stage, she was hardly the only celebrity in attendance.

The news source reports that Jessica Alba, Jack Black, Milla Jovovich, Tori Spelling, Jenna Elfman and Gwen Stefani, who could be seen “cuddling” her two children Kingston and Zuma, were also there.

Many celebrities were so excited, they took to the web soon after the event.

“YoGabbaGabba was so fun,” tweeted Alba shortly after the performance. “We got our silly’s out and did the dancy-dance! My ‘cool’ days are over -wait a min… they never started.”

When celebrities gather at parties with their children, it makes them more relatable to the average person. Though they may drive nicer cars and make considerably more money, Hollywood stars must still raise their children one day at a time.

One of the biggest hip-hop stars of the day recently made headlines when he premiered his latest music video at a Hollywood event.

Kanye West, who has been in the news for both his music and shenanigans in recent years, hosted an event in Los Angeles to show his new 30-minute-long video entitled “Runaway.” The video follows Griffin, played by West, as he races in a futuristic sports car down the road – only to find a heaping pile of debris. As he approaches the wreckage, Griffin discovers a woman named Phoenix and pulls her out of the smoldering rubble.

The epic music video comes ahead of West’s new album “My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy,” and features many songs within the cinematic endeavour. During the L.A. screening, West told the audience of friends, fans and media that he had “contemplated suicide” in the past, but that he had recovered.
Kanye made news recently when he was named one of the top 5 influential men in the country. According to AskMen.com, West is the fifth most influential man in the United States.

Continuing her advocacy for pooches, country music superstar Carrie Underwood turned out at the 6th Annual Pedigree Adoption Drive in New York City. Fellow vegetarians and dog lovers flocked to the affair, held in Manhattan’s Bideawee Adoption Center on March 30, 2010.

Underwood, who appears in the online campaign with Ace, her adoptive chihuahua, urged guests to open their homes to dogs. The Grammy award winning songstress and American Idol champion also convinced guests to visit and become a fan of Pedigree’s official Facebook page. For every new fan, the dog food manufacturer would give one food bowl to an animal shelter until Dec. 31.

“Half the dogs in shelters never find a home,” she said.

Underwood posed for photos on the red carpet, where she clutched a docile beagle puppy in front of the paparazzi.

All in all, Pedigree is pledging $2 million in aid of dog shelters across the US. The company already gave $50,000 to Underwood’s own effort, the Checotah Animal, Town and School Foundation (CATS).

Fresh off her first movie, Soul Surfer, Underwood is embarking on a 54-city concert tour sponsored by Pedigree. Moreover, she would take to the stage at the Academy of Country Music Awards on April 18.

St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital held its first ever Estrellas Por La Vida (Stars for Life) Gala on Apr. 6, 2010 at Club Nokia in Los Angeles. Living up to its namesake, the gala drew more than 300 stars and VIPs, including some of Latin Hollywood’s most stellar personalities.

Wilmer Valderrama, Zac Efron and Vanessa Hudgens, among others, took a brief respite from their Hollywood chores to attend the black tie affair. Hudgens and Efron were present to support their High School Musical 3 director Kenny Ortega, who was up for an award that night with Daisy Fuentes and Zoe Saldana.

Fuentes, Zaldana and Ortega were honored for their philanthropic feats involving children fighting cancer and other life threatening diseases.

Guests sipped wine courtesy of the legendary Beringer Vineyards and dined on dishes prepared by world famous chef Wolfgang Puck.

Later in the evening, a silent auction was held. The winemaker auctioned a wine-tasting tour in their 1876 Napa Valley headquarters and two of its award winning products: the 2007 Beringer Private Reserve Chardonnay and the 2005 Beringer Private Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon.

Proceeds of the auction would benefit the charitable works of St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, one of the leading pediatric cancer centers in the world.

Audi opened the annual New York International Auto Show by sponsoring a private concert of the indie band She and Him. A crowd composed of executives, journalists and celebrities headed to the Audi Forum in New York City on March 31, 2010 to celebrate with the carmaker.

She and Him, composed of singer-actress Zooey Deschanel (500 Days of Summer, The Happening) and musician M. Ward, entertained guests with a nine-song set. Fresh off the release of their sophomore album, the duo sung “I Was Made For You,” “In The Sun,” “Black Hole,” “This is Not A Test,” “Ridin’ In My Car,” “Sweet Darlin’,” “Why Do You Let Me Stay Here?,” and “Magic Trick.” The band also performed a cover of Chuck Berry’s “Roll Over Beethoven.”

Partygoers included 30 Rock actress Jane Krakowski and Ryland Blackinton and Gabe Saporta of Cobra Starship. Models Jessica Hart and Tyson Beckford, as well as pro poker star, Beth Shak, also went to the party.

Served with champagne cocktails, guests circled around the latest Audi offerings as DJ Harley Viera-Newton spun tunes from her booth. Models flaunted at this year’s show included the revered Audi R8 Spyder and the upcoming 2011 A8.

Audi’s 2010 car show was produced by MKG.

In Floria Sigismondi’s The Runaways, Kristen Stewart and Dakota Fanning play punk lesbian lovers. However, on the red carpet of the film’s March 11, 2010 premiere, the two New Moon actresses looked every bit the dolled-up Hollywood femme fatales that they were.

Spectators headed to Bowery Hotel after the film’s screening, held at the ArcLight Cinemas’ Cinerama Dome in Los Angeles. At the hotel, Tommy Hilfiger cooked up a rock-and-roll celebration in honor of the movie.

Joan Jett and Cherie Currie, the film’s legendary subjects, came in the flesh at both the screening and the party. Lucky punk lovers and artists were able to get autographs from Jett at the screening.

Other famous faces, like actress Chloë Sevigny and rocker Dave Grohl, also joined the group and rubbed elbows with the punk rock goddesses. Director Sigismondi was also present, and so was Michael Shannon. Stewart’s foxy New Moon co-star Taylor Lautner also joined in the celebration.

Both Stewart and Fanning will appear with Lautner this summer for Eclipse, the third film adaptation of Stephenie Meyer’s vampire novels. Robert Pattinson, who plays Stewart’s lover in the vampire films, was visibly absent in the bash.

Grilled cheese and beer were passed around the room, while music from The Runaways’ original albums blared from the speakers.

For the first state dinner of his administration, US President Barack Obama did not scrimp on pomp and pageantry. On November 24, 2009, he poured them all on India’s Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and his wife Gursharan Kaur.

For a first, the event broke away from tradition on several levels. First, the President lavished the foremost state dinner not on Mexico or Canada, but on India. Furthermore, he held it under a specially built tent on the White House South Lawn, not in the State Dining Room.

Obama’s tent victoriously atoned for its derring-do. Insulated against the cold, rainy November evening, the tent proved to be a seamless extension of White House. Eleven chandeliers, hanging from a cavernous canopy, radiated glorious ambient light on invitees. Better yet, the magnolia-adorned walls offered them a view of the Washington Monument.

Due to the tent’s expansive capacity, 400 VIPs, including top Indian diplomats, were able to come. Inside, the sea of bodies made for a curious mélange of tuxedos, gowns and saris. In deference to the occasion, First Lady Michelle Obama donned a gown designed by India’s Naeem Khan.

There to toast the Prime Minister was a flotilla of Democrats, including State Secretary Hillary Clinton, Social Secretary Desirée Rogers, Press Secretary Robert Gibbs, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, and Massachusetts Sen. John Kerry. New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, plus a few Republicans, also came.

Unsurprisingly, Hollywood sent a few emissaries like director Steven Spielberg and actors Blair Underwood and Alfre Woodard. Singer-actress Jennifer Hudson and Indian-born musician A.R. Rahman, along with jazz crooner Kurt Elling were also around to provide entertainment. From media came CBS anchorwoman Katie Couric and New York Times columnist Tom Friedman.

Place settings consisted of state service plates inherited from the Eisenhower, Clinton, and George W. Bush administrations. From them, guests ate, among others, salad with rocket leaves harvested from Michelle Obama’s White House Kitchen Garden.

Tables were draped in apple green linens and came with gilded cane chairs. On each table sat a combination of hydrangeas, roses, and sweet peas in colors not unlike the peacock, India’s national bird.

On top of Hudson and Rahman, guests had entertainment in the form of The United States Marine Band. Marvin Hamlisch also directed an ensemble from the National Symphony Orchestra.

Every year, before spring, the Associates Committee of The Society of Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center holds a Bunny Hop. Marking its 19th year last March 9, 2010, the affair gathers rich parents and their kids for a good cause.

This year’s honorary chair Tina Fey and her daughter Alice led over 800 VIBs (Very Important Bunnies) to the event. Like all other years, it was held in the giant FAO Schwarz toy store at Fifth Avenue in New York City.

Garbed in Sunday clothes, kids walked the pink carpet to a veritable fantasyland. The toy store let tiny attendees flit around miniature photo booths and dress-up stations complete with manicuring amenities. They also tried their hand at face painting and balloon art, or dine on cupcakes, mini-hotdogs, fruit kebabs, candy necklaces, and PB&Js. In addition, an Easter Bunny was on hand to hug them.

One of the more standout tots in the 2010 event was four-year old Barron, Donald and Melania Trump’s son. Helena Grace, Kelly Rutherford’s baby, was another.

In attendance was Heather Leeds, The Society of Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center President. Other guests included Leslie Heaney, Dee Dee Ricks, Alexandra Lind Rose, Lauren Stahl, Catherine Carey, Lisa and Chris Errico, Amanda Taylor, Karen Cohen, and Barbara McLaughlin.

SMSKCC’s 19th Annual Bunny Hop raised more than $350,000 in funds, which would go to the Pediatric Family Housing Endowment. In the next five years, the Associates Committee pledges to raise $2 million for the Endowment. It would finance the overnight stays of MSKCC’s indigent patients and their families.

For a second year in a row, European children’s clothing label Papo d’Anjo sponsored the event, alongside UBS Financial Services. This year’s Hop was co-chaired by Celeste Boele, Annabelle Fowlkes and Laura Harris. The vice-chairs were Kate Doerge, Kate Allen, Palmer O’Sullivan, and Laura McVey.

Imagine yourself in a room packed to the rafters with genuine Hollywood idols and celebrity types. Imagine yourself only a star-struck breath away from legendary women like Shirley MacLaine and Joan Collins.

That’s exactly what happened to invited guests at The New York Times’ T Magazine party on Jan. 15, 2010. Thrown inside a cramped space in West Hollywood’s Chateau Marmont, the celebration unofficially set off a series of shindigs leading to Sunday’s Golden Globe Awards.

Hosted by Peggy Siegal, the T Magazine party was a veritable magnet to celestial beings, among them Scientology clerics Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes. It likewise lured Quentin Tarantino, Jared Leto, Ashley Olsen, Ben Stiller, and Adam Lambert.

Legendary peahens Shirley MacLaine and Joan Collins were among the party’s early birds. They were spotted conversing early in the evening, before MacLaine moved on to chitchat with Julianne Moore.

Only days away from winning a Golden Globe for TV’s Big Love, Chloe Sevigny attended the get-together with filmmaker Liz Goldwyn. Another TV thespian in the crowd was Kim Raver, who stuck close to her Lipstick Jungle co-worker Lindsay Price. Academy Award nominee Carey Mulligan also came, but without boyfriend Shia LaBeouf in tow. She was seen close with The Office actor B.J. Novak.

Gossip Girl’s Chace Crawford could also be sighted here, puffing a fag with an unidentified boy friend. At the outdoor smoking area, Eli Roth could be seen cozying up to an unknown blond.

Around 9 pm, the party almost hit overcapacity. Yet guests were mostly eager to fill two less breathing spaces with the grand entrance of Cruise and Holmes. Before long, Holmes hit a conversation with Glee actress Dianna Agron, while Cruise cracked some jokes with Woody Harrelson. All the while, Holmes’ ex Chris Klein kept his distance.

TomKat exited the party after 10 pm, probably in a rush to get home to their daughter Suri. But directress Sofia Coppola chose to tag her 4-year-old daughter Romy along to the party.

Dina Lohan and her starlet daughters Lindsay and Ali burst in the doors fabulously late. However, everybody was preparing to vacate the penthouse just then.