Parties You Will Never Get Into

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.

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.

It snowed stars and socialites inside Cipriani 42nd Street in New York City as UNICEF threw its annual Snowflake Ball on Dec. 2, 2009.

Belying its icy subtext, the Snowflake Ball was actually warm with the charitable hearts of its guests. Two of the invitees were feted for their fiery humanitarian efforts: Island Def Jam Music Group Chairman Antonio “L.A.” Reid and UNICEF’s Ethiopia representative Ted Chaiban. The former received UNICEF’s Spirit of Compassion Award; the other, an Audrey Hepburn Humanitarian Award.

Music luminary Mariah Carey, who came with husband Nick Cannon, was on hand to introduce her Island Def Jam boss to the stage. However, the singing duties went to fellow Island recording artist Chrisette Michele.

Besides the awarding, the gala served to commemorate the lighting of the humongous UNICEF Snowflake. Hung high above Fifth Avenue and 57th Street, the Snowflake is a larger-than-life reminder to Gotham dwellers that, indeed, ‘tis the season not to be frosty. Anyone in their million-dollar cars would notice the 28-foot high leviathan, scintillating with 16,000 Baccarat crystal prisms.

UNICEF’s Snowflake was donated by the Stonbely Family Foundation. True to form, Christine Stonbely co-chaired the Snowflake Ball with Claudia Lebenthal. George Stonbely was also present, along with Barbara Bush and Maggie Betts, who served as the affair’s junior co-chairs. Charlotte Moss and Pamela Fiori, in turn, acted as chairs of the Snowflake Project.

Hosted by Al Roker, the Snowflake Gala was attended by U.S. Fund for UNICEF’s CEO and President Caryl Stern. Also spotted at the gala were actors Tea Leoni and David Duchovny.

Hugh Hildesley from Sotheby’s led a live auction. Moneyed invitees bid on items like a private dinner with Star Chef and UNICEF Ambassador Marcus Samuelsson and a photo shoot with shutterbugs Vinoodh Matadin and Inez van Lamsweerde.

Before the night ended, UNICEF raised $1.9 million. An unsurprising sum, as invitees included Jenna Bush Hager, Lauren Bush, Erica Reid, David Lauren, Vern Yip, Muffie Potter Aston, Somers Farkas, Anthony Pantaleoni, Matt Lauer, Dikembe Mutombo, Dayle Haddon, Gillian Miniter, Bryant Gumbel, Gelila Assefa, Wolfgang Puck, Fareed Zakaria, Paula Zakaria, Jaime Jimenez, Deborah Roberts, Michael Belleveau, Sandra Lee, and Dave Lieberman.

Invitees had dinner prepared in part by Marcus Samuelsson’s eatery Aquavit. Popular restaurateurs Jean-Georges Vongerichten and Alfred Portale also livened up the evening’s gastronomic delights.

Several of Tinseltown’s finest beauties converged at Essence Magazine’s Black Women in Hollywood Luncheon last March 6. Names like Serena Williams, Nia Long, Keri Hilson, Vivica Fox, Anika Noni Rose, Joy Bryant, Paula Patton, and Leila Ali attended the soiree, held at Los Angeles’ Beverly Hills Hotel.

Now on its third annum, the luncheon was timed with the magazine’s 40th anniversary. In turn, the hotel’s Crystal Ballroom was converted into a scene straight off Truman Capote’s historic Black and White Ball.

Essence Beauty and Cover Director Mikki Taylor served as the hostess for the event, which paid tribute to females who have made Black Hollywood proud in the past year. Unknown to her, Taylor had also been up for a tribute during the affair, for working with the magazine since it was 10 years old.

Following an overture by rapper Common, the scene was soon set for the Best Breakthrough Performance award. Precious Director Lee Daniels presented it to the film’s lead star Gabourey Sidibe.

Sidibe was then up for an Academy Award, just like fellow guest James Cameron. The world-famous director was present to give the Star to Watch Award to his Avatar co-worker Zoe Saldana.

Mary J. Blige, in her speech for receiving the Songstress of the Year award, openly expressed her newfound admiration for Sidibe. Taraji P. Henson presented the award to Blige after a performance of “Can’t Give Up Now” by Mary Mary.

With Viola Davis, Laurence Fishburne handed the Legend Award to Cicely Tyson. The fabled Harlem native gave a monologue in lieu of an acceptance speech, inciting a standing ovation.

But the night’s most emotionally charged moment came when Jada Pinkett-Smith presented Queen Latifah with the Power Award. The wife of celebrity Will Smith honored the singer-actress with a video tribute to the latter’s early music and artistic growth, which moved everyone to tears.

Before Lady GaGa was born, there was already Grace Jones. In the old days, one trusted Grace Jones to put on concerts bordering on disco theatrics and out-and-out madness. At the anniversary bash of Viktor & Rolf’s perfume, partygoers were able to briefly relive her glory days.

Dutch designers Viktor Horsting and Rolf Snoeren arranged for the legendary diva to mark five years of Flowerbomb, their label’s wildly lucrative fragrance. A thousand guests packed the ballroom of Paris’ Le Meurice Hotel — including the likes of Jade Jagger, Renzo Rosso, Anouck Lepere, Afef Jnifen Tronchetti, Provera Lou Doillon, Keziah Jones, Renzo Rosso, Carmen Kass, Gareth Pugh, Daria Werbowy, Elettra Wiedemann, and Liya Kebede — to celebrate with the duo.

Guests were noticeably on the edge prior to Jones’ arrival, jostling for the best seats in the house. The designers had most of them in the VIP section however, which they shared with pals like Jessica Stam and Karolina Kurkova.

Then, around 12 midnight, Jones sashayed into the stage, wrenching an ecstatic cry from the crowd. Wearing a sable unitard with humongous sleeves, a Philip Treacy mask, and a flat-top hairdo, Grace Jones looked every bit the Lady GaGa precursor. She began her set with “La Vie en Rose,” which she proceeded to pepper with booty shakes and provocative commentary.

At 62, Jones still had the fashion instinct of a young, bold pop princess. Halfway into her performance, she tugged her leotard tightly, forming a thong, and yelled, “I’m ready when you are!”

Finally, it was time to sing the birthday song to the perfume, personified as a gigantic box. She sung it with the designers onstage.

“This is the first time I’ve sung happy birthday to a perfume,” she jested to the audience.

Lindsay Lohan failed to catch the Jones gig, arriving from London just as guests were trickling out.

Viktor & Rolf’s Flowerbomb now ranks among the bestselling fragrances in the world. The designers created the scent in collaboration with L’Oréal.

Celebrities were all about charity this year and most were found attending parties around the 82nd Academy Awards that celebrated the spirit of giving. The Night Before gala, hosted in Hollywood on the Saturday before the Oscars, was set to raise money for the Motion Picture & Television Fund. This organization provides individuals in the Southern California entertainment industry with health and human services needs.

The event was held at the Beverly Hills Hotel. Guests included Katie Holmes, Tom Cruise, Sandra Bullock, Jeff Bridges, Robert Downey Jr., and several other attendees.

On Sunday, Oscar night, the celebrities came around again for the Elton John AIDS Foundation. His organization works to fund educational programs regarding HIV/AIDS prevention as well as striving to eliminate discrimination against individuals with HIV/AIDs. The program also provides tangible services for those affected by the disease.

This event was held at the Pacific Design Center in West Hollywood where guests were entertained by Grace Jones. The party had many guests including Adam Levine, Chace Crawford, Heidi Klum, Jason Mraz, Miley Cyrus, Selena Gomez, Tim Allen, Victoria Beckham, and several others.

While the Oscars brought about several surprises, it was the after event Oscar parties where things became incredibly strange.

Tinsley Mortimer, who will soon be starring in her own reality shore, High Society, was seen rubbing elbows with the cast of Jersey Shore. Despite that she’s one of the Park Avenue elite, she was ecstatic about meeting the personalities behind the successful MTV reality show. Mortimer said the cast is “so funny and so themselves”. She also said that she’d love to hang out with the gang on the Upper East Side.

She had previously run into “The Situation” and “Pauly D” while recording a voiceover for her show. It just so happened that the pair of Jersey boys were shooting The Rachael Ray Show in the same studio. More recently, she had the opportunity to work with “J-Woww”, “Snookie”, and “Sammi”.

Mortimer is a graduate of Columbia University and a Dior beauty ambassador. She’s hoping that her new reality show will show the imperfections in her life. She wants people to know that just because she grew up with a privileged lifestyle doesn’t mean that her life is easy.

There are also rumors that the future reality star is dating ex-American Idol contestant, Constantine Maroulis, however she’s not confirming anything.

Life is a cabaret. This goes for all the tastemakers in Germany. No slump in the economy is stopping these people from reveling at the Mercedes-Benz Berlin Fashion Week. This year’s Berlin Fashion Week was kicked off by Hugo Boss’ Boss Black runway presentation, which was followed by a post-show soiree at the Hamburger Bahnhof museum.

The likes of Matt Dillon and Hillary Swank gathered inside a massive tent behind the stage. The excitement of the event was mirrored by the ambience of the party. All sorts of beautiful people were impossible to miss as they roamed the L.E.D.-lit dance floors. Apart from that, the place was also filled with high tech digital projections and magnums of champagnes.

Berlin’s merrymaking throng had continued to party their way to Friday at the historic Friedrichstadt Palast Theater, where the second-annual Style Nite was held. The event showcased three of Berlin’s most talked about labels: Kaviar Gauche, Michalsky, and Lala Berlin. The event had taken the conventional flashy display of fashion up a notch. The event, which went on for about four hours, kindled the love for musical theater among these Berlin fashionistas. The event welcomed all 2,000 martini-swigging guests with a presentation of Lala Berlin’s collection for the season.

Right after Lala Berlin presented his final fashion masterpiece, a dancer clad in a Kaviar Gauche mirrored bodysuit took the crowd’s attention as she swiveled under laser beams. What came next was Bella Berlin the Dancer followed by Michalsky’s Heinrich Zille-inspired couture collection. The event, which was far from disappointing, was sealed with a timeless performance from Spandau Ballet.

After showcasing all the creations of Berlin’s biggest names in Fashion, the crowd of revelers moved to a more sedated party scene at the Bebelplatz, where they partied on with pyrotechnics, booze and gossip aplenty.

That night at Horseferry House, the Burberry head-quarters, was flowing with Snow Leopard vodka cocktails and Champagne as the Burberry chief executive officer Angela Ahrendts and creative director Christopher Bailey invited celebrity friends and fashionistas to celebrate its homecoming and end of the London Fashion Week.

Following its glamorous show of color and high fashion outfits, Bailey proposed a toast to 25 years of London Fashion with his invited guests. Some of these include Harry Potter franchise star Emma Watson, Lord of the Rings co-star Liv Tyler, singer-actress Ashlee Simpson-Wentz, Posh Spice aka Victoria Beckham, Agyness Deyn, Alexa Chung, Mary-Kate Olsen and Erin O’Connor. Slumdog Millionaire’s Dev Patel and Freida Pinto were seen being intimate with each other as they held hands entering the party.

The Burberry fashion house went all out as it offered five types of classic cocktails, with bottles of Moet and Chandon champagne filling every empty glass in sight. Aside from having these drinks, the party, which was held in Westminster, London, also had a stream of canapés such as mini Welsh rarebits, fish pies, bite-sized burgers and even little Yorkshire pudding swirls with horseradish and beef.

The live performance of The Kooks kept the crowd on their feet, then Deyn and Chung were taking turns on the DJ’s deck in playing for a dance floor that was jam-packed with prominent figures in the entertainment, film and fashion business. Bailey, who was wearing a white blazer, was even spotted making shapes before the marble dance floor were owned by two models who attempted to do some freestyle break dancing.

When the 80s sound of Take On Me by new wave band A-ha had reached its outro, the crowd disbanded late in the evening, with every event participant on a natural high as the London Fashion Week came to a close.

The second installment of the vampire love story movie called New Moon may be about a love triangle, but on its premiere night after party, it was all about the couples.

After the screening of the sequel to Twilight, cast members from the movie, as well as their fans, headed to Los Angeles, California’s Hammer Museum.

Comedian Jamie Kennedy and singer-Ghost Whisperer star Jennifer Love Hewitt were at the party, which was Italian-themed to signify its affirmation to the New Moon Volturi scenes that were shot in Volterra, Italy.

A fellow attendee of the event said that Kennedy and Hewitt “were holding hands and walking around, they kept to themselves for the most part.”

“They looked like they were having a good time,” added the attendee.

There was also another group of co-stars who were said to be delighted to be part of the event. Cast members of the new musical television series Glee Lea Michele and Mark Salling were reported to have attended the gathering. The two were seen giggling and whispering to each other, and seemed to be flirting despite Michele’s representative reiterating that the two were not in any kind of relationship.

Since the party had an Italian theme, the food served was also Italian. The party served CRUMB Bake Shop Twilight-themed cupcakes, which were served by caterers who wore red cloaks. The venue’s outside terrace was designed with extra plant decorations and red lanterns that were hung from tree branches, mimicking the Forks forests where the movie was shot.

The main stars of the movie, Robert Pattinson, Kristen Stewart and Taylor Lautner, were said to have gone to the VIP area right after Pattinson and Stewart tried to avoid discussing the current status of their relationship. However, according to another source, the two young celebrities “didn’t hang out at the party.”