Parties You Will Never Get Into

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.

Model par excellence Natalia Vodianova has a heart — a Naked Heart Foundation, that is. Each year, she mounts the Love Ball, a glamorous fundraising rendezvous for her nonprofit organization.

This year’s fundraising was held at Camden’s Roundhouse in London on Feb. 23. Sponsored in part by De Beers, the ball fetched £1.2 million for the foundation, which erects children’s playgrounds in Vodianova’s native Russia.

While guest Elizabeth Hurley diverted some with her see-through sari, hostess Natalia Vodianova certainly got the most attention at the bash. She arrived wearing a shimmery diamond necklace called Magic Moment, which she designed with De Beers. By night’s end, the necklace had a new owner, who shelled out £180,000 for it.

Others made similar costly bids for artists’ opuses. Peter Blake’s artwork, “I Love You,” was auctioned for £160,000 while a sculpture by Jake and Dinos Chapman earned £135,000. Tracey Emin, in a speech, pronounced the latter’s auction “an absolute bargain.” She herself drew some generous bids, for her piece “With You I Breathe.”

Works by artists Jeff Koons, Keith Tyson, Pavel Pepperstein, Francesco Vezzoli, Gosha Ostretsov, Anselm Reyle and Marc Quinn were also featured.

In between biddings, guests were entertained with musical performances, beginning with Yusuf Islam’s incredible rendition of Natalia Vodianova’s personal favorite, “Where Do the Children Play?” Another highlight was a number by British songstress Leona Lewis. The music of Kristof Barati, Paloma Faith, Sharleen Spiteri and Ruby Wax also wafted through the Roundhouse.

Having a ball that evening were such belles as Kate Moss, Donna Karan, Rachel Zoe and Carolina Herrera. Diane von Furstenberg, fresh off the show of her House’s outgoing creative director Nathan Jenden, was also present. Other guests included Mario Testino, Stella McCartney, Jacquetta Wheeler, David Gandy, Amber Le Bon, Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, Paloma Faith and Matthew Williamson. Harper’s Bazaar Editor Lucy Yeomans co-hosted the affair.

Love Ball 2010 was also sponsored by Louis Vuitton, Gagosian, and Christie’s.

Wonderland bled into the real world on Feb. 25, 2010 as Walt Disney Pictures’ honchos celebrated the world premiere of its hit flick Alice in Wonderland. A coterie of stars came out on the rain-soaked green carpet for the event, held at Leicester Square in London.

Braving the London rain was no less than The Mad Hatter himself, Johnny Depp. He was closely followed by co-stars Helena Bonham-Carter and Anne Hathaway, who played the tyrannical Red Queen and her White antithesis, respectively.

However, the two beauties did not provide the “royal” factor to the premiere; real-life royals actually attended the premiere. Charles, the Prince of Wales, and Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall, attended as guests who truly held court that Thursday evening.

Their royal highnesses eventually huddled with guests at the rabbit hole: the nearby Sanderson Hotel, with its atrium transformed as the evening’s Wonderland. Here, Mia Wasikowska (who sported a cropped mane), the Aussie newbie who portrayed Lewis Carroll’s beloved heroine, held her own among veteran thespians and patrician partygoers.

Bonham-Carter’s husband and the film’s director, Tim Burton, led a menagerie of Wonderland residents to the party. Attending it were Alan Rickman, who played Absolem, the blue caterpillar; Stephen Fry, the Cheshire Cat; Matt Lucas, Tweedledum and Tweedledee; Michael Sheen, the White Rabbit; Paul Whitehouse, the March Hare; Barbara Windsor, the Dormouse; Timothy Spall, the Bayard; and Christopher Lee, the Jabberwocky.

Crispin Glover, Lily Cole, and Sharon Osbourne also joined the mad premiere party, along with infamous “kissers” David Walliams and James Corden. Pop-punk chanteuse Avril Lavigne, who sang the film’s titular soundtrack, was also in attendance, as was Texas vocalist Sharleen Spiteri.

Alice in Wonderland’s Royal World Premiere transpired in aid of The Prince’s Foundation for Children & the Arts. This nonprofit strives to enhance the lives of children in Britain and Northern Ireland, such that they would rediscover and appreciate the arts.

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.

This Year’s Sundance party was held at Park City, Utah January 21, 2010. As expected, the event planners whipped up several mind blowing accommodations for the festival goers to enjoy. First, there was Oakley’s “Learn to Ride” program, where a few of Hollywood’s top A-listers take the roles of snowboarders and skiers and get to dress the part too. The celebrities sported Oakley snow pants, hoodies, goggles and even lip balms for this event. To give these celebrities some help learning the sport were a few Olympic medalists and pro riders including Zach Leach, Danny Kaas, Gretchen Bleiler, and even Shaun White.

In addition to that, the Sundance Festival line up also included the annual Village at the Yard, which was held at another location; the Kearns Boulevard. This year’s festival goers enjoyed several of their perennial favorites such as the T-Mobile Diner, the Parish Nation, and the FredSegalFun.com Style Lounge.

The Village at the Yard also prepared a little something to surprise this year’s Sundance event goers. In addition to these long-time favorites, a Sephora gifting suite was also set up. Sephora’s beauty team had given complementary touch ups to the event’s celebrity guests. Apart from the touch ups, these celebrities also enjoyed piling up on several Sephora goodies.

Nintendo also made its presence known at the Main Street’s Island Def Jam House of Hype, as it brought its Wii Fit Plus workout game to the yard. Popping up in the midst of the Sundance buzz was the coolest of cool vapor water and green tea shots from Arizona Beverages, while people who needed a different kind of caffeine dose enjoyed free coffee from Café Bustelo.

These are only some of the activities that kept festival goers occupied this year. The Sundance Festival 2010 was a big hit, and for those who have missed it or haven’t gotten enough of it yet, they can always head back to the village next year.

All-Star Dwayne Wade will be doing the honor of starting off this year’s eventful NBA All-Star Weekend. A group of players from the NFL and NBA as well as celebrities are expected to show up at Wade’s All Star Celebrity Jump Off Party.

And as these annual All-Star events are seldom planned to disappoint, Wade’s NBA and NFL buddies as well as his celebrity friends will be kicking it at the Jump off party in a two level heated outdoor patio. This patio is also known as the Star Light Room, nothing less than a five-star event facility situated in the midst of all the action at the historic west-end of downtown Dallas.

The two-leveled Star Light Room comes with everything that is needed to heighten the anticipation for the event. The Star Light room wasn’t named star light for no reason; it comes with plush decors, three big screens, a spiral staircase as well as a huge outdoor patio. The patio, which will be covered with a tent for the event, is also equipped with cozy outdoor heaters. The room’s gorgeous and spacious lower level will accommodate the event’s general admission guests while the celebrities and the VIP guests will stay at the room’s upper level balcony.

In addition to the sight of great athletes and beautiful celebrities, this guaranteed sold-out event will also command the presence of DJ Tony Neal. This man is currently known as the CEO of The Core DJs, the country’s largest DJ coalition. Proving his mastery of the art, Tony Neal has been nominated three times for BET’s Hip Hop DJ of the Year.

The event, which is anticipated to take place on a Thursday evening on February 11, 2010, will kick off the start of an eventful star-studded weekend in the big state of Texas.

Justin Dior Combs has recently turned sixteen. His dad, who happens to be Sean “Diddy” Combs, has once again gone out of his way to throw his son the biggest bash of the year in an effort to show how much love he has for his oldest, Justin. Apart from having a rapper dad, Justin Dior’s mother is also a well renowned stylist, Misa Hylton.

Just like in an old Hollywood fairy tale, Justin Dior’s 16th birthday bash was attended by several big Hollywood A-listers. The party’s guest list included Chris Brown, Lil Kim, Snoop Dogg, Jay-Z, Beyoncé, as well as the famous boxer Floyd Mayweather. The star-studded crowd celebrated Justin’s 16th on January 23 at the M2 Ultralounge club, one of New York’s most banging clubs.

And just like most dads all P.Diddy wants is the best for his son, which may be the reason why the party became one of the year’s top birthday celebrations. Justin Dior’s big birthday bash was themed “Prince of New York.” The big event was filmed for one of MTV’s reality series, My Super Sweet 16.

Although Justin did have a star-studded guest list, it seems like he won’t be receiving any birthday presents from any of them for this year. Instead of bringing birthday gifts, his dad asked them to send donations to the victims of the earthquake in Haiti.

According to a New York Post source, the M2 Ultralounge was adorned with images taken from the New York Skyline. Aside from performing for his son, P.Diddy bought him a brand new $360,000 silver Maybach. As if that weren’t enough, P.Diddy also gave his son a $10,000 cheque to start his own bank account. However, instead of accepting it, the birthday boy chose to add his gift money to the amount of donations for the earthquake victims in Haiti.