Parties You Will Never Get Into

The Cannes Film Festival is a private annual event that has become one of the oldest, most celebrated, and most influential film festivals in the world. It gives an excellent opportunity for film producers to launch new films and potentially sell their works to distributors from all parts of the world since the festival is given huge media exposure.

Moreover, Cannes has also been known to hold a number of enormous and amazing parties that are hosted by different companies and prominent personalities, thus attracting party-loving celebrities. The 61st Cannes Film Festival was held from May 14 to May 25, 2008, and in that span of time, several exciting and exclusive parties were thrown.

The Chopard Company, manufacturer of luxury watches, jewelry, and accessories, annually throws a star-studded party at Cannes. Its partnership with the Cannes Film Festival actually started in 1997. For every red carpet during the festivals, the Chopard Company employs a workforce of more than 100 people to work with celebrities as the company dresses them in their chic jewelry pieces and stylish watches. Since 2001, Chopard gives out awards to two young and rising actors as Male and Female Revelation of the Year.

For Cannes 2008, the Chopard Trophy Award Party was held at the Carlton Hotel on May 19, 2008. The Chopard Trophy was awarded to American-Egyptian actor Omar Metwally and Chinese actress Tang Wei, as presented by actress Gwyneth Paltrow and director Spike Lee.

Another highlighted event was Andy Garcia’s performance of Cuban music along with his band. Other famous guests who attended the event included Billy Zane, Kelly Brook, Christina Ricci, Dita Von Teese, Salma Hayek, Eva Herzigova, and Adrien Brody.

Another glamorous party hosted at the Cannes Festival is the Dolce & Gabbana Party that was held on May 23, 2008 at Baoli, Port Canto in the South of France. The weekend soiree was attended by a number of Hollywood stars including Lindsay Lohan, Dita Von Teese, Kate Hudson, Milla Jovovich, Rose McGowan, Natalie Portman, Naomi Campbell, Danny Masterson, Kerry Washington, and Sean Combs. Of course the night would not have been complete without the presence of the hosts themselves, fashion stewards Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana.

Last Jan. 27, 2008, the 14th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards (SAG) was held at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles, California, amid the qualms of some people that the event will not push through due to the long-running writers’ strike and the cancellation of the Golden Globe Awards. After the successful awards ceremony, the Hollywood stars were all set to party all night long.

The official SAG Awards after party was hosted by People magazine and the Entertainment Industry Foundation (EIF), which has hosted the post-awards gala for the past 12 years. The event was organized to honor the philanthropic works of the members of the Screen Actors Guild, as well as to present its annual donation to the SAG foundation.

The party was held at the parking lot of the Shrine Expo Center, where a mounted tent was converted into an elegant and stylish party venue produced by well-known San Francisco event designer Stanlee Gatti. The ceiling was adorned with plants while the walls were draped with graceful curtains. Thousands of white roses were also contained in giant gold vases that were lined up by the walls.

Stars who sparkled and added glitz and glamour to the night included Kate Hudson, Christina Applegate, Kate Beckinsale, Kyra Sedgwick, Rainn Wilson, Tina Fey, Diane Lane, Josh Brolin, Ryan Gosling, Forest Whitaker and Brenda Strong. Also present were No Country for Old Men stars Javier Bardem, who won best male actor in a supporting role, and Tess Harper; Grey’s Anatomy stars Ellen Pompeo, Sara Ramirez, and Chris Ivery with his wife Rebecca Gayheart; Hairspray stars Amanda Bynes and Nikki Blonsky; and Ugly Betty stars America Ferrera, Ana Ortiz, Michael Urie, and Rebecca Romjin. Guests partied to the music of singer Michael McDonald.

HBO also hosted a SAG post-awards bash at Spago. Guests who attended the party included Entourage stars Adrian Grenier, Jeremy Piven, Carla Gugin, Emmanuelle Chriqui, Kevin Dillon, Jerry Ferrara, Perry Reeves, and Kevin Connolly; and The Sopranos stars Robert Iler, Jamie-Lynn Sigler, and James Gandolfini, who grabbed the best male actor in a drama series.

International business entrepreneur Sir Richard Branson really knows how to help women relax before a big event, in this case the top female tennis players of the world. Members of the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) were treated to the annual WTA Pre-Wimbledon Party, a night of festivities where the best female tennis athletes can flaunt themselves before facing off against each other.

Hosted by Sir Branson, together with Sony Ericsson, the 2008 WTA Pre-Wimbledon Party was held at the lovely and exquisite Kensington Roof Gardens in West London, Britain, last June 19, 2008. Aside from the femme fatales of tennis, the party was also graced by A-list celebrities.

Russian tennis ace and formerly ranked #1 female smasher and model, Maria Sharapova, stunned party goers with her still sexy curves and elegant beauty. Sharapova is currently Sony Ericsson’s brand ambassador. But Sharapova was not the only one who paraded her wares that night.

Current world #5 and 2008 French Open Champion Ana Ivanovic of Serbia wowed the revelers with her conservative yet captivating black dress. Fellow Serbian Jelena Jankovic, the world’s number one player, did not disappoint as the beautiful athlete posed before the cameras in her fashionable dark blue dress.

Serena Williams of the United States floated like a goddess in a Matthew Williamson dress. The dress was embellished with pure diamonds amounting to € 2.5 million. Her sister, Venus Williams, opted for a simple yet high-class dress.

Clad in a chocolate brown outfit, Daniela Huntuchova did more than stun. Sania Mirza was also present and added some zing to the party in her red top and black pants.
Sir Richard Branson gamely posed with the tennis players as they arrived at the podium. Along with Sir Branson, son Sam was also there to enjoy the party.

The WTA Pre-Wimbledon Party is an annual event held before the Wimbledon Tournament, one of the most prestigious tennis tournaments in the world. The tournament proper took place from June 23 to July 6.

The WTA Pre-Wimbledon Party is also a highlight in the world of sports and entertainment.