| EVENT REPORT 02.23.09 2:10 PM |
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Oscar Night Parties: Mercedes-Benz Grows, A.P.L.A. Shrinks, and Leeza Gibbons Joins the Fray
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 | The Night to Make a Difference fund-raiser at Mr. Chow
Photo: Dale Wilcox for BizBash |
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On Oscar night—after the academy doled out its awards at the Kodak and many guests scattered to the Governors Ball and Vanity Fair's and Elton John's bashes—a host of other parties was taking over town. Included in that group last night was at least one substantial newcomer, one annual party that grew, and one that shrank: Leeza Gibbons’ new fund-raiser with Olivia Newton-John and David Foster, Mercedes-Benz’s bash, and AIDS Project Los Angeles’s viewing party respectively.
Leeza Gibbons
The first Night to Make a Difference benefiting the Leeza Gibbons Memory Foundation and Olivia Newton-John’s Cancer and Wellness Centre took to Mr. Chow, where about 250 guests dined on a 10-course meal during the broadcast that showed on 16 plasma screens in the space. Ken Paves hosted a red carpet arrivals program, volunteer correspondents interviewed celebrities about nonprofit causes, and musical guests including R&B and pop singer Thelma Houston and DJ Steve Aoki performed at the event, which streamed live online for six hours on Sunday, beginning at 4 p.m. The new event—for which tickets sold out the week before show time—has a three-year contract with Mr. Chow for future Oscar night galas.
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RELATED TOPICS
Oscars, Award Season, Mercedes-Benz, AIDS Project Los Angeles, Leeza Gibbons Memory Foundation, Olivia Newton-John’s Cancer and Wellness Centre, Metrosource |
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| NEWS 02.18.09 11:17 AM |
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Oscar Week: Vanity Fair's Back, Mercedes Moves to Montage, Governors Ball Tones Down, Suites Abound
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 | The 2008 Governors Ball
Photo: Nadine Froger Photography |
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The catastrophic state of the economy hardly bears repeating here—except to say that it hasn't done much to diminish the sheer number of Academy Awards-related event offerings on this week's calendar, even if it has affected those events' budgets. From an array of suites to Vanity Fair's apparently triumphant return, many guests' dance cards—even in this recession—are completely full.
The plethora of gift and hospitality suites around town include GBK’s “Circus of the Senses” at the SLS Hotel on Friday and Saturday. The event will give 20 percent of its proceeds to four charitable organizations. Melanie Segal’s “Be the Change” Oscar lounge, presented by Sensé Beautiful Science, will take to the Pali House on Thursday and Friday. Silver Spoon’s suite today and tomorrow benefiting the Chrysalis organization offers spa treatments, caviar tasting, and gifts. Stuart Weitzman's Oscar styling suite kicked off yesterday at the London West Hollywood hotel, and runs through Saturday with beauty treatments and a chance to peek at the shoe designer's 2009 red-carpet collection.
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RELATED TOPICS
Oscars, Award Season, Vanity Fair, Elton John AIDS Foundation, Gift Suites, Chrysalis, 95.3 the Beat, Brandaid, Sense Beautiful Science, Tag the World, Essence Magazine, Stuart Weitzman, Governors Ball, W.W.E., Global Green, Lexus, Mercedes-Benz, U.S.-Ireland Alliance, Montblanc, Unicef, The Hollywood Reporter, Billboard, Children Uniting Nations, Dior, BMW, Chopard, VH1, AIDS Project Los Angeles |
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| NEWS 10.20.08 5:59 PM |
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AIDS Walk Draws Record Attendance, Raises Nearly $3.2 Million
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 | The record crowd at AIDS Walk L.A.
Photo: Courtesy of AIDS Walk Los Angeles |
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AIDS Walk took to the streets of Los Angeles and West Hollywood yesterday, raising nearly $3.2 million for AIDS Project L.A. and other local service organizations, and drawing a record 30,000 participants for the 10K fund-raiser.
Brothers & Sisters' Rachel Griffiths greeted the crowd at the event’s main stage and introduced West Hollywood mayor Jeffrey Prang, who delivered welcoming remarks. Congressman Howard Berman discussed the epidemic and AIDS Project’s work locally. Representative Maxine Waters and an array of entertainment personalities were also in attendance. In an eco-conscious move, organizers behind the event worked to reduce its environmental impact by 25 percent compared to past years, through initiatives like recycling, encouraging public transportation, and making use of reusable materials.
Now in its 24th year, the walk has raised more than $63 million, and has grown into one of the largest AIDS fund-raising events in the U.S. —Alesandra Dubin
RELATED TOPICS
AIDS Walk, Going Green, AIDS Project Los Angeles |
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| ASK BIZBASH 09.10.08 11:30 AM |
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Who Does Fantastic Flowers on the Cheap?
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 | Centerpieces at a Concern Foundation fund-raiser
Photo: Courtesy of the Concern Foundation |
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As prices climb and event budgets continue to shrink, flowers are often one of the first things to be scaled back, or cut completely. Here are designers who planners maintain get more bloom for the buck.
Los Angeles magazine’s marketing services director, Devon McKee, has hired Tic-Tock Couture Florals to handle events including the publication’s “Best of L.A.” winners party at the Luxe Hotel Sunset Boulevard and the launch party for sister publication Beverly Hills magazine at Two Rodeo. “On their Web site, [the company] categorizes arrangements by price and includes photos, which is extremely helpful because it is easy to know what you are working with and that you are staying within your budget,” says McKee, who opted for to choose arrangements from the $100 category on the site. “For the Beverly Hills launch party, Tic-Tock perfectly captured the essence of the magazine with simple and chic orchid arrangements,” McKee says. “They also included floating white orchids in an oversized spherical vase, which added an elegant touch.”
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RELATED TOPICS
Los Angeles Magazine, Beverly Hills Magazine, Vanity Fair, AIDS Project Los Angeles, Concern Foundation |
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| TOP 100 EVENTS 02.29.08 7:10 PM |
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Southern California's Top Parades, Walks, and Holiday Events 2008
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 | The Tournament of Roses parade
Photo: Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images |
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1. The Tournament of Roses
On New Year’s Day, the annual Tournament of Roses Parade and Rose Bowl takes over Pasadena—and the homes of millions of TV spectators. On its 119th anniversary, in 2008, the parade included its annual mix of majestic organic floats, equestrian units, and marching bands from around the nation starting their circuit at 8 a.m. (with the Rose Bowl game beginning at 2 p.m.).
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RELATED TOPICS
Southern California's Top 100 Events, Revlon, Chinese Chamber of Commerce, AIDS Project Los Angeles |
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| EVENT REPORT 02.25.08 1:07 PM |
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Silver Tones Bathe AIDS Project's Downsized Oscar Party
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 | AIDS Project's tented Oscar viewing party
Photo: BizBash |
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At last year's AIDS Project Los Angeles Oscar viewing party, first-time presenting sponsor SBE Entertainment Group's Sam Nazarian said he hoped to see the bash grow to include 1,000 guests in 2008—but there's nothing like a 100-day-long strike to stomp on big plans. Indeed, this year's AIDS Project party was almost canceled as the strike raged on into February. But when the labor dispute ended two weeks before the award ceremony, so did any plans to call off the event, which ended up drawing more than 500 guests to the Abbey last night.
On the silver anniversary of the AIDS organization (the group is 25 this year, and the event is seven), the party tent was awash in grays and blues. Gray carpeting and billowy drapery blanketed the dining space, and the color-changing chandelier that was on display at the SAG awards also made an appearance. Dupioni-wrapped boxes filled with fruit from Couture Baskets served as centerpieces, with the fruit being donated to AIDS Project's food bank, the Necessities of Life program. Guests dined on dishes from the Abbey’s chef, Michael Brown, and Jennifer Love Hewitt reprised her hosting duties.
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RELATED TOPICS
Oscars, Award Season, Writers' Strike, AIDS Project Los Angeles |
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| NEWS 02.22.08 3:14 PM |
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Oscar Event Update: What's Really On (It's a Lot)
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 | Silver Spoon's suite at the Kress
Photo: BizBash |
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You may have heard something about the matter of a certain labor dispute that was threatening Oscar events in Los Angeles. With some hugely significant exceptions, though—Vanity Fair's A-list-only bash, plus Ed Limato's pre-awards soiree, and some less heady others—many of the major events around town are going on as planned now that the strike has ended. Here's the rundown.
Silver Spoon is putting on a two-day gift suite, which began yesterday, at the strikingly revamped historic venue the Kress. Entertainment Fusion Group is handling PR. Guests traveling to the suite along Hollywood Boulevard from the west have to detour around the Oscar red-carpet setup, already being placed in front of the Kodak a few blocks away.
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RELATED TOPICS
Oscars, Award Season, Writers' Strike, Elton John AIDS Foundation, AIDS Project Los Angeles, Diamond Information Center, Night of 100 Stars, Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, Gift Suites, Motion Picture & Television Fund, WGA Strike Fund, Billboard, Children Uniting Nations, Variety, Lexus, Essence Magazine, Target, AOL, Night Before |
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| NEWS 02.06.08 6:19 PM |
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Grammy, Oscar Party Update: What's Off, What's On—and What's On the Line
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 | WMA's 2007 Grammy party
Photo: BizBash |
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The William Morris Agency's annual Grammy party, a staple on the scene, has been canceled for this year—another apparent casualty of the writers strike, although the agency did not respond to a request for further comment on Wednesday.
Another standby on the award-season party circuit, AIDS Project L.A.'s Oscar viewing bash at the Abbey, is potentially on the chopping block as well—although this week's optimistic news regarding the strike may save the event. "With a fund-raiser, it's hard; the last thing you want to do is cancel it. It's A.P.L.A.'s biggest, and a lot of people depend on those funds," said Michael Doneff of SBE, the event's presenting sponsor. "We're obviously watching the news reports every day, and [a resolution to] the strike looks promising. Plus, the vendors are all being very supportive and flexible with their deadlines. So we can wait until the last minute to decide whether or not we're going ahead with it." A.P.L.A.'s communications director, Justin Burke, confirmed, "We're tracking it, moving ahead, and hoping for the best."
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RELATED TOPICS
Award Season, Grammys, Oscars, Writers' Strike, WMA, AIDS Project Los Angeles, Children Uniting Nations, Billboard, Night of 100 Stars, Vanity Fair |
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| EVENT REPORT 08.15.07 6:45 PM |
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APLA Bumps Guests to V.I.P. Status
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 | Underwear-clad male models danced atop podiums at the Showtime-sponsored dance club at APLA's summer party.
Photo: Silvia Mautner |
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AIDS Project Los Angeles adopted a new all-V.I.P. format for its annual summer party on August 4, allowing all guests equal access to the event’s attractions for the first time in its 22-year history. Whereas in the past, general-admission attendees only had access to areas like sponsor KBIG’s concert stage and a silent auction, this year they were free to roam the party’s new venue, the Lot (the event was previously held at Paramount), where they could tap into a casino, a dance party, and multiple buffets created by the Lot’s exclusive catering service, Global Cuisine.
As a draw for guests who had attended the event as V.I.P.s before, AIDS Project organizers had Global Cuisine create more upscale and substantial buffet selections than in the past (where appetizer-like portions had been the norm), including indulgent sushi spreads. “We obviously wanted to keep our loyal donors, but also try to bring some of the general-admission guests into the experience,” said David Coscia, the nonprofit’s new event director.
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RELATED TOPICS
AIDS Project Los Angeles, KBIG |
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