| EVENT REPORT 02.23.09 11:23 AM |
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Elton John's Recession-Appropriate Gala Still Glitters—and Offers Guests a Chance to Hit Vanity Fair, Too
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 | Elton John's black-and-white Oscar party
Photo: Dimitrios Kambouris/WireImage |
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With Vanity Fair’s party canceled last year on account of the writers' strike, Elton John’s bash rose to the top of the Oscar-night clutter. But the reemergence of the magazine’s party this go-round did little to quash the glitter of last night's 17th annual Elton John AIDS Foundation benefit at the Pacific Design Center—and neither did the woeful economy, which necessitated careful budget review, but no cuts that looked jarring to guests.
John and husband David Furnish hosted the viewing dinner and party, and Chopard, Jo and Raffy Manoukian, and VH1 were the evening’s cosponsors. Foundation executive director Scott Campbell oversaw the event, tapping Virginia Fout again this year to produce it.
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RELATED TOPICS
Award Season, Oscars, Elton John AIDS Foundation, Raphael Saadiq, Chopard, VH1, Ciroc, Sterling Vineyards, Budgets, Vanity Fair |
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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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| ASK BIZBASH 09.08.08 9:00 AM |
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Who Can Produce a Cool Tribute Video?
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 | Stills from a variety of tribute videos.
Photo: Courtesy of Lifefilm (top), Courtesy of Madprops (middle), Courtesy of Raw Films (bottom) |
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Honoring a retiring exec or an award winner with a video about their life’s work is a great idea, but only if the piece doesn’t move guests to check their BlackBerries or sneak off to the restroom. Here are three companies that specialize in these types of films and, if asked, will travel to make it happen.
With more than 20 years of combined film and television industry experience, Lifefilm Productions co-founders Peilin Chou and John Brancaccio use the same production professionals they worked with at companies such as Walt Disney Studios, MTV Networks, ESPN, and Bravo to craft their celebratory docs. The firm prides itself on delivering broadcast-quality, story-driven films that are truly entertaining. Past clients include C-level execs from Hasbro and real estate developer S.R. Weiner. Rates start at $5,000, with longer and more intensive projects ranging from $10,000 to $20,000.
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RELATED TOPICS
Walt Disney Company, MTV, ESPN, Bravo, Academy Awards, Saturday Night Live, VH1, A&E, E! Entertainment, NBC, Clinton Global Initiative, Miramax, Hasbro |
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| EVENT REPORT 03.17.08 6:55 PM |
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Eastsport Offers Media and Musicians a South by Southwest Sanctuary (and Backpacks)
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 | Members of the media crowded the Eastsport Café.
Photo: Hal Harowitz for Elevation Photos |
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FROM AUSTIN, TEXAS The novelty of standing in line for more than an hour, inching closer to stages through sweaty crowds, and subsisting on whatever domestic beer is being given away can only last for so long—certainly not for an entire week.
People need to be able to escape from the din long enough to rest their feet, collect their thoughts, and, in the case of the throngs of media and musicians who descend on the South by Southwest festival every year, get some work done. This year, backpack brand Eastsport teamed with the BMF Media Group to create an environment where they could do it all, safe from the distraction of live music.
Looking for an opportunity to tap into the SXSW crowd with some sort of café, Eastsport senior vice president of advertising and marketing Joseph Janus turned to BMF, having seen the production company’s work on hospitality lounges at similar events like Lollapalooza and Austin City Limits. The result: the Eastsport Café at Austin’s iconic Moonshine Bar & Grill, which ran Thursday through Saturday during last week’s festival.
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RELATED TOPICS
South by Southwest, Austin, Lollapalooza, Eastsport, Adriano Goldschmied Jeans, Cafe Bustelo, Altoids, Don Julio, Izze, Warner Bros. Records, VH1 |
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| EVENT REPORT 02.25.08 3:05 PM |
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Brightly Hued Elton John Party Assumes Oscar Night's Top Slot
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 | Elton John's brightly colored Oscar bash
Photo: Stefanie Keenan/WireImage |
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With Vanity Fair's exclusive bash off the slate this year, a new entity claimed the title of biggest Oscar party last night (apart from the academy's own ball): the Elton John AIDS Foundation fund-raiser. Sir Elton John and David Furnish hosted the foundation's 16th annual party at the Pacific Design Center, with Chopard and VH1 cosponsoring. The event raised $5.1 million—up considerably over last year's $4.2 million and by far a record.
The gala event began with a cocktail reception, followed by a formal dinner and viewing for 680 (more guests than last year by a small margin, but considerably fewer than in previous years after a decision to cut superfluous guests who weren't contributing to the benefit's bottom line). Following dinner offered by Mark’s Restaurant owner and chef Wayne Elias and co-owner Chris Diamond with their Crumble Catering team, guests bid on live auction items including Sharon Stone's 1974 Corvette and a world travel package patterned after Oscar-winning film Around the World in 80 Days. To cap off the night, Elton John and his band performed for more than an hour, along with guests Mary J. Blige and Jake Shears of the Scissor Sisters. About 200 more guests joined the dinner group for the auction and performances.
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RELATED TOPICS
Elton John AIDS Foundation, Oscars, Award Season, Writers' Strike, Chopard, Vanity Fair, VH1 |
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| EVENT REPORT 01.09.08 5:11 PM |
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Latin Dancers Whirl at Critics' Choice Awards After-Party
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 | The 13th annual Critics' Choice awards stage
Photo: Vince Bucci/Getty Images |
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In what may reveal itself to be an award-show season rarity this year, celebrities actually turned out to present and receive honors at Monday night’s Critics' Choice awards. George Clooney, Katie Holmes, Brad Pitt, and Angelina Jolie were among the A-listers at the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium for the 13th annual ceremony, which proceeded as planned despite the ongoing writers strike, due to the fact that the show is not covered by Writers Guild of America contracts.
Picketing writers may not have been present, but their plight—and its far-reaching effects on Hollywood—were nonetheless on the minds of show presenters and attendees. Clooney voiced his hope that "all of the players involved will lock themselves in a room and not come out until they finish." Steve Zahn quipped that he’d prefer to have the critics rather than the writers on strike. And a sarcastic tribute to the industry's departed included a nod to the Golden Globes ceremony.
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RELATED TOPICS
Award Season, VH1, Critics' Choice Awards, WGA, Writers' Strike, Broadcast Film Critics Association |
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