Los Angeles Event Coverage of Benefits, Galas, Public Promos, Launch Parties, Movie Premieres, Fashion Shows, Art Exhibits and Live Music in Los Angeles by BizBash

Like the show they celebrated, the flurry of parties around Sunday’s Black Entertainment Television Awards was both haunted and energized by the memory of the late Michael Jackson. BET’s artists and colleagues reveled and remembered the King of Pop at many of the more than two dozen bashes around town, which kicked off Wednesday and included Friday’s tribute to Keri Hilson (who went on to win for best new artist) at a private dinner hosted by Timbaland and Polow Da Don, produced by New York-based MVD Inc.

With budget concerns limiting BET’s post-party to an internal wrap bash at Mihaus, revelers leaving the show Sunday evening spread out among six parties, including Interscope Geffen A&M Records’ “Crème of the Crop” dinner at Mr. Chow in Beverly Hills; artist/producer Ryan Leslie’s bash at Les Deux in Hollywood; and Jamie Foxx’s celebration at Guys & Dolls in L.A.

But the weekend’s centerpiece was BET’s lush pre-party Saturday evening, which was hosted by the network’s new president and C.E.O., Debra L. Lee, and designed by Washington-based André Wells in collaboration with Lee’s special assistant, Bobette Gillette, and BET's director of special events, Sarah Storrs. MORE >>

BET Awards, BET Networks, Keri Hilson, Michael Jackson

EVENT REPORT

06.29.09 2:44 PM

Glittery Tank Takes Brüno's Star to Arrivals—Obscuring Michael Jackson's Hollywood Boulevard Star

Sacha Baron Cohen's flamboyant arrival
Photo: Dale Wilcox

Since the downturn, many events have kept a low profile for perception's sake. The premiere of Universal Pictures' Brüno on Thursday, overseen by the studio's senior vice president of special projects, Hollace Davids, was not one of them.

Brüno's star, Sacha Baron Cohen, who plays a flamboyant gay Austrian fashion reporter, arrived at the premiere by way of a tricked-out tank—which was hidden in a tent on Hollywood Boulevard until the big reveal moments before the screening began at Grauman's Chinese Theatre. A throng of assembled fans whipped out camera phones to capture the spectacle. ELS handled street closures and permitting, logo signage and carpeting in an interlocking B pattern, stanchions and ropes, staging and bleachers for fans, crowd control, and media arrivals lighting. MORE >>

Universal Pictures, Bruno

EVENT REPORT

06.29.09 10:43 AM

Cisco Caps Three-Day Partner Summit With Executives-Only Rock 'n Roll Gala

Performers break dancing at Cisco's gala
Photo: David Fox

FROM BOSTON Global networking technology company Cisco held its annual Partners Summit in Boston June 2 through June 4, when it looked for ways to wow its sales partners on a significantly reduced budget.

"The whole program was scaled down from years past," said Richard Toscano, director of special events at George P. Johnson, who worked with Cisco to plan the summit. "In the past we’ve had 4,000 to 5,000 attendees—this year it was cut down to 2,000."

A smaller event meant a more exclusive crowd. "We strategically scaled back to a more executive level," said Stacy Glavinos, event program manager at Cisco. "We went from 43 percent executives last year to 59 percent, so everything had to be tweaked to that executive level." MORE >>

Cisco

EVENT REPORT

06.24.09 8:43 AM

Huge Transformers Premiere Brings Linkin Park and Movie Machinery

A pyramid-shaped truss at the premiere party
Photo: Line 8 Photography

Paramount's new picture Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen is 147 minutes of intense, nonstop visual and aural stimulation. So naturally, the studio's event team would arrange a premiere along those same lines. The event on Monday night was part of the Los Angeles Film Festival.

"We wanted to capture what [director] Michael Bay captures in his films: visually appealing, stunty, and impressive," said director of special events Elizabeth Tramontozzi, who worked with manager Amy Baker, coordinator Samantha Kolker, and assistant Jacob Marez. "We wanted to take those elements and have them be what the premiere felt like."

For simultaneous screenings at Mann's Village and Bruin theaters in Westwood, the arrivals took over Broxton Avenue with a spectacle that drew fans, U.C.L.A. students, and passersby to crowd all surrounding sidewalks. Tramontozzi tapped 15/40 Productions to design a 200-foot-long machinery-inspired arrivals area in a double-sided horseshoe design to accommodate a throng of press. A pair of the robot-vehicles from the movie flanked a double-sided 125-foot-long metal step-and-repeat wall. Fans were penned on both sides of the carpet, and occupied bleachers at the top. MORE >>

Paramount, Transformers, Linkin Park, LG, Peet's, Heineken, Monster Energy Drink

EVENT REPORT

06.23.09 2:42 PM

At Universal's Public Enemies Chicago Screening, Producers Prepare for Rain—and Bowlers

Universal Studios lined the red carpet with 1930s vehicles
Photo: Kevin Winter/Getty Images

FROM CHICAGO Last summer, when Universal Studios filmed its soon-to-be-released Public Enemies in Chicago, camera-phone-armed locals crowded around barricades that closed off streets filled with 1930s vehicles, a slew of cameramen, and—if gawkers showed up at a fortuitous time—the stars of the gangster flick, Johnny Depp, Christian Bale, and Marion Cotillard. On Thursday night, a similar scene took place outside the AMC River East 21 theater, where the studio hosted what it called a "Chicago special screening premiere" of the movie.

Though the film's official premiere will take place in Los Angeles Tuesday night, Universal Studios hosted a prior screening in Chicago for some pretty straightforward reasons: "Public Enemies was filmed here," said Katie Hall, an event prodcuer at XA, the Experiential Agency, which facilitated planning efforts for the screening. "Also, Michael Mann is not only the film's director, he's also a co-producer. And Chicago is his hometown." MORE >>

Universal Studios, Johnny Depp, Marion Cotillard, Michael Mann, Christian Bale

EVENT REPORT

06.23.09 1:54 PM

N.H.L. Moves Award Show to Palms in Effort to Ramp Up Celebrity Factor

Max Talbot and Evgeni Malkin of the Pittsburgh Penguins on the red carpet
Photo: Ethan Miller/Getty Images for N.H.L.

FROM LAS VEGAS For the first time in its history, the National Hockey League’s annual award ceremony headed south of the Canadian border on June 18. The N.H.L. signed a three-year deal with the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority to stage the event in Las Vegas, an effort on the N.H.L.’s part to capture more celebrities and expand the game’s appeal within the United States.

Held at the Pearl Theater at the Palms Casino Resort, the N.H.L. Awards drew an estimated 200 hockey pros from current and past rosters to the self-proclaimed entertainment capital of the world. The red carpet arrival line wound from the Palms valet entrance through the casino to the theater and was lined at least six-deep with enthusiastic jersey-sporting hockey fans. Nearly 1,800 guests attended the awards event in its new home. MORE >>

National Hockey League, N.H.L. Awards

EVENT REPORT

06.23.09 1:44 PM

With Fewer Guests, Food-Filled L.A. Zoo Fund-Raiser Beats Last Year's Take

A bald eagle at the Beastly Ball
Photo: Maxine Picard

The L.A. Zoo’s Beastly Ball is a high point on the social calendar for a certain species of Angeleno—the kind who literally wear their loyalties on their sleeves, sporting animal-print garb and accessories (the unwritten dress code) to the annual event. Animal lovers drop $1,000 each to spend an evening at the zoo, where they can talk to the animals, both in enclosures and in their keeper’s arms. And everyone—four-legged, no-legged, and otherwise—enjoys his or her scheduled feeding. Homo sapiens get to sample the offerings of 13 area restaurants at food stations on the party parade route alongside world music bands, as well as at Renaissance Fine Catering’s buffet of mashed potatoes, quesadillas, and desserts at the zoo’s entry plaza, where the trek ends and the award ceremony begins.

The honoree for the Greater Los Angeles Zoo Association’s 39th annual benefit was Laura Z. Wasserman, whose popularity helped ensure that the event raised $1.226 million—slightly more than last year even though attendance was slightly less than 2008’s tally of more than 900, according to Patti Glover, director of special events and travel. Glover tailored this year’s ball route to the guest of honor, who with her husband, Casey, donated $1 million to the $42 million elephant exhibit under construction. Revelers were routed by one of the six-acre elephant habitat viewing spots, from which fencing had been removed for the evening. MORE >>

Greater Los Angeles Zoo Association

EVENT REPORT

06.22.09 2:26 PM

Artists Perform on Four Outdoor Stages at 20th Annual MuchMusic Video Awards

The John Street stage
Photo: Gary Beechey for BizBash

FROM TORONTO More than 6,000 fans surrounded three outdoor stages in the MuchMusic parking lot—and a fourth performance space on John Street—for the 20th annual live broadcast of the MuchMusic Video Awards on Sunday. "It's probably the biggest stage we've ever built," Neil Staite, director of operations for MuchMusic, said of the structure, which included three rows of stand-up bleachers built into the back wall of the set. "It's like something from the 'Thunderstruck' video. It really is a show in 360."

Michael Parks, who goes by Spike, designed the the set for this year's show, which covered more than 4,000 square feet. "He's been responsible for some of our greatest looks over the past few years," said Staite, who reported that the in-house production team tries to make the stage a bit different each year. “It's definitely a challenge to make it bigger and better in the space that you have,” he said. Staite planned the event with a key group that included Brad Schwartz, senior vice president and general manager of the Much MTV Group; lighting director Dave Fairfield; production manager Mike Elder; and programming director Sheila Sullivan. MORE >>

MuchMusic Video Awards

EVENT REPORT

06.17.09 11:28 AM

Cedars-Sinai Family Event Offers Crafts and Games—Inside, to Duck the Rain

Cedars-Sinai's Rock-n-Reel family event
Photo: Vince Bucci

Any prescheduled family activity is subject to uncooperative weather—even one planned by a major local hospital. The Pediatric Inflammatory Bowel Disease Center at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center hosted its Rock-n-Reel fund-raiser on Sunday at Culver Studios, where it was originally scheduled to be held outdoors. But the threat of rain amid persistent June gloom forced the event to Stage 3 at the 11th hour.

The afternoon for children who suffer from the disease and their families included activities, games, a beauty shop, and a sports bar, as well as musical entertainment by Maroon 5’s Adam Levine. Sharon Stone and Hayden Panettiere were guest speakers. The hospital's associate director for special events and support group relations Laura Fuhrman oversaw the program, which was a debut of a new format. The previous incarnation, known as Pamper Me Pink, was geared toward women and drew fewer than 300 guests. This year's event drew more than 400, and Fuhrman estimated it came close to its fund-raising goal of about $400,000, although final numbers had not been tallied. The event honored producer Alexandra Milchan-Lambert and Relativity Media's Scott Lambert. MORE >>

Cedars-Sinai, Stila, Urban Decay, OPI

EVENT REPORT

06.17.09 8:32 AM

House of Campari Pop-Up Installs Art in Vacant Retail Space

The House of Campari pop-up
Photo: Jesse Grant

Campari just wrapped its House of Campari in Los Angeles, a pop-up that opened at the end of May and ran through this weekend at a vacant retail space on Robertson Boulevard in West Hollywood. The pop-up hosted events with cultural and media partners like the MOCA Contemporaries and the Lacma Modern and Contemporary Arts Council. Private events also included performance art from the likes of Those Darlins, My Barbarian, Port O’Brien, and Anya Marina. The title exhibition, “First Look: An Exhibition of Emerging Artists from Los Angeles Galleries," a selection of up-and-coming local artists' works, was open to the public during gallery hours through the event's run.

"We've had an incredibly successful run. It’s like having a child every single time, a labor of love, so the closing night is always bittersweet," said Elizabeth Colton, the San Francisco-based PR and events manager for Skyy Spirits. "Campari has been a longstanding patron of the arts. We’ve worked with the likes of Fellini, so the history is there. And House of Campari is really the modern incarnation of that relationship." MORE >>

Pop-Ups, Campari, Skyy Spirits

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