| TED KRUCKEL 11.06.09 4:33 PM |
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Gossip Girls in Chanel at Four Seasons and David Rockwell's High-Tech Taste on Paper Plates
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 | Chanel's Fete d'Hiver at the Four Seasons Restaurant to benefit The Society of Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center.
Photo: Bill Farrell-Patrick McMullan |
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There are so many reasons why I’ve never seen an episode of Gossip Girl.
For starters, I’m not really sure what channel is the CW, and besides, doesn’t CW make you think of country music? By the time New York magazine was calling Gossip Girl “Best. Show. Ever.” I decided I was too late to the party. Couldn’t I just hold my breath for a few years till it faded away? How stupid.
Because as with the last cult hit show in the New York area, The Sopranos, Gossip Girl’s far-flung cast is relentless in pursuit of publicity and as a result, I see one or two of them at every single party I go to, and it is always a big deal, despite the fact that they all seem so tiny in person.
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The Society of Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, Chanel, David Rockwell, New York Magazine |
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| TED KRUCKEL 10.06.09 4:59 PM |
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As Gourmet Bites the Dust, October Is Food Month in New York
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 | Jacques Pépin at New York magazine's Culinary Experience
Photo: Larry Busacca |
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It’s getting hot in here and the pressure is mounting. I’m in the kitchen with Jacques Pépin and about 20 students who are racing against the clock to complete their stuffed ballotines of chicken. Pépin is perspiring and working furiously as he goes from one student to the next, showing each the main steps that he demonstrated twice onscreen already.
It is 4:15 on a Saturday afternoon at the French Culinary Institute, and I’m sitting in on a New York magazine-sponsored deluxe weekend of instructional cooking, the New York Culinary Experience, with some of the world’s leading chefs. In addition to Monsieur Pépin, fellow F.C.I. deans André Soltner (formerly of Lutèce) and Alain Sailhac (formerly of the 21 Club) are sauntering around the room, assisted by six sous chefs, by my count. In two days, the announcement that Gourmet is closing will shock this community, but today we are all blissfully enjoying Food Month.
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New York Magazine, Gourmet magazine, Bon Appétit, French Culinary Institute |
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| NEWS 10.01.08 2:45 PM |
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New York Magazine Looks Back on 40 Years of Parties
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 | New York's anniversary issue
Photo: Courtesy of New York Magazine |
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Throughout 2008 New York magazine has celebrated its 40th year in publication, culminating this week in a commemorative issue. Among the retrospective features in the magazine and on its Web site is a photo gallery of iconic New York parties from the last four decades.
Images of Andy Warhol, Patti Smith, John F. Kennedy Jr., Diane Von Furstenberg, and Kanye West help illustrate the evolution of the city’s late-night scene with glimpses of long-shuttered venues like the original Studio 54, the Palladium, and the Empire rink. One photo of Elton John and Ann-Margret recalls the premiere party of Tommy, held in a subway station.
Parties seem to always be high in New York’s priorities. Another major initiative of the magazine this year, and of New York Media's new event division, is an ambitious series of concerts, auctions, and public events strung together under the label of “Forty Nights.”
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New York Magazine, New York Media |
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| NEWS 07.28.08 12:08 PM |
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Chanel's Touring Pavilion: Culture or Commercial? (How About Both?)
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 | Zaha Hadid's temporary art container for Chanel
Rendering: Zaha Hadid Architects |
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Last week The New York Times revealed when and where Chanel's touring art exhibit will land in New York: It opens October 20 in Central Park's Rumsey Playfield and will run through November 9. The 7,500-square-foot pavilion, dubbed Mobile Art and created by London architect Zaha Hadid, was first revealed last year and has already sparked a debate over whether the project is too commercial.
According to The Times, the fashion company is donating at least $1 million to the Central Park Conservancy for use of the site during the promotion and will pay another $400,000 to the city. When questioned by The Times, parks commissioner Adrian Benepe brushed off potential criticism, saying, "Everything has a sponsor." But according to Metro New York, some park advocates fear Chanel's mobile pop-up is a "troubling trend" toward commercialization of public parks.
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Chanel, Zaha Hadid, Pop-Ups, The New York Times, Metro, New York Magazine, Gawker |
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| Q & A 06.20.08 10:00 AM |
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New York Mag's Sona Hacherian Talks About Bringing an Editorial Perspective to Events
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 | | New York Media's Sona Hacherian |
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This year is a big one for Sona Hacherian, executive director of creative and marketing services at New York Media, the parent company of New York magazine. Between the weekly's 40th anniversary and the launch of the company's own event division—the aptly named New York Events—Hacherian and her team have already produced more than a dozen parties, concerts, and other initiatives in 2008.
Still on tap for the year are several major consumer programs, a hush-hush anniversary fete in October, and more affairs falling under the umbrella of “Forty Nights,” the magazine's 40-event celebration in honor of the milestone. Hacherian took some time last week to talk about what she has taken on so far, and what's still on her plate for the rest of the year.
What are some of the bigger initiatives that New York Media tackled so far this year, and what do you still have in store?
The New York Weddings Showcase happened on April 2 at Metropolitan Pavilion. The event brought in more than 700 brides-to-be, and we had dozens of photographers, caterers, designers, and industry professionals for them to meet. We also brought back our New York by New York series in May, with the first event of the year at the HighLine Ballroom, [where] Zach Galifianakis hosted indie-rock trivia and Les Savy Fav performed. There was also a premiere for Run Fatboy Run, and partnerships with Brooklyn Museum and the Lower Manhattan Cultural Council. We have another 20-plus events occurring between now and the end of the year, with most of them planned for the fourth quarter.
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New York Magazine, New York Media |
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| NEWS 03.18.08 12:04 PM |
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New York Magazine Parent Launches Event Division
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New York magazine parent company New York Media announced this morning its launch of a new division dedicated to creating, selling, and producing consumer and trade events. Dubbed New York Events, the mini company is charged with seeking out new business and sponsorships from Fortune 500 companies while also serving the marketing needs of advertisers.
Executive director of creative and marketing services Sona Hacherian has been tapped to oversee the new division, under publisher Larry Burstein. Several events are already underway, including New York KidShop, a one-day interactive (wholesale) shopping event for kids and parents on December 6 at the Altman Building. Other events include the Taste of New York, Best Bets, and New York by New York series.
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New York Media, New York Magazine |
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| GUEST QUESTIONS 02.25.08 2:43 PM |
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New Yorkers Like Casual Vibe at New York's Oscar Party
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 | New York magazine's Oscar viewing
Photo: BizBash |
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While the festivities in Los Angeles got most of the attention last night, New York had its own (considerably more low-key) Oscar viewing parties. After Entertainment Weekly called off its party at Elaine's last week, shortly after Vanity Fair's cancellation, New York magazine’s gathering at the Spotted Pig jumped to the top of the (relatively short) totem pole.
New York’s communications manager, Lauren Starke, planned the casual bash, the magazine's third Oscar party. Roughly 150 guests crammed into two floors of the West Village gastropub, where they munched on roasted pig and other hors d'oeuvres, and shouted enthusiastically as the awards were announced. As the cocktails (like the "There Will Be Blood-y Mary," named after the Best Picture nominee) flowed, we asked guests what they thought of the show, the writers strike, and how well New York parties stack up against those on the West Coast. Here's what they had to say.
“Vanity Fair is probably kicking themselves right now for canceling their party. The show is going great, and this party got a great turnout. I do have some complaints about the pig they’re serving [gesturing to the waiters holding trays of whole roasted pigs]. It looks like my chihuahua!”
—Kate Shelter, creative director, stylist, and owner, Kate Shelter LLC
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New York Magazine, Oscars, Award Season |
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| EVENT REPORT 02.25.08 1:54 PM |
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Best Picture Nominees Inspire Menus at New York Oscar Parties
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 | The academy's themed meal
Photo: Courtesy of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences |
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Despite the last-minute scramble to pull together the events thanks to the uncertainty surrounding the Los Angeles award show, both New York magazine and the New York chapter of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences hosted their annual Oscar viewing parties last night. (Entertainment Weekly, however, canceled its annual bash at Elaine's.) While the decor at both is always fairly simple, the events made some subtle references to the Best Picture nominees through food and drinks.
Up at the Carlyle, the Academy served a five-course meal created by the hotel's executive chef, James Sakatos, to reference the five nominated films. The menu included a black-ink risotto with black trumpet mushrooms, braised cuttlefish, and blood-orange foam to suggest There Will Be Blood's oil wells and a dry-aged New York strip steak and braised short rib with heirloom carrots and creamy grits in Bordelaise jus representing the Texas setting from No Country for Old Men. The Academy's New York program director, Patrick Harrison, planned the event, which drew Jerry Stiller, Celia Weston, and Erica Jong.
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Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, New York Magazine, Award Season, Oscars |
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| GUEST QUESTIONS 12.14.07 12:39 PM |
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New York Mag Staffers Like Casual Vibe, Short Lines, and Easy Smoking Access
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It's corporate holiday party time, so we're heading out into the cold to ask employees what they think about their companies' bashes. (That's the point, right?) Here's our third report of the season.
Since New York magazine editors have been crashing holiday parties left and right, we decided it was only fair to scope out their bash last night at the Cub Room in SoHo, which happens to be close to the company’s new downtown office. In a surprisingly casual turn, employees mingled throughout the restaurant amongst decorations that consisted of little more than some strung-up tinsel and a Christmas tree in the corner. We snuck in behind a gaggle of smokers and did some mingling of our own.
With some of the employees being reporters themselves, they were wary about being quoted, but some staffers and their guests (anonymously) shared their thoughts on the event. Here's what we gathered.
“Hey, how did you get in here? I thought we were so exclusive. Let me guess—it was the big signs on the doors saying this was a private party for New York mag? Go us. Here, have a drink.”
—Sales coordinator, 32
“I really like that there isn’t much decoration. It feels like we’re just out amongst 100 of our closest friends. Nothing fussy, just a good time.”
—IT department staffer, 40
“Remarkably short lines [for the coat check, bar, and bathrooms]. I’m impressed.”
—Online staffer, 45
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New York Magazine, Corporate Holiday Parties |
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| NEWS 11.09.07 4:44 PM |
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Just About Everybody Hates Atlantic Party With V.I.P.s on Stage
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Upon hearing about The Atlantic Monthly's plan to hold its 150th anniversary party for a group of V.I.P.s on stage at an NYU auditorium, with regular folks watching in the audience, you may have thought, How can that possibly go well? Now the first reports from last night's party are in, and they're not good—from either side of the stage/audience divide.
On his blog, James Marcus, who bills himself as a "writer, translator, critic, and editor" (he's been published in The Atlantic), called the anniversary "surely one of the most dispiriting parties I've ever attended." Describing his time in the audience, he wrote, "For about two minutes, this scenario had a certain Pirandellian charm. That quickly evaporated."
P.J. O'Rourke, who served as the M.C. of a discussion during part of the evening, told the guests who weren't offered any free drinks, "Us having a party up here, while you watch it from down there, is stupid."
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Atlantic Monthly, Atlantic Media, New York Observer, New York Magazine, Gawker |
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