Gibson reported that organizers were notified at noon on Wednesday that Chenoweth was ill and wouldn’t be able to perform. About six hours later, they secured Feist for the event. “It’s my favourite event of the whole year,” Gibson said. “It’s a performance on the street. It’s joyous, and it’s our one public performance each year.”

"Initially, we thought about having the show on the second floor, where the fountain is," said Hall. "We thought we'd cover the fountain with a platform, and have the models walk up from the backside of the fountain and down a runway. But we couldn't fit a long-enough runway there; and as you know, in fashion it's very important to have the right runway."

Charged with carrying out Gabriel’s wish to make it a party with friends rather than a staid honorarium was Gabriel’s longtime friend Mary Black, who produced the event. The tribute dinner is one of the most prestigious happenings during Latin Grammy week, attended by nominees, celebrities, and entertainment industry V.I.P.s, and Black went to lengths to ensure that it was a celebration to remember.

Access Hollywood’s Billy Bush hosted the program, which included cocktails and a silent auction followed by dinner and the entertainment. R&B artist Brian McKnight and up-and-comer Charice performed for the crowd, which included Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, Ben Silverman, and Andy Garcia.

Looking to get an edge over Spanx, its main competitor in the shapewear category, the preview party hosted by Sculptz president and C.E.O. Jean Vernor and celebrity stylist Robert Verdi drew more than 100 editors and retail buyers to the 21st floor of the Glasshouses at the Chelsea Arts Tower.

1. Bar Novo popped up in the lobby of the Renaissance Chicago Hotel in early October. Spanning 5,300 square feet, the venue houses a semiprivate lounge area that can host groups of 60. In the center of the bar, chefs work at an exposed station, preparing small plates of items such as smoked-prime-rib nachos and oven-dried tomato flatbreads with fresh mozzarella. The bar's cocktail list offers signature drinks such as the Red Champagne Cocktail, made with absinthe, Absolut vodka, and strawberry puree, and the Basil Tangerine Gimlet, which blends tangerine vodka with lime and fresh basil.

The building’s glass facade contains a clean, modern interior. The lobby, with a bar area called the W Bar, features mirrored ceilings, cascading water, and stone walls that all play into the sleek, minimalist aesthetic. Also in the lobby is chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten’s Market, a Culinary Concepts restaurant that features wood elements, gray floors, and off-white leather seating. The restaurant includes a 32-seat private room called Backstage at Market. The menu offers a mix of Asian and Italian elements, along with Vongerichten’s signature French fare.

"We wanted to bring back the carefree excitement and exuberance of the Roaring Twenties," O'Brien said. "We went to the Design Agency and asked them to incorporate the 1920s feel into a modern environment. We're trying to marry the old Art Deco lines with more contemporary materials."

In 2007, Downey founded Pivotal Production, a full-service event design and production firm. Since its inception, Pivotal has designed trade show booths, produced exhibition openings at local art galleries, and handled logistics for events ranging from the Ravenswood ArtWalk to the Museum of Science and Industry’s Science Saturdays program, a yearlong series that invites the public on behind- the-scenes tours of venues such as Argonne National Laboratory.

Last week, I wrote about the plethora of food festivals happening this month in New York, most of which have no problem filling kitchens, dining rooms, stores, and other venues with paying, eager eaters. Yet at the same time, the industry’s oldest and most prestigious magazine, Gourmet, up and folded, and downtown, perennially top-rated Chanterelle closed its doors.

But at the New York City Wine & Food Festival this past weekend, it was as if those closings happened on an altogether different planet. The four-day affair kicked off with “Celebration,” a V.I.P. event on Thursday at the Food Network studio. There were so many celebrity chefs that festival founder Lee Schrager found himself in trouble when, during his speech, he began thanking present network personalities Alton Brown, Guy Fieri, and Sandra Lee, and suddenly a bunch of others started shouting out their own names. Lee wisely widened his thanks to “everyone at the Food Network, including the security guard, who five years later still doesn’t recognize me.”

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.

Of all the annual events you oversee, which one is the most difficult?
I would have to say the Times Square New Year's Eve celebration. The sheer number of people and mass media coverage create a much more challenging job for me—I wouldn’t say it’s more challenging, it just requires much more planning and overall coordination. It takes a good six to nine months of preparation, but [the event itself] is seamless. All the parties know our roles, and we all know each other. We do it so much we’re always ready to transition into the next event because of the simple fact that we’re always doing large events here.

The idea is known as "See a Film on Us," and as part of the plan, organizers reduced the number of feature films from about 100 to about 60, and short films by half to about 25; all seats are fully committed under the new plan, an attractive arrangement for sponsors.

"The numbers are in, and it's clear that Fashion's Night Out was a tremendous success. Thousands of New Yorkers attended the events in all five boroughs, supporting the city's retail and fashion industries, and helping a worthwhile cause. It's sure to be an even bigger event in 2010," Bloomberg said in a statement. Vogue editor in chief Anna Wintour added, "It was wonderful to see people embrace this initiative and we are thrilled that they wish it to return."

The choice marks the first time the telecast has had a host since 1995. “Not only is this the biggest Hollywood celebration of the industry which includes both film and TV, but also an environment where I feel I can get free rein as a host. I have resisted many other offers like this, but there are just some things you don't turn down,” Gervais said in the announcement.

The participants wore a specially created T-shirt distributed free by event sponsor TapouT. (Fans can also purchase the shirt online with a portion of the proceeds benefiting the City of Hope.) Clear Channel Radio Los Angeles sponsored the event, which was hosted by its stations' on-air personalities.