| TOP 100 EVENTS 06.22.09 11:44 AM |
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Washington's Top Political & Press Events 2009
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 | Rush Limbaugh
Photo: Courtesy of CPAC 2009 and Panoramic Visions |
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1. State of the Union Address
The president’s big annual speech is the only time the entire federal government gathers in one place. Although a new president’s first-year address to Congress bears all the trappings of this gathering, it’s technically not considered one, so President Obama’s first official State of the Union takes place January 2010.
2. White House Correspondent’s Association Dinner
Comedian Wanda Sykes hosted this May 9 event, traditionally attended by the president along with some 2,000 politicians, journalists, and celebrities. Dinner at the Washington Hilton is preceded by a maze of pre-parties hosted by media outlets. For the first time, Bloomberg and Vanity Fair co-hosted an after-party this year.
3. Gridiron Club Black-Tie Dinner
President Obama bucked tradition in March, skipping this 125-year-old event in favor of a family vacation. The 600-plus guests at the Marriott Renaissance Hotel consoled themselves with barbs from Vice President Joe Biden and California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger.
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Washington's Top 100 Events, State of the Union, Barack Obama, White House Correspondents' Association, Wanda Sykes, Bloomberg, Vanity Fair, Gridiron Club, Joe Biden, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Radio and Television Correspondents' Association, Presidential Medal of Freedom Ceremony, George W. Bush, Tony Blair, Washington Press Club Foundation, Mitt Romney, American Israel Public Affairs Committee, National Governors' Association, U.S. Confernece of Mayors, Bill Clinton, Rahm Emanuel, National Association of Broadcasters Education Foundation, America's Future Now!, Human Rights Campaign, Hillary Clinton |
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| EVENT REPORT 05.12.09 8:00 AM |
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More Correspondents' Weekend Coverage: Bloomberg and Vanity Fair's Exclusive Party, Atlantic Media's Dinner, McLaughlin's Brunch, and More
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As in years past, parties of every kind and color—from movie screenings to exhibit openings to hangover brunches—surrounded this year's White House Correspondents' Association dinner. Here’s a wrap-up of the weekend's attractions:
Bloomberg and Vanity Fair's After-Party
Capitol File may have hosted the weekend's biggest party, but the most exclusive honors went to Bloomberg LP and Vanity Fair, who hosted an impossible-to-get-into shindig for 250 on Saturday night. Taking over French ambassador Pierre Vimont's turn-of-the-century home in Kalorama, the party drew big names from politics and Hollywood, among them Demi Moore, Ashton Kutcher, Glenn Close, Eva Longoria, David Axelrod, Desiree Rogers, and the ubiquitous Captains Chesley Sullenberger and Richard Phillips. The party took over the mansion's interior rooms with bars and buffets, and spilled out into the backyard, where the many trees were uplit in blue, pink, and green.
David Bradley's Private Dinner
On Friday night, Atlantic Media owner David Bradley and his wife, Katherine Brittain Bradley, hosted an indoor cocktail reception followed by an outdoor seated dinner at their Embassy Row home. Sponsored by Toyota and Robert Mondavi Winery, the annual event was twice as large as last year, thus requiring for the first time a 40- by 40-foot HDO Productions tent, which Frost Lighting technicians draped with white rope lights.
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White House Correspondents' Association Dinner, Capitol File, Bloomberg, Vanity Fair, Atlantic Media, Toyota, Robert Mondavi Winery, Barack Obama, Haddad Media, White House Correspondents' Association Dinner, Creative Coalition, DC Magazine, The McLaughlin Group, Time Inc., People Magazine, Time magazine |
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| NEWS 04.17.09 1:53 PM |
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People and Time Team Up for White House Correspondents Weekend Party
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Cohosting, it appears, is the order of the day for media companies throwing parties before and after this year’s White House Correspondents' Association dinner Saturday, May 9, at the Hilton Washington.
Time Inc. publications Time and People will jointly host a cocktail reception Friday evening at Astor Terrace at the St. Regis. Expected to attend are some of the entertainers who will be at the People table the following night: Sting and his wife, Trudie Styler, along with Miranda Cosgrove, Kevin Bacon, Forest Whitaker, Jon Hamm, Eva Longoria Parker, Chris “Ludacris” Bridges, and Brooke Shields and her husband, Chris Henchy. Time has not released its dinner guest list.
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White House Correspondents' Association Dinner, Time Inc., Time Magazine, Bloomberg, Vanity Fair, Haddad Media, National Journal Group, People Magazine, The Atlantic, ABC, Capitol File |
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| NEWS 04.15.09 2:49 PM |
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In the News: Bloomberg and Vanity Fair to Cohost, the Masters Suffers From Lack of Sponsors
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Vanity Fair and Bloomberg Team Up: The economy may have Vanity Fair and Bloomberg News down, but they’re not out. Instead of canceling their respective White House Correspondents’ Association dinner after-parties, the media brands will join forces for a cohosted party at the residence of French Ambassador Pierre Vimont. In the past several years, Bloomberg had hosted the most prominent after-party, while Vanity Fair was a more recent entry. The duo will now divvy up 300 invites, making it one of the more exclusive events after the May 9 dinner. [Politico]
Auto Show Attendees Get Nasty: Attendees at the New York International Auto Show are venting their frustrations with the economy, and they’re taking it out on some unexpected parties. Presenters, who aren’t even full-time employees of the carmakers, have been heckled on the show floor since it opened to the public last week. Largely contract representatives for bail-out recipients General Motors and Chrysler, the put-upon presenters have been accused of putting out bad product, waiting until the 11th hour to be eco-conscious, and in one case, even responsibility for the war in Iraq. [NYT]
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Vanity Fair, Bloomberg News, White House Correspondents' Association Dinner, White House Easter Egg Roll, Desirée Rogers, Barack Obama, Fergie, New York International Auto Show, General Motors, Chrysler, The Masters, Citigroup |
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| NEWS 04.01.09 3:06 PM |
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In The News: Travel Industry Continues to Promote Meetings, Madonna's Fund-Raising Faux Pas
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Travel Industry Combats Cancellations: As the U.S. Travel Association continues to lobby the government to support meetings and events during the recession, more statistics have emerged to illustrate how different facets of the industry are suffering. Canceled events accounted for a $220 million loss in room revenue during January and February, and Starwood Hotels—which owns the Sheraton, Westin, Le Meridien, and W brands—has booked 40 percent fewer group events in 2009 compared to this time last year, prompting the company to eliminate 10 percent of its staff, or approximately 6,000 employees. [NYT]
Host City Braces for G20: Protesters in London for the G20 Summit are causing quite a stir. To protect the world leaders in town for the series of meetings on the global financial crisis, London has enlisted a record number of police to maintain order. The Metropolitan Police confirmed that approximately 3,000 officers will be on patrol during the two-day summit, and that number could double, should riots erupt. [Telegraph]
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Madonna, Gucci, Unicef, Raising Malawi, G20 Summit, U.S. Travel Association, Starwood Hotels, Vanity Fair, Cannes |
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| EVENT REPORT 02.23.09 1:49 PM |
Vanity Fair Oscar Party Returns With New Venue, Smaller Guest List, and Chicken Potpie
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 | Vanity Fair gobos on the Sunset Tower Hotel
Photo: Alberto E Rodriguez/Getty Images |
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Vanity Fair put its hat back in the Oscar ring last night, returning after last year’s sabbatical with a smaller viewing dinner and after-party at the Sunset Tower Hotel. Long known as the evening’s hottest ticket, the fete drew an A-list-only crowd, seeing the likes of Kate Winslet, Sean Penn, Penélope Cruz, Mickey Rourke, Madonna, Elton John, and Meryl Streep make their way down the red carpet.
Party host and Vanity Fair editor in chief Graydon Carter told reporters last night that he wanted to create a glamorous but cozy party this year, and he achieved the latter with a whittled-down guest list of 650—compared with 1,150 in 2007—in a venue known for its striking views and old-Hollywood cache, but lack of event space. Carter had announced back in November that the party would be pared down, saying, “We’ll celebrate Hollywood’s big night the way we did when we first threw the party 15 years ago—it will be a cozier, more understated event.” (That said, Cityfile noted on Friday that an event permit filed by the mag in West Hollywood listed the head count at 1,000 guests.)
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Oscars, Award Season, Vanity Fair |
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| 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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FROM LOS ANGELES
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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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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FROM LOS ANGELES
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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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 02.16.09 1:53 PM |
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Economy Is Coloring Oscar Week—But Events Are On and Telecast May Be Musical, Upbeat
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FROM LOS ANGELES
Will the economy cast a pall over Oscar week? The short answer is yes and no.
In a year when an upbeat movie, Slumdog Millionaire, is expected by some to sweep top honors, the overall tone of the show might be upbeat as well. With new producers Bill Condon and Laurence Mark, who are behind the movie Dreamgirls, the award ceremony may have a reimagined format—although no one is disclosing too many details yet. Hugh Jackman is the program's host—despite the fact that that spot is typically reserved for a comedian. So some expect to see a music-focused show, according to Reuters, which also pointed out that, earlier in the month, Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences president Sid Ganis promised the show's producers "are going to take some risks, many risks, some bold."
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RELATED TOPICS
Oscars, Award Season, Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, Budgets, Gift Suites, Hugh Jackman, Vanity Fair, Governors Ball |
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| NEWS 02.12.09 1:16 PM |
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In The News: T-Mobile Gets Free Guerrilla Marketing, Vanity Fair Stages Oscar Return
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Here's a quick look at some of the bigger stories grabbing our attention this week:
T-Mobile Inspires Public Disco: A recent British commercial for cellular provider T-Mobile that featured 400 actors dancing in London's Liverpool Street station inspired more than 13,000 fans of the ad to do the same thing. They planned the event, dubbed Liverpool Street Station Silent Dance, on Facebook for last Friday and stormed the station at 7 p.m. Police had to close that station for more than 90 minutes, but there were few arrests for what a police spokesperson called "a peaceful and fun event." Organizers are already discussing another outing. [Telegraph]
Vanity Fair Returns to Oscars: One year away from the Academy Awards was enough for Vanity Fair. The magazine will return to Los Angeles for a week of pre-Oscar events and its hot-ticket post-awards party this month. Among the events on tap are an opening party for the BMW Art Car installation and a silent auction sponsored by Christian Dior. As for the big party, it’s moving to the much smaller Sunset Tower hotel, making invites that much harder to come by. [WWD]
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RELATED TOPICS
T-Mobile, Vanity Fair, Oscars, Academy Awards, BMW, Christian Dior, Desirée Rogers, Fashion Week, Halston, Live Nation, Ticketmaster |
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