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SANTA MONICA: THE NEW 'PLACE' TO BE
Center court at the beachy, peachy new Santa Monica Place
With
the opening of Nordstrom, the
buzzed-about shopper’s paradise that is the new Santa
Monica Place is just about complete, after two years and a cost of several hundred
million dollars. When the curtain came up in early August, most people’s
expectations were exceeded. The new outdoor mall, replacing one of starchitect’s
Frank Gehry’s lesser designs, is getting rave reviews. It’s bold, beautiful,
exciting and enticing, a temptress urging people to take out their wallets and
spend, spend, spend. Bloomingdale’s
was first to open its doors in a sneak preview of its boutique-style store, not
anything like the Century City outpost and similar in feel to the Soho emporium.
Curated for the local market with an edited collection of clothing, accessories
and cosmetics—and reportedly the largest sunglasses wall in the
country--Bloomies handed every invited guest a $25 gift card to get the
shopping party started.
The new CB2
store is already wowing crowds with its stylish and eminently affordable
housewares, furniture and home accessories. If you’re looking for trendy casual wear, this is the place, with Joe’s
Jeans, 7 For All Mankind, Betsey Johnson, Fluxus, Kitson, Eva Varro, Juicy
Couture and the ultra-hip All Saints vying for your business. Older-school
brand names include Burberry, Louis Vuitton, Coach, Kenneth Cole, Michael Kors,
Tory Burch and the still to open Tiffany & Co.
Picture perfect view from the top floor dining deck
But
the piece de resistance is the spectacular third-floor dining deck, with ocean
and 3rd
St.
Promenade views, featuring six “chef-driven” restaurants—meaning non-chain
eateries providing a new dimension to the local dining scene, like Xino, the
Sandia, Zengo and Sonoma Wine Garden, which features walls made from wine
crates, a 300-bottle chandelier and an ocean-view deck. They’re expansive, expensive and it remains
to be seen whether they’ll work in “this economy,” but we wish them the best.
Meanwhile, there’s a fast-food court for hungry habitants with lighter wallets
to grab a bite with the same great views. And it’s not the same old, same old
there, either. Sarku Japan, Stefano’s Pizzeria Sushi Itto, Pinches Tacos and
Fatburger.
THE DEN of HOLLYWOOD
Partying on the Den’s patio
It's Sunset Boulevard
without the drama, hassles or high prices of the neighboring establishments. The Den, situated directly across the
street from the Château Marmont--and ahem, that's exactly what we’re talking
about, much as we love that place--is packing them in with drink specials, a
seasonal and quite reasonable menu and a fun late-night party atmosphere on the
patio.
This
is the kind of place that you've driven by many times and haven't noticed. It's been various establishments over the
years, but this latest incarnation is the best yet-- and perfect for these
still-recessionary times, whether you slide into a booth, belly up to the bar
or hang out on the patio. Traditional American cuisine by Daniel Murray features
such dishes like smoke prime rib, shrimp sliders and hot dogs. To start,
there’s a large list of appetizers to share, ranging from bacon-wrapped dates
(yum!) to white bean hummus. There are full lunch and dinner menus and a
trimmed-down selection for other times. The bar is under the supervision of
mixologist James Rhea, and features specialty cocktails like The Gin Kiss,
Sucker Punch, Fire in the Hole and Cucumbarita. Happy hour is from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. daily with half-price drink specials. Saturday and Sunday brunch offers
the opportunity to indulge in bottomless mimosas or Bloody Marys for $12.
Owner
Michael Gans says he wants the atmosphere to feel like it’s your den-- if you
lived on the Sunset Strip and decorated it in the style of an Aspen mountain lodge complete with stone hearth fireplaces. As for parking, West Hollywood lots are known to change their often usurious rates
even hourly, but the last time we checked the adjacent valet lot was charging
well under $10.
The Den of Hollywood, 8226 W. Sunset Blvd. WeHo, (323) 656-0336
SKYBOX SUSHI
Once we stepped behind 100-year-old wooden gates into
a tranquil Japanese garden and were greeted warmly at Gonpachi, we looked up and were suddenly and somewhat explicably
reminded of being at Staples Center. No, it wasn’t a Pau Gasol
sighting, and more on that in a moment.
Gonpachi is a gem that stands out from the old school vibe (Lawry’s,
Benihana, anyone?) on La Cienega’s established restaurant row, just north of
Wilshire.
Although it’s
been around for several years, run by the folks behind Monsoon and Cafe La Boheme, the
restaurant recently held an “opening” bash to give guests a taste of the fare overseen by executive chef
Chris Behre. with samplings from the Edo-Mae (Tokyo style) sushi bar, meat from the Robata Grill, handmade Soba noodles and perfectly
done tempura, accompanied by sake and other spirits. Gonpachi also does a $28
all you can eat served meal. And about that Staples feel, the restaurant
features a second level of private booths, reminiscent of sky boxes, that look
down on the action, which includes a chef rolling out dough for the fresh-made
soba noodles.
Gonpachi, 134 N. La Cienega Blvd., Beverly Hills, (310) 659-8887
NOT JUST FOR BLONDES
You might call
it the female version of Mike’s Hard Lemonade, or you might just call it really
tasty. It's an adult beverage, Dirty Blonde Cocktails, billed as the first line of premium bottled “champagne” drinks. The
single-serve bottles all contain sparkling wine infused with chick-friendly
flavors with tempting names like Peach Passion Bellini, Sparkling Mojito,
Citrus Mimosa and Raspberry Flirtini. Founder Kristen Raskopf, a former sports
and entertainment attorney, is traveling the country getting her product into
restaurants, bars and a liquor store near you. She came up with the idea while
looking for an alternative to margaritas and Cosmopolitans—without the waste of
opening a whole bottle of champagne and having the bubbles go flat if not drunk
in one sitting. She says the name emerged as a cheeky way to describe the
playful spirit of the beverage. A 4-pack retails for $13.99 at BevMo and other
retailers. Cheers! www.dirtyblondecocktails.com
HAIR TODAY
Blow and go: The chic drybar is a convenient, affordable luxury
What
a great idea for a hair salon -- a cross between a Supercuts or Fantastic Sam's
and your typical pricey hair haven where the stylists are “artistes.” But this
one, called drybar (because
"blow" was taken) only does shampoo and blow dries. No cuts, no color, no fuss, no muss -- and
only $35. Business has been booming since drybar opened its doors in February
at its storefront Brentwood Gardens location. It's the brainchild of Alli Webb, who
formerly ran a mobile hair care service.
She’s decorated it in sleek, airy style with sunny yellow accents.
Clients literally sit at a bar with mirrors behind them for “the big reveal” at
the end of their styling session. Unlike most salons, it’s open seven days a
week.
Drybar, 11677 San Vicente Blvd., Brentwood (310) 442·6084 www.thedrybar.com
LAUGHING IT UP DURING AWARDS SEASON
Chris Rock (with Ali LeRoi) had some choice words about Tiger
Woods
Awards season is reaching the end, and along the way, you just have to laugh, like when Larry David said the Writers Guild issued him a death sentence in
handing him the Paddy Chayefsky Laurel Award for Television. It was the culmination of a hilarious
acceptance speech at the WGA Awards in Los Angeles in which David
revealed that his mother's dreams for him were to become a mailman, that he'd
long ago scouted out a place on 44th St. on which to camp out when he became
homeless-- and that he hates writing.
Humor was a hallmark of the
evening, beginning with host Seth McFarlane's opening song and dance number,
which profanely mocked anyone in the business who thinks they can do it without
writers. Chris Rock brought down the house with his riff on Tiger Woods’
apology, Billy Crystal razzed Barry Levinson for not hiring him, but a
different kind of Jew-- named Mickey Rourke—for “Diner” and Levinson in turn
thanked comedy god Mel Brooks in accepting the Laurel Award for Screen. Naturally, Jason Alexander (David’s thinly
disguised alter ego as George Costanza) killed with his intro of David, joking
that lauding him was tantamount to seeing Mel Gibson on the next Chabad
telethon—and saying he thanked god for the “Seinfeld” blessing every day.
Cementing its critically
acclaimed status with two trophies, the writing staff of ABC’s “Modern Family”
walked away with the award for best new series and tied with “30 Rock” for
episodic comedy.
And it was “Rock’s” time to
shine again-- for the third year in a row--as it picked up the trophy for best
comedy series. Never one to take anything for granted, though, Tina Fey
accepted the award in New York
by saying, "Network TV is seen by so few people that it is as precious as
live theater," and reminded the audience, "Our
special moment may not last forever." Tina, let’s hope
there is an extended shelf life for you and the other “Rock” talents.
“Mad Men” continued its
heavily-awarded reign, taking best drama series for the second year running.
‘I’m really hungry, I can’t drink, I’ve gotta pee and I have low blood sugar,”
said Matthew Weiner in accepting the award for his writing staff-- a reference
to the fact that in order to coordinate the East Coast/West Coast ceremonies,
the folks in Southern California had been drinking for nearly four hours at that
point, with dinner still to be served. ("Curb
Your Enthusiasm" regular Susie Essman hosted at the Millennium Broadway
Hotel's Hudson Theatre in New York.)
Call Gloria Allred: Do you see a woman—or anyone not wearing
jeans—in this group of WGA nominated screenwriters? (Nora Ephron didn't show to this event.)
The writers of the "House" took the episodic drama trophy for
their two-parter "Broken." Coincidentally, star Hugh Laurie had a
presenter's role after that award was given, saying he had been prepared to
unleash a torrent of hate if his show had lost--as he fully expected.
And in a very
tough call in which I agree with the decision, guild voters just couldn't
decide which show was better-written, so there was a tie between the staff of "The
Daily Show With Jon Stewart," led by head writer Steve Bodow and "Saturday
Night Live," headed by Seth Meyers for best comedy/variety series.
"I want to thank Jeff Zucker for having nothing to do with our show and
network," said "The Daily Show's" Tim Carvell from the New York ceremony.
The NBC
Universal chief was also a target of Chris Rock, who called him "the Elgin
Baylor of TV"—a joke that left many in the audience a bit confused, but
nonetheless, amused.
For longform
original, “Georgia O'Keeffe,” written by Michael Cristofer, edged out the
popular “Grey Gardens” to take the trophy, and for longform adaptation, the
well-decorated “Taking Chance” got the prize for its teleplay by Lieutenant
Colonel Michael R. Strobl, USMC (Ret.) and Ross Katz, based on the short story
by Strobl.
Other
highlights: Morgan Freeman (the new James Earl Jones of the voiceover world)
presenting the Paul Selvin Award to “Invictus” screenwriter Anthony Peckham,
and Rock and Ali LeRoi’s spiel before Carl Gottlieb accepted the Morgan Cox
Award for long-time service to the WGA.
(The complete
list of winners: http://wga.org/awards/awardssub.aspx?id=1517
)
BIG B.O. RULES AT THE GOLDEN GLOBES
Sandra Bullock was the belle of the rainy red carpet
It was an "Avatar" night at the soggy
67th annual Ricky Gervais-hosted Golden Globe awards. Just a few months ago, there was much
skepticism and snarkiness about whether James
Cameron's new 3-D opus could even become profitable. (“Waterworld,” anyone?) As he picked up the
Globes for best picture and director, Cameron could have repeated his infamous
boast: "I'm the king of the world!," but he'll probably wait until
after “Avatar” supplants his "Titanic" as the highest grossing
picture ever -- which should be nearly any day now.
On the musical/comedy side,
the box office-busting and side-splitting "The Hangover" brought home
the gold.
And talking about big
grosses, it was Sandra Bullock's
time to shine with the statuette for best actress in a drama for “The Blind
Side.” Always lighting up the screen in
the sort of films that connect with audiences, but not necessarily with
awards-giving entities--even the schmoozable Hollywood Foreign Press
Association--Bullock has been a stranger to awards. But those days are apparently
over.
The other lead acting awards
all went to veteran thesps, Meryl Streep
for "Julie & Julia," Robert
Downey Jr. for his turn in "Sherlock Holmes" and the Dude
himself, Jeff Bridges as the star of
"Crazy Heart."
A couple of “new” faces nabbed
the supporting statuettes-- Christopher
Waltz for his role is the insidiously evil but brilliant Nazi in
“Inglorious Basterds” and Mo’Nique for
her part as the wretched mom in "Precious."
On the TV side, with just
half a season under its belt, “Glee”
can now add a Golden Globe award to its songbook. Two of its leads, Lea Michele
and Matthew Morrison also scored nominations, but the top acting honors were
handed to Toni Collette for “United
States of Tara,” “30 Rock’s” ever-popular Alec
Baldwin, Juliana Margulies for "The Good Wife," and
"Dexter's" lead and supporting actors Michael C. Hall and John
Lithgow both taking prizes.
The black cap-clad Hall's
acceptance speech was even more poignant with the unmentioned fact that he has
been (successfully) battling cancer. Lithgow, previously best known on
television for his multiple Emmy-winning role on "3rd Rock from
the Sun,” is new to the "Dexter" cast, joining in September 2009 as a
serial killer, but obviously no stranger to acting kudos.
“Mad Men’s” 60s-style seduction
remains as strong as ever, much to creator Matthew Weiner's professed
surprise—but no one else’s--as the HFPA awarded the noir-ish program its third
consecutive statuette for top drama series on television.
HBO continued its
award-winning ways by nabbing the remainder of the major television
awards. The acclaimed "Grey Gardens" brought it home as best miniseries or motion picture
made for television and Drew Barrymore
took the top acting prize for her breakout dramatic role as Little Edie Bouvier
Beale.
There was no six degrees of
separation for Kevin Bacon at the Beverly
Hilton ceremony. His role as Lt. Col. Michael Strobl in “Taking Chance”
completely connected with Globes voters, although the film did not have nearly
the degree of exposure as "Gardens." Its tough subject matter—the
saga as the Lt. Col. personally takes home the body of a private killed in the Iraq war-- is a must-see.
The multiple wives on
"Big Love" will now have something else to bicker about. Only one of
them, Chloe Sevigny, will be able to
display a Golden Globe on her mantle.
DEFINING A DECADE ON
TELEVISION
Think back to
the year 2000. Ah, yes. Y2K, those innocent days before 9/11, when reality
television was just making major inroads with the huge popularity of
“Survivor,” before Jack Bauer became a ticking terrorist ass-kicker, before
“American Idol” changed the pop culture landscape and when Tom Brokaw, Peter
Jennings and Dan Rather reigned supreme over their respective network
newscasts.
The dot-com 1.0
party was in its last euphoric throes on its way to crashing and burning, yet
YouTube and Hulu were years away from changing the way people consume video.
TiVo and DVRs were around, but hadn’t penetrated the marketplace. Most cell
phones couldn’t access the Internet—they were text-capable but not many in the
US actually texted anyone — and TV stations didn’t have their own Web sites
streaming live video of breaking news, much less transmitting to
then-nonexistent iPhones, Blackberries or other "smart" mobile
devices.
It was a time
when Tony Soprano was solidifying his power base in New Jersey as the corpses stacked
up and Carrie Bradshaw and her fashionable entourage were becoming icons in
living the fabulous single life in New York City.
The Aughties
saw the end of beloved, groundbreaking shows like “The Sopranos” and “Sex and
the City,” but spawned new ideas and entertainment that shaped our lives and
drove the conversation. These are some of the decade’s game-changers across the
cable and broadcast spectrum:
Fox’s “24”
and Real-World Terrorism:
Against the backdrop of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan,
the cathartic experience of watching the time-pressured Jack Bauer brutally
wring whatever he wanted from evildoers intent on killing thousands of
innocents—along with the Abu Ghraib torture photos scandal—kick-started a
national conversation about how enemy combatants are treated. The fictional
character became representational on both sides of the fence — as hero or
villain — and the controversy over the show’s depiction of Islamic terrorists
led to Kiefer Sutherland doing a public service campaign to mitigate some of
the accusations of racial profiling. In light of recent events, and with the
upcoming season set in New York, “24” will remain a lens through which many
people view the war on terror.
The Daily
Show’s Huge Impact:
Just when you thought Jon Stewart couldn't get any
hotter, or overexposed — remember all those mid-decade magazine cover
stories? — he and his “Daily Show” team of fake reporters proved they hadn't
peaked with their 2004 and 2008 “Indecision” election coverage. The show’s
guest slot became and remains a coveted go-to spot for politicians, world
leaders and authors — with an occasional movie star thrown in for good measure.
"TDS’s" spawn went on to great
good fortune, most notably Stephen Colbert and Steve Carell, whose Stephen and
Steven segments are still fondly remembered.
The
Juggernaut that is 'American Idol':
Paula, we miss you already. Ten years ago, who
could have possibly predicted the massive phenomenon that became “Idol?” (Or
Ryan Seacrest becoming a near industry unto himself?) Fan or no — and those who
weren't were definitely in the minority – “AI” brought major talent to the
world stage. Jennifer Hudson, Kelly Clarkson, Adam Lambert, Carrie Underwood
and Jordin Sparks can all tip their hats to “Idol,” as do the accountants at Fox
Broadcasting Co. With Ellen DeGeneres taking the Paula judging spot, Simon
Cowell nearly ready to take a final bow and ratings somewhat on the decline,
the peak glory days may be in the past, but the program’s power and progeny
(“Dancing With the Stars,” “America’s Got Talent,” etc.) live on.
New Faces of
News:
The
evening news anchor desks had historically been held by older white men, but by
the end of the decade, two of the three were occupied by women who made their
names on the softer side of news, in the morning. Did the format change? Not so
much. When you’ve only got 22 minutes of news, there’s not much time or space
for major formula revisions. And the audience — whose size has deteriorated
even as the median age increased — really wasn’t up for ch-ch-changes. Still,
network news is far from dead — as some pundits have pronounced it for years.
And 24-hour cable news, which drives a large swath of political debate from
both sides and down the middle in filling its bottomless news hole, isn’t expected
to retrench. Even these days, it’s still cost-effective programming.
Food as
Entertainment:
The Aughties brought foodies another venue outside of the kitchen, the
bookstore or the restaurant to indulge their passion and learn some new cooking
tricks. Whether your favorite flavor was “Top Chef,” “Iron Chef” or “Kitchen
Nightmares,” or your TV was permanently tuned to the Food Network, television
catered to the concept of cooking as sport. A far cry from the days when “The
French Chef With Julia Child" on PBS was the only game in town. Hungry for
more? No shortage of food shows is on the horizon.
Reality tv as
Reality:
These days, having your own reality show is a career move for untold
thousands, who will go to any lengths to attain it. (Example A: the heinous
Heene media hos.) The pay might be low, but the perks can be great — extending
far beyond the old-school 15 minutes of fame. Whether it’s being a contestant
on “The Bachelor,” sewing your way to stardom on “Project Runway,” being a
“Real Housewife” (Salahis, anyone?) or becoming a “Biggest Loser,” the tabloid
shelf life can be lucrative. Reality television decimated the ranks of scripted
television shows and their writers, producers and actors — and sadly, there’s
no going back.
THIS IS IT: THE PREMIERE
The scene outside the Nokia Theater, just steps from where Michael
Jackson last took the stage
It just couldn't get any
more exciting in downtown Los Angeles, what with the Lakers opening night, the city attorney threatening to
throw people in jail over the signs of LA Live -- and at the Nokia Theater, the
world's first look at Michael Jackson's last performances. Not to mention the opening of the Regal theaters,
where every screen was playing
"This is It."
The LA premiere was actually
one of 18 that were going on worldwide, everywhere from New Zealand to New York,
and of course London, where the King of Pop was nearly ready to embark on his
sold-out run of 50 shows at the O2 arena.
Instead, Jackson fans everywhere are left after his tragic death with
an immersive film masterfully directed by Kenny Ortega, who was a close
collaborator of Jackson's for the past 20 years -- and the man he called to
helm "This is It."
High winds -- some said it
was the spirit of Michael -- tore through the red carpet area as Will Smith, Jennifer Lopez, Jennifer Love
Hewitt and Paris Hilton made their way into the 7,100 seat theater.
Ortega greeted the crowd
with one of Michael's most famous lines, "I love you more." And then, it was showtime. The film opens with teary testimonials, but
it's not what you think, its the dancers that were hired for the tour months
before Jackson died under the not very watchful eyes of Conrad
Murray, and their tears of joy at being part of his history-making comeback.
It was almost shocking to
see Jackson on screen: so vibrant, energetic, in command, and in
full voice, even though he was trying to save it for the shows. Many in the entertainment industry crowd
walked out stunned, just because they were so blown away by the movie. Expectations
had perhaps been a bit low, mostly due to the one clip that was played for the
past months that showed Michael dancing in slow motion. Some interpreted it to
mean that he could not move very well anymore, which was certainly not the case
as documented over and over again in the run-throughs of some of his biggest
hits. We get a glimpse of what could have been—and it would have been
mind-blowing.
Several people were so
excited to be at the premiere that they took pictures of themselves in front of
the movie screen as the closing credits were running, much to the annoyance of
those watching the roll
And then it was on to the
afterparty, a short walk away in the cold wind, and a joy to hear Jackson's music and see his image on multiple screens all
over the venue, which took as its design inspiration the stage set for the song
“They Don’t Care About Us.”
Brothers Jermaine, Randy,
Marlon and Jackie schmoozed the media and hung out in a VIP section, while Ortega spent the evening greeting well-wishers and
hanging out with Travis Payne and Michael Bearden, the tour’s choreographer and
music director.
THIS IS
IT: THE INTERVIEW
Michael
Jackson’s This is It is the hottest movie ticket around
Kenny Ortega—the
auteur behind High School Musical, Hannah
Montana/Miley Cyrus: Best of Both Worlds and Dirty Dancing’s choreographer—spoke with Hillary Atkin about the
world’s first look at Michael Jackson’s last performances.
What was it like working with
Michael going into the 50-show London engagement? How did he feel about the tour?
Ortega: It was
inspirational. I saw Michael take the reins and kick it into a new gear. He was
going to do it, and it was a moment of great triumph. The last night he talked
about how the dream was there, how happy he was with the show and with everyone
involved. Needless to say, it was devastating that Michael was not able to
fulfill something that meant so much to him.
How did you react when you heard about Michael’s
sudden passing, just hours after you had last seen him?
Ortega: Disbelief at
first. It was surreal, unreal. It was like my insides felt like a 10-story building
collapsing. It was difficult to comprehend that we lost someone we loved so
much and had such great importance to his children, his fans, his family and
the world of music. How could this happen? We were almost there, and he had an
opportunity to tour the world again, one more time, to say thank you and take
the final curtain call. It was deep and dark and sad.
Did you think he was up to the
challenge?
Ortega: He said it all
the time. He says it in the movie. There were times I questioned him: was he
really intending to do this? I told him, “You’ve got to stay healthy. You’ve
got to eat, you’ve got to build up your strength and immunity.” It was as great
of a concern to mount a brilliant show as it was to make sure we delivered him
capable of doing one.
What was the original intention with
the many hours of footage that you shaped into the movie?
Ortega: We had more
than 80 hours of footage, including 10 original films that were to be scenic
backdrops, and stand-alone films interspersed throughout. We had sets being
built, interviews with talent, press conferences. Then we had magical footage
shot with one or two cameras that was a reference tool for [associate director
and choreographer] Travis Payne and [musical director] Michael Bearden. That helped
us piece together a mosaic that shows Michael's intentions.
Michael kept coming up with more
ideas for This Is It. How did you respond?
Ortega: Sometimes he'd
call at 3
a.m. to throw ideas at me. I
told him to go to sleep, stop, the show’s big enough. He was the most
imaginative and inspired artist of our time. I said, “Michael, if we put one
more thing in the truss, we'll create a weight problem that puts everyone in
danger,” and he said, “Okay, we’ll stop.”
But you fed off each other’s energy and sense of
humor, like when he told you that God channeled good ideas to him, and that if
he wasn’t there to receive them, they would go to Prince.
Ortega: It was tongue
in cheek. He was working on a record and show ideas and I asked what he was
channeling. He said, “I’m getting blessings coming through me—melodies, words,
songs, ideas.” I said, “Can’t you make a pact with your higher power and put
all this on a back shelf?” He winked at me.
What were some of his concepts?
Ortega: He was calling
me and saying, I want Victoria
Falls. Michael, I said,
it’s in Africa, one of the seven wonders of the world. He wanted it
in 3-D coming through the screen. It was a spectacular idea. “You want all the
wonders of the world, everything, don’t you,?” I asked him. “Yes, I do.”
Given all that intensity, describe
his work ethic.
Ortega: It was always
creatively overwhelming. He was really invested, and put in many conceptual
hours. He always did the work. He was a perfectionist.
ELIZABETH ELECTRIFIES Macy’s PASSPORT
Taylor wouldn't let a little heart surgery stop her
It was a first-class fashion
and fundraising event that could not have gotten more high wattage. Dame Elizabeth Taylor—in one of her
incredibly rare public appearances-- dazzled the crowd at the 27th annual Macy’s
Passport show at Santa
Monica’s Barker
Hangar on September 24. Dame Elizabeth has been on board from the beginning in
establishing support of the event, and her presence, in spite of difficult
health circumstances, spoke volumes.
Ms. Taylor was confined to a
wheelchair, but she made spirits soar when she opened her remarks by invoking
the spirit of her dear friend, Michael Jackson. “As my believed friend Michael
said, ‘We are the world,’ and it’s up to us. It is our responsibility to take
care of those who are sick and dying in this country, and particularly in Africa."
Stone works it to raise money for AIDS Project LA
The nearly 2,000 guests
roared their approval, and many stepped up on stage and donated large sums when
exhorted by the stunning Sharon Stone,
who is a total and tireless pro at getting generous people to part with their
money for AIDS-related causes. La Toya Jackson, representing her late brother, made a sizable
donation.
Jackson and Atkin at Passport's pre-party
In the nearly three decades
of its existence, Passport (which is also sponsored by American Express and has
a similar gala in San
Francisco) has
raised more than $28 million for AIDS Project Los Angeles and other worthy
organizations.
The fashion show itself,
produced by Larry Hashbarger, was absolutely spectacular, not only showcasing
the latest styles from Hugo Boss, Levi's, Rachel Roy, Impulse, Pappi,
b.tempt’d, Calvin Klein and American
Rag, but also featured opera singers, spoken word poets, acrobats a la Cirque
du Soleil and performances by the Harajuku Girls (for Gwen Stefani’s new
fragrances) and indie bands A Fine Frenzy and Zion 1.
61st EMMY AWARDS: NPH THE MAN!
Neil Patrick Harris wowed the crowd beginning with his opening
number “Put Down the Remote”
What a difference a year
makes. Neil Patrick Harris’s adept hosting erased the bad memories of last
year’s disastrous spectacle of five reality nominees hosting the Primetime Emmy
Awards, unscripted-style—and raised the ratings. Yet as is often the case, the
people taking the podium looked like a re-run of recent years, proving once
more that once you’re in the Emmy club, your membership doesn’t necessarily
have a swift expiration date.
That
certainly doesn’t diminish the triumphant wins for “Mad Men” and “30 Rock,”
reigning kings of drama and comedy from last year. Rock’s Alec Baldwin and “Breaking
Bad’s” Bryan Cranston again added more Emmy gold to their trophy cases, as did
Glenn Close for her star turn in “Damages.” The big surprises came in the
female comedy categories, with Toni Collette taking the statuette (from
presumptive winner Tina Fey) for “The United States of Tara” and a tearful
Kristen Chenoweth accepting her supporting trophy for the cancelled ABC show
“Pushing Daisies.” Gotta love that she used her speech to apply for jobs on “Mad
Men,” “The Office,” and “24,” whose Cherry Jones took the supporting drama Emmy
for playing the crisis-consumed prez.
No
surprise that HBO kept its hold as the top trophy getter, scoring 21 statues,
including 6 for best movie “Grey Gardens,” the most for any program except
PBS’s miniseries “Little Dorrit,” which took home 7 Emmys. The Peacock net
acquired 16 trophies, including 5 for critical darling but still
ratings-challenged “Rock,” which had scored a record 22 nods going into the
telecast.
TAR favorite “The Daily Show” took the variety/music/comedy series prize.
Hooray for previous Emmy host Jon Stewart and TDS’s funny and talented staff.
