After Wednesday's Z100 bowling extravaganza on Wednesday night, I had a party of a different sort with my Clear Channel Online Music and Radio friends on Thursday. Woo hoo!
CCOMR kahuna Evan is on the board of a wonderful organization called Keep A Child Alive, which works to fight the AIDS pandemic in Africa (you can learn more about their amazing work by clicking here). He was nice enough to invite the crew along to their annual Black Ball, a very swank affair that honored, among others, legendary U2 frontman/world-saver Bono. Let's go to the highlights:
(this photo, along with the next two, by Kevin Mazur/WireImage)
How cute is this kid, one of the talented African singers at the event! And how cute is his shirt? Alicia Keys is one of Keep A Child Alive's global ambassadors, and a tireless supporter of their work. We were treated to a killer Alicia performance with lots of special guests like...
Gwen Stefani! She and Alicia performed an interesting, Bono-less version of my favorite U2 song, "Sunday Bloody Sunday," before throwing down together on Gwen's "What You Waiting For." I don't know how Gwen managed to pull herself away from her dinner table and get up on stage, because if I was dining with her tablemate, I'd probably chain myself to my chair...
Lordy loo, do I love me some Bowie. But anyway, as awesome as he is, I bet my tablemates were more interesting.
Before you jump to conclusions, no, Jen and Evan didn't raid Paula Abdul's medicine cabinet. The giant pill bottles were part of the table decor. Really!
Gerrit, still on crutches after a run of bad luck that involved both legs, was taking a different type of medicine all night.
He tried to talk Suzy and Chris into just carrying him around on a throne all night, but it didn't happen.
Jesus, Mary and Joseph and the wee donkey, was dinner delicious! The menu was designed by Top Chef host Padma Lakshmi, and you know how I love me some Top Chef (Dale was robbed!). I don't know that I've ever been to a benefit where the food was so good that I'd eat every single bite, but the Korean short ribs were amazing -- and no one's mad at some chocolate-covered strawberries.
OK -- once again, those were NOT Jen's pills.
During breaks in the action, when we weren't trying to be good guests by sucking down the event's signature cocktail (a lovely Cosmo-esque creation), we kept ourselves amused by shooting photos from above. And then we had more cocktails.
Paul D works his best pimp daddy look.
You know, Miralds keeps telling me that I'm not his type...
...but maybe there's hope yet.
Five hours after we arrived, the main event was just wrapping up. Even though the upstairs after-party at the Amy Sacco-designed Bungalow 8 Ballroom was sure to be ridiculous, I was lame and thought it best to catch a ride home on the Miraldi express since I had an early morning ahead of me.
As I was reminiscing on the great time on the ferry ride to work this morning, it struck me -- oh snap! I'd neglected to take a photo of our CCOMR colleague Eric Siebert, who also joined the festivities. Fortunately, I was able to Google a photo of him so that I could fully represent the crew. Hail technology!
Wednesday, October 24, 2007, 11:48 PM EST [General]
Why is Tom smiling? Well, when he and the ridiculously awesome Sharon Stevens came to Z100 eleven years ago, it was in 18th place in the ratings. Just the other day, when the latest ratings came out, it was #1, baby! Your best friend, your little brother, your mom, her mom -- everyone loves Z!
Why am I smiling? Because I work with them!
We at Z100 are always looking for a good excuse to party, and this good news was more than enough reason to throw down. So we hit Chelsea Piers' Club 300 for bowling, cocktails, celebration, cocktails and more cocktails.
(Another reason to celebrate? There was this crazy rumor going around that Tom was leaving us to start a high-end taxidermy business with Ted Nugent, but that turned out to be untrue)
The Pajama Party ladies got game -- Sharon was rackin' up the strikes all night!
Darren spent most of the evening arguing with his cocktail, which was evidently named Steve. D insisted that Steve was a trifling loser who owed him $40. We just smiled and nodded.
On the other hands, JJ's crazy eyes didn't have anything to do with talking to his drink -- he gets that way every time he wears his favorite shirt and does the thumbs. It's like Wonder Twin powers unite! Form of: #1 afternoon guy in the country!
This was the first ratings party for much of Team Online -- Rob (left) and awesome newbie Alison (right). It's old hat for Justin, just like the one on his head.
Glad to see Niko (here with Z100 vet Pauley P, Rob and Sharon) representing for our shared hometown of Detroit with the assault rifles on his shirt.
Now I know what you're really interested in -- who's the best bowler at Z100? Well, I'll tell you this -- Phill "Kingpin" Cross is, perhaps, the most talented gutter ball thrower I've ever seen. Check this out:
He's on top (followed by Scotty B, Ronnie and Pauley P). I mean, it's remarkable, right?!? One lane over, check out this tasty strike trifecta:
That's David Brody, Sharon, Tom and, much to my great shock, me. I went on to almost double my first-game total of 48! I think that deserves props from Z100's EVP of First Impressions...
...Davonne "Mrs. Taylor Hicks" Whaley. Whether shouting over the Z100 intercom or Cabbage Patching down the hall, you can always count on Miss Davonne for a pick-me-up.
One guy who got a major pick me up was Jonathan. He beat his all-time record with a whopping 175! That moment couldn't go unrecorded. Check him out on the bottom:
All in all, it was a lovely evening with some wonderful people that ended with Sharon and I doing what we do best...umm...smiling!
Saturday, October 20, 2007, 02:18 AM EST [General]
I had a long week. I'm going to some work thing in SF in the AM, and I was really looking forward to the small semblance of a weekend I'd get after leaving Lite fm this evening.
I was desperate to find a cab, because even though those of you who know me well know that I should probably get a job doing PR for the fabulous NY Waterway (I may have a crush on Captain Tom, in fact), the loser ferry bus driver didn't pick me up on 49th as usual. I resorted to my failsafe of standing in front of the Hilton on 54th and 6th Ave.
Sure enough, in a minute and a half, a cab drops off its passengers. As they pile out, a few thoughts hit me. Thought one: good God almighty, that woman has had too much plastic surgery. I can tell she's pretty, so I don't know why she'd go there! Thought two: wow, she's really smiling sweetly at me. Now I feel like kind of a beeyotch. Thought three: holy hell, that's Mary Tyler Moore.
You may not even know who she is, but I do, and she's awesome. And it just kind of reminded me -- we are beautiful (without plastic surgery), no matter what they say.
A couple weeks ago, I made a long overdue and way too short (25 hours!) trip back home to Detroit to see my mom Eileen, brother Tom, sister-in-law Annie and niece Charley. The highlight of the trip was a visit to the Sears Portrait Studio at Oakland Mall. I've had lots of good times at Sears over the years -- like the time the stylist at the salon gave me a perm that was WAY too tight, which, coupled with my glasses, caused everyone at school to call me Weird Al. Or the time I was getting my hair cut and she dropped a curling iron on my face. That was awesome.
Anyway, the purpose of our foray into bordello baby land (seriously -- there were huge blowups of infants in lip gloss and feather boas all over the place, as well as a six-year-old there for a portrait who was wearing heels) was to get a few family pictures to commemorate Charley's cuteness. When she and I took ours together, it became crystal clear that even though we've spent ridiculously too little time together, she is absolutely, undoubtedly, 100% my blood. See for yourself:
Apologies in advance to everyone that I'm about to drive up the motherloving wall with the Evita soundtrack (Madonna version, because it's easier to sing along with). I promise it won't be as bad as my Sound of Music phase, which was almost reborn when I walked into Tom's office the other day to discover him singing "Something Good" (yes, somewhere in your youth or childhood, I'm sure you did do something good).
Anyway, I just booked a ticket to Buenos Aires! I'm going to visit my friend Jeremy Helligar over Thanksgiving. Last year, he just packed up and said peace out to NYC. I miss him -- but I'm also super jealous. So I'm counting down the days, and November 15th couldn't come quickly enough. Most nights out with Jeremy look a little something like the below, so I can only imagine what the Argentinian version is gonna be like...
