Lea and Roy Black

The Blacks’ Annual Gala hosted by power-couple Lea and Roy Black took place right smack in the middle of the South Beach Wine and Food Festival, on Saturday, February 27 at the Fontainebleau.  Known for hosting one of the coolest events every year, with the most eclectic guest list and entertainment roster, the Blacks hosted over 700 guests during this year’s 15th anniversary gala. One hundred percent of the ticket sales and auction proceeds benefited The Consequences Charity, Educate Tomorrow, I have a Dream and Project Medishare for Haitian relief efforts founded by internationally renowned physician, Dr. Barth Green.  Uber Diva, Elaine Lancaster, served as Celebrity Hostess, a role she has valued dearly for eight years in a row.  After the reception and silent auction, guests enjoyed a 4-course meal and special musical performances, the first of which was a soulful saxophone rendition of Bob Seger’s “Turn the Page” by Alto Reed, quite fitting for a benefit for the Consequences  Charity, which is primarily devoted to helping troubled youths do just that. 

Latin Pop sensation, Paulina  Rubio took the mic next, followed by Grammy Award-winning Artist Natalie Cole, who got guests to their feet to slow dance (when was the last time you did That?), especially when she sang crowd pleaser, “Unforgettable.” Platinum Recording Artist Rick Ross performed next.  We did say “eclectic” did we not? Read the rest of this entry »

Vizcaya was a page out of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby on Saturday night for the glitzy and glamorous, Lingerie Miami, the only such showcase of lingerie in the United States. Aglow in pink lighting, the palace was reminiscent of Versailles, its beauty rivaled only by the gorgeous crowd of 500, who braved the uncharacteristically chilly weather, forking out $1,000.00 a head to support the 7Bar Foundation, a charity aimed at helping impoverished women around the globe. The event, hosted by actress Eva Longoria Parker and co-hosted by supermodel Veronica Webb, former Apprentice, Sean Yazbeck and spiritual leader and author, Deepak Chopra, (strange bedfellows indeed), was nothing short of spectacular, right down to the gold-gilded goblets, Swarovski-encrusted Moet & Chandon bottles and the raciest, sexiest lingerie this side of a Paris bordello. European lingerie designers, Fifi Chachnil, Carine Gilson and Agent Provocateur produced unique, sensual fashion shows, proving that lingerie is couture.

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The New World Symphony took over the Gusman Center on Valentine’s eve presenting Vivace: “Great Loves of the Silver Screen” better known as “catnip for romantics.”  Brilliant musical performances by the orchestra accompanied some of Hollywood’s most memorable movie scenes from love stories, starting with the Titanic anthem “My Heart Will Go On”. The handsome and charming, Academy Award-winning director, David Frankel (The Devil Wears Prada, Marley & Me) served as emcee and made snarky and funny comments before and after each performance.  For instance, Frankel proclaimed he was “King of the World” after the Titanic number and described Madame Bovary as “a film about frustrated peasant woman who slept around and then committed suicide- Perfect for Valentine’s Day.”   Other favorite music and film clips included Dr. Zhivago and A Time for Us.  Following the performances, guests many of whom channeled their inner Golden-Era film legend, crossed the street on a red carpet to the Alfred I. DuPont Building, which had been transformed into a 21^st century speakeasy. A jubilant, energetic vibe permeated the entire evening.  Attendees included Martin Rozenblum, Claudia Cisneros, Rita Cabasés, Gordon Myers, Lourdes & Timothy Collett, Lin and Sarah Arison, Neisen & Ana Kasdin, Howard & Mary Frank, Gerald & Jane Katcher, Mario & Lourdes de Armas, Woody and Judy Weiser, Matthew & Jennifer Buttrick,  Stanley & Gala Cohen, Edward Shumsky & Sue Kronick,  Adam & Chanin Carlin, Bob & Diane Moss, Jody Wolfe, Diane Sepler, Sheldon & Florence Anderson, Sari & Dr. Arthur Agatston, Beau Beasley, Anne Owen & Alan Roth, Vanessa & Gary Ressler, Lisa Schejola Kin & Jeffrey Akin and Irene & Rod Sintow, David Restainer & Sandra Hernandez, Florencia Ximenez-Marcos & Xavier Gonzalez, Orlando Gonzales, Marcia Martinez & Michael Laas, Aaron Resnick, Chad Turner and Alia Dia.

Every year, Pawpurrazzi is one of the most unique events in town. Where else can you see 500 socialites, with more than 350 dogs in tow, all dressed to the nines?  This year’s Pawpurrazzi, chaired by Pat and Milton Wallace, took place on Friday night at Jungle Island and was THE place where dog and people watching reigned supreme.  From ice cream treats, make-overs, and a Purina doggy bar for the furry guests, to a fabulous dinner and impressive auction chaired by Saks Dadeland’s Juan Lopez, Marisa Cisneros and Ann Rubino, for the humans, Pawpurrazzi was a blast for guests of any species.

One of the evening’s highlights, was the one-of-a kind fashion show:  “Great Pets Who Walk In Front of Great People,” where honored guests and their dog(s) ironically walked the “catwalk” for the runway show, the best part of which was seeing just how much people look like their dogs, or vice versa.  The 50 foot dessert bar, which included gourmet cupcakes, brownies, make-your-own sundaes and S’mores- (complete with blow torches and all), Turkish coffee and just about every other scrumptious delight imaginable was also fantastic. The event raised close to $500,000 for the Humane Society and five dogs were adopted during the evening

Special guests included: Sandy, Jon, and Nancy Batchelor, Kirk Landon and Pamela Garrison, Bunny Bastian, Marisa Cisneros-Rizzon, Dr. Fredric Brandt, Yvonne Eldredge and Emily Damiano, Barbara and F.W. Mort Guilford, Sherrill and Mary Ann Hudson, Linda and Patrick McEnany, Donna Shalala, President of the University of Miami, Jeanette and Ted Fine, Christina and Robert Hudson, DJ and Steve Kerr, Sandy Zankl, Steven and Allison Zelkowitz, Melanie and Ryan Herman, Jeff and Yolanda Berkowitz, Sam Blum, Lady Beatrice Clancy, Ana May and Eugene Conese, Skip and Joyce Dickerson, Irene and Chris Korge, Helene and Marc Kovens, Juan and Carmen Lopez, the Munilla family, Jennifer and Richard Postrel, Ann and Frank Rubino, Bob and Sookey Schwartz,  Rene Ruiz, Marysol Patton, Amy Zakarin and Glenn Singer, Mayor of Golden Beach.

On January 12, Clo and Charles S. Cohen, owners of DCOTA (Design Center of the Americas), hosted a private grand opening gala to celebrate the launch of the first ever DCOTA DesignHouse.  A crowd of 400 social and design luminaries from Miami to Palm Beach gathered to view the cutting edge designs and to toast the 2010 Stars of Design:  Sam Robin, Max Strang, Carlos Betancourt, Nicholas Varney, Jeff Blakely, Robin Hill, Laura Paresky Gould and Vladimir Kagan, who were honored on the same evening.  Among those in attendance for this fabulous event: Charles S. Cohen, Erika and Vladimir Kagan, Robin Hill, Brad Ford, Brian Patrick Flynn, Sophie Donnellson, Julia Noran, Norma Quintero, Tina Carlo, James W. Murphy, Nicole Lozano, Diane and Aristotle Aris, Gary Hutton, James Wall, D. Ashlee Harrison, Jilian Sanz, Irvin Lippman, Diane Sepler, Jeff Blakely, Phoebe Howard, Bonnie Barnett and Robert Kagan, Jeff and Gina Sabean, Katie Vecellio, Iran Issa Khan, Marnie Goldberg, Michael Kirkland and Sandy Krakoff.

This gala benefited three outstanding museums, representing each of the three counties of South Florida, The Norton Museum of Art, Palm Beach; the Fort Lauderdale Museum of Art, Broward; and the Vizcaya Museum, Miami/Dade. The entire run of the DesignHouse will also benefit these outstanding cultural institutions.  DesignHouse will be open daily, Monday through Friday, from 10:00 a.m. through 4:00 p.m., through June 11, and select Saturdays throughout the run (Saturday, February 6- Saturday March 6, and April 10).

Ride Eva, Ride…

Everyone’s favorite (not-so-desperate) “Housewife,” Eva Longoria Parker, alongside BFFs, J.R. and Loren Ridinger, joined forces with 20 other celebs, to chair the first Rally for Kids with Cancer Scavenger Cup in Miami to benefit the Jackson Memorial Foundation, International Kids Fund (IKF) and Holtz Children’s Hospital. Kind of like an Amazing Race on steroids, the Rally events began on Friday night, at the “Qualifiers” Celebrity Draft Party, at the Ridingers’ North Bay Road manse, where each driver drafted his/her Celebrity Navigator. J.R. Ridinger, whose Market America team raised the highest amount, over $125, 000, drafted Longoria Parker. After brunch on Saturday, Loren Ridinger waved the checkered flag to signal the start of the race, which would include a total of 7 pit stops throughout Miami. Each team was required to find and solve a clue in order to determine the location of the subsequent stop. The race was extremely competitive. Team Market America even set up a control center with computers where Loren helped find answers for trivia questions while J. R. and Longoria Parker figured out the pit stop locations. When asked about their favorite pit stops, J.R. and Longoria Parker conveyed to Miami Socialholic that their favorite was the comedy stop at Blue Martini, where they had to perform a timed, impromptu comedy act together. They said they were completely put on the spot but loved it, especially since they were the only team to receive a ten from each of the three judges. A close runner up involved a jet-ski race out on the ocean where they had to find a hidden flag on the buoy that held the clue to the next location. They won this stop also, beating the other teams by finding the flag in just 2 minutes and 66 seconds! The consensus among all team members was that the most touching pit stop was at Jackson Memorial’s Holtz Children’s Hospital, during which the contestants interacted with the children, who created paintings of each team.

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