By:  Mary Jo Almeida-Shore

Over 1000 guests flew in from all over the globe for nightlife impresario/ philanthropist/entrepreneur (Swiss Army Knife) Michael Capponi’s 40^th birthday party benefit at Capitale in New York City on May 4- a veritable who’s who of the city’s top nightlife heavyweights, models, celebrities and promoters.  No stranger to extravagant birthday bashes, Capponi has celebrated past birthdays in a tree-house mansion in Nygard Cay; aboard a pirate ship at the now defunct Jimbo’s; and in an airplane hangar at Opa Locka airport to name a few.  We had no doubt that Capponi would pull out all the stops for his latest milestone, which, as expected, would require an airplane ride.

This year’s Jacmel Carnaval themed event shone a spotlight on Capponi’s progress in providing quality education, diverse vocational training, industry development and job creation in Haiti throughout his 60 trips to the island nation since the devastating earthquake in January 2010. Capponi created the Haiti Empowerment Mission, to which Capponi’s guests donated a whopping $120, 000.  Read the rest of this entry »

Last Saturday night, Rory Dougherty, owner of Vice Lounge hosted a private dinner at Soiree, the restaurant within the nightclub, for his son, Grant Dougherty, HBO talk show host Katie Morgan joined the Doughertys in the celebration.

Oakley and famed NASCAR driver Juan Pablo Montoya teamed up on Saturday to inaugurate the opening of the new Oakley store in Pembroke Pines. The 2007 Rookie of the Year was in attendance to celebrate the new store and meet fans and sign posters.

Rapper Fat Joe was spotted at STK Miami this past Sunday with a pretty female companion, sharing new chef Aaron Taylor’s Surf & Turf for two with Truffles and sipping pinot noir. The duo was overheard discussing the critical state of Haiti.  No word on his plans for a relief concert. Separately in town over the weekend and seen at STK was fellow rapper Lil Jon.  

Lenny Kravitz was on-hand on Monday night at Paramount Bay to share the first series of details about the soon-to-open condominium, which Kravitz plans to make his home in 2012.