Tinsley Mortimer and Brian Mazza

By:  Mary Jo Almeida-Shore

The week leading up to New Year’s Eve was so packed with celeb-filled events and celebrations that it made going out on the big night seem almost like overkill. From a penthouse party which included Beacher’s Madhouse Oompa Loompas which packed into a party bus to LIV;to the official grand opening of Lords South Beach Hotel, which was so packed that it seemed the penthouse terrace was going to go the way of the elevator from the Tower of Terror; to LeBron James’ star-studded birthday bash, South Beach got an electric awakening from its post-Basel slumber and bid adieu to 2010 in its typical mayhem and style.

Oh Lordy

Tinsley Mortimer, Richie Rich, Tracy Young and Lady Bunny hosted the coming out bash for Lords South Beach on Wednesday night. Read the rest of this entry »

Queen Latifah worked out with a personal trainer at Equinox South Beach over the weekend, which we assume facilitated her choice of wearing skinny jeans during her “America, the Beautiful” performance on Super Bowl Sunday.  Also, Dallas Cowboy’s Miles Austin visited The Spa at Equinox South Beach post workout to enjoy a 90-minute rub down.

Sushi Samba was celeb-central during Super Bowl week, starting on Wednesday when Ross Mathews, correspondent a.k.a. “Ross the Intern” from The Tonight Show with Jay Leno; Elizabeth Berkley (Lisa Turtle from Saved by the Bell); and national correspondent for Fox News, Phil Keating.  Mathews, a personal friend of Sushi Samba Managing Partner, Matthew Johnson, “crossed the bridge” earlier that afternoon to check-out Sugarcane raw bar grill, the latest concept from the Sushi Samba group that opened in January 2010.  Katie Cassidy was at Sushi Samba on Thursday as was Wilmer Valderrama, who returned Friday night; seen schmoozing with Cassidy and later sending over a round of shots. The Wayans brothers were also spotted at Sushi Samba on Saturday.  On Sunday, the Wayans bowled the night away at Lucky Strike Lanes with a Super Bowl party that started at 6:00 p.m. until after midnight. Other celebrities spotted at Lucky Strike included Richard Marshall from the Carolina Panthers and DeSean Jackson from the Philadelphia, Randy McMichael from the St. Louis Rams, Charles Godfrey from the Carolina Panthers, and Antoine Walker, a retired basketball player formerly of the Boston Celtics, Dallas Mavericks, Atlanta Hawks, Miami Heat and Minnesota Timberwolves.

 Over at the Alene Too pop-up shop at the 944 Hotel at the Eden Roc:  TV personality Lo Bosworth from The Hills who texted friend Stephanie Pratt to “hurry over.”  Stephanie Pratt and co-star Lo arrived late and had the boutique re-opened.

 Condoleezza Rice dined with a friend at Todd English’s da Campo Osteria for lunch on Sunday. The former Secretary of State was diplomatic as usual, acting graciously with the restaurant staff while feasting on items off the northern-Italian inspired menu pre-Super Bowl.  

 Coco de Ville, the new hotspot at the Gansevoort hosted Gossip Girl’s Ed Westwick who arrived unannounced with a group of friends on Saturday night.

 On Thursday night, a bunch of stars from the upcoming movie Grown Ups dined at STK, including: Chris Rock, Adam Sandler, David Spade and Kevin James.  Adam Sandler danced to the DJ’s music and cracked jokes at the table while cutting his steak and the entire table commented on the server’s striking resemblance to fellow funny man Eddie Murphy.  Tuesday night, “quasi celebs” Mike “The Situation” and Pauly D. from Jersey Shore came in for dinner at STK for their last night in Miami.

At Tao’s Super Bowl pop up party at the W South Beach’s Wall nightclub, celeb DJ Swizz Beatz,  producer of Jay Z’s Empire State of Mine, played the song over and over again for Alex Rodriguez and Derek Jeter, who were sitting across from each other, but never said hello.  Dave Annable, of hit show, Brothers and Sisters, and his new girlfriend Odette Yustman walked the red carpet hand in hand.

Chris Rock arrived at TAO’s Super Bowl party asking for good friend Jamie Foxx.  After learning he was not in the building, he opted to sit with fellow funny guy David Spade until Jamie Foxx finally joined him and then they both jumped on the mic, with Chris Rock singing the Run DMC song line I’m the KING of ROCK.

Kristen Cavallari was ecstatic after visiting the Motorolla gifting suite by the pool at TAO’s pop-up Super Bowl party at W South Beach where she received her new Droid phone.

After last week’s season premiere marking the shows final season, “Lost” actor Josh Halloway attended TAO’s pop- up Super Bowl party at W South Beach’s Wet & Wall.

Chase Crawford being swarmed by a sea of girls asking for his newly gifted Motorola Droid phone at Tao’s pop-up Super Bowl party at W South Beach.

Up in the penthouse at the W for the Audi party:  Hillary Swank, Kate Walsh, Rob Lowe, Taylor Lautner, and Kellan Lutz. At Mr Chow – Swank, Brett Ratner, Jamie Foxx, Serena Williams, Todd English, Michael Bay, and Jillian from The Biggest Loser.

Shay Todd 2010 Swimwear show poolside at the W Hotel

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Underwater Wonderment

We knew to expect some special surprises when we received our invitation to the grand opening of the W Hotel, Fort Lauderdale.  Inside the foot-long, shimmering, purple, alligator-skinned envelope was a dark blue cardboard alligator.  Baffled, we stared at the thing for a few seconds before it occurred to us to look at the bottom of the cut out.  The instructions simply stated:  “Hold under warm water.” Hmmmmm, O.K.  Once under water, the alligator turned white, revealing the details of the grand opening extravaganza, leading us to think that this event just might warrant a trip across the Dade/Broward county line. Sure enough, the folks behind the W Hotel Fort Lauderdale, designed to resemble a sailboat (ergo the theme),  The DYL Development Group, interior designer, Clodagh Design, Whiskey Blue’s famed nightlife entrepreneurs Rande and Scott Gerber, 954 Steak’s Stephen Starr, CEO, John Yanopoulos and Eva Ziegler, Global Brand Leader, W Hotels Worldwide, did not disappoint. Upon arrival at the party on Thursday night, VIPs walked on a purple carpet, sprinkled with glitter. The whimsy continued inside as beautiful girls resembling mermaids in long blue-green chiffon dresses entertained guests who were overwhelmed by the expansive hotel.  After exploring the Living Room level as the sun set, partygoers ascended the main staircase up to Wet, the rooftop pool lounge, via a clear glass staircase which was actually built in the middle of the pool, in which beautiful, models in colorful swimsuits designed by local swimwear designer AMAYA, danced underwater with the help of SCUBA gear throughout the entire party. Talk about getting pruny in places you didn’t even know you had!  Once upstairs, Ziegler addressed the crowd, explaining that the opening of the W Fort Lauderdale is the 30^th W Hotel to open worldwide.  This is quite the accomplishment for a company that has only been around for ten years.  Afterwards, the party escalated as bonfires were lit and dance music played throughout the evening.  The alligator, which we previously mentioned made subtle appearances in a sand sculpture and in the signature white chocolate favors.  “Why?” You ask.  It turns out the albino alligator is a mascot of the hotel, which features a stuffed albino alligator in each room. 

Celebrity guests at the W opening included Gossip Girl‘s Blake Lively and beau, Penn Badgley, who spent the evening with the “Damsome,” short for “damn handsome,” (you heard it here first) Rande Gerber and his wife, supermodel, Cindy Crawford; Kin Shriner, who plays Scotty Baldwin on General Hospital, and, as expected, two members of the Kardashian clan: Khloe and Kourtney.  Other notable attendees of the W grand opening included Rene Ruiz, Gigi Ganatra, Ina Lee, Rita and Rick Case, William Palmer, Mario Iglesias, Carlos Becil, Dave Marr, Scott Brooks, Michael Yormark, Angel Medina, Steven Perricone, Patsy Mennuti, Elizabeth Wentworth, Mark and Robin Levinson, and Nikki Grossman.  On Sunday, the W Pool Party attracted many a gorgeous sun worshipper.  Presented by 944 Magazine and sponsored by Grey Goose, Red Bull and Bacardi, the event showcased the sexy styles of Betty Bangs swimwear with a rock n’ roll inspired fashion show.  DJ Marc Vane kept the party going throughout the afternoon.  

Billion Dollar Bucket

The W’s “underwater wonderment” seems like foreshadowing for what’s become known as “The Storm of 2009” which hit South Beach on Friday, flooding, well, just about everything, and turning the streets into a Venice of sorts, minus the historic bridges, buildings, plazas, cafes, places to walk, sit, stand, park, eat or drive and wrecking over 200 cars which could be seen stalled out all over the place.  For those of us who couldn’t build an ark in time, seeking refuge in a fancy storm shelter such as the Fontainebleau seemed like a pretty good idea.  That is until we checked into the hotel to find that it was raining inside, yes, inside the lobby- kind of like an unplanned indoor waterfall, the result of the caved-in roof right above the steps that lead up towards LIV and down towards Blade.  Makes us think they really should have paid those angry contractors.  Hotel employees curtained off the entire lobby which was completely flooded and scurried to escort guests to and from their shelters, (we mean) rooms and explain that all restaurants, clubs and shops were closed due to flooding.  To their credit, the Fontainebleau staff worked diligently around the clock to accommodate their guests and clean up the mess.  They even hosted a complimentary gourmet buffet dinner in a ballroom on Friday night, complete with open bar and live entertainment- we felt like Captain Stubing would be inviting us up to the Lido Deck at any moment.  By Saturday evening, there was nary a trace of any storm disaster, with the exception of the 10X10 hole in the ceiling.  It was business as usual, and the restaurants and nightclubs took extra special care of their guests.  LIV hosted a couple of cool birthday parties, which were attended by locals and celebs that refused to let a little rain dampen, their spirits. 

Coming Up

This Friday night, uber promoters, Erica Freshman and Jose Ortiz are kicking off Club 50 at the Viceroy, a weekly party hosted by Miami’s most famous (and infamous) social butterflies, movers and shakers. Club 50, named after the lounge itself, will feature live performances by Brandon O’ Hara and the Big Bounce with Troy Kurtz and Ruen on the turn tables, we mean laptops. The rooftop pool and lounge, 50 flights in the sky, provides breath-taking cityscapes as a backdrop for shaking it all night long under the stars. For RSVP and table reservations contact 305.503.4400 ext 7138.   

On Tuesday, June 16^th, Ivette Arango, Carolina Argiz, Celia De Sola, Kristin Pearce, and Jennifer Sazant will host the kick-off party for Sagamore’s Girls Night Out Getaway Package (more information below) while celebrating the release of Tatiana Boncompagni’s critically acclaimed new book, Hedge Fund Wives. The socialite-turned-author will be on- hand to sign copies of her book during the event and designer Red Carter will preview his 2010 summer collection, which he will officially debut during Mercedes Benz Swim Week on July 15. For more information on Tuesday’s event, please contact:  305 534 0081 ext 14.

Summer Steal

The Sagamore’s Girls Night Out Getaway Package is based on a minimum of four women booking together two or more nights and includes hotel accommodations, a manicure from the Rik Rak Beauty Bungalow, a bottle of Martini and Rossi Sparkling Rose wine upon check in, a book from the Sagamore Girls Night Getaway library, VIP entrance and a complimentary cocktail at Aero Bar, a round of Bloody Marys or Bellinis poolside and breakfast daily.  All this girl fun can be had for $69 per person per night during the week and $99 per person per night during the weekend.  The promotion goes from June 1, 2009 through October 15, 2009, but must be booked by June 30^th.

Happy Birthday, Fellow Geminis

Happy birthday to those who put the “gem” in Gemini:  Destiny Spang, Buster Cox, Nicolas Coeur De Roy, Stacey Rene Benedetti, Gerry Kelly, Gigi Ganatra, Janet Jorgulesco, and Jerry Powers.

Celebrity Sightings:

Khloe and Kourtney Kardashian– have been spotted just about everywhere.  Most recently, the girls famous for being famous, were at the Setai promoting clothing lines from their boutique, DASH, (as in Kar-DASH-ian– clever!). On Tuesday, they partied with an entourage, while filming their reality show at Florida Room, over the weekend, Khloe was spotted with Grammy nominee Omarian, (who also attended at B.E.D.’s “Secret Society Monday” party) and on Thursday, the Kardashian sisters were all over the W Hotel’s grand opening. Seriously, who can “keep up?”  Dwyane Wade was at the Delano on Tuesday, talking to some lovely ladies and sporting a customized Polo shirt with his basketball number, 3, embroidered on the sleeve. Sexy actress, Vivica Fox visited the Seminole Casino in Coconut Creek last week to promote her new reality hit, The Cougar. Wilmer Valderrama attended the Aston Martin preview of the new DBS Volante at the Moore Building, alongside Global Director of Design at Aston Martin, Marek Reichman, who spoke about the open-top luxury sports car and demonstrated the limited-edition Jaeger-LeCoultre AMVOX2 Transponder watch, which opens and closes the car-very James Bond, indeed.  Other notable guests included Julian Jenkins, Vice President of Aston Martin North America and accessories designer, Lisa Pliner. Valderrama also partied at LIV all weekend. On Saturday, he celebrated Frankie Delgado’s birthday and on Sunday, he was spotted there again, along with Lil Scrappy, Mario, and Kevin Hart. Chris Brown hung by the Blade pool at Fontainebleau all afternoon on Saturday, and posed with hotel guests.  Al Rojo Vivo host and guest co-host of the Today Show, María Celeste Arrarás, celebrated her new book, Make Your Life Prime Time, at the Eden Roc Hotel on Wednesday, June 10.^th 

For those of us who, um, misplaced, our invitation to the Metropolitan Museum of Art Costume Institute Gala, Saturday’s Fashion Art Ball (F.A.B.) hosted by Michelle and Tommy Pooch and Alan Roth was the party of the week. We like to consider this the un-gala- since it’s a ball that’s, well, a ball! Think of it as fancy fundraiser meets frat party.

Upon entering the ballroom at the Fontainebleau, guests were greeted by ten-foot mannequins, perched atop pedestals, composed of hundreds of tropical flowers, decorating the extensive silent auction tables and food stations including delicious bites from Pacific Time, Red, the Steakhouse Table 8, Gaia, Taverna Opa and Ra Sushi. Then there was the seemingly endless array of desserts, tempting even the staunchest dieters, from the Fontainebleau’s pastry shop. Down on the main floor is where things started to get a bit wild, with Deco Drive’s Louis Aguirre and Buster on the microphones as Gen Art winning Krel To Go designer/ Make Me a Supermodel’s, Karelle Levy, proceeded to create a dress onstage for Plum T.V. hostess, Erin Newberg, who was already wearing a stunning, gold Krel creation. The frat party antics began thanks to a Girls Gone Wild! “wardrobe malfunction,” courtesy of the buxom Newberg- (step aside, Bettie Paige), and continued with the Legends on The Runway show, featuring a bevy of South Beach nightlife impresarios and personalities, following the elegant women’s runway show, which showcased trends from Atrium, Roberto Cavalli, Ondade Mar Swimwear, and Luca Luca. Whereas the women’s show was stylish and sophisticated, culminating with Michelle Pooch alongside her adorable daughter, aspiring supermodel, Isabella Pooch, the Legends on the Runway show was a whole other story. Sure, the fashions were stylish, and the show started off fairly professional, with seasoned runway pros, such as Eric Milon and Laurent Bourgade, on the catwalk, but things quickly turned wild, with crazy dance moves, wedgies being given, DJ Irie being pushed off the runway and Beau Beasley being carried away, literally, as the crowd cheered and applauded. After the guys finished on the runway and a special performance by R&B legend, Joe, there was a good old-fashioned fraternity hazing ritual, courtesy of DJ Irie, who offered to donate $3,000.00 to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation in exchange for Alan Roth’s hair, yes, hair. The generous Roth agreed, and Irie actually shaved Roth’s head right onstage. Then Irie offered an extra five hundred bucks for Roth’s eyebrows. That’s when Roth’s girlfriend, Anne Owen, stepped in- thank goodness. All in all, it was a great night, which raised $70, 000 for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.

Polo Tropical

A completely different type of ball hit the beach over the weekend as models with mallets took to our sands for the Miami Beach Polo World Cup, the world’s largest and most prestigious polo tournament. It seems the “sport of kings” is also the “sport of queens,” since for the first year women’s polo graced South Beach, with Matti Bower, Miami Beach’s first female mayor, throwing the honorary first ball, to kick of the matches featuring world-renowned, top-ranking female polo star, Sunny Hale, and Brazilian cover models, Paula Chermont and Tiffany Busch (along with 22 of the world’s top-ranking female polo players) stunned on-lookers with their precision and prowess- not to mention incredible balance and fierce competitive spirit. Hell hath no fury like a gorgeous woman on a horse- remember Lady Godiva? Now imagine her in a cute outfit with a mallet in hand! Eye candy and star power were also provided by the men’s teams, as top ranking polo player/Ralph Lauren model, Nacho Figueras, joined returning champ Kris Kampsen and Isabella Wolf (an 18 year-old polo star who filled in for an injured player) on the Nespresso team, which fought fiercely for the trophy against the Bombay Sapphire team, which ultimately won the title 6-5 in the last seconds of the final chukker. A slew of Miami’s elite, young and old gathered on the sand behind the Setai for four days of sun, sand, snacks, cocktails and polo including local celebrity chef Jeff McInnis from Top Chef, Apprentice champ, Sean Yazbeck, Nicole Henry, Cleveland Jones, Commissioner De la Pena, Iran Issa Khan, and Sam Robin, to name a few. The soon to open, W Hotel, Nespresso, Grey Goose, and Bombay Sapphire were among the top sponsors, who kept the good times rolling.

Coming Up:

The 3^rd Annual YMCA Casino Night will host a Bond-themed bash on Saturday, at 8:00, at . Several local celebrity players including, Kelly Craig (NBC 6), Diana Gonzalez (NBC 6), Cynthia Demos (CBS 4), Will Manso (WPLG 10), Willard Shepard (NBC 6), Marybel Rodriguez (CBS 4), Mercedes Soler, author and Mega Estrella winner, Sophia Del Carmen will join guests in a night full of fun and big stakes at the Poker, Roulette, Craps and Black Jack tables. RA sushi will provide dinner by the bite, and Grey Goose vodka will sponsor the sips. For more information or to purchase tickets, please contact Julie Wagner at 305-254-0310 ext. 1204 or email at jwagner@ymcamiami.org.

Celebrity sightings:

George Clooney, has set up camp at the Delano and has been spotted all over the place, including cameos at Florida Room, Quattro and Mokai. Lance Bass celebrated his birthday on Friday at the Mondrian. Regis Philbin and Kelly Ripa in town all week shooting Regis and Kelly at the Fontainebleau, have also been making their rounds. Regis attended a Marlin’s game, and Kelly took her husband and children to the Miami Seaquarium and Jungle Island, where Jimmy Buffet stopped by last week. Nicole Richie was at the Fontainebleau Wednesday night for the launch of her jewelry line, House of Harlow 1960. Former NBA star/recently appointed basketball coach of the FIU Golden Panthers, Isaiah Thomas had dinner at RA Sushi in South Miami. Katy Perry and Wyclef Jean are in town for the Grammy Celebration Concert Tour at the Fillmore scheduled for Thursday.

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