I had to wake up super-early for a meeting yesterday morning: 8 A.M. (and yes, that is early for a professional party-hopper and late-night blogger). But I just couldn’t resist an invitation to go sailing in style around Manhattan in the Hugo Boss boat. Especially since I have such fond memories of the Hugo House, where I crashed during one of my first trips to the Sundance Film Festival (imagine a celebrity version of The Real World: Park City). I joked to the company’s Richard Presser that I wouldn’t be surprised if my next invite was to tour the city in a Hugo-copter. With our chic black sails and a photogenic, Hugo-clad crew, we must have been the envy of the Hudson River—even the Coast Guard couldn’t resist checking us out.
Photo by Karsten Staiger Photography
I wasn’t the only editor who returned from an important business meeting with a tan. Also on board was The New York Post’s Richard Johnson, who edits Page Six, and I was more than happy to share my Kiehl’s sunscreen with him. While most of the passengers (myself included) were content to soak up the sun while checking their Treos, Richard rolled up his sleeves and helped the crew raise and lower the massive sails and from where I was sitting, it sure looked like a lot of work. But I was lounging next to two fellow email addicts who work at the HL Group, a firm that counts many fashion houses as clients, and I was eager to hear the buzz about next week’s CFDAs, a.k.a. “the Oscars of the fashion industry.”
More 
Because Gwen Stefani was one of my first big interviews, I can say with authority that she looks better than ever: Impossibly flawless skin, legs that go on forever (and then some) and a rockin’ bod that looks like it belongs to a Pilates instructor. How does she do it?
Chasing after her adorable kid Kingston (who celebrated his first birthday over the weekend) would be my guess after seeing the hands-on mom in action at a party hosted by her friend, the best-selling author Vicki Iovine.. The soiree was intended to be a fun and relaxing afternoon for Hollywood moms (as seen in In Style’s May issue and on InStyle.com), so I think I was the only guy in attendance aside from, well, Kingston. But I couldn’t pass up an invite to one of Vicki’s fabulous parties, and I had the opportunity to meet Gwen’s mother, who told me: “I always say that the grandchildren grow faster than the children!” And I’m thrilled that I had a chance to catch up with Gwen and remind her that I first interviewed her when No Doubt released “Just a Girl” seven years ago. “That was more like ten years ago, dude!” Gwen reminded me. But hey, who’s counting?
James, Gwen Stefani and Kingston
Vicki Iovine, James and Amanda Schuon
Photo by Silvia Mautner
When I first arrived, I joked to Vicki that I had been tempted to stuff a pillow under my shirt so that I could fit in with her other guests; her good friend Maria Shriver overheard me and said: “My husband did that in a movie once!” That would be Governor Schwarzenegger. (And I think the movie was Junior but don’t quote me on that.)
More
I’m always interested to hear how actresses research their roles, but I’ve never had a chance to play a part in the creative process. That is until Melora Hardin, who is best known as Steve Carell’s busty boss and erstwhile love interest on The Office (did she totally steal the season finale or what?), swung by In Style’s office to do a little research.
Photos by Martha McCully
Melora is spending part of her summer vacation filming the movie 27 Dresses with Malin Akerman and Katherine Heigl, and she plays a glamorous magazine editor, so she came to the right place. In Style’s fabulous executive editor (and my fellow InStyle.com blogger), Martha McCully, took her on a tour of our fashion and shoe closets and then Melora treated everyone to a lively Q&A about her TV show, which is a TiVo staple of our staff.
Melora and Martha McCully
James and Melora
If you haven’t had a chance to watch the video of Melora’s “meet & greet,” check it out now on InStyle.com. It’s almost as entertaining as an episode of The Office (and it gives you a glimpse into our conference room, where we have more fun than Steve and Melora could ever dream of).
-- James Patrick Herman
I remember attending the premiere of Lisa Kudrow’s edgy HBO series, The Comeback, at Paramount Studios and, well, not laughing out loud. I guess I was expecting it to be hilarious but instead it was kind of depressing. But after repeated viewings, I finally get it. Now I think this show was just way ahead of its time.
Malin Akerman
On The Comeback’s sitcom-within-a-sitcom, Lisa played Aunt Sassy to an apartment full of young roommates, and Malin Akerman was the loveable but ditzy blonde girl who proved to be its breakout star. Now she’s hitting the big time for real, but in the movies, not on TV. Over afternoon tea at Bar Americain, the Swedish-born former model and singer for the L.A. band The Petalstones told me how she passed up an offer to join the cast of Lost because she was in the running to costar as Ben Stiller’s love interest in the new Farrelly brothers comedy, The Heartbreak Kid. (Remember what There’s Something About Mary did for Cameron Diaz’s career...and paycheck?) The only problem is that she was up against some actress named Gwyneth Paltrow. And another one named Kate Hudson. But guess what? Malin got the part!
She acted out some of the best (albeit R-rated) lines from the movie, and although I won’t be printing any of them on my blog, it was fun watching the waiter’s jaw-dropping reaction. Malin can also be seen in The Invasion with Nicole Kidman and Daniel Craig this fall and she’s currently shooting 27 Dresses with Katherine Heigl in Rhode Island (they play sisters). And, hey, speaking of 27 Dresses...
-- James Patrick Herman
I wish that I had been in town for Jamie Lynn Sigler’s recent birthday party at Butter, because I would’ve known the perfect gift to get her. After all, she just talked to me for In Style’s new June issue and revealed all of her guilty pleasures. Like nerds, for instance, which she says her brother Adam brings her every year on her birthday. I’m referring, of course, to the candy kind—her hottie boyfriend, Butter co-owner Scott Sartiano, hardly qualifies as nerdy.
I adore Jamie Lynn not only because she admits to having a serious sweet tooth (she’s a big fan of Skittles, Gummi Worms and Swedish Fish too) but also because she has so many guilty pleasures that I couldn’t possibly fit them all on one page. Since Jamie Lynn is on The Sopranos, one of the greatest television shows ever, I couldn’t resist asking her about her must-see TV shows that aren’t exactly high quality.
Jamie Lynn Sigler
Photo By Johnny Nunez/NUBUZZ PHOTOS
“I’m seriously obsessed with all of the MTV reality shows: The Real World, Parental Control and Date My Mom,” she told me. “That one’s hilarious: The moms are so aggressive. I hate to sound mean but it’s not surprising that some of the moms are, you know, single. And my friends and I actually TiVo The Hills. I’ve seen the same episode of The Hills, like, 80 times. People wouldn’t expect this but I am sort of like Heidi: I’m the loud one. If it’s your birthday—I don’t care how quiet the restaurant is—I’ll be like, ‘Yeah! It’s your birthday!’ I’m the one who likes planning things for her friends. But then when Heidi falls in love, she falls deeply in love. She doesn’t abandon her friends, but she gets very wrapped up in relationships.”
More
Hot young models—and the investment bankers who love them—turned out to see Fergie Ferg perform at the second of seven shows in the Cipriani Wall Street Concert Series. She was introduced by none other than Sarah Ferguson (the evening benefited her foundation as well as the U.S. Fund for UNICEF). The Duchess of York shared some quotes from their first-ever phone conversation when she rang the solo Black Eyed Pea to request that she “rock the house for the children of the world”: “Hello, Fergie. It’s Fergie,” she recalled saying, to which the singer naturally replied, “Hi, Fergie!”
And so on. Last night’s crowd also included power couple Damon Dash and Rachel Roy, designer Marc Bouwer, stylish Norma Augenblick—who is responsible for putting this fabulous Deutsche Bank-sponsored series together—and her boss, Giuseppe Cipriani.
I have to give Fergie props for such a high-energy performance despite the fact that the banker-heavy crowd was not quick to shake their tailfeathers. And I was impressed that her set ranged from pop to rock, R&B, even reggae. I especially loved it when she capped her inspired cover of Heart’s “Barracuda” by channeling Axl Rose and shouting: “Welcome to the jungle, baby! You’re gonna die!” The models and bankers looked a little confused, but I thought it was genius.
-- James Patrick Herman
Photos by Mark A. Neston
Fergie
Sarah Ferguson and Giuseppe Cipriani
James and Norma Augenblick
More
It’s Upfronts time in NYC, which is sort of like the TV fan’s answer to Fashion Week: The networks announce their fall lineups and we have an opportunity to toast all of our favorite TV stars as well as a chance to meet telegenic newcomers. In Style hosted parties for the management firm 3 Arts Entertainment and the Gersh Agency (they share some clients such as frequent In Style cover gal Debra Messing), where I had the pleasure of meeting 19-year-old Blake Lively. She’s the star of Gossip Girl, the sexy new series from The O.C.’s creator, Josh Schwartz, and she’s defnitely one to watch. Blake didn’t make it a late night because she wasn’t feeling well, but you’d never know it from looking at her. “It’s the lipstick,” she explained.
Chris Diamantopoulos, Becki Newton and James
Photo courtesy of: In Style/Wireimage
Later, I had a chance to catch up with ’Til Death’s Joely Fisher, who was looking like a red-hot mama in a dress that was the same shade of Blake’s flawless lipstick. I haven’t seen Joely since New Year’s day at her mom’s casa in Puerto Vallarta. She didn’t stay for dinner, but I met more fun-loving stars at my table. Becki Newton, for instance, who plays Amanda, my favorite character on Ugly Betty. She came with her hot hubby Chris Diamantopoulos, Debra Messing’s costar in The Starter Wife (you may remember Paulie Walnuts busting his kneecaps on The Sopranos). Becki and Chris are so cute and so in love and they make an impossibly adorable couple (get this—they met on the subway). It would be easy to hate them if they weren’t so hilarious. Now I sound like Amanda! Becki and I bonded over experiences that are right out of an episode of Ugly Betty: Going to sample sales and getting suckered into dropping loads of cash on allegedly chic but truly ugly clothes.
More
New York Fashion Week will be here before I know it and just thinking about the Spring 2008 collections--when I've barely had a chance to enjoy Spring 2007--makes me stressed out. Donna Karan must know how I feel. She just launched the Well-Being Forum, an ambitious two-week workshop that aims to unite the worlds of coventional and alternative medical pratices, which is part of what she calls her Urban Zen Initiative. At a glamorous party that she hosted at the West Village studio of her late husband, Stephan Weiss, I managed to spot Donna in a packed (but calm!) crowd that included Demi and Ashton and Christy Turlington and Ed Burns. I was eager to thank her for helping to turn a seemingly oxymoronic concept into a reality. Donna always has her fashionable finger on the pulse of the zeitgeist, and I asked her: "Why does your Urban Zen Inititiative resonate with New Yorkers?" But I couldn't help suggesting an answer to my own question: "Perhaps because we're all so stressed out?" I added. Donna just laughed and said simply: "Hello!"
-- James Patrick Herman
Donna Karan and James
Photo by Mark A. Neston
Ladies, have you ever spent hours getting ready for a party only to turn up and see someone else rocking your dress? That’s how I felt when I spotted John Travolta at Colin Cowie’s 70’s-theme party and he was wearing the exact same black shirt-white suit combo that I had on. But imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, and fortunately John--who is just as movie-star-handsome in person as you would expect--appeared to be flattered: “You’re wearing your collar in but I’m wearing mine out,” he said, sounding amused and smiling. We also had chest hair in common.
Photos By Mark A. Neston
John Travolta and James
Later, I had the pleasure of interviewing rock icon Steven Tyler and his beautiful daughters Liv and Chelsea as well as younger singers such as Nick Lachey, TV stars like Rob Lowe, and one of cinema’s Fantastic Four, Human Torch Chris Evans, who also appears as "the Harvard Hottie" opposite Scarlett Johansson in The Nanny Diaries this fall. As you can see, he is, in fact, smokin’ hot.
Steven Tyler
Chelsea and Liv Tyler
Angela Bassett and James
Chris Evans and James
James and Rob Lowe
After Tyler rocked the house and showed everyone how to "Walk This Way," the crowd came down (and got down) with a case of disco fever when the Village People and Earth, Wind and Fire took the stage and were joined by Stevie Wonder. One of the best answers I got to my question (“What's your favorite thing about the seventies?”) came from Kelsey Grammer. “High school,” he quipped. But first place goes to Kelly Preston, who bragged, “My husband!”
-- James Patrick Herman
More
The hands-down highlight of my all-star holiday weekend at the Atlantis Cove resort in the Bahamas was watching Whitney Houston topple off her inner tube and splash around in the Caribbean. I will always love you, Whitney. And I also adore Janet Jackson: While other pop divas check into rehab or fall into the sea, Miss Jackson’s still standing. And singing. And dancing.
Photos by Mark A. Neston
Janet Jackson
Janet turned it out on Friday night for a celeb-studded crowd that was noshing on Nobu and taking in the ultra-fabulous décor presented by party planning guru Coling Cowie. How did Janet cap her set? With an epic, seemingly endless fireworks display that totally blew the 4th of July in N.Y.C. version away. At one point, the Atlantis Cove resembled a towering inferno of sparklers (talk about a “hotspot”). Oscar nominee Angela Bassett told me she felt like a little kid with her eyes glued to the sky and a hand wrapped over her awestruck mouth.
James and Andy Gelb
DJ Donna D’Cruz
Fashion-crazed DJ Donna D’Cruz spun her heart out behind the ones and twos but the party soon moved over to the poolside bungalows at Cain and then, later, to the exclusive (and thankfully A.C.-chilled) nightclub Aura inside Atlantis, where Janet was kicking back with an entourage after her high-energy performance. Let’s sum up the evening this way: It was a long night of fun for this energetic blogger. But somehow, eventually, perhaps miraculously, I found my way back to my hotel room. My party-hopping muse Lindsay Lohan would’ve been proud!
-- James Patrick Herman
Stevie Wonder celebrated his 57th birthday with a little help from his friends: Whitney Houston, Kanye West, Steven Tyler, Jeremy Piven, Tyra Banks, Angela Bassett, Spike Lee, Kelsey Grammer, Quincy Jones and Chris Tucker. And those were just the stars seated in the audience at Bobby Flay’s new Mesa Grill restaurant in the Cove Atlantis resort. The celebrities who took the stage to serenade the birthday boy with covers of his soulful classics included John Legend, India.Arie and Joss Stone, who kicked off her heels to perform “Signed, Sealed, Delivered, I’m Yours,” in her signature shoeless style.
Photos by Mark A. Neston
Stevie Wonder with friends and family
Whitney Houston
Joss Stone
John Legend
After a fabulous dinner of tuna tartare and filet mignon (thanks, Bobby!), I stopped by Trya’s table to say hi and asked if she would be singing tonight; she just rolled her eyes and laughed. “Have you seen who seen who is in this room tonight?” asked her buff manager, Benny Medina, who sometimes serves as a guest judge on America’s Next Top Model. Sure, but I also just saw a rerun of the episode where Tyra shoots a music video and aspiring top models have to boogie in the background. (Yes, not only do I admit to watching ANTM but I even watch old reruns of the show on MTV!) Then Benny told me to put down my pen and pad. “You’re not working tonight,” he said. But like Benny, I’m always working the room!
James and Bobby Flay
More
I just walked by a tracksuit-clad Stevie Wonder in the hotel lobby. Now I'm watching Janet Jackson swim with dolphins. And I hear that my favorite party girl, Lindsay Lohan, is due to arrive any minute.
Where am I? The Cove Atlantis on Paradise Island, a new 600-room resort in the Bahamas. The fun starts tonight with Stevie Wonder's 60th birthday party and doesn't quit until Saturday night, when uber-entertainer Colin Cowie throws a '70s-theme party. It's bound to be a disco inferno!
-- James Patrick Herman
The last time I saw Brooke Shields was at the “Walk of Style” tribute to Donatella Versace and her late brother Gianni in Los Angeles. I remember thinking: Wow, I can’t believe that a party on Rodeo Drive is still going strong at midnight, but Brooke and her fabulous friends weren’t in any hurry to leave. And hey, she has everyone reason to live it up these days: For one thing, she’s happily married with two gorgeous kids. For another, she has a super-stylish, Sexy and the City-esque TV series called Lipstick Jungle due out this fall (she’ll probably be the Charlotte character but I’m hoping she’ll turn out to be more like Samantha), which means that we’ll hopefully be seeing a lot more of Brooke in N.Y.C. And yesterday, she was honored here with the Spirit of Life Award from City of Hope, the largest cancer research center and hospital in the country. After an introduction from my favorite columnist, Liz Smith, Brooke accepted the award on behalf of her late father, Francis Shields, who died of prostate cancer. Brooke gave a heartfelt speech (“I accept this award in the name of my father, who is thanking all of you for the work that you are doing to try to cure this disease, which affects entire families,” she said) and was interrupted only once because of an unexpected shout-out from her one-year-old daughter Grier. And yes, she’s one pretty baby, just like her mom.
-- James Patrick Herman
Brooke Shields
Photo by Gary Gershoff/WireImage.com
What do you get for the R&B phenom who seems to have everything for his 18th birthday? For singer Chris Brown—who has a new album called Exclusive coming out in September and a movie titled This Christmas hitting theaters in November—the answer is apparently a blue Lamborghini.
That was Chris’s gift to himself, anyway. Meanwhile, his record label, Jive, treated him to a lavish dinner at Mr. Chow in Tribeca and they generously invited many of his fans from the media and fashion worlds. Wendy Washington and Ticeman Merriweather from Jive sent me a handwritten invite specifying that the dress code was “sexy chic,” and that phrase definitely summed up the crowd: The first person I saw was, of course, ubiquitous photographer Johnny Nunez, who was shooting guests as they arrived. Once inside, I caught up with my hilarious friend Margeaux Watson, who writes the “Hot Mess of the Week” column for Entertainment Weekly. And later I met a rep for Miu Miu who told me that a brand new boutique will be opening on 57th Street in September and (thank you, Miuccia) and it will include their men’s as well as their women’s collections.
Photos by Mark A. Neston
The birthday boy
James and Johnny Nunez
More
Okay, this is going to be my very last Coachella-inspired blog post, I swear! While I managed to see dozens of awesome bands over the course of the three-day fest, trying to spot svelte stars was a bit like trying to find needles in a haystack. Sadly, I missed bumping into one of my favorite young actresses, Taryn Manning (who has appeared in movies such as Hustle & Flow and 8 Mile and has six new films coming out this year). I searched all over for her during Bjork’s set, but as it turned out, she was still stuck on the freeway. “I was looking forward to seeing Bjork most of all—she’s incredible live,” Taryn tells me. “I was devastated that I missed her because of traffic.” Fortunately Taryn didn’t miss the DKNY Jeans House, a nearby retreat where stars and scenesters could shop, relax and freshen up if they didn’t care to powder their noses in the porta-potties at Coachella.
Taryn Manning at the DKNY Jeans House
Photo by Seth Brownick/Wireimage
“Aside from the music, my favorite thing about Coachella is all the people and their eclectic styles. I love checking out the fashion on display and seeing how creative people can be in the blazing heat,” Taryn says. As a Coachella vet, she has learned a thing or two about looking cool in 100-plus temperatures. Her tips for beating the heat in style? “My look starts with a lot of sunscreen with shimmer. And I have to wear waterproof mascara or I will have smeared mascara in no time,” she says.
More
Who wants to read on a Friday afternoon? I feel you. So I hope you like looking at these pictures of bands (and other amusing distractions) at Coachella as much as I enjoyed hearing them.
-- James Patrick Herman
Photos by Mark A. Neston
I went to see Swedish imports Peter, Bjorn and John (they’re like the Ikea of indie rock!) the other night at Webster Hall--which used to be The Ritz back in the day and also served as the setting of Madonna’s infamous Bedtime Stories pajama party—and even though they put on a great show, I missed the wide-open spaces of Coachella (despite the fact that the polo field was jam-packed with 100,000 hipsters). More importantly, I missed the fact that I would be not be returning home to find a clean bedroom, as was the case during my lovely stay at the scene-y Parker Palm Springs hotel.
Peter Bjorn and John
Photo By Mark A. Neston
It was cool seeing headliners like the Red Hot Chili Peppers live at Coachella (especially when they performed a cover of Donna Summer’s “I Feel Love”) but it was even better seeing them up close and personal at the Parker’s pool during the day. I’ve heard that members of some long-established touring bands don’t even speak to one other when they’re not on stage, so it’s good to know that Anthony Kiedis and Flea really do enjoy each other’s company (not to mention the company of bikini-clad female admirers). That Flea is such a daredevil—you should have seen him doing a backflip into the shallow end of the saline pool.
Photo By Mark A. Neston
Photo By Mark A. Neston
Photo By Mark A. Neston
More
After surviving the Coachella Music and Arts Festival last weekend, I don’t plan on doing much party-hopping this week. Fortunately I still have plenty of great pics to share, like these shots of dressed-down celebs who were rocking out on the polo field: Cameron Diaz went backstage to greet Amy Winehouse (The “Rehab” singer’s show was the hot ticket), Adam Brody caught the Kings of Leon and L.C. and Audrina from The Hills couldn’t wait to check out...the bar. Shocker!
Cameron Diaz
Photo By Bari Lieberman
Amy Winehouse and Blake Fielder-Civil
Photo By Bari Lieberman
Adam Brody
Photo By Bari Lieberman
Lauren Conrad and Audrina Patridge
Photo By Bari Lieberman
More
After seeing the massively hyped Mika live on the main stage at Coachella (yes, he lives up to it), I had a chance to congratulate the British singer-songwriter on his set a few hours later at the DKNY Jeans House. The crowd--myself included--went crazy when Mika performed his MTV hit "Grace Kelly," an ode to the style icon; maybe his next song will be titled "Donna Karan."
James and Mika
Photo By Mark A. Neston
"I felt like a Care Bear without any fur," Mika said of kicking off the final day of Coachella at one in the afternoon. I don't know what that means exactly, but it's a great quote. I told Mika that men's fashion designers would love him as much as fans of his music do because at 6'3" he'd tower over all those male models in Milan and he's just as thin, the lucky boy. "In Style U.K. has been very good to me," he added.
And he was especially lucky on this day because Kristin Kavanagh from DKNY was outfitting him with hot threads to rock at Coachella that night (Mika planned to return to the polo field to see the Brazilian band Cansei de Ser Sexy, which is Portuguese for "tired of being sexy"). I also have to give a shout-out to my old friend Ashlee Margolis, whose company is appropriately called the A-list. Her events always draw L.A.'S most stylish stars--yesterday, for example, she entertained the likes of Jessica Alba and Mischa Barton, among many others. Ash looks like she's tired of being sexy in our photo, but the girl just can't help it. I can tease her because she has a great sense of humor. After her photo-op, she decided to punk the photographer from Wireimage: "You just missed L.C. from The Hills! Where were you--charging your phone in the hot tub?" Ash mock-chided him but then cracked up, and the rest of us followed suit. Good times!
-- James Patrick Herman
James and Ashlee Margolis
Photo By. Mark A. Neston
At Coachella, stars were as common as body tattoos and ironic T-shirts ("Got MILF?"). I almost had a celebrity encounter before I even left L.A. when I hit American Apparel on Robertson for some irony-free tees. "You just missed Amy Winehouse," the shopgirl told me. "She's as skinny as a 13-year-old boy!"
When I arrived at the fabulous Parker Palm Springs hotel on Friday, I was waiting in the check-in line right behind one of my favorite DJs, Felix Da Housecat. "I'm gonna be late for my set," said Felix, who was scheduled to spin for the crowd at Coachella in a few hours. I was also running late, as usual, but luckily I made it in time to see Amy Winehouse (and her VIP fans Drew Barrymore and Cameron Diaz). Also that night, Scarlett Johansson made a surprise appearance on stage, singing backup vocals on "Just Like Honey" with The Jesus and Mary Chain. Scarlett donned a paisley vintage dress but Bjork, of course, made the most memorable fashion statement of all when she capped the evening with her new song "Earth Intruders" followed by her greatest--and most romantic--hits.
Scarlett Johansson
Photos By Mark A. Neston
More
