Partyhopper

This is the time of the year when everyone thinks about being home for the holidays, but rather than dreaming of a white Christmas, I'm planning a getaway to sunny Brazil. Since I have vacation on my mind, I was super-excited to get an email from One Tree Hill actress (and art lover) Sophia Bush. She recently returned from a trip to Barcelona, which is one of my favorite cities in the world. For anyone else who is craving an escape from the winter doldrums, I'll share some of the highlights of Sophia's trip to Spain.

Sophia Bush and her friend Ali in Barcelona's Parc Guell

"Incredible!" is how Sophia sums up the appeal of Barcelona. "I arrived on a Sunday afternoon, had tapas and relaxed for the day. Monday it was off to Flaca by train, and then a short cab ride to a hotel called Castell d'Emporda, a redone castle atop a hill overlooking the countryside. I almost felt as though we had been dropped in Tuscany. It's so gorgeous that I immediately envisioned it as a phenomenal backdrop for an In Style fashion shoot by the pool. It's an hour train ride from Barcelona, and a few more stops down the line is Figueres, where the Salvador Dali Museum is located. It was so stunning. And playful. (In addition to being a closet bookworm, I also geek-out on art I love. Later I visited the Picasso museum, which featured phenomenal pieces from his blue period)."

Castell d'Emporda, a medieval castle-turned-hotel
Photo: Sophia Bush

Of course, you can't go to Barcelona and resist the urge to shop. "We hit Passeig de Gracia, and a store called Notenom," Sophia adds. "So I came home with two radical pairs of shoes. (I say radical. I know. Sue me.) We overlooked the city from Parc Guell, wandered in awe through La Sagrada Familia, and meandered Catalunya, where I ogled stunning clothing in all the shop windows. I also spent the week pigging out on paella and enjoying a few mojitos, all with a big smile on my face."

Sounds like the perfect vacation to me! And hey, speaking off vacation, I'm going to be enjoying mine in Bahia for the next two weeks—and I can only hope to have as much fun there as Sophia had in Spain. The Brazilians really know how to party, so I'll be sure to blog about some of my caipahrina-fueled adventures. Happy holidays! My gift to you is some great advice from Sophia—who is now home with her beloved dog in L.A. after wrapping One Tree Hill's latest season in North Carolina—on how to stay "merry and bright" this holiday season: "Drink warm cider. Wear cashmere socks. And have a wonderful time with your family, wherever you may be!"

-- James Patrick Herman

I received an early Christmas present this year: An intimate performance at Legacy Studios featuring Mary J. Blige. For a longtime MJB fan like me, nothing could be better than that. Her set was being taped for broadcast on Yahoo! Music, which means that you too can enjoy this gift.

Photo: Tresa Sanders

Despite the warning on Mary's dressing room door, she couldn’t have been more welcoming when her publicist, Tresa Sanders, invited me inside to say hi. When I introduced myself, I reminded her of the shoot we once did with Chaka Khan—one of Mary’s idols—for In Style’s annual music issue. "I know who you are!" she said with a laugh. You know you’ve truly arrived when the Queen of Hip-Hop Soul knows who you are.

Since there was an unexpected snowstom in New York City on this day, I was rocking a North Face parka, but Mary was working a more high-fashion look that included a Hermes belt and YSL boots. I’m sure you’ll agree that Mary looks amazing—and she sounds even better.

Special thanks to my fellow blogger and MJB fan, Billy Johnson, Jr. from Yahoo!

-- James Patrick Herman

The Thompson Beverly Hills isn’t officially open yet, but stars like Eric Dane, Rebecca Gayheart and Rose McGowan got a sneak peek when they attended a holiday party at its Bond Street sushi restaurant this weekend.

Eric Dane & Rebecca Gayheart

In L.A., hotels are valued as a place to party as well as a place to sleep, and I have a feeling that there will be many more stars checking out the Thompson Beverly Hills—and checking in—during this busy award show season.

Rose McGowan

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If you should find yourself attending a celebrity party, I would highly recommend sitting next to Molly Sims. I had this pleasure at In Style's Golden Globes viewing party at the beginning of the year, and my coworker Hal Rubenstein was her recent tablemate at the Dolce & Gabbana-hosted dinner party that I attended last week at the Gramercy Park Hotel. Granted, I'm a little late blogging about it, but it took some time to recover from all that extreme fabulosity: It's been two years since the designers have visited New York, so you had better believe they made it a night to remember. They are such fun guys: This summer I went all the way to their island getaway on Stromboli—where I braved a very active volcano—in hopes of seeing them. Unfortunately, they were in St. Barts at the time. You know, one day Stromboli, the next day St. Barts—this is how these jet-setters live.

Molly Sims
Photo: Marcel Thomas/FilmMagic

Molly, being the super-polite sweetheart that she is came over with her friend and publicist Lauren Kucerak to hang with me and Suzanne Zuckerman, who is quite the party-hopper herself. (You can read Suzanne’s own account of this bash exclusively on InStyle.com.) Molly had us all laughing out loud before long: Her highbrow interests include the theater and Dominick Dunne, but she talks about her guilty pleasures with the same passionate enthusiasm: In fact, she was one of my favorite interviews when I featured her for In Style's "Guilty Pleasures" back page. "I love your column," Molly told me, which totally made my night. As did hearing her rave about chef Paula Deen. Molly was eager to share Paula’s recipe for one of her characteristically carb-friendly desserts that called for—get this!—Krispy Kreme doughnuts. Call it: The Anti-Hollywood Diet.

James, Suzanne and Angie Harmon
Photo: Mark Von Holden/WireImage

This was Lauren's introduction to the genius of of the Food Network star:  "You've never heard of Paula Deen!" Molly exclaimed. I heard those exact same words come out of Angie Harmon's mouth when I interviewed her for the Guilty Pleasures page in our December issue, but I've become a convert since then. I'm hardly a foodie; I'm the type of person who was shocked to learn that there was an entire television network devoted to just food. But I can't resist Paula's infectious Southern charm: I happily planted myself on the couch for her down-home country Christmas special.

And speaking of Angie, whose Southern charm is also pretty irresistable, you might be interested to know how she will be spending Christmas Eve: Watching a marathon of the Alien movies while attempting to wrap gifts: "And of course, it’ll be 4 A.M. And I’ve wrapped, like, two because I just can’t take my eyes off the screen!" Angie told me.

-- James Patrick Herman

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On the night of ACRIA's 12th annual holiday party, the Stephan Weiss Studio was transformed into the kind of winter wonderland that most Manhattanites will only see in their dreams: Imagine a room filled with silver weeping willow canopies hanging from the ceiling and digitalized snowfall projections--courtesy of renowned artist Ross Bleckner--adorning every wall. "It's like Narnia in here," Vanessa Carlton said of the surreal setting. She was looking like an ethereal beauty herself, but her reason for being there was grounded in reality: This was, after all, a benefit for AIDS Community Research Initiative of America, which was underwritten by In Style and Urban Zen. "It's an amazing organization--I am so impressed with all of their independent research," Vanessa said of the charity. She had graciously accepted my invitation to serve as the evening's entertainment, and Vanessa is the kind of gal who always does her homework.

James welcomes Vanessa Carlton and Skye Steele

The fashionable crowd featured hosts Bleckner, Carolina and Reinaldo Herrera, Donna Karan (she was there in spirit, if not in person, like her daughter Gabby) and my boss, Charla Lawhon, who introduced Vanessa. (My tablemates included chic coworkers such as Hal Rubenstein, Cindy Weber-Cleary, Ariel Foxman, Honor Brodie and Rina Stone.) I'm a longtime fan of this Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter and I've seen her perform everywhere from massive venues to her very own living room downtown, so I knew she would be the perfect fit for this event: No matter how large the venue is, she can make it feel intimate. Vanessa doesn't need a big backing band to rock a room: It was just a handsome violinist with the unlikely name of Skye Steele and her, seated at a black baby grand piano that she had accessorized with white Normandy lace from 1903. (It struck me as a very Stevie Nicks touch, so I'm not surprised that they've become friends.)  "This is a little number about where I live," Vanessa said by way of introducing her current single, "NoLita Fairytale." She belted out a few other new songs from her third and latest CD, Heroes & Thieves, as well as hits like "White Houses" and "A Thousand Miles." Needless to say, she killed it! It's sometimes hard to hear the music at a benefit like this over the buzz of cocktail-fueled conversation, but you could have heard a pin drop--that is, when guests weren't applauding wildly in between songs.

James greets the event's honoree, Bob Colacello
Photos: Mark A. Neston

After the show, I thanked Vanessa and Skye and later caught up with both ACRIA's Scott Drevnig and uber-publicist Jason Weisenfeld, whose posh clients include Victoria Beckham. I also met some guy who told me that after seeing her perform, he wanted to divorce his wife and marry Vanessa (she has this kind of effect on people). On my way out, I had a chance to congratulate the benefit's honoree, writer Bob Colacello. I'm a big fan of his, too: When I landed my first-ever job, an internship at Interview magazine, I worked for someone who made the most of her lunch hour--like, the entire afternoon. So I spent much of my time sitting at my desk and reading Bob's fabulous book, Holy Terror, which chronicled the wild and crazy early days of Interview, back when founder Andy Warhol was in charge. If you thought it must be tough to toil for a devil who wears Prada, you can't believe what it was like to work for a devil who wore a freaky white wig.

-- James Patrick Herman

When I met Emile Hirsch—the young actor who is getting Oscar buzz for his performance in Sean Penn’s Into The Wild—at the Toronto International Film Festival, I was already picturing him in Speed Racer’s helmet. And that look wouldn’t have seemed out of place at the Sienna Miller party we both attended—especially since the hostess was rocking a ringmaster-style top hat (she’s a big fan of surprising accessories).

Speed Racer doesn’t come out until May 9th but here’s a sneak peek. This is from the Wachowski brothers—the men behind The Matrix—so who can wait that long? I’m loving Christina Ricci’s makeover as Trixie, but what do you think?

-- James Patrick Herman

Photos courtesy of Warner Bros.

Imagine a double bill of George Michael and Aretha Franklin! Thanks to the Cipriani/Deutsche Bank Wall Street Concert Series—which benefited the U.S. Fund for UNICEF and the Sarah Ferguson Foundation—I didn’t have to.

George Michael & Sarah Ferguson

The Queen of Soul was still belting out hits like "Respect" and "Freeway of Love" at midnight, and though she capped the evening with a heartfelt version of "Silent Night," the ecstatic crowd was anything but.

Aretha Franklin

Rob Thomas, Marisol & James

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On Sunday morning, I woke up to the season's first snowfall (no fun) and a phone call from Alicia Keys (very fun). I'm loving Alicia's new album—which debuted at number one on the charts—and I'm hoping that she gets some well-deserved Grammy nods for her hot single "No One" when the nominations are announced on Thursday.

Nine-time Grammy winner Alicia Keys
Photo: Michael Caulfield/WireImage

Alicia is a fellow New Yorker, but she was calling me from Barcelona, the lucky girl. "Hola!" I said when I answered the phone at 10 A.M. (only a call from Ms. Keys would get me out of bed so early on a Sunday morning). Right before we said goodbye, Alicia couldn't resist joking: "Have fun in the snow for me!"

-- James Patrick Herman

Teenagers love Scarlett Johansson. I'm not referring to teens in the U.S., who seem to prefer American Idols to movie stars, but rather to the much-hyped indie-rock band featuring three French guys: Well, I've got news for this trio with an apparent aversion to smiling in photos: They need to get in line behind equally smitten admirers like Ryan Reynolds and Woody Allen.

Scarlett Johansson (in vintage) rocks out at Coachella
Photos: Mark A. Neston

While The Teenagers have just released an inspired ode to the glamorous actress and frequent Louis Vuitton model, the irony is that Scarlett is busy making her own music in between movies: In fact, she's planning to release her long-awaited debut CD next year--all bluesy covers of Tom Waits songs--and she may be one of the only singers around who isn't hoping to hire Timbaland to cough up some hot beats.

Having seen Scarlett's surprise appearance on stage with the Jesus & Mary Chain at Coachella earlier this year, I can attest to the power of her pipes. Granted, she only sang backing vocals on "Just Like Honey," but she managed to make one of my (and Sofia Coppola's) favorite songs even sweeter to my ears. So many actresses have tried to translate their Hollywood fame into hit records —listen up for Hayden Panettiere's upcoming collaboration with Ne-Yo!—but I'm really rooting for ScarJo. And considering the fan letter penned by those lovestruck Teenagers, I'm hardly the only one.

Indie-rockers The Teenagers are sweet on ScarJo

-- James Patrick Herman

It's ironic that Fergie's latest single is called "Clumsy"--this is her fifth (!) consecutive hit off The Dutchess CD--because the Black Eyed She-Pea did the exact opposite of trip up when she released her debut solo album. In fact, she's had even better luck than her producer and fellow Pea Will.i.am, not to mention veteran female singers who dropped new CDs around the same time.

Fergie at Wilhelmina's 40th anniversary party
Photo: Joe Kohen/WireImage

I first interviewed Fergie when she went by the name Stacy Ferguson and sang sweet harmonies as part of the vocal trio Wild Orchid, and I spoke to her again when In Style photographed her with one of her idols, reggae icon Rita Marley, for our annual music issue last year. Fergie is always a fun--and refreshingly candid--interview, and I had a great time talking to her the other day when she was in town to perform at the 40th anniversary of the Wilhelmina modeling agency.

The "Dutchess" rules at a UNICEF benefit earlier this year
Photo: Mark A. Neston

As I remember Rita Marley telling me, "Fergie is truly a global artist"--and she has been on the road for what seems like forever, much to the delight of her many fans all around the world. What's your favorite track from The Dutchess? It's a tough call, but my pick would have to be Fergie's hot duet with Ms. Marley, "Mary Jane Shoes." Here's hoping that this song gets released as single number six!

-- James Patrick Herman

Did you happen to see Juno over the weekend? This super-smart comedy was one of my favorites from the Toronto International Film Festival: I love having the opportunity to see movies at film festivals because they haven't been hyped to death yet. But I can't possibly overhype this film about teen pregnancy, which is sort of like Knocked Up for the MySpace generation. What makes the story seem so fresh is the fact that instead of focusing on immature guys, it's about a young girl who is wise beyond her years (except
when it comes to birth control). Which I wasn't expecting, since the first thing I saw when I walked into the cineplex's lobby was an all-male high school track team clad in skimpy yellow shorts (and boldly accessorized with matching sweatbands).

Ellen Page and Michael Cera in Juno
Photo: Twentieth Century Fox

It turned out these guys weren't off-duty American Apparel models-for-hire but rather real-life runners who play the teammates of adorable leading man Michael Cera. At Fox Searchlight's party a few days after the screening, I congratulated Michael and costars like Ellen Page (a.k.a. Juno), Jason Bateman and Allison Janney on their hilarious performances, but I was most excited to meet first-time screenwriter Diablo Cody. "You are a genius!" I told the tattooed former stripper as she playfully struck poses for my camera—and I'm thrilled to see that movie critics everywhere seem to agree with me.

Juno screenwriter Diablo Cody celebrates her success

-- James Patrick Herman