Forget the hottest new club, the latest boite or the newest speakeasy-style bar that requires a code word or a secret knock. For me the must-have invite in New York these days is for one of Andrew Saffir's Cinema Society screenings. Only movie stars, models and the media elite need RSVP to these intimate affairs, which start off with a screening of the featured film and continue with an after-bash where you can't turn around without bumping into a boldface name. In the past week alone, Demi Moore, Bruce Willis and Ryan Phillippe have topped the guest list at Andrew's silver screen soirees. So when my friend Anne--a fellow former Peace Corps Volunteer--was in town last week, I knew I could give her a dose of film, fun and famous people by taking her along to a Cinema Society screening of the Vegas flick, 21, starring Kate Bosworth and Jim Sturgess as brainy MIT students who get in over their heads counting cards in Sin City.
Anne and Bronwyn toast to another successful Cinema Society bash
Photo: Patrick McMullan
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Hipster denim companies seem to pop up faster than paparazzi shots of Britney Spears. But labels like Levi Strauss--who count Chace Crawford and Jessica Alba among their celebrity fans-- and Rock and Republic just keep coming up with fresh ways to do denim. During L.A. Fashion Week's Collection Preview, I stopped by several showrooms to check out the latest denim must-haves. My first stop was Levi's, where I scouted their latest line called Levi's Capital E. My next stop was the Rock and Republic showroom on trendy Robertson Blvd. Their maternity jeans are a huge hit with pregnant stars like Halle Berry and Christina Aguilera and they also have a great selection of belts, bags and shoes.
In addition to the fashion finds, I also learned about Rock and Republic's Rock The Cure program, which earmarks 100% of the profits from one stand-out item in each R&R collection to benefit City of Hope, a research and treatment center dedicated to fight cancer and other life-threatening diseases. Look for the Rock the Cure tags the next time you're shopping for jeans!
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War. What is it good for? Actually, it was the inspiration for director Kimberly Peirce's new film, Stop-Loss starring Ryan Phillippe. The story follows a decorated soldier (Phillippe) who is forced back to the Iraq war against his will--or "stop-lossed"--after he’s already served his term. I hit the IFC Theatre for the NYC premiere of the tense drama and then headed uptown to the Gramercy Park Hotel for the after-party, hosted by The Cinema Society and men's mag GQ.
Unfortunately, I didn't get my man--Ryan decided to play it low key and enjoy the evening with friends rather than talk to us reporters. So instead I sampled the dinner buffet, mingled with the likes of Tatum O’Neal, Howard Stern and Mamie Gummer, and took in the amazing surroundings.
The lobby of the Grammercy Park Hotel
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I wish more L.A. designers would take their cue from Gregory Parkinson. I'm not even talking about his romantic designs--although some could learn a thing or two from him in that department--I'm talking about the very civilized way in which he showed his new fall collection. There was no waiting for a show to start, no worrying about tripping over someone's Manolos on the way to your seat, and no waiting in long lines for your car after it was all over. Instead, Parkinson dispensed with the whole catwalk-and-models idea and went for a garden party.
L.A. Bureau Chief Glynis Costin and designer Gregory Parkinson
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Most people think of L.A. as a place where skinny starlets skip dinner to go club hopping, but we do have some really great restaurants. So when a bunch of girlfriends and I opted for a recent a girls night out, we pulled some strings to get a reservation at our town's hottest new eatery, Foxtail. I had been to Foxtail before it was officially open for a pre-Oscar party thrown by talent agency Endeavor. That night, the place was filled with A-liserts like Javier Bardem, Casey Affleck and Kate Hudson and plenty of industry types. Since I am quite the gabber, I didn't the chance to sample the food, but I did get to admire the atmosphere and made it a point to come back when I could sit down and get the full Foxtail experience.
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Full disclosure: When Madonna was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame by Justin Timberlake last week, I wasn't breaking bread and sipping champagne with Meg Ryan in the ballroom of the Waldorf Astoria Hotel. I was down the hall in the press room fighting a horde of cranky photographers for a handful of pretzels and a warm Diet Coke. Usually, I do get to live the glamorous life--ask me about sitting next to Naomi Campbell while George Clooney auctioned off kisses in Cannes last year--but I don't mind roughing it in the trenches every once in a while if it means that I get to be a witness to history.
Iggy, Madonna and Justin get ready for their close-up in the press room. Photo: Dimitrios Kambouris/WireImage
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L.A. Fashion Week may not be the epitome of haute couture, but it has introduced the country to talent like Cynthia Vincent, David Meister, and Project Runway phenom Rami Kashou. But let’s face it, the West coast version of Fashion Week is as much about celebrities as it is about style. Last year, Nicky Hilton created a media frenzy with the debut of her Nicholai collection. This season, the new celeb-turned-designer du jour was The Hills star Lauren Conrad, who turned Smashbox Studios into a circus of photographers and personalities for her premiere runway show.
Lauren sneaks a peek at the crowd before her show begins
Photo: Chris Polk/WireImage
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For those of you who don't know Laz Alonso, I suggest you do some serious Googling. We didn't realize just how much fun we were going to have when he dropped by our L.A. offices for an afternoon meet and greet. While we did spend time talking about Laz's upcoming projects--which include Spike Lee's Miracle at St. Anna and the much-anticipated sci-fi thriller, Avatar--our topic of conversation quickly turned to reality television. While I tend to stay away from that genre, Laz and my colleague Ali bonded over their shared love of reality TV and spent almost an hour discussing their favorite shows. I tried to chime in, but when you can't comment on who's the biggest mess on Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew or dish the latest gossip about MTV's Making the Band 4, you are no good to the conversation.
Associate Editor Karen Levy with Laz Alonso and West Coast Bureau Chief Glynis Costin
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Ever since my dad took me to my first James Taylor concert, I have been a sucker for a troubadour. So I was really excited to get a chance to meet Josh Kelley and talk about his latest album, Special Company.
Associate Entertainment Editor Bronwyn Barnes and Josh Kelley
Last year I had the pleasure of interviewing Josh's then-fiancee, Katherine Heigl-yes, that Katherine Heigl-and her mom for our annual Mother's Day issue. Josh and Katie met when she starred in the music video for his song, "Only You," and she has admitted to being totally won over when Josh wrote the ballad "Katie's Song" just for her. Sure, the inspiration for new tunes like "Fallin in Love With You" and "Masterpiece" just happens to be an Emmy-winning Hollywood star, but what girl doesn't dream of having a song penned in her name?
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