"Are you following me?" Rihanna joked when I bumped into her at Clive Davis' annual pre-Grammy blowout. "Absolutely! Because you go to all of the hottest parties," I replied. I had just seen her perform for fans such as Prince, Ryan Phillippe and Miley Cyrus (a.k.a. Hannah Montana) the night before at In Style's Grammy Salute to Fashion--as well as the night before that when she entertained a crowd that included Madonna and what seemed like half of Hollywood at the U.N. Clearly this recent Grammy winner has great taste in nightlife as well as in fashion.
The outdoor smoking patio of L.A.'s Beverly Hilton Hotel was the place to be even for nom-smokers: A succession of superstars sauntered by me, from legendary party girl Whitney Houston to wholesome Carrie Underwood, who arrived with her close personal friend Chace Crawford. (If Gossip Girl had witnessed their entrance, she would have sent a text message about Carrie's skillful paparazzi-block maneuver--her black clutch served as a chic shield when one photographer tried in vain to get a shot.)
Music industry power couple Ashlee Simpson and Pete Wentz weren't remotely camera shy and happily posed for photos. "Could you hear me laughing when you did the phone interview with Ashlee the other day?" Pete asked me and yes, I did recognize his voice in the background, especially when Ashlee consulted her "babe" on a question. (His girlfriend and I had a fun chat that you can read in the April issue of In Style.) "I'm wearing vintage Alaia--I found it myself," Ashlee told me about her self-styled outfit that she scored online. She's lucky that Pete loves to shop, too. Another fortunate coincidence: "We're almost the same size--give or take a few jeans sizes," Ashlee added, referring to their mutual love of skinny denim. (As Posh & Becks have proven, the couple that shops together stays together!) Next I chatted with my seatmate from the Bulgari table at the NBR Awards, Anne Dexter-Jones, and her super-producer son, Mark Ronson. "I saw that you wrote about me on your blog," Ann said of my post about NBR night. Note to Ann: Leave a comment next time!
The always dapper Chris Brown was right behind them and he shook my hand and asked, "Are you having a good time yet?" You bet--and this was even before performances from the likes of the Foo Fighters, Mariah-esque newcomer Leona Lewis and Alicia Keys, who brought down the house when she sang her Grammy-winning anthem "No One." Curious to know who was the first guest to jump up and start dancing? My fellow partyhopper, Rihanna!
-- James Patrick Herman
I'm always thrilled to see Beyonce--the global superstar, style icon and co-author of our book about Destiny's Child, Soul Survivors--especially on Grammy night. I first met Beyonce along with Kelly Rowland and Michelle Williams at a Grammy after-party, and as someone who has been lucky enough to see her many times over the years, I can honestly say that she only gets more beautiful. And I'm also happy to report that she's still remarkably sweet, humble and down-to-earth, especially for someone who can snap her fingers and sell out stadiums all over the world.
James & Beyonce
Photo: Peter Wintersteller
I was hoping that Beyonce could attend In Style's "Grammy Salute to Fashion" event a few nights before to see her House of Dereon line showcased on the catwalk, but at the time she was understandably a little busy rehearsing with Tina Turner at the Staples Center. As anyone who has ever seen Beyonce live in concert can attest, she takes her rehearsals very seriously. (Britney, please take note before you decide to perform on the VMAs again.) After the Grammys, everyone was buzzing about her hot duet with Tina, so I couldn't wait to ask B about it when I caught up with her and her fabulous publicist, Yvette Noel-Schure, at the SonyBMG bash. "Tina Turner is my hero!" Beyonce told me. "She is so incredible. I still can't believe it happened--I was so nervous when I first met Tina that I couldn't keep my composure." But as I told Beyonce: You killed it tonight! "I've never been so excited," she said. "Of all the performances I've done in my life, this was the ultimate!" And remember, this is coming from someone who has performed with the legendary likes of Jay-Z and Prince--as well as on the Oscars.
I love the superglamorous gown by Lebanese designer Georges Chakra that Beyonce rocked at the Beverly Hills Hotel. What do you think of it?
-- James Patrick Herman
Check out some of my other highlights from Grammy night, all courtesy of my longtime "blogtographer," Mark A. Neston:
New York Fashion Week may have been in full swing on Thursday night, but it had some serious competition in L.A. when In Style presented the Grammy Salute to Fashion at hot Hollywood club Boulevard 3. The show kicked off with an array of sexy models rocking the Spring lines from musicians-turned-designers including Beyonce (House of Dereon), Sean Combs (Sean John), Jennifer Lopez (Just Sweet), Justin Timberlake (William Rast) and Jay-Z (Rocawear), who was checking out the runway action from the V.I.P. balcony. I had a feeling that this was going to be one of the hottest parties of Grammy week when I saw guests like Ryan Phillippe and Miley Cyrus, and this was confirmed when Prince (sucking on a lollipop) later walked right past me.
Rihanna rocks at In Style's pre-Grammy fashion show
Photo: Jordan Strauss/WireImage
Prince arrived just in time to catch Covergirl and 4-time Grammy nominee Rihanna take the stage for a fierce set that included "Please Don't Stop the Music," “S.O.S.” and "Shut Up and Drive," which struck me as the perfect theme song for Los Angeles. Naturally, Rihanna performed "Umbrella" for an encore, much to the delight of Prince (and everyone else). After the show, I congratulated Rihanna and asked her what it was like to perform in front of Madonna the night before at the Gucci-sponsored benefit at the U.N. "Scary!" she admitted. As for the hardest part about being a jet-setting superstar who is constantly on-the-road? “I miss my little dog,” she said of Oliver, her beloved toy poodle.
James & Rihanna in Barbados
Photo: Rihanna
"You look so dashing," Rihanna said as she checked out my suit and pinched my cheeks. As you can see from the above photo, she didn’t look half bad herself!
-- James Patrick Herman
Love was in the air at Sony/BMG’s bash at the famed Beverly Hills Hotel following the Grammy awards. One had to look no further than the private cabanas where John Mayer and Jessica Simpson were clearly feeling the love (despite the presence of Big Daddy—her manager, Joe Simpson). Then again, as someone who has seen every episode of Newlyweds, I'm not shocked by Jessica's public displays of affection. Still, I played dumb and asked what the highlight of night was for her. Jessica wasn't buying my act for a minute: “You know what my highlight was—c’mon, now!” she said and then ran over to John.
Ashlee Simpson and James
Photos by Mark A. Neston
Ashlee, however, said she's loving the single life. “I’m not in a relationship now,” she told me, and talked about the "spiritual" new album she’s currently recording. “This is going to be my artistic record,” she said.
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What's my favorite thing about Clive Davis's annual pre-Grammy blowout? The eclectic crowd.
Guests at the Beverly Hilton on Saturday night included Oscars host Ellen DeGeneres, Oscars contender Jennifer Hudson, Oscar-nominated actor Terrence Howard, legendary music producer Quincy Jones, rapper Akon, current MTV diva Christina Aguilera, elder MTV diva Janet Jackson, rock god Dave Grohl, Motown great Smokey Robinson, fashion designer Tommy Hilfiger, supermodel Naomi Campbell, talk-show host Tyra Banks, American Idol runner-up Katharine McPhee, tabloid staples Nick Lachey and Vanessa Minnillo, Nicole Richie's dad (Lionel), Angelina Jolie's dad (John Voight), TV honcho Les Moonves and—hey, wasn't that Hollywood A-lister Meg Ryan's blond head blocking my view of the stage?
Ciara and James
Photos by Mark Young
Yes, indeed it was. Guess she hired a baby sitter on this night for little Daisy! My vote for best-dressed goes to Ciara, who was rocking a super-sexy black number—it looked as if Hervé Léger had hand-sewn her into that dress. She kindly took a break from catching up with Puffy to pose for a photo (Mr. Combs also took notice of how hot she looked).
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The Grammys will have a tough time topping this: Donatella Versace celebrated her Rodeo Drive Walk of Style Award with a blowout that featured performances by Sir Elton John and Guns N' Roses.
Naomi and Cindy on the big screen
The VIP room audience included superstar musicians (like J. Lo, who couldn't keep her hands off husband Marc Anthony), A-list actresses (including Sharon Stone, Demi Moore, Drew Barrymore, Mischa Barton, Eva Longoria and Oscar nominees Penélope Cruz and Jennifer Hudson), supermodels (Cindy Crawford, Naomi Campbell and Tyra Banks), even royalty (Prince).
James and Brooke
I watched all the action perched on a banquette in between glamorous PR maven Nadine Johnson and In Style's West Coast bureau chief, Glynis Costin, who couldn't help getting emotional during the ceremony, which also honored the late Gianni Versace (he personally made Glynis's wedding dress).
James and In Style's Rochelle Rose
Meanwhile, In Style writer Rochelle Rose sat next to Brooke Shields in the VIP section and interviewed all of the stars for a story that will be running in our April issue. Later, Rochelle introduced me to gorgeous Brooke, who joked, "I'm feeling so glamorous tonight, I can barely stand it!"
-- James Patrick Herman
