THE HOTTEST STAR-STUDDED ART BASEL PARTY!

PLUS FASHION FUN AT PLAYCHIC; KANDY KANE BALL (CHICAGO’S LARGEST TOY DRIVE); HOLLY BALL; BIBO TOUR’S CHICAGO HONOREES; STACIE’S NEW LINE; DIANE AND TERRY’S WEDDING; CHILDREN MUSEUM’S SNOW BALL; PLAYBOY’S 60TH; AN EYEFUL AT IRISTOCRACY; ROYAL GEORGE CAMEO TO BENEFIT BEAR NECESSITIES; RANDOPLH STREET’S HOLIDAY MARKET, NEW WATCH312 VIDEO AND SO MUCH MORE!

We took a much needed vaca to SouthBeach recently and had no idea of the fun that was in store! It all began with an intriguing invite from Jason Binn (Dujour Magazine and Niche Media founder) for an Art Basel party at the Delano. We had never attended Art Basel so when the invite arrived in my inbox, I thought hell yes! As it turned out, it was an even bigger event than I first thought with Kim Kardashian, Kanye, Cindy Crawford and Rande Gerber, Kurolina Kurkova, Bruce Weber, Roberto Cavalli, Lionel Richie, Carissa Rosario and others in attendance! The night also honored artist Marc Quinn, who has created works using his own blood and feces….(note to self, don’t shake hands). Anyway, we planned the trip around the party and flew down Monday. We stayed at the Bentley South Beach (a Hilton hotel) at 1st and Ocean. We loved it! The pool was quiet and the hotel was right on the beach with great views and a very friendly staff. (Highly recommended). For our first night, we had a great meal at hotspot Prime 112, conveniently located right across the street from our hotel. I love any restaurant that offers bacon strips for bar food! In the past, we’ve seen Pharrell and Shaq there. On this night, the Travelocity Gnome was in the house! His “handler” said “he was her boss” and they do whatever he requests. The little wooden guy even had his own lighting person along for photo opps! She said the Gnome was hitting all of the hotspots during Art Basel. It was a riot! The following night was THE party! When we got to the Delano, it was a mob scene but, fortunately, since I was covering the Red Carpet, we were allowed in early (insert devilish smile here). It was a tiny Red Carpet so I didn’t know what to expect but when I asked PR girl Tyger (real name, last name “Danger”) for a shot list, these were the people they were expecting to attend: Kanye and Kim Kardashian, Steven Tyler, Cindy Crawford and Rande Gerber, Pharrell, Timbaland, Michael Moore, Peter Brandt, Paris Hilton, Ivana Trump, Sante D’Orazio, Karolina Kurkova, Lady Victoria Hervey, Brian Atwood, Bruce Weber and Nan Bush, Robert Cavalli, Carissa Rosario, John Varvatos, Lisa Hochstein, Tony Ingrao, Atlanta de Cadenet Taylor, Tony Shafrazi, JP Oliver and Lenny Kravitz. Holy shit! I couldn’t believe my swollen eyes! This list was unbelievable! I had no idea the party would be this big! The invite noted that Jason Binn and wife Haley would be co-hosting the evening with designer Tommy Hilfiger and his wife Dee to honor the aforementioned artist but this was much more than I expected. I shared the little Red Carpet with a camera crew from EXTRA, reporters from the Mirror and the Daily Mail, Audra Burch (a darling reporter from the Miami Herald) and a fabulous reporter from Miami Magazine, who EVERYONE seemed to know. As a matter of fact, she had “her gays” reporting on Kanye’s movements around town so she knew exactly when he would be arriving at the party. She was one hooked up gal! And even though not all of the invitees attended this bash-by-the-sea, it was a night I’ll never forget! Kim Kardashian (looking very cool in a cut-out white ankle dress) and Kanye eschewed the Red Carpet and tried to sneak in by the side door. Well, of course, these two couldn’t sneak in anywhere so it was a photo free for all as they chatted with Jason and Roberto Cavalli, who had
arrived earlier. Cindy Crawford and Rande posed good-naturedly for pics and mini-interviews….she looks great, of course, and he’s not so bad himself! Lionel Richie was my favorite. He couldn’t have been sweeter and talked to everyone about how proud he is of Nicole and joked about his gardening fetish. He looked sharp and his mystery girlfriend, Lisa, was gorgeous! The following day, we visited Art Basel, for our first visit. To say it was overwhelming is an underst
atement. The art event of the year was held at the Miami Convention Center which was barely big enough to hold 258 of the world’s top galleries from 31 countries showing drawings, sculpture, paintings and installations from more than 4,000 artists. The fair is also a magnet for celeb spotting. P. Diddy bought at least 4 pieces on Wednesday (when the fair opened) and Leonardo DiCaprio was spotted with his arm draped around Vito Schnabel (art dealer/son of artist Julian). That evening, we visited Bob Mill’s new Miami Media School and Watch305.com’s studios in Mary Brickell Village. This new Watch305 internet network has five shows covering ALL things Miami. Daisy Olivera does a show similar to mine, “Daisy Talks Miami“, covering the party scene and is doing a great job! The spaces looked fabulous and I was glad to see the “Watch” concept expand to another city. We had a great time and loved our time in the sun! Congrats to Jason and Dujour Magazine on a great party and thanks for making our first Art Basel experience one we won’t soon forget! To see ALL of our fun-filled vacation pics from the always amazing South Beach, click here!

Actress, and game inventor, Joan Severance was in town recently to serve as the host of the second annual playCHIC, the Chicago Toy & Game Group’s innovative runway show that combines fashion and top toys on November 21 at the River East Art Center. The event paired renowned fashion designers with popular toy and game brands to create playful, one-of-a-kind runway looks. Joan even walked the runway wearing a look inspired by the game she invented, txTylz™, a patent-pending pastime in which players assemble playing pieces to form anything that makes sense within a certain time limit. Industry guests from around the globe (22 countries) attended this playful party as well as quite a few local fashionistas. Project Runway’s Peach Carr was in the house as well as her bestie Nora Dunn (SNL) and Chanel’s Randolph Tovar. Before the show, Joan and Peach shared experiences facing challenges handed to them in the fashion world (Peach spoke about Project Runway and Joan shared red carpet challenges — although I’m not sure what sort of challenges are on a red carpet! LOL!). The designers were all faced with the challenge of creating a high fashion runway look based on an existing toy or game brand and they exceeded expectations. Designer Gideon Tolbert presented a yellow silk mini based on Bananagrams. Michelle Tan created a male and female look based on Settlers of Catan with buzz from the males in the audience that this was their favorite look of the night. Peach created a metallic jumpsuit with train and a knuckle clutch as well as a white cage jacket and dress based on Kickboard’s new micro scooters. Joan created a very steam punk inspired look based on her game with materials all sourced at Lowes! Elda de la Rosa designed a stunning green ball gown inspired by Leapfrog’s Leap Pad — her inspiration became very personal as her youngest learned to read on this device. She also noted that green is the color of hope. (How much do we love her?!). Produced by ZZAZZ’ Production’s Tracey Tarantino, the show was flawless and fabulous. Host and Texas native Joan Severance is no stranger to the runway and began her notable career as a model, gracing the runways of Chanel, Versace and Armani as
well as appearing in ads for Clairol, L’Oreal and Revlon to name a few. Venturing into Hollywood in 1986, she landed a role on the hit TV series “Wiseguy” opposite Kevin Spacey and is now making guest appearances on Showtime’s new series, “Masters of Sex.” Congrats to all who participated! And to learn more about PlayCHIC, click here!

A not to be missed feel-good holiday event, Kris Kringle’s Kandy Kane Ball & Toy Drive, is happening on December 14 at Joe’s on Weed Street. This annual event started as a simple 10-person gift exchange eleven years ago and has now developed into one of the most recognized holiday charity events in Chicago, hosting over 1,000 participants! The Kandy Kane Ball is the single, largest private toy drive in the Chicagoland area and utilizes a 53′ trailer (which will be parked outside Joe’s) to collect the 1000’s of toys that are donated. The following Saturday, 100% of the toys are distributed at Holy Family Church(1080 W. Roosevelt Road) to many deserving kids. (They encourage anyone to help participate in the toy distribution too!) Tickets are intentionally set at a fraction of the costs in order to accomplish the event’s mission — collect more toys!! (No one can attend/enter the party without a toy donation). On this night, Joe’s is transformed into a winter wonderland with the design genius of Derek Taylor (Taylor & Co.) and his band of merry elves. There’s live entertainment, food, beverages and spirited dancing! It’s a not to be missed event that sells out quickly so get your tix NOW! Please note, you can avoid the service cost of ticket web by purchasing your tickets in-person at Joe’s or online here. I’ll see you there!

You see her all over the air waves and it’s no surprise since she is the number one, go-to girl for trendy decor, party and wedding planning and so much more! Anything that’s beautiful, creative and design related will have Debi Lilly’s stamp ALL over it! And luckily for us here in Chicago, she has a new Holiday Chic Pop-Up Suite at the 900 Shops now thru December 22 (inside the old Mark Shale space on the 4th floor). Here you’ll find stations providing chic holiday decor to wrap your presents, complimentary coat check and a “North Pole Luxe Lounge” for shoppers; a children’s arts and games corner plus tips on how to make your presents look chic and glamorous! AND, shoppers who show their 900 Shops’ receipts are eligible to wrap up to five gifts! So join Debi Lilly, the Chief Eventeur, and make your holidays even more special at the 900 Shops! (Friday-Saturday 11 am-7 pm, Sunday noon-6 pm)

Cupid fills our hearts once again with the Lynn Sage Cancer Research Foundation’s 7^th Annual Be My Valentine Family Event on Sunday, February 9 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at The Ritz-Carlton Chicago Hotel. This fun-filled event co-chaired by Joanna Aaron and Sherri Hoke will feature a family brunch buffet, Valentine’s activities for children, a special concert by award-winning children’s musician Justin Roberts & the Not Ready for Naptime Players. Other activities will include sweet treat decorating and tips from Sweet Mandy B’s, ELTIF Designs bead bar for all jewelry making enthusiasts, make-overs from Rock Candy Salon and Spa, an Abt Electronics video arcade room, science experiments conducted by Kids Science Labs, a chance to win fun prizes at the Carnival Wheel table donated by Chiaroscuro, and family fun entertainment from Harris Kal Production. Guests will also have a chance to win fabulous prizes from the silent auction and raffle! Tickets are $85 for adults and $65 for children in advance; and $100 for adults and $80 for children at the door. Tickets are available by ordering online or by calling 312-926-7133.

Don’t miss The Auxiliary Board of Chicago Children’s Museum’s 4th annual Family Snow Ball on Sunday, January 26! This fancy-schmancy family party includes a kid-friendly dinner, the up-beat DJ tunes of Lester Palmiano of the Looseleaf Lounge, seasonal family programming and everyone’s favorite Chicago Children’s Museum exhibits – including the return of Forts! This family party helps underwrite the cost of transportation to Chicago Children’s Museum for children and families who otherwise can’t afford to come to the museum. Because the cost of transportation is often a barrier for families, they offer free buses to community partner organizations on Free Family Nights and for daytime fieldtrips, serving more than 6,000 children and families. To purchase tickets or make a donation click here!

Barrington Children’s Charities is holding its annual Holly Ball fundraiser to continue its mission to help children in need from District 220. This year’s event is being co-chaired by Jodie Barbera, Christine Smith and Sara Werner and will be held at Barrington Hills Country Club in Barrington on Saturday, December 14^th from 6:30 p.m. – 1:00 a.m. The majority of the proceeds from the Ball will fund the Barrington Children’s Charities’ Blessings in a Backpack Program, while the remaining funds can be earmarked by donors. . “We intend to expand our Blessings in a Backpack program to all the District 220 elementary schools, which means providing a backpack every week to over 1,000 children,” says Darby Hills, President, Barrington Children’s Charities. (For tickets and more info, click here!)

Iristocracy.com, the Midwest’s newest e-commerce site, debuted recently at Studio Paris with an exclusive party to unveil its cutting-edge reality technology, as well as showcase its assortment of must-have eyewear and accessories. Guests were able to “TryLive” all that the new e-commerce site had to offer including the ability to build a virtual look around their eyewear with unique fashion accessories. Shopping stations were set-up throughout the space allowing eyewear enthusiasts to “try on” frames by well known designers like Linda Farrow as well as up-and-coming brands like Jean Reno. The stylish breakfast was hosted by four of Chicago’s top fashion bloggers: Jena Gambaccini of ChiCityFashion, Nikia Jefferson of ChiTown Fashionista, D. Graham Kostic of Glossed and Found and Liz Schneider of Sequins & Stripes. The hosts all donned eyewear from the site and displayed perfectly paired accessories in their hosts’ picks. Nearly 70 of Chicago’s tastemakers attended including Brielle Buchberg, Jamon Deavor, Jessica Murnane, Seth Putman and Lindsay Segal. Congrats on this cool, new idea Iristocracy! To see the rest of the images Click Here!

Traci S. Campbell is the charming founder of the C.H.A.M.P. Community Project and the “Beauty In Beauty Out Tour (BIBO)”
that recently honored several inspiring women at the Catalyst Ranch. Traci created this Tour to support, nurture and edify single parents and women in leadership (or those young women who are already showing promise as budding leaders in their communities). She is the product of a struggling single mother, whom she lost to heart disease in 2007 and was her caregiver for 13 years, a responsibility she gladly accepted at a young age. Those experiences later lead Traci to author the C.H.A.M.P. Within program to help teens and single parents overcome mental and emotional challenges and roadblocks they often face. Currently the C.H.A.M.P. Within program is in Nairobi, Kenya and she’s working hard to get the program offered in the United States.
As a result of the work with the C.H.A.M.P. Community Project, it became very apparent to her that someone needed to address the overwhelming epidemic of low self-esteem and the lack of positive role models for young women today. She stepped up to the plate and, as a result, the Beauty In Beauty Out Tour was born with a goal to spotlight women in the communities who exemplify the best in leadership and a genuine commitment to “giving back.” Debuting in Chicago, its honorees included Cook County Clerk of the Circuit Court Dorothy Brown, art consultant and entrepreneur Diane Dinkins-Carr, pastor/author/Mrs. Illinois 2013 Jennifer Cruz, Senator Iris Martinez, children’s advocate Erin Merryn, fitness experts/trainers/authors Andrea Metcalf and Shea Vaughn and moi! Her next BIBO Tour will be in Atlanta, Georgia. Congrats on your good works Traci and thanks for including me! For more info on this one-woman dynamo and her organizations, click here!

Love is in the air! I would like to congratulate Diane Sprenger and Terry Budny on their beautiful wedding and Internet Streaming Solution’s John Basile and his beautiful Maria Schwartz on their recent engagement! More congrats are in order for cool-girl-around-town, Frances Renk, on her glamorous cover for Today’s Chicago Woman Magazine! Shot by John Reilly, the cover and article show her beauty as well as her kindness! Congrats to all!

Birthday wishes to two of our town’s favorite peeps, Monika Dixon and Sharyl Mackey! Sharyl celebrated with friends at Centro and I know Monika was surrounded by friends somewhere special, too!

We have so many interesting women in Chicago doing such incredible things! Plastic surgeon extraordinaire, Dr. Stacie McClane (Mickelson) has created her own fabulous line of skincare products called “Face Lift-Skin Care” and they ARE AWESOME! I especially love the Vitamin A Pumpkin Cleanse. Besides smelling delicious, it made my skin feel as soft as buttah! Other products include an anti-aging serum (Ferulic-C 20 Serum), O2 Restoring Creme, and a kick-ass Eye Restoration Complex! Huge congrats on your wonderful new line Stacie! (For more info and to order, call 312.867.9500)!

I hope you can join me at the Royal George Theatre on Wednesday, December 18, when I’ll be making a stand-up cameo (yeah, you heard it right! LOL!) in the 80 minute laugh-filled production of “Old Jews Telling Jokes” beginning at 7:30! I’ll be joining the cast of Tim Kazurinsky, Dara Cameron, Alex Goodrich, Renee Matthews and Gene Weygandt onstage during the “joke off” segment. Other guest cameos will include authors Scott Turow and Sara Paretsky, Illinois Senate President John Cullerton and State Rep. Sara Feigenholtz. A portion of this night’s proceeds will benefit Bear Necessities Pediatric Cancer Foundation (please mark your calendars now for the Bear Tie Ball on March 8th, too!) For tickets and more info, please click here! Did you hear the one about…..? 🙂

Thanks to Bill Natale, Director of the Illinois Centers for Broadcasting, for inviting me to speak at the Lombard campus recently. I loved meeting the energetic students and will return in January to conduct a class on entertainment reporting! If you’re enrolled, I hope you can join me!

I’m thrilled that the holiday season is finally upon us! It’s been fun figuring out decor at our new condo and challenging as well. Where I had seemingly unlimited space before, I now have to be more mindful of what to place where. Happily, it’s working out well and I feel like we’re living inside a jewel box. I also decided I didn’t have the time or patience to put up a live tree this year so we did something we’ve never done before! We bought a faux tree at, believe it or not, K-MART! I saw a flyer in the paper for faux trees by former Charlie’s Angel Jaclyn Smith (she’s designing everything now! LOL!) It’s a pre-lit 7′ tree and I added more (clear) lights of varying sizes and it looks magical. It’s also the first time ALL of our ornaments fit! In the past, I was afraid to add some of our more fragile pieces for fear weaker limbs wouldn’t hold them. Now, every ornament is securely placed on the tree. The first ornament to go on was from my friend Michael Perich, founder of CAMP Cosmetics. (His line will be a part of the gift selection for the Golden Globes, don’tcha know!) It’s a beautiful Baccarat crystal snowflake. I have one holiday decor edict for our tree and that is to never use an ornament that doesn’t have a special memory. I have a Barbie Doll ornament that my Mom gave me one year for Christmas and we have numerous ones from our travels which always make me smile and instantly transport me back to our vacations. My girlfriend Rhonda Sanderson gave me a cute one that says “Friends Forever” with two dancing women that I cherish. I even have one that was hand crocheted by my 1st grade teacher! And, of course, I love the photo ornaments where I have pics of all of my family, four-legged and two-legged, peeking out from the boughs. I was so thrilled to see my antique Christmas stuff again, too. Although nowadays, I have to store it instead of just popping it all into the basement. And, sadly, the trips to the storage locker are like traveling to a prison camp but the payoffs are always fun and it feels like we’re on a treasure hunt. I have a chalkware Santa from the ’40’s that has pride of place next to our bedroom tree that was always displayed at my Dad’s house. The tip of his hat broke off and my stepmother painted it red with her nail polish oh so many years ago. I also love my 19th century colle
ction of Santas. They’re so fragile it’s a wonder any of them ever even survived. Oftentimes, the story behind barely used antique children’s toys are tragic ones since the child passed away and never got a chance to give them any love.

I’ll be on the hunt soon for special gifts, too, and the first place I’ll head will be my favorite market, the Randolph Street Market. It’s holiday market will be at Plumber’s Hall, 1340 W. Washington, on December 14 and 15. To see all of the fun and to hear shopping tips from experts like stylist Barri Leiner, check out my latest Watch312.com video below! I’m looking forward to new traditions and hope your holidays are already Merry and Bright!

http://admin.brightcove.com/js/BrightcoveExperiences.js

Congrats to The Joffrey Ballet’s beautiful prima ballerina, April Daley, for her exquisite cover story in the Chicago Tribune Magazine this Sunday! She’s gorgeous inside and out!

And last, but certainly not least, my love and best wishes go out to Max Herrick and his family who are in town now at the Ronald McDonald House! You know Max as the awesome goodwill ambassador for Ronald McDonald House Charities. I know him as a smart, charming, funny guy who loves hats (wears them really well, too), his family and spending time in Chicago with friends! Please send goodwill wishes to him here: Mr. Max Herrick, c/o Ronald McDonald House Near Lurie Children’s, 211 E. Grand Ave., Chicago, Ill. 60611.