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Hollywood on The Charles
by Janet Donovan - Published by CQ Today at The Democratic Convention
Day One: Saturday night's media party at the Convention
Center on Sumner Street took place in a hall so dark
and cavernous that the act of cruising for
celebrities almost became a chore. I arrived at 9:35
p.m., vying for the revolving door with DNC Chairman
Terry McAuliffe. A promising beginning, but the hunt
for Who's Whos went mostly downhill from there.
Moroccan tents, with oases of food and drink, dotted
the huge hall, while Little Richard pounded his
piano and begged everyone to shut off their video
cameras. Around the hall, everyone seemed to be just
wandering, looking at other people who seemed to be
just wandering. So I headed to the nearest bar,
where at least there was something else to do
besides walk and gawk. Slim pickings at the watering
hole, celebrity-wise, but I did run into
Washington's Mark Plotkin of WTOP's "The Politics
Program."
Time for a new strategy, which I call "head for the
door." It worked, at least somewhat. . . .
First up was the Rev. Jesse Jackson, holding court
and surrounded by nice but beefy gentlemen-guards.
He seemed in a rather serious mood. Still fuming
over the results of the last election, as if it
happened last week, he expressed dismay that the
Supreme Court "would freeze an election," and he
forcefully asserted that this time voters have a
"legal and moral obligation" to get it right. He
called Republican claims that African-Americans are
drifting their way "absurd," as well as President
Bush's claim that Democrats are taking blacks for
granted.
Fox News host Greta van Susteren didn't miss a word,
nor did New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson. I asked
Richardson how he felt about John Kerry picking John
Edwards as his running mate, instead of someone more
like, for example, Richardson. He, of course, was
very upbeat and not the least bit disappointed,
saying he took his name out of consideration before
Kerry made his announcement. "I love my job,"
Richardson said, and he seemed to mean it. Edwards,
he declared, "is generational and energizes the base."
Leaving the center, I passed a long line of folks
waiting for rides on the Ferris wheel. Aha, I
thought, looking up. That must be where all the bold
face names are hiding. . . .
An Airline for Politicos: The new D.C.-based
upstart airline Independence Air
tried its best to deliver politicos and media types
from Dulles to Boston this weekend, despite numerous
weather-related flight delays. Passengers got a
chuckle out of the recorded safety instructions,
presented as a comedy bit by James Carville and Mary
Matalin: "Hi, everyone, this is James Carville and I
have some safety information for the folks on the
left side of the plane." "And this is Mary Matalin
and I'll be doing the same for the people on the
right side." Carville: "So people on the right, put
your Wall Street Journal down and pay attention."
Matalin: "Yes, and people on the left, we must ask
you to stop whining, just for a moment." Carville:
"OK, truce." The couple then read through the
routine safety message while the lone flight
attendant mimed the instructions. Designed to make
travel more interesting, the new discount airline
will be rotating other celebrity safety recordings,
by Mia Hamm, Dennis Miller and Chuck Berry. . . .
Reagans, Clintons and Kennedys.
Ron Reagan was hanging at The Rack on Saturday
night, interviewing young things. Meanwhile, New
York Daily News gossip columnist Lloyd Grove was
reverse interviewing. It was a mob scene down at
Faneuil Hall which is probably why he kept moving .
. . to the next pub, of course. The son of late
President Ronald Reagan is expected to be a
showstopper with his Tuesday night speech on stem
cell research, less because of the subject matter
and more because of his affiliation with the
Democrats. It will be hard to top Bill & Hill and
Ted Kennedy, though, who are also slated to speak
early in the week. Seems hard to believe that former
President Clinton actually nearly got booed off the
stage after delivering a stemwinder at the 1988
Democratic convention. My, what a difference the
years make. Sen. Kennedy is said to be in fine form
as he takes his swan song. I saw him at a private
party in Washington last week and have never seen
him so fired up. Looking much trimmer, gossip has it
that he can thank the Atkins diet, not playing with
his dog. . . .
In the bag at the media bash: Gillette Mach 3
Turbo, Official Used Car Guide, Kraft Macaroni and
Cheese Dinner, Orange-Flavored Craisins, a copy of
The Boston Insider, maps, more maps, city guides,
more city guides, Dunkin' Donuts Coffee. All of
which will come in enormously handy if I ever want
to shop for a used car and cook macaroni in my room
while eating Craisins.
Day Two
Bill Chases Ben Across Boston, Determined to Show Up at the Most Events
If the Democrats handed out an award for Most Cameo
Appearances in a Single Day, Ben Affleck and Bill
Clinton would win in a tie. Clinton was virtually
omnipresent (just to be sure, I even checked under
my bed when I got back to my hotel). Affleck
materialized, among numerous other places, on Sunday
at the Charles Hotel, Fenway Park for the ball game,
the Avalon's Rock the Vote party and even got up for
the Massachusetts delegation's breakfast on Monday
morning. . . .
John Kerry , as the world knows, came out from left
field Sunday night and showed up at Fenway Park's
Red Sox-Yankees game. The boos for Kerry were second
only to those reserved for Yankee turncoat Alex
Rodriguez. Word has it that the out-of-practice
senator had a few trial pitching sessions to lessen
public humiliation. If so, it didn't take; his toss
bounced to home plate. On the other hand, casually
dressed Boston native Affleck, sporting a visor
baseball cap, accepted the wild adulation of the
crowd. Sightings included NBC's "Today" host Katie
Couric, Teresa Heinz Kerry and Ohio delegate Jerry
Springer. . . .
Bill, Ben and the Power of One: Earlier in the day,
across town at the Charles Hotel
in Cambridge, no one came up short at Comcast's
Power of One forum that brought politicians,
students and the business community together to
promote the youth vote. Panelists included actor
Danny Glover, City of Cambridge Vice Mayor Marjorie
Decker, "Original Kings of Comedy" star D.L.
Hughley, MTV News correspondent Gideon Yago, "Joan
of Arcadia" star Amber Tamblyn and, of course,
Affleck. Moderator Hughley was like a late-night TV
host on steroids. The best line: "Al Qaeda thinks
you're going to heaven if you blow up people; we
think they're going to hell. Well, somebody's right."
Cab drivers on Saturday were touting the notion that
only they knew where Bill & Hill were staying; now
it's a national secret that they're at the Charles.
Fresh out of the Power of One party on Sunday night,
Hughley ran into Clinton and engaged him on the
prez's famous book. Yes, Clinton told him, it is
true that he found the process somewhat depressing
and, yes, when he did, he tuned into "The Hughleys"
TV show for comic relief. Hillary was in good
spirits, hugging and holding hands with her husband.
Later that night, Bill and daughter Chelsea smiled
and waved at the assembled crowd of waiting tourists
outside the hotel. They piled into dual black SUVs,
with Chelsea's poor beau Ian Klaus tagging behind at
a respectable distance, probably figuring those
nasty British tabloids had made it across the pond
and were stalking them.
Bill - determined not to let Affleck beat him - kept
popping up all over town, at one point jumping out
of his ride to shake hands with surprised partiers
at the plaza outside Faneuil Hall. . . .
Reliving Old War Stories.
Volunteers of the New Hampshire primary wars - from
all nine candidates - gathered Sunday night at
Brother Jimmy's, the studiously downmarket BBQ joint
on a side street just off Harvard Square. Joe
Trippi, who went from being the newest political
genius to a campaign footnote after Howard Dean
imploded in his home region, strolled laconically
through the place, in one of the only navy blue
blazers in sight.
Neither the Salute to George McGovern at Via Matta,
hosted by Rep. Jim "No Relation" McGovern, D-Mass.,
nor the subdued AOL Time Warner party offered up big
celebrities, unless you count Michael Dukakis, who
was said to be at Matta's, or New York Rep. Eliot L.
Engel , who arrived late. Engel still managed to
secure a signed, vintage "Vote for McGovern"
T-shirt. . . .
Blue Dawgs:
We found more action at The Blue Dog Coalition
Celebration at the Roxy Nightclub, featuring The
Neville Brothers. It wasn't hard to spot former
Maryland congressman and ex-NBA star Tom McMillen,
who towers over the rest of us at somewhere between
7 and 8 feet. Others attending included The Weekly
Standard's Matt Labash, hanging out with David Bass;
Robin Bronk of The Creative Coalition; actor Richard
Kind of HBO's "Curb Your Enthusiasm" and a slew of
congressional persons of interest hovering in the
VIP balcony. To get in, guests needed a special
ticket shaped like a blue dog bone. . . .
Rockin' in the Free World
The Avalon seemed divided into two social strata for the
Rock the Vote party on Sunday night, with the type
of folks who would hold perimeter-only credentials
elbowing each other down near the stage, while the
elite blue- and red-badge folks lounged with a
little more breathing space upstairs in the VIP room.
Singer Lauryn Hill made a surprise cameo appearance
onstage, where she urged the crowd to, well, rock
the vote. Meanwhile Rep. Patrick J. Kennedy ,
D-R.I., schmoozed with Kerry staffers and - what a
surprise - Ben Affleck parted the seas wherever he went.
Day Three
While the Scribes Imbibed at Anthem, a Hipper House Rocked at the Roxy
Used to be that reporters and editors were happy
enough drinking from a pint bottle of cheap whiskey
in the bottom drawer of their desks. These days
their tastes run a little richer, a fact not lost on
the suits at The New Republic, Roll Call and its
parent company, the Economist.
The three publishers teamed with the Distilled
Spirits Council of America for a bash at the
restaurant Anthem, drawing a crowd of scribes,
pundits and advertising types that spilled out onto
the street and went late into the night. It was
easily one of the two hottest parties of the
convention so far, the other being Rep. Harold E.
Ford Jr.'s bash across town at the Roxy (more on
that one below). . . .
As guests sipped 30-year-old Lagavulin, 18-year-old
Glenlivet and other single malts, media heavy
hitters huddled, including National Journal Group
Publisher John Fox Sullivan, Congressional Quarterly
Publisher Bob Merry and New Republic Publisher
Stephanie Sandberg. Economist Editor Bill Emmott
said he was scoping out the Democrats in the event
they rise to power. Roll Call Publisher Laurie
Battaglia-Skinker served as one of the event's
gracious hosts. . . .
Norm Ornstein said stuff we're sure was very
quotable. And "Simpsons" voice and Spinal Tapper
Harry Shearer also made a showing. . . .
Both former and present "Reliable Source" scribes,
Lloyd Grove and Richard Leiby, were waiting for
celebrities to arrive before they realized that they
were them. Lloyd, The New York Daily News' newest
gossip columnist, said he was enjoying his "Lowdown"
gig and looking forward to his new digs in the
city's West End. Leiby, who came from the world of
investigative reporting, later headed for the Arab
American Institute's party with Michael Isikoff of
Newsweek. . . .
WMAL General Manager Chris Berry offered us all a
convention spot on the radio network, which he may
regret today. Sara Corcoran, granddaughter of the
late super lobbyist and former clerk to Oliver
Wendell Holmes "Tommy the Cork," energized the room.
. . .
Down at the Roxy, well, it rocked. We arrived well
after midnight to find the joint jumping. Grooving
to the hip hop act on stage, a crowded dance floor
included guest of honor Harold E. Ford Jr. of
Tennessee and members of his family. Perpetual
shower-upper Ariana Huffington was there, as was
Apprentice Rejectee Omarosa. And Virginia Gov. Mark
Warner could be seen bopping his head to the music
up in the VIP balcony. Andre 3000, the lead singer
from Outkast, partied with the crowd, joining a
growing group of dancers who invaded the stage.
Kudos to the Roxy, which to date hosted the best
party. . . .
Other Random Sightings:
Former Speaker of the House Tom Foley sat in the
hallway outside the Washington state delegation
breakfast Tuesday morning, apparently uninterested
that actor Richard Dreyfuss was entertaining
delegates inside the room. Dreyfuss got some laughs,
even if he did rely on his laptop as a teleprompter
to feed him one-liners. . . .
"West Wing" star Richard Schiff, with a small
entourage in tow, arrived at the convention hall
early to hear Hill introduce Bill. . . .
Earlier in the evening, P. Diddy and his entourage
were trying to pull strings to get floor
credentials. Rival hip hopper Andre 3000 succeeded,
and was seen ringside chatting up members of the
Maryland delegation. The artists had just wrapped up
the Boston Hip Hop Summit at the Reggie Lewis Track
and Athletic Center. . . .
Conan O'Brien's late night hand puppet co-star
Triumph the Insult Comic Dog was seen leaving the
perimeter Monday night, as the Secret Service
blocked other attendees until Triumph had cleared
the exterior. Not bad for a puppet. "I didn't know
there was a man attached," quipped one Boston
policeman. . . .
The Oregon delegation, already the hippest
delegation simply for having Everclear singer Art
Alexakis as a member, outdid itself with an
appearance by actor James Cromwell from "Babe" and
"Six Feet Under" at the state's delegation breakfast
on Tuesday. "I'm here supporting Dennis Kucinich,"
who was speaking at the event. "I'm comfortable with
John Kerry because it means electing a Democrat.
I'm uncomfortable until he moves more to the left
and less to the center," said Cromwell. Maybe if he
tried that sheepdog whistle he used in "Babe."
Day Four
Breaux Begins a Long Farewell, Kevin Bacon Rocks and Celebs Roam in Packs
Louisiana Sen. John Breaux had a busy party day,
starting with an afternoon award ceremony in his
honor and ending with his own Caribbean bash, both
part of a long farewell as he moves on to his next
(???) career.
His Caribbean event took place at the Boston
Aquarium; fortunately, there was plenty of seafood
brought in for consumption. Ziggy Marley and a
school of mermaids provided audio and visual
entertainment, while guests partook of exotic
cocktails and Cajun delights. The dance floor was
one big sand pit, which was great if you came in
flip-flops or were at least partially inebriated,
but it was no place for women in Jimmy Choos.
Earlier in the afternoon, Breaux accepted "The
Congressional Spotlight Award," jointly conferred by
Tony Goldwyn of The Creative Coalition and CQ
President Bob Merry, who quelled the boisterous
revelers by standing on a stool during his
presentation. The event included Bianca Jagger,
Ellen Burstyn, Billy Baldwin, columnist Dave Barry,
perpetual comedian Jerry Stiller and outgoing MPAA
President Jack Valenti, who told me his professional
career is far from over.
The Daily Howler's Bob Somerby emceed Tuesday
night's rockin' Hotline Comedy Show with hilarious
amateur funny men, Time's Matt Cooper, the Nation's
David Corn and Rep. Brad Sherman , along with
laugh-a-second pros Jim Morris, Will Durst and funny
lady Arianna Huffington, who's everywhere. In her
heavily accented Greek voice, she claims to keep
busy now as "Teresa Heinz's dialect coach." New,
damning epithet that emerged from the evening:
"Well, Cheney you!". . . .
Rockin' with the Bacons:
Over at Radius, North and South Dakota lawmakers Tom
Daschle , Tim Johnson and Byron Dorgan were honored
by the Edison Electric Institute, Fannie Mae,
Freddie Mac and the law firm Greenberg Traurig.
Actress Kyra Sedgwick and husband, actor/director
Kevin Bacon, are both so trim they could fit in the
same pair of jeans. If you blinked you would have
missed her at last night's jam session, where she
mingled freely with the super-hyped crowd. The
raucous event at Radius featured an energetic set by
Kevin's group "The Bacon Brothers." Kevin sings like
he acts (take that any way you want). . . .
At Via Matta after midnight, a band of Hollywood
party hoppers - including actors Richard Schiff
("The West Wing"), Wendie Malick ("Just Shoot Me"),
Alfre Woodard (now filming "Beauty Shop II"),
Giancarlo Esposito ("Homicide" and numerous Spike
Lee films) and slasher director Wes Craven showed
up, pausing at the VIP entrance to get their pix
snapped with Planned Parenthood president Gloria
Feldt. Earlier, Christie Hefner, daughter of Hugh
Hefner, and "One Life to Live" cast members Lisa Lo
Cicero and Bree Williamson made appearances. . . .
The hottest party of Tuesday night was at the
cavernous, four-level hipster club Felt on
Washington Street. Sponsored by the Democratic
Congressional Campaign Committee, the bash got off
to a slow start, but things improved after the
convention let out, reaching a crescendo around
midnight when the fire marshal wouldn't let anyone
else into the club. Wendie Malick showed up here,
too. And there was lame duck Rep. Chris Bell ,
D-Texas, who has minor celebrity status among
Democrats after filing an ethics complaint against
House Majority Leader Tom DeLay . Although young
Dems played it cool and shot pool on the third
floor, gay and straight couples one floor above
danced energetically to '80s pop. . . .
Over at the GQ (not CQ) party thrown for San
Francisco's Gavin Newsom, neither gender could get
enough of the gorgeous mayor. From the moment he
entered the scene of well-heeled politicos, the
sophisticated revelers lost all of their
I'm-better-than-you aura. Newsom could barely part
the throngs of enthusiasts hoping for a glimpse, but
Joe Trippi seemed to have no problem moving around.
The party in Newsom's honor at The Federalist, where
ivory presidential busts looked down on the modern
day political elites, also attracted the family of
political daughters - Vanessa Kerry, Kristen Gore
and Karenna Gore Schiff. . . .
Terry McAuliffe heard from several well-wishers who
told him to "keep up the good work," as Ben Affleck
stood for pictures with all the fawning ladies.
CNN's Anderson Cooper and pertly political analyst
John Mercurio also showed. . . .
Study in contrasts: Ken Burns and Michael Moore were
each on the convention floor, but the aura
surrounding the two famous documentary film
directors could not have been more different. The
slightly built Burns didn't seem to turn a head,
blending in with the crowd, no entourage. He
appeared to be there to actually watch the night's
speeches. Less than 20 feet away, by the Michigan
delegation, Moore was a force of nature, his copious
bulk surrounded by bodyguards, eager fans, boom
microphones and cameras.
Janet Donovan is principal of Creative Enterprises
International, a publicity firm in Washington, D.C.
Her column appears daily this week as Guest
Columnist, Edited by Mike Mills.
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