We Really Dug This Party

Have you ever thrown a party for someone and had the guest of honor cancel on you after the invitations had already been sent? Now just imagine if that guest had been a marquee-name celebrity who was the big draw for your charity's ticket sales. That's exactly the position the Archaeological Institute of America found itself in last night when Harrison Ford missed his chance to accept an honor from the association on the occasion of its 130th anniversary and first-ever gala dinner.

As you might have surmised, Ford was chosen for his role in bringing Hollywood-style interest and excitement to the at-times dry field (pun intended) of archeology through his star turns as Indiana Jones. To be fair, it was a shooting conflict that prevented the actor from being able to attend and he did provide a videotaped acceptance speech. But in spite of the lack of movie-star glitz (or perhaps even because of it), the night was filled with fun, as guests tucked into a Maya-inspired feast prepared under the watch of Maya food archeologist Patricio Balona, Maya archeologist Ben Thomas and Capitale executive chef Jason Munger. Boldface names from the world of food and exploration (including several Top Chef contestants from Season 5) and Travel Channel host Samantha Brown, archeologist James Delgado and Discovery Channel host Josh Bernstein feasted on dishes such as roasted feral pork with a poblano tomatillo sauce and jicama, yucca and calabasa. A live auction featured tours of the ancient world that sounded tempting enough to get even Tutankhamun to raise a paddle. As for Indy, maybe he'll come next year and present the honors to the 2010 honoree. 

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Orange You Glad You Came?

Bright orange was the color of the week, first at the Can-Do benefit, where celebs walked a pumpkin-colored carpet (including Mario Batali, wearing Crocs the hue of his hair) and then last night, at the rooftop of 20 Pine, where a private crowd of tastemakers gathered to fête the launch of Solerno Blood Orange Liqueur in the United States. Among the gathered notables included Richie Rich and Tinsley Mortimer (left) and Kristian Laliberte. In addition to the temptation of plentiful Solerno cocktails, guests were drawn by the promise of passed hors d'oeuvres by Patrick Connelly of restaurant bobo and a special fragrance station proferring custom perfumes from the Memoire Liquide collection at Bloomingdales. The evening, dubbed La Notte Arancione, did more than just introduce the city's party set to this must-try new spirit. It benefited the charity Save Venice. Among the other boldface names who embraced their inner orange for the night included Alexandra Lind Rose, Adelina Wong Ettelson, Anisha Lakhani, Annabel Vartanian, Melissa Berkelhammer and Peter Davis. Needless to say, no one left without having gotten a hearty dose of Vitamin-C.

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The Can-Do Spirit

Mariska Hargitay, Jimmy Fallon, Rachael Ray, Mario Batali, Rocco DiSpirito and Helena Christensen were among the notables who turned out for the Can-Do awards dinner to raise money for the Food Bank of New York City last night. The evening's special honoree, Jon Bon Jovi, also got to bask in the adulation of President Bill Clinton and U2's Bono. The presence of master of ceremonies Michael Stipe, lead singer of R.E.M, further enhanced the rock royalty quotient. On the red carpet, I asked arriving celebrities about their favorite Bon Jovi song. The most enthusiastic answer by far came from Batali, who without skipping a beat went into  air-guitar mode, belting out "WANTED....dead or alive!!" For all of the fun and games, the night was really about raising crucial funds for this organization, which helps see to it that the 1.3 million New Yorkers in peril of going hungry do not lack places to turn to find sustenance for their families. At present, the charity's reserves are at critically low levels and the organization is doing everything it can to get the word out about the work it can do with even $1—a donation that will supply five meals for a person who might otherwise go hungry. It kind of gives new meaning to the Bon Jovi song "I'll Be There for You."

Ex Marks the Spot

The blow dryers were silent at Frédéric Fekkai last night, but the scene was anything but tranquil as several hundred friends of author Jill Kargman turned out to help her celebrate the publication of her new book, The Ex-Mrs. Hedgefund. Guests' tresses looked amazingly good considering the downpour outside, but it was no small measure of the author's generous spirit and kind character that so many people had shown up in spite of the foul weather. The book followings the rising, falling and rising fortunes of a woman who suddenly finds herself on the outs of polite Park Avenue society when she divorces her hedgefund husband after catching him in an affair. Apart from being able to congratulate Kargman on another sure-to-be-successful novel, the attendees walked away clutching their goody bags, which contained a certificate good for a Fekkai blow-out. Just the sort of thing to make a rainy day seem a lot more sunny.

Fifth Avenue Finery

Even the dogs got in the act today, as the city's annual Easter parade took to Fifth Avenue near St. Patrick's Cathedral. The annual tradition, begun in the 1870s, attracts chapeaued ladies and gentlemen in creations that are often of their own making. In its heyday, the parade drew crowds of up to a million; in recent years, it has become less a parade and more a large gathering, where participants and spectators alike clog the streets to check out the creativity on display. An estimated 30,000 people attended last year's outing. Helping to keep the spirit of hat-wearing alive is the Milliner's Guild, which seeded the crowd with women in hats that were more fashionable than comical. No word yet on this year's numbers, but those who did show up enjoyed a full dose of sunshine (despite the brisk winds) and a collection of hats that you're not likely to see in the windows of Saks or Bergdorf Goodman anytime soon. 

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Make Mine a Porsche

Men who love cars and the women who love men who love cars were out in force at the tenth annual East Side House Settlement preview gala of the New York International Auto Show last night. After a lively cocktail reception in the main corridor of the Javits Center, where Porsche models (mechanical and otherwise) were on prominent display, guests moved into an indoor tent for dinner, where the highlight was an auction of a 2010 Porsche 911 GT3. The Stuttgart speedster went to the highest bidder for $150,000. Combined with ticket sales and the proceeds of a silent auction, more than $500,000 was raised for the charity, which works with underprivileged families. It was a palpable reflection of the economy that the Italian luxury auto manufacturers, Maserati, Lamborghini and Ferrari, took this year off from the auto show. Quite a change from last year's outing, when a Lamborghini Gallardo was auctioned for East Side House for $340,000. Here's hoping that next year the economy is strong enough to support the auction of a Bugatti Veyron (sticker price: $1.4 million) for East Side House.

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Better than Ezra

TriBeCa Nightclub Duane Park was sizzling last evening, with tasteful stripteases by Pandora, (pictured left) and Amber Ray and the trumpet sounds and ivory ticklings of a special Saturday-night cabaret act. (The restaurant recently began offering performances on select Saturdays to meet the great demand for weekend shows.) Among the patrons enjoying the night were banker Daniel Ezra and his wife, Lizzie da Trindade-Asher, who gathered more than two dozen of their closest friends on the occasion of Daniel's birthday. Many members of this very international crowd had traveled quite a distance to wish Daniel well, including from as far afield as Sweden. Another couple jetted in from Puerto Rico. After all the songs were sung and cigars had been passed around, the party people decamped to Kiss & Fly, where a little of both took place. The night finally wrapped near sunrise. All in all, a birthday to remember.

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I'll Get You, My Pretty!

You'd have to believe that the after-party for a Broadway show called "Reasons to Be Pretty" would not be lacking in beautiful people. And sure enough, it wasn't. Neil LaBute's play opened at the Lyceum Theater last night and the stage door was scarcely closed for the night when the gushing critical reviews started pouring in—and buzzing around the post-show bash, which was held at Hudson Terrace. Among the boldface names in attendance included the show's cast members, Marin Ireland, Steven Pasquale, Piper Perabo and Thomas Sadowski, as well as actors Anson Mount (left), Saturday Night Live's Rachel Dratch, Tae Diggs and his pregnant wife, Idina Minzel and Jenny Powers, now starring in the off-Broadway show "Happiness." Apart from winning mad props from the critics, "Reasons to Be Pretty" also deserves praise for its tongue-in-cheek URL: www.doesthisplaymakemelookfat.com. As for the guests at last night's party, the answer to that question was a definitive no.

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