Quincy at 75!

Quincy Jones, or Q, as he's known to his friends, celebrated his seventy-fifth birthday by accepting the Pied Piper award from the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers last night. Calling himself "the happiest seventy-five-year-old on the planet," Jones watched with admiration and glee as performer after performer took the stage to pay him tribute. Among the acts rocking the Nokia Theater were Ashford & Simpson, Lesley Gore, Gloria Estefan, Roberta Flack, Al Jarreau, Savion Glover and Tony Bennett. Although Gore sang "It's My Party," last night was clearly all about Q--a well-deserved celebration of a prolific career. Following the fete, a select group of guests decamped to the Carlyle Hotel for a private surprise birthday party for the night's honoree. Look for coverage of that gathering in next week's People magazine.

New Orleans Jazzes it Up in NYC

At a glittering gala held tonight to raise funds and awareness for the Preservation Resource Center of New Orleans, Soledad O'Brien accepted an award on behalf of the Time Warner Corporation for its team coverage of Hurricane Katrina and its aftermath. In the glorious Allen Room at Jazz at Lincoln Center, O'Brien and Mayor Michael Bloomberg looked on as a video presentation portrayed the many ways Time Warner covered the disaster, from the pages of Time and People to the airwaves of CNN. The Preservation Resource Center was founded in 1974 and has been instrumental in assisting more than 5,000 families in the ravaged city in preserving their homes. %%showphotos [setid=72157603767582448]%%