Fight Night celebrates its 20th anniversary with plenty of boxing legends, donations, Marines, cigars, eye-candy, and the inspirational Joe E. Robert, Jr.

Mayor Adrian Fenty and Raul Fernandez. (Photo by Tony Powell)

By Michael Clements
Photos by Tony Powell
Video by Michael Clements

Forget for a moment the wafting clouds of cigar smoke, flowing Ravenswood Cabernet Sauvignon, juicy NY Strip steaks, curvaceous table hostesses and Redskins cheerleaders, live music by Joan Jett and the Blackhearts, boxing legend after boxing legend and, well, the overall downright manliness of Fight Night. Forget it all and remember this: for 20 years Fight Night has been raising millions of dollars ($2.8 million last year and over $2.2 million this year) for Fight For Children and other organizations that provide education and healthcare services to low-income children in Washington, D.C.

Read the full story

The W Hotel Washington and John Legend put on a grand opening performance, Pollywood style

By Michael M. Clements

Operatic performers set a classical mood. Photo by Tony Powell

Purple lights flooded the historic Beaux Arts exterior of the officially opened W Hotel Washington on a perfect fall evening. There was a formidable red carpet with a large logo-emboldened step-and-repeat with a special “VIP-only” entrance – for those worthy of being photographed in front of said corporate logos; photographers who waited patiently outside the velvet rope for the star power to roll in; and black-clad PR mavens with clipboards and headsets greeting guests with “Are you on the list?” Indeed, it was an event game-planned straight out of film screening/celebrity restaurant openings of Los Angeles and New York. But, this isn’t Los Angeles or New York. It’s Washington. Not to say Washington can’t be chic. It can be. But we don’t have to be Los Angeles or New York, or Miami for that matter. In fact, we revel in not being any of these cities because of how hard they try sometimes. If the opening of the W Hotel Washington proves anything, it’s that Washington is continuing to develop its unique Pollywood style – and that, is a good thing.

Read the full story

Barbara McDuffie shows off one of the era-perfect poodle skirts seen in the audience at the Lombardi Cancer Center’s Doo Wop Concert at the Warner Theatre.

Strange encounters, Doo Wop daddies, and tea dancing Russian style.

By Donna Shor

BEAR-ING UP WELL
Lynda Webster and her long-time fishing buddy, retired Justice Sandra Day O’Connor, were startled at a placid trout stream this summer when a bear burst out of the woods and headed right for them. “After the first shock, we realized he wasn’t after us,” Lynda said. “He was after the trout on her line.” After a tense moment, the pair headed him off, and kept both their fish and their cool.

Lynda kicked off the fall season once again with her morning get-together at the Chevy Chase Club. Spotted: Alma Powell, Barbie Allbritton, Esther Coopersmith, ever-soignée Alexine Jackson (who had just celebrated her 50th wedding anniversary, and found that hard to believe. So do we.) Others included Kathy Bushkin, the UN Foundation’s chief operating officer; Pam Kessler, who told us her author husband Ron is hard at work on a book about the FBI; Gail West; Shaista Mahmood; arts patron Judith Terra; designer Ann Kenkel; Judy Esfandiary; and Ruth Frenzel. Wives of four ambassadors were there: Laurel Colles Lintu (Finland); Shamin Jawad (Afghanistan), Fabiola Gallegos (Ecuador), Margarete Alvarez (Venezuela), and from the embassy of Japan, aide Kiyomi Buker.

Read the full story

Seasonal meanderings, a bachelor no more, and news from the Diplomatic Reception Rooms.

By Donna Shor

Curator Marcee Craighill (center) greets her predecessor, Gail Serfaty, at a recent Diplomatic Reception Rooms dinner.

WHO WENT WHERE
Lynda Webster says this was “The Year of the Fish” after angling for trout in Montana with husband Bill before heading to Alaska for more. … JoAnn and John Mason summered at home, preoccupied with visiting grandkids and John’s appointment as a National Endowment for the Arts trustee. After an escape to Nantucket, they relaxed at Ireland’s super-chic Ritz-Carlton spa, the Ireland Tower Court, an hour from Dublin. … Monica and Hermen Greenberg topped the summer with their annual barbecue at “Rutledge,” their Middleburg estate, where beautiful Monica presided in a huge picture hat. “Fifty of the 500 guests were kids,” birthday boy Hermen said proudly. There were kiddie games galore, and EVERYONE got a prize. … George and Trish Vradenburg winged it to Sao Paolo, Brazil, as Trish’s play, Surviving Grace, is touring Latin America. … Mike and Julie Connors had a marathon summer, after first hosting a cocktail party in their art-filled Georgetown home honoring National Museum of Women in the Arts gala co-chairs Juliana May and M.A. Brickfield. Then it was Dark Harbor, Maine and Nantucket followed by Greece to visit Carol and Climis Lascaris. That foursome, joined by Mary Mochary and Phil Wine, left from Nice for a Seabourn cruise of the Italian Riviera, ending in Rome before the Connors headed to California. … Gertrude d’Amecourt went off to the Vermont retreat of Lolo Sarnoff, who recently hosted the elegant and indomitable Gertie’s 98th birthday celebration. It fell on the night of a major storm, with no electricity and non-working traffic lights, yet 200 of the guests made it anyway. Lolo lit many birthday cakes’ worth of candles, and everyone partied on.

Read the full story

Jane Sloat Ritchie, Christine Reed, and Victoria Lombardo, winner of the “Show Stopper” category of the Hat Contest at the 20th “Perennial” Garden Party at Woodrow Wilson House.

Buskers hold sway, we remember Gogo, and the Atlantic Council makes news.

By Donna Shor

Power people galore at the Atlantic Council of the United States Award Dinner. Honorees were Britain’s Tony Blair, media baron Rupert Murdoch, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Adm. Michael G.Mullen, and world-renowned pianist Evgeny Kissin. Presenters were Poland’s former president Aleksander Kwasniewski, Spain’s former president Jose Maria Aznar, Colin Powell, Henry Kissinger, Atlantic Council’s chairman Gen. James L. Jones, and its president and CEO, Frederick Kempe. Alexis Glick of Fox News emceed. Seen amidst 800 guests (including 35 ambassadors): Paula Dobriansky, Alexandra and Arnaud de Borchgrave, Jon Ledecky, Vibeke Lofft, JoAnn and John Mason, Philip and Nina Pillsbury; Isabel and Ricardo Ernst, Ann and Lloyd Hand, Kathy Kemper, Jim Valentine, and indomitable newswoman Helen Thomas.

Read the full story

The Red Cross Ball, a Barbadian reunion, and a compliment from Kissinger.

By Donna Shor
 

Bonnie McElveen-Hunter, William Rollnick, Suzette Morris, Nancy Rollnick, and David Morris

FIFTY-FIRST ANNUAL RED CROSS BALL

Mar-a-Lago Club, Palm Beach…the Red Cross Ball is one of the world’s most glittery galas with diamonds galore ($5 million dollars worth bedecked Suzette, wife of international jeweler David Morris), and tiaras, emeralds and rubies All this, plus Melania Trump, Susan Lucci, Archduke Georg von Habsburg-Lothringen, Archduchess Eilika. Ambassadors who flew down with The Donald on his private plane were Shamin and Said Jawad (Afghanistan), Dr. Rajmah Hussain (Malaysia), Benedicte and Joseph Weyland (Luxembourg), Birgitte and Arne Petersen (Denmark), and dynamic Nat’l Red Cross Chair Bonnie McElveen-Hunter. Special thrill: the patron’s dinner at the 45,000 square-foot, $37 million home of super-hosts Michele (the ball’s vice-chair) and Howard Kessler. A special award was given to Marion “Joe” Smoak, retiring as the ball’s chief of protocol (“Never missed once in 35 years”), who will be replaced by former Ambassador to Denmark Stuart Bernstein. Washingtonians: Brad and Denise Alexander, Bill and Norma Tiefel, Bill and Mary Walde, Wilma Bernstein, Mike and Julia Connors, Susan Eisenhower, Patti Delano (as in FDR), and Bill and Julie Thurmond Whitmer, daughter of the late Sen. Strom.

Read the full story