Last time we saw Modern Family's Sofia Vergara, she was dating club guy Chris Paciello. How things have changed. While Paciello has returned to his former stomping grounds to take a second spin in the Miami club biz, his ex will also be back, but only to stand by her man, Nick Loeb, who will hold a press conference on Thursday, November 17th at the Sagamore Hotel to announce his decision regarding his candidacy for U.S. Senate. Loeb, a Republican and the trust funded son of John Loeb, Jr, who was Ronald Reagan's ambassador to Denmark, pulled out of the race for the Palm Beach-Broward legislative seat in 2009 because he was going through a divorce from Swedish ex-wife Anna. Loeb also lost out on a 2005 bid for Delray Beach city commissioner. Nothing like a Pepsi pin up Charo redux sitcom star to bolster your chances for a seat in the Senate. There are worse ways people have won. Politics aside, it would be fun to see him win if only to be able to write that Vergara has come a long, long way from late nights at Liquid to the stodgy Senate. On second thought, the last thing senators need today is more distraction.
Electronic music mayhem: WMC vs. Ultra
It's been quiet around here lately, perhaps the calm before the storm, or perhaps due to the fact that Miami residents have been downgraded from being the most attractive in the nation to just okay looking by countless polls. Sure, there've been a handful of athletes, rappers, Zzzzzzzzzzzz-listers and locals flitting around, eager for their five seconds of local fame by showing up at everything from the opening of an envelope to the opening of a toilet lid. But beyond that it's been pretty lame. Until now. Apparently there's major drama brewing between Winter Music Conference and Ultra Music Conference. The Hatfields and McCoys set to an electronic beat.
In a letter written by Club Space owner Luis Puig published on tbe excellent nightlife blog Talk Nightlife, it says "Ultra is trying to monopolize WMC by engaging exclusive contracts with all major DJs which will not allow them to perform at your favorite dance clubs." The letter goes on to say "WMC used to be about free parties with DJs and industry folks sharing and enjoying new music. Now it is about greed and money with Ultra and all the clubs fighting over talent, hotels charging 4 times what they are used to and agents and DJs banking on the demand."
Sound familiar? Unfortunately it does. This seems to be a common affliction when egos are as inflated like a socialite's lips and greed becomes the other white meat. May the music lovers ultimately be the winners and the sound of background bickering just be muted out by the throbs and thumps of the music.
Cougars go wild, cocktail waitresses cover up for Bill Clinton at LIV
Bill Clinton didn't party like it was 1998 last night at the Haiti fundraiser at LIV and it wasn't because he necessarily didn't want to. Apparently Clinton's staffers instructed the club to cover up its cocktail waitresses with special Snuggies emblazoned with the presidential seal and pix of Hillary Clinton on them. No cleavage, no nip slips, nothing remotely, uh, titillating. This, despite the fact that all LIV's lovely working ladies were forbidden from serving the former president anyway. Only Clinton's male staffers were allowed to bring him anything--specifically water and Diet Coke. No booze. Makes sense, of course. Meanwhile outside the club and later at Scarpetta where he hosted a private dinner for 50 including, of all people, actress Heather Graham, "the cougars were going wild, trying to get a glimpse of Clinton," says a member of our own secret service."Some were even brazen enough to try to crash the party." None succeeded in pulling a Salahi as far as we know. If they did, we're sure they had to sign a non disclosure agreeement from Bravo. The one personal wish of Clinton's that was fulfilled? Scarpetta's famous spaghetti. Perfectly al dente and scandal free.
Take two: Bravo tries again with Miami Social Club
As we've said so many times, Bravo is not filming The Real Housewives of Miami. Finally putting that rumor to rest is the announcement of the voyeuristic network's new series, Miami Social Club (working title), starring, among others, Lea Black (wife of famed attorney Roy) and, in this scene at the Original Penguin store over the weekend, Black's right hand man Jason Clarke and drag diva Elaine Lancaster with a cameo by Dennis Rodman. Motley Social Club's more like it. Casting for this started way back in June of last year with all sorts of names in bold stepping up for their chance at having every tabloid dig for skeletons in the deep, dark recesses of their closets the big time. As for the rest of the guinea pigs publicity hounds castmembers (the network tells us because it's "just a pick up," there are no official cast announcements or details on air dates as of yet), according to our reality show rat they are: public relations professional/erstwhile socialite Marysol Patton, Christy Rice (ex wife of former Miami Heat player Glen Rice), Alexia Echeverria (executive editor of Venue Magazine), socialite and gallery owner Adriana Sidi (also known as Adriana de Moura), and Larsa Pippen (wife of NBA's Scottie). The official word on the series is as follows: "This new docu-series follows Miami's social elite--a glamorous circle where money, hard work, status and beauty rule. Get a fascinating fly-on-the-wall look at life on the sizzling hot Miami scene. MC Filmworks is producing this series for Bravo with Michael McNamara, Sheri Maroukfkhani and Jack Tarantino as executive producers." Our sources also tell us this show has absolutely nothing to do with that other failed experiment show with the words Miami and social in it. To nobody's surprise, that one has not been renewed. Let's hope they get it right with this one.
Audi Super Bowl soiree delivers big on celebs, shows signs of Twivalry between Twilight stars Kellan Lutz and Taylor Lautner
The Audi Super Bowl party in the penthouse of the W South Beach Saturday was interesting on so many levels. Just when it looked like it was going to be a parade of prostitutes and spare parts, Hilary Swank, of all people, walked in, hand in hand with boyfriend and former agent John Campisi. Not exactly breaking news, especially considering the duo were polite as can be, saddling up to the bar to order some cocktails. But then Swank's ex brother in law Rob Lowe walked in with his two young sons and in 0 to 60, Audi started accelerating. As Swank hung on tight to her man, Lowe exchanged pleasantries with Private Practice star Kate Walsh, telling her he just came from "Joe's Crab," to which Walsh replied, "Ooooh, Joe's!" in regards to Miami Beach landmark Joe's Stone Crab.
And just when you thought the party was stuck in cruise control with cool, calm, collected celebs and Swank and Lowe staying at opposite ends of the penthouse, in walks Twilight heartthrob Kellan Lutz, sporting a shirt, tie and short curly hair. Lutz was also pretty pleasant, surrounded by a man and a woman whose sole purpose, according to our source, was to get "Lutz laid." That said, Lutz's on-again, off-again girlfriend AnnaLynne McCord, was said to be en route to Miami for a Saturday arrival. And because this wasn't a free-for-all mob scene of a party like, say ESPN over at the Fontainebleau, Lutz wasn't mobbed by fans, stalkers or even his fellow celebs. He was just, like, there. So were a few football players marveling at the eye candy.
All was well at this classy celebrity cocktail confab until Twilight's second in command it boy (Rob Pattinson being chief) Taylor Lautner walked in, brushed by us, followed by his own entourage of handlers. Those of us expecting a big Twilight high five were disappointed when, within not even five minutes, Lautner's handlers repositioned their tweeny client towards the door. All of a sudden, Lautner was gone! Just like that! No hand shake, no high five, no hello happened between Lutz and Lautner, and thanks to our keen hearing, now we know why.
Apparently Lautner's people think their client is so elevated in the celebrity stratosphere, and he may very well be, that they do not want him anywhere near Lutz. So with that, Lautner was gone, Lutz went onto the balcony and in walked Jessica Alba and Lance Bass who, like everyone else, were pleasant enough, but not nearly as titillating as the Twivalry we witnessed a few minutes earlier. Big props to Audi for delivering on their promises of a delightfully random assemblage of quality celebrities (and unexpected drama and tension) this Super Bowl weekend so desperately needed.
Miami Babylon backlash, backstabbing and bitchery
There wasn't an Eames chair to be had last night at Design Within Reach where Miami Babylon author Gerald Posner spoke before a packed house at his Books & Books signing that was peppered with lots of familiar faces. We saw and heard ex mayor /inmate Alex Daoud, who applauded Posner's "courage to write this book," and noticed publicist Tara Solomon, who said nothing, but her presence spoke volumes, especially after the whole Page Six party pooper incident. Also there: current beach mayor Matti Bower, artist Carlos Betancourt, legendary designer and Biba brainchild Barbara Hulanicki, modeling mogul Irene Marie, real estate heavyweights Kevin Tomlinson and Monica Harvey, and, of course, party fixture Merle Weiss. Missing from the action, however, were a few players, including Michael Capponi and Ingrid Casares, who, incidentally, Posner, told the crowd was his most difficult interview, and who took to Twitter this morning to write the following statement: "Gerald Posner's book... is complete fiction..maybe all those facelifts clouded his memory..pathetic." She also contacted us this morning with an official statement, saying "I've been through this before with authors writing books about me but never once did I do an interview with them. I was referred to [Posner] by my friends Nick D'Annunzio and Tara Solomon. I figured if I told [Posner] my side--a few things, not all of it---I would at least get quoted correctly. From the few things I read, he quotes me saying I had nothing better to do than taking drugs and being a sycophant. Not only would I not describe my disease of addiction that way, I would never describe a friendship with Madonna of 20 years as me being a sycophant. How ridiculous. A person who my son and I spent last weekend in New York with. He is a lame excuse for an author and has [screwed] over a lot of people who worked very hard to make this city what it is today."
To that, Posner, who also quoted yours truly twice in the book, replied, "The book has 37 pages of source notes. Ingrid should check the source note for the quote about being a sycophant. It's not from her interview with me. It's cited Clubland: The Fabulous Rise and Murderous Fall of Club Culture by Frank Owen."
Capponi contacted us last night and said he, too, wanted to give a statement, saying the few parts of the book in which he is mentioned are also false. "Miami Babylon is filled with overwhelming falsities and inaccurate quotes," he says. "It is a shame that I, like many, let this author into my home only for him to misconstrue my words. A perfect example is cited on page 327 where it states I was present at Chris Paciello's bail hearing on the verge of tears, consoling his mother. I never attended any trials or preliminary hearings nor had I spoken to Chris for at least seven years after his arrest." Capponi cites another passage where Posner quotes him as saying, "I decided to be an addict," and refutes it, saying, "Not only is this a complete misquote, but it is extremely offensive to people like me and others who once suffered from the disease of addiction. No one decides to be an addict. I lost many years of my life to this addiction and for the last thirteen years, I have never touched a drug and do not plan to do so again."
Finally, he also offers some advice to future authors who plan to write a book on our fair city, saying, "I would encourage publishers to do more fact checking . . . I do not feel as if I was personally attacked in this book, but I feel it is my responsibility to stand up for my rights and all of the other people who Gerald Posner has trashed in this book. I am also standing up for my city. Miami is not a city built from nothing, as the author said, but is a city built from the sweat, creativity, and vision of a multi ethnic community of which I am very proud to be a part of. It is clear to me that this is just a cheap attempt to make money."
In response, Posner said "[His wife] Trisha and I spent hours and hours with Michael Capponi and he told us in great detail his own story and what he thought about others. It's all on tape. He often said he was telling us things that he had not told any other reporter. If he's upset, I can only imagine that it's either second thoughts about being so frank, or that he's distressed at not being a main character in a book about the Beach." As for Casares's Twitter comments, Posner faces them head on, laughing, "I guess I should take it as a compliment that Ingrid thinks I've had 'facelifts', although she's sure to be disappointed to learn I've never had any. Maybe she lives in a world where cosmetic surgery is the answer for someone looking good for their age. I just call it clean living." Meanwhile, Casares didn't only Tweet her ire, she also dropped Posner as a Facebook friend several months ago, an action which, while some may consider the social equivalent of the fatwa declared on Salman Rushdie, is one the author will hardly lose sleep over. "It's so bitchy and childish," laughed Mrs. Posner. But even if Mr. Posner did have trouble sleeping, he could always try counting the number of books sold in the wake of all this hype.
Bubba's gumption: Bill Clinton can't get enough of Il Mulino
Following his appearance at the Americas Conference in Coral Gables, former prez and UN special envoy to Haiti Bill Clinton stopped by Acqualina Resort & Spa in Sunny Isles Tuesday night where he smoked a stogie (insert inappropriate joke here) while waiting to be fed al fresco from Il Mulino, the same restaurant where he broke bread in NYC recently with Prez Obama. Dining with an unidentified male, Bubba ordered a simple pasta dish with tomato sauce and cheesecake for dessert. Cigar and cheesecake aside, perhaps he's trying to exercise restraint in advance of his appearance on October 10 at the New York City Wine and Food Festival's Weight Watchers Presents Fun and Fit in the City where he will give opening remarks for a panel on how to live a healthier lifestyle?
Top Photo: Unidentified Clinton dinner guest, Jules Trump, Bubba, Stephanie Trump
Middle Photo: Bubba, Acqualina Resort & Spa's General Manager Sase Gjorsovski and Il Mulino head Maitre d' Tino Ponticorvo
Bottom Photo: Bubba and Gjorsovski
Governor Crist's economic stimulus plan hits Bloomingdale's
Spotted today shopping with wife Carole Rome in the ladies' department at Bloomingdale's Aventura: Governor Charlie Crist, who didn't seem too thrilled when we snapped this photo of him. We wonder why. After all, his wife was doing some serious damage in the store which is good for our state's economy right? Ahem. After finishing their spree, security held the goods while the couple walked out holding hands. Aw, cute. It's nice to see the governor working hard on a Wednesday afternoon.
Earn your degree in partying at The University of Miami
