Celebrity Gossip and Photos

Three nights of successive parties in Washington have left many celebrants making comparisons between the balls they attended and the ones they wish they had attended. The balls have run the gamut from large, “official” balls with thousands of celebrants to smaller private events with Hollywood celebrities, high-ranking officials, and foreign dignitaries.
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While the larger balls featured visits by President Obama and Vice President Joe Biden, the smaller, exclusive balls were the envy of inaugural guests as they featured fine dining, popular DJ’s, and the opportunity to rub elbows with Washington and Hollywood royalty. Revelers “in-the-know” definitely preferred the exclusive events to the larger official functions. Many coming to DC in hopes of gaining admittance to a private event were left empty-handed, and were forced to settle for watching the party unfold on cable television.

One particularly well-connected foreign dignitary attended official functions as well as exclusive events. Milka Forcan, the Vice President of Delta Holding in Serbia, was an invited guest to the Mid-Atlantic States Ball. But Delta Holding also sponsored perhaps the most interesting ball of the inauguration, Carrie Fisher’s Obama Pajama Party, which benefitted the Pajama Program charity for children in foster care. Tickets to the Obama Pajama Party were reportedly one of the most sought after items by revelers – including Mo Rocca who covered the event for the Tonight Show.

Ms. Forcan explained, “It was a great pleasure to experience this historical event and join Americans in rejoicing on such a momentous day. But it was also a wonderful opportunity for Delta Holding to express support for the democratic process by sponsoring an event that both celebrates democracy and offers assistance to those in need.”

Carrie Fisher’s Obama Pajama Party featured a small and exclusive guest list including Hollywood celebrities and Washington elite, with gourmet, “sleepover” themed catering.

Delta Holding is the single-largest private company in Serbia. The company has become a leader in development for change across a number of varied industry sectors: fast moving consumer goods (FMCG), food processing, retail distribution, food/beverage retail (restaurant franchising) and commercial/residential real estate development.

Built for speed, the 15th annual Screen Actors Guild Awards (all celebrities, few nobodies) took exactly six minutes before it handed another inevitable award-season trophy to Tina Fey (best actress, TV comedy). Two minutes after that came the first uneasy mumbling from the elephant in the room—the rift within SAG over a strike authorization.
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“Someday my daughter will watch ‘30 Rock’ reruns online,” Fey told the Shrine Auditorium audience. “She will look up at me and say, ‘You mean you don’t get residuals for this?’ ”

She was referring to the fractious guild’s feud over its strategies for dealing with a mountain of issues, including future profits from online programming. That was the subtext as Kate Winslet was awarded again (best supporting actress) for “The Reader,” “Mad Men” took another honor (best ensemble, TV drama), and the “30 Rock” cast clamored onstage once more (best ensemble, TV comedy).

The other subtext was more typical—are these signals of Academy Awards to come? If so, expect a surge for “Doubt,” which delivered Meryl Streep another best actress trophy. Don’t write off Sean Penn, who took best actor for the crowd-pleasing “Milk.” And maybe we can officially declare “Slumdog Millionaire” nothing like an underdog—it gathered best ensemble cast for a movie.

Incidentally, Fey’s quip was the only the outward reference to SAG infighting. Heath Ledger, who took a posthumous supporting actor award for “The Dark Knight,” could be seen in a clip from the movie delivering a line with thinly veiled relevance: “If you’re good at something, never do it for free.”

Ambulance driver Tarino Lightbourne of the Bahamas – the second suspect in the John Travolta extortion case – was charged Monday with attempting to extort and conspiracy to commit extortion against the actor, according to reports.
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Lightbourne, 47, allegedly tried to extort $25 million from John Travolta and his family – for what, we don’t know. At his arraignment, he pleaded not guilty.

The details of the alleged extortion plot – which involved Travolta’s late son, Jett Travolta, 16, who died earlier this month – have still not been made public.

Authorities also arrested Sen. Pleasant Bridgewater on charges of abetment to extort and conspiracy to extort. She was released Friday on $40,000 bail. Bridgewater – who has since resigned – said she plans to fight “untrue and unfair charges.”

Lastly, the cops had detained former tourism minister Obie Wilchcombe, but he “has not been charged,” at this time, says Minister of National Security Tommy Turnquest. “He was not arrested; he was questioned on Friday.”

In an interview, Obie Wilchcombe, a longtime friend of Travolta, denied any criminal involvement and said he was only trying to help the actor and his family.

Lightbourne was quoted in celebrity news reports about trying to revive Jett Travolta, who died at the family’s vacation home in Grand Bahama January 2.

Paul McCartney, Pearl Jam frontman Eddie Vedder, Sheryl Crow, Donovan, Paul Horn and Moby will perform April 4 at a New York benefit for the David Lynch Foundation.
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The event at Radio City Music Hall will further the foundation’s goal to teach 1 million children the techniques of Transcendental Meditation. Ticket information has not yet been revealed.

“In today’s world of fear and uncertainty, every child should have one class period a day to dive within himself and experience the field of silence — bliss — the enormous reservoir of energy and intelligence that is deep within all of us,” filmmaker Lynch writes on the foundation Web site (http://www.davidlynchfoundation.org). “This is the way to save the coming generation.”

“I have been ‘diving within’ through the Transcendental Meditation technique for over 30 years,” he continues. “It has changed my life, my world.”

The creator of “Star Trek” and his wife will spend eternity together in space. Celestis Inc., a company that specializes in “memorial spaceflights,” said Monday that it will ship the remains of Gene Roddenberry and Majel Barrett Roddenberry into space next year.
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The couple’s cremated remains will be sealed into specially made capsules designed to withstand the rigors of space travel. A rocket-launched spacecraft will carry the capsules, along with digitized tributes from fans. The Roddenberrys’ remains — and the spacecraft — will travel ever deeper into space and will not return to earth, company spokeswoman Susan Schonfeld said.

After Gene Roddenberry died in 1991, his wife commissioned Celestis to launch a part of his remains into space in 1997. She died Dec. 18, 2008.