celebrating, artfully

The act of celebration has been permeating the American streets since the election was called a little before midnight Tuesday night. In New York, Barack Obama supporters congregated to celebrate victory in a rare moment of patriotism and even bonding with strangers. It was a night of fireworks, high-fives, hugs, song, oh and booze…

No celebration is complete without an iconic bottle of bubbly or another festive beverage of choice. Or so we have been told. This is an idea alcohol marketers have been clinging to since marketing and advertising were first introduced. The task (beyond making your campaign interesting) has become finding a way to distinguish your brand from all those other celebratory spirits. Who is having the most fun at their party? And what makes that party so special?

A good starting point, from the marketers prospective, is to find that person with whom you want to be celebrating or want to feel like while celebrating. Identifying is key. It provides both a context and implies a certain ideal. And done tastefully, celebration itself can be an art form.

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image courtesy of Fernando Leon/Retna Digital

Our favorite photo this week is of a classic New Yorker, none other than Derek Jeter, looking confused and cross eyed at a press conference announcing the launch of 24 Hour Fitness. Also in Fame Game this week…Kelly Killoren Bensimon ’s rank rising as news comes that she is officially joining the cast of Real Housewives of NYC…Christie Brinkley and Peter Cook also rising in Fame Game due to a well publicized divorce…and finally, Patricia Duff ruling the media after her custody issue with Ronald Perelman made front page headlines.

PARTIES

Hamptons Undercover and Quintessentially hosted two launch parties this week, one on Saturday in the Hamptons, and the second on Tuesday night at High Bar. Everyone from Tatiana and Campion Platt to Real Housewife Alex McCord to art promoter Kipton Cronkite and socialites Olivia Palermo, Annabel Vartanian, and publicist Susan Shin were in attendance. The Bravo TV crew was there filming, no doubt for the upcoming season of Real Housewives. The Art for Life party on Saturday July 19th was also a huge hit (apparently NY Gov. Paterson showed up) despite what the New York Times article said about not selling tickets. Also, we hear that the “Help for Orphans” event on Friday hosted by Jill Zarin and Sarah Ehrlich was a great success (and a good cause!) Stay tuned for photos and a recap of the event…

PROJECTS

We can’t help but love the initial thoughts and images of “My Mom Without Hair,” a heartfelt children’s book soon to be published by Fame Game friend Selene Benitone. Also, we must shamelessly promote again Skewville’s HYPE boxes, on sale currently at the Fame Game store. Read the interview about the project here.

And now, the weekly countdown:

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please contribute your own caption ideas in the comments, this is too much for me right now

PEOPLE/PHOTOS

Our favorite photo this week comes from the Vitamin Water bash at the Hudson Terrace hosted by David Wright and David Ortiz - who knew the Naked Cowboy also did Red Carpet appearances? Blake Lively and Lauren Conrad also turned up for the event…and…as if we hadn’t seen enough celebrity photos showcasing their miniature pooches, on Tuesday night there was an event specifically for such a cause (forgive me for wanting to throw up)…here is Annabel Vartanian with dog, Cornelia Guest with dog, and finally, my favorite, Richard Belzer with dog.

EVENTS

Our friends over at Retna threw a big bash in support of The Recording Academy New York Chapter to celebrate 30 years of business. In attendance were Ray J, Indigo, and Takka Takka, among other big names in the music entertainment business. Longchamp also had an anniversary to celebrate (their 60th!) and did so in style by featuring artist Jean-Luc Moerman. Finally, on Wednesday night, everyone hit the town for a party at the Royalton hosted by fashion designer Keith Lissner and Guest of a Guest. The party benefited our friends over at the Pink Agenda, an organization dedicated to raising money for the Breast Cancer Research Foundation.

And now, the weekly countdown…

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omg, another party!

It’s Wednesday and we’re back with a vengeance…

PEOPLE/PHOTOS

Our first favorite photos come out of the This World is Yours Event last Tuesday. We can’t help but love this one of Julia Allison posing in front of her own PLAY picture. Also, Austen Scarlett caressing the hood of the VW Tiguan SUV. And who doesn’t like to look at these shots of the lovely Meghan Asha who rose to fame in wake of dating notorious Tech Crunch editor Michael Arrington. Also in Fame Game this week…Fame Game welcomes its first “Indianapolis socialite” William “Fortune” Butz (yes that’s his real middle name)…Scott and Naeem spending the fourth with friends, tattoos, and the always lovely Leven Rambin…HipGuide.com founder Syl Tang getting down with an unidentified friend…and fashion designer Tiffany Koury out and about with new friend Lyndsay McArthur, a southern born socialite.

PARTIES

In addition to the This World is Yours event, New York was in full summer swing over the past few weeks with a variety of charity, art, and society events. At the top of the list was a rooftop dinner party hosted by Fame Game’s own Tatiana Platt and husband Campion sponsored by Tanqueray at their swank Soho apartment. Guests wore hats to celebrate Tanqueray’s Top 10 bevvie, and Antony Todd won the prize for best hat. Financier Euan Rellie and wife Lucy Sykes Rellie were among the guests who partook in a special martini tasting.

PROJECTS

We’re loving the work of former Jeff Koons’ collaborator and new media sculptor Bernard Klevickas. Check out some of his new experimental pieces - we are excited to see what comes next. Also, we’re mad impressed by the paintings shown here by new Fame Game member Kate Goyette. Finally, Fire Under the Snow, a documentary film about Buddhist monk Palden Gyatso, held a screening last week which we unfortunately missed - good thing our friends at Guest of a Guest were there to report back.

And now, the weekly countdown (after the jump):

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pursed lips and all

again with the parties, you guys

Last night over in Soho, FAME GAME, along with our friends at Z!NK Magazine, Volkswagen, and Red Bull, hosted a photographic event celebrating five up-and-coming photographers - Justin Tellian, Claire Benoist, Harry Fellows, Jamie Chung, and Michael Scott Slosar – many of whom are based right near us over bridge in Williamsburg. The artists created works of art that portrayed five separate themes – Play, Teach, Think, Let Go, and Dream. And to add to the fun, our buddies at Skewville played upon the “hype” of the party with three-dimensional art work displayed in Volkswagen’s (very sweet) new Tiguan compact SUV car. Julia Allison sure was digging it.

We think the overwhelming theme of the party was pictures. And more pictures. Pictures in front of pictures. Pictures of people taking pictures. All the while Fame Game was there “keeping score” with a real-time “ticker” reporting back to the audience.

Later in the eve after a few too many red bull vodkas, Eclectic Method got the real party going with its Video Opera Dance Party. And as if that wasn’t enough, Burda Style was on hand providing bracelets displaying the five themes of the event. Who says we can’t throw fun parties?

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This is not photoshopped - they really look like this

It’s Wednesday again, and that means its time for another installation of Playground Roundup…

PEOPLE/PHOTOS

Our favorite photos this week begin with shots from the Whitney Art Party - The Andrews (we can’t honestly call them Andrew Andrew) were rocking out with cat-like flair, sporting new haircuts and matching white tote bags. Also seen at the Whitney showdown (didn’t we tell you this was going to be a stellar people-watching event?) Rachel Zoe in an absurd looking 70s-era-dress, the very beautiful Doutzen Kroes, and the entire Trump clan (ex-wives and ex-boyfriends included.) Tinsley Mortimer, shrugging off the Page Six call-out that her well-hyped reality show had been cancelled, was looking more cross-legged and well, hot, than ever before. And elsewhere on Fame Game…Britney Snow (looking confused, then offended, and finally just bored) stepping out in Times Square to stick her hands in cement in honor of her upcoming movie, “Finding Amanda”…And finally, they say NutriSystem has no adverse side affects, but why does Dan Marino look so permanently cross eyed these days?

PARTIES

Valesca Guerrand-Hermes, Eva Jeanbart Lorenzotti (founder of Vivre) and designer Douglas Hannant hosted the Hale House Awards Gala on the 16th. Seen: A bevy of socialites decked out in (none other than) Douglas Hannant gowns! We hear there was a big turn-out for the Group for the East End Summer Solstice Benefit on the 21st, held on the grounds of the Wolffer Vineyard and hosted by Nicole Miller. Somers White Farkas wore a long Nicole Miller orange sherbet dress, while Fabiola Beracasa went against-the-norm again in a Fendi dress.

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segways and dolce sunglasses. naturally

And the most notable in people, parties, and projects this week:

Our friends over at Skewville threw a jam to celebrate their Factory Fresh exhibit where they transformed a Brooklyn bodega into a propaganda outlet – we are looking forward to their next project, Un Named Rottens showcasing three new New York artists. Also, check out this video project from video-DJ co. Eclectic Method – entitled Zeitghost, EM managed to mash together Obama’s victory speech with NERD’s latest Everybody nose, an alternate view on Oil Prices with Coldplay, and Kung Fu Panda, Get Smart, and The Hulk all into one entertaining masterpiece.

Top photos from the past few days begin with Molly Sims throwing a few back at the IDrinkWell.com event - And also, iCarly steps away from the kids table? For those not plugged into the biggest and best in teen pop, Miranda Cosgrove (iCarly), the latest addition to the 13-wannabe-33 teenage female rockers brigade, has risen in the backlash of Miley Cirus’s platinum success. Lastly, wanted to say great work to the always talented Naeem Delbridge (from Guestofaguest.com) for his amazing camera work lately (especially this one — well, basically all of the shots of Lydia Hearst).

In the party circuit this week, the New York City Ballet event “When in Rome” sponsored by Salvatore Ferragamo and Elle Magazine stole the (fashion!) show with Roman-themed costumes galore. Fame Game photographer Stephanie Hodges was there to capture the event. Fashion highlights included Nina Griscom’s short leather gladiator get-up and Charles Askegard (husband of Candace Bushnell) rocking an olive/laurel headband. Fabiola Beracasa looked glamorous yet uncreative in a brown Ferragamo number (coincidence? I think not).

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I knew it

We claim to know who is moving up in the rungs of fame; what they do, where they do it, and why, long before most Americans even know their name. Yes, we go to some parties. Not too many. We get our pictures taken. Not too often. So why do we know this? And why do we care?

First, on why we know. Two words: ANDY and attention given on Fame Game. ANDY is our algorithm (an homage to Andy Warhol) that automatically tracks news and editorial mentions, event photography, search trends, and other online and offline sources. Attention accounts for the traffic that profiles get on FameGame.com, i.e. who is looking at whose profile, for how long, and why. Why we care: Fame is a commodity. We not only want to keep score by quantifying it, but we also want to create a market for interesting ideas and a means for emerging talent to play in this market.

The Playground Roundup will use these two sources to draw attention to people, parties, projects, and photos that are movin’ and shakin’ on Fame Game and in the real world. We already post a weekly Movers and Shakers list on the site for the top 3,000 people in our system, but this is a way to learn about the interesting projects, photographs, people, and parties that might not yet be in the top 3,000. Plus, as an added bonus, we will start to release some direct data (lists) on who/what is getting the most page view attention from our user base. Now, for our first attempt (after the jump! go blogs!)

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Go see it, we liked it

The man ahead of us in line was disappointed to be the only moviegoer in drag. We were waiting by the New School’s Tishman Auditorium for the Tribeca Film Festival premiere of SqueezeBox!, a documentary about the legendarily sleazy Friday night party that ran at Don Hill’s from 1994 through 2001. Squeezbox! was a primarily gay, punk rock showcase- the first party of its kind in New York- but welcomed anyone with a tolerance for raunch. Courtney Love stumbled and moshed to the likes of the Toilet Boys. John Cameron Mitchell tested his Hedwig and the Angry Inch material onstage. Jean-Paul Gaultier sought inspiration from the high-heeled, fishnet-encased patrons. Given the context, the festival crowd was a bit staid.

The theatrics picked up inside; audience members frantically scanned the room for seats whose views were not obscured by fuchsia bouffants. Michael Musto, oversized glasses in place, held court with a coterie of shrieking drag queens and other nightlife stalwarts.

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