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Blacklisted Invitation
Blacklisted Host Committee © Tony Powell
Mayoral Candidate Zina Pierre and recording artist Marcus Johnson © Tony Powell
© Tony Powell
© Tony Powell
The Hakkai's © Tony Powell
BLT Steak GM Adam Williamowsky and employee © Tony Powell
Kimball Stroud and author Douglas Brinkley © Tony Powell
I went to a book party for Douglas Brinkley over at Roosevelt House this afternoon to celebrate the release of “The Wilderness Warrior,” his new biography of Theodore Roosevelt. The book focuses on the early influence of Darwin and Audubon on a young Roosevelt, his circle of naturalist friends, and his substantial contribution to conservation between the years 1901-1909. His efforts led to the preservation of over 230 million acres of American wilderness that have been enjoyed by generations to this day. There isn’t a party that Kimball Stroud organizes that I don’t enjoy, and this one was no exception. My boss and CEO of Washington Life Magazine, Soroush Richard Shehabi, arrived, just off a plane. Two-time Pulitzer prize-winning writer Jonathan Capehart was there, as was Janet Donovan, Julia Cohen, Melissa Torres, Darren Thomas, Nicole Boxer with her son Sawyer and husband Kevin Keegan, Bill Batts, Marc Adelman, The Honorable Ben Barnes, Jeff Trammel, Lyn Stout, and Karen Finney.
Soroush Richard Shehabi and Janet Donovan photo © Tony Powell
Marc Adelman, Taline Sanasarian, Karen Finney, and Jonathan Capehart photo © Tony Powell
© Tony Powell
The Wilderness Warrior photo © Tony Powell
Roosevelt House © Tony Powell
Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Tony Powell - July 22, 2009
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It seemed that just about every other person I accidentally bumped into at last night’s Roosevelt Gala at the Mellon Auditorium was a Senator or a Congressman. There were more Members of Congress per square foot at the VIP reception than anywhere else except on Capitol Hill. Senator Patrick Leahy is one of my favorite people in town and he was kind enough to introduce me around, to Teamsters President Jimmy Hoffa and others, as though I were a member of his family. I had the great privilege to cover the Gala Dinner for the Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt Institute. The Annual Dinner, Co-Chaired this year by the Honorable Tom Daschle and the Honorable Ben Barnes, culminates with the recognition of an individual (Sen. Harry Reid and Speaker Nancy Pelosi shared the honor last year) that has dedicated their life to service – whether elected office, government service, or philanthropy. This year’s recipient of the FDR Distinguished Public Service Award was bestowed by Pelosi herself, upon philanthropist Bernard Rapaport, affectionately known as “B.” Born in Waco, Texas, during the height of the Great Depression, Rapaport amassed a fortune in business but never forgot his meager beginnings. Having tirelessly given away tens of millions of dollars to political and non-profit organizations, he exemplifies the ideals found within the most often cited FDR quote of the evening: “The test of our progress is not whether we add more to the abundance of those who have much; it is whether we provide enough for those who have too little.”
Bernard "B" Rapaport © Tony Powell July 22, 2009
I’d never seen so many people in such high positions revere, so unanimously, a man as humble and as graceful as Rapaport. Each time I took a photograph of him with someone else he would ask, in a childlike voice, “Now who’s the best looking person in that picture?” when I said, “You, of course,” he would erupt in laughter. This must have happened 8 or 9 times. A really nice man with an equally lovely wife, Audre. When the opportunity presented itself, I couldn’t pass on congratulating the newly sworn-in Senator from Minnesota, Al Franken. I told him, “Now we finally have a real comedian in the Senate.” I think he thought it was funny, I couldn’t really tell. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, who was to give the award to B, along with Pelosi, cancelled at the last minute.
© Tony Powell
There was a short, but very well produced video by Award-winning filmmaker, Susan Koch, that provided insight into the Roosevelt Institute’s history and future. Rapaport’s son produced a Texas-sized video tribute to his father and former President Bill Clinton contributed a congratulatory video just prior to the arrival of the Speaker of the House. Other member of Congress in attendance included Senators Max Baucus, Ben Nelson, Tom Harkin, Dick Durbin, Bernard Sanders, Congressmen Jim Moran, Charles Gonzalez, Lloyd Doggett, and Congresswoman Eddie Bernice Johnson.
Photo © Tony Powell 2009
An interesting nod toward the future could be found in the selection of the centerpiece/artwork placed at each table. Comprised of two separate panels, glass and wood, that can be joined together or displayed apart, Digital Pixel Posse envisioned the work to illustrate the similarities between FDR and our current President. Centerpieces are usually designed to adorn a table, yet there was nothing extraneous about this limited edition work of art. It beautifully bridges the divide between the hardships and ideals of FDR’s presidency and those currently being faced by Barack Obama. With the announcement that the centerpieces could be taken home, there was a mad scramble to be the first to obtain one. By evening’s end, all had been snapped up.
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I’ve never been to a party that my friend Kimball Stroud has organized that I didn’t like. The Impact Film Festival founder, event planner, and non-profit and film fundraiser, co-hosted this invite-only advance screening and after party with Sundance and SILVERDOCS PR chief Jody Arlington.
The back room of CoCo Sala was jam-packed with cinephiles last Wednesday night after having just seen “In the Loop,” a new political satire that’s been described as ‘The Office Meets the West Wing.”
In his Sundance Festival review of “In the Loop,” film critic James Rocchi found it to be, “achingly, wrenchingly, dizzyingly funny, with a bleak, bitter sense of humor that makes each laugh feel like the people behind In the Loop are not so much tickling your funny bone as they are going at it with an ice pick.
Director Armando Iannucci was on hand, and so were the writers, the same team that brought the political comedy series “The Thick of It,” to the BBC. David Rasche, the much sought-after character actor was also there with his wife, son, and daughter-in law.
The best part of the night?
The opportunity to put my camera away and catch up with Kimball and Melissa Torres over tapas. The film opens at the E Street Cinema on the 24th of this month.
© Tony Powell
Click the link below to view a clip from the movie.
Andrea Rogers, Tony Powell, Debbie Sigmund
Great time tonight at the cocktail reception in front of the Letelier Theater in Georgetown before the screening of “Taken,” one of the best action films I’ve seen in a long time. In it, Liam Neeson plays a dad bent on revenge as the result of the abduction and trafficking of his vacationing 17 year-old daughter. Debbie Sigmund, founder and head of Innocents at Risk, hosted the event with Andrea Rogers, and they were joined by Donald and Wright Sigmund, Matthew Christian Davis, former Washington Ballet dancer Aaron Jackson, and various Immigration officials among others.
Jon Bon Jovi and Tony Powell
“Every woman wants Mike Feldman and every man wants to be Mike Feldman.” So went the monologue that accompanied a very funny video ribbing of birthday boy Mike Feldman, former right hand man to Vice President Al Gore and founding member of Glover Park Group.
Current and former Democratic A-listers rubbed shoulders with, bankers, analysts and models at the beautifully-renovated Dupont Circle home of former Clinton press secretary Joe Lockhart. Halfway through the party, Jon Bon Jovi, along with wife Dorothea, surprised all with a special trip down from New York City.
There are very few people that throw parties like Rima Al-Sabah. This Kuwaiti Sheika, wife of Ambassador Salem Al-Sabah, always delivers a good time. Yesterday’s baby shower thrown for Michelle Fenty, wife of Washington, DC mayor Adrian Fenty, was a who’s who of the ladies who lunch set. Every so often I don’t really need a note pad because I know just about everyone in the room. It was like that. The list of heavyweights included Alma Powell, Lady Sheinwald, Barbara Harrison, Ann Hand, Mary Ourisman, Grace Bender, and Kathleen Matthews.
© Tony Powell - Tony with Joe Biden
The opportunity to shoot for the Obama campaign (9-4-08) came out of nowhere. Thanks ANNE!! After photographing DEM VP candidate Joe Biden’s “meet and greet “with what seemed like 100 people (they each paid $12,000+) he was kind enough to take a shot with me. Definitely presidential material!!!
