Hamptons Mouthpiece, “We do the talking for you” Greetings friends..what an exciting weekend it was….Started off my weekend with the celebration of my birthday party that I shared with my good friend Laura. Our party was held at BeachHouse in East Hampton. We walked in and we were escorted to our party in the outside patio space, our bartender Talia was there to greet us and my friend Helen was already there getting the party started.. I immediately had a Punch drink..I think it is a Beachhouse original and it was delicious…I can tell you it did not contain rum because I am allergic to rum….
Shout Out goes to the Beachhouse Restaurant who took great care of us and I could not have asked for more…Friends their outdoor space is so beautiful and the perfect place to have a party…they are equipped with 2 outside bars, and lounge chairs, makes you feel like you are not even in the Restaurant.The appetizers were delicious and my friends walked away saying only good things about this place and ready to book for their next event…Thank you Katie, Michael and Talia for making both Laura and my Birthday special…
On Saturday, July 30, 2011, Rush Philanthropic celebrated the Twelfth Annual ART FOR LIFE East Hampton benefit event! Zen of Giving theme of the evening,
For over a decade, hundreds of friends and supporters have joined Russell Simmons, Danny Simmons, Joseph “Rev. Run” Simmons and Rush Philanthropic Arts Foundation to celebrate the creative energy of New York City youth and honor exemplary individuals for success in their respective fields and good works to better the community. In attendance were,Mary J. Blige,Kimberly B. Davis, President JPMorgan Chase Foundation, Oz Garcia, Nutritionist & Author,Tamara Mellon, OBE, Founder & Chief Creative Officer, Jimmy Choo, Edward Norton, Actor/Filmmaker, Crowdrise Co-Founder, Soledad O’Brian, Jennifer Hudson, Miri Ben-Ari, Kara Walker, Star Jones, Gwyneth Paltrow, Kimora Lee Simmons & Djimon Hounsou, Lala Anthony, Marc J. Leder,Katie Lee,Esther Silver-Parker,Uma Thurman,Patricia Velasquez Dr. Oz, Taraji P. Henson
What a turnout it was….it is was a sold out event at a ticket price of $1500 and it is rumored that there was a wait list to attend the event..How great is that for such an amazing organization that does so much for children in urban communities where Arts are not offered to them in school and their parents to do not have the means for these extracurricular acitivites… Art and Music are so important in a child’s life and it makes them better students when these two subjects are part of their entire academic experience…
We parked our car at the Apple bank in East Hampton and hoped on the shuttle bus to the Simmons Estate…We were one of the first to arrive and immediately grabbed our spot to be sure to get all of the images…you can see those image..Photography by Kurt
Hamptons MouthPiece is a newcomer to the Press so I did need to pay my dues so unfortunately this year I was unable to score top interviews with Ed Norton, Mary J. Blige and several others…but I did have an opportunity to speak with Soledad O’Brian and Dr. Oz, they were so gracious and I was so pleased that they took the time to speak with me…
I loved Soledad’s “Education
in America” series it was fantastic and if you have not seen it yet, I implor you to watch it especially if you have children, it is a must watch with students preparing to go to College…I asked her “Did she feel that the Arts were a part of that education in America” her response was no and that might be the topic of another series…watch for yourself….
Edward Norton was not giving anymore interviews by the time he got to me and Ms. Star Jones indicated that she was not speaking to anyone…Not sure what that was all about , I am sure she had her reasons….
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| Taragi P. Henson, Photography by Kurt |
I was able to chat with Oscar nominee, Taragi P. Henson and I asked her about what she was working on…We chatted about her upcoming role in Steve Harvey’s new movie based on his book “Think Like a Man” she was happy to tell me that she plays a pretty girl and this was a first for her…Movie will be out sometime next year, I was surprised to learn that Lala Anthony will be in the movie as well…..I read this book and I am very excited to see the movie next year…Congratulations Taragi…you are an amazing actress and a very warm and approachable person in real life…I wish you continued success…
As always my very special person that continues to bring me to “Art for Life” for the last 5 years is Danny Simmons…I just really love Danny as a person and as an artist…He is such an advocate for Art in the Schools and he works at this continued challenge everyday..The first thing I noticed about Danny this year was how much weight he has lost and how well he looked.. He was sporting the yellow, on anyone else it might have been too much, but Danny you rocked it….Congratulations on another successful year for “Art for Life”. This Foundation can only exists with the generous donations it receives all year long…If you believe that Art is an intricate part of a child’s educational development and that all children should have the same opportunities..click here to find out more about what Rush Philanthropic does and donate… It would be my hope that one day Art & Music will be considered required courses in every school.
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| Kimora Lee Simmons and Mary J. Blige, LA Reid, Erica Reid |
Mary J. Blige looked beautiful, she got there late and therefore was rushed on the red carpet. Mary was one of the honoree’s of the evening for her positive contribution to the community through giving…Mary’s charity FFawn “Foundation for the advancement of Women now” does amazing work and continues to support and encourage young women to go to college and once they are there encourages them to strive to be the best and offers scholarships for young women who make the Dean’s list….Thank You Mary for sharing a piece of yourself with your fans through you own painful childhood and your beautiful music.
A couple of weeks ago I posted on my Facebook that I would be eliminating Gluten from my diet, and my good friend Didi called me on it…well I had the opportunity to have a chat with Dr. Oz and asked him “Is Gluten important?” Here is what he had to say:
Jennifer Hudson never walked the Red Carpet, the Press was very upset because they were told that she would, I am sure she had her reasons, however I was very disappointed. Since we were not given access into the event there are no images of Jennifer…ahhhhhhh what a let down……but the show went on and she gave an amazing performance is what I am told, so the lucky attendees were given a private concert and I am very envious….
It was a glamorous affair and a tremendous amount of celebrities showed up to give to such a worthy cause…For the first time in 5 years there were no Housewives of NYC in attendance….Need I say more?
What is your Zen of giving? Mine is sharing my adventures with you….’til next time….Hamptons MouthPiece and “we do the talking for you” I leave you with this last video…This is Dylan Jenet Collins who lives here in the Hamptons…this young girl is so talented and I can listen to her all day…Way to go Dylan, I am a huge Fan..
