From Ted Turner to Ted Lerner Sports Legend and Washington Nationals President Stan Kasten Lunches with ESPN’s Thom Loverro and Kevin Sheehan
Jordan Wright
July 2010
From left ESPN's Thom Loverro, Washington Nationals President, Sam Kasten, Jordan Wright of Whisk and Quill and ESPN's Kevin Sheehan at Morton's DC - photo by Whisk and Quill
Washington Nationals President, Stan Kasten, was the “Living Legend” featured at Morton’s DC luncheon yesterday. A font of inside sports info from his days with Ted Turner and the Atlanta Braves and Atlanta Hawks, the loquacious and astute Kasten told us, “There aren’t enough cameras and media for Turner who has a separate staff that works to create buzz for him.” Are we surprised? About his early days, “I used to drive around the country going to minor league games when I was a teenager.” Must be the junior training camp for running a team…
Children Uniting Nations Pre-Gala Dinner Is Full of Surprises
CUN Founder Daphna Ziman (left) with Lani Hay - photo courtesy of Shutterbloom photography
Lani Hay, President and CEO of Lanmark Technology, Inc., uber-lobbyist, Dr. Christine Warnke and Greg Houston, President of PSA-DC hosted a private dinner at Neyla’s to welcome the celebs to town. Jermaine and Randy Jackson, Quinton Aaron, co-star of “The Blind Side” with Sandra Bullock, Def Jam artist and Oprah discovery, Abraham McDonald felt the crush beside locals like Modern Lounge’s Janine Schoonover, whom some of you may not know got her Edward R. Murrow Award when she was an investigative reporter for a documentary shown on PBS’s “Frontline’”, and hair stylist-to-the-stars, Erwin Gomez, of the Erwin
Gomez Salon in Georgetown.
Erwin Gomez (center) with Janine Schoonover (right) and friend - photo courtesy of Shutterbloom
McDonald’s dynamic sister and manager, Breeze, told me the announcement of his win on Oprah’s “Karaoke Challenge” was a surprise, “We were all sitting around the computer when Ms. Winfrey Skyped us and we saw that we were on the show live!” The surprise at this party was McDonald’s astounding vocal range as he sang to the wowed crowd a cappella.
Alice in Wonderland at National Harbor
A visitor considers the Alice display - photo courtesy of The Art League
Yesterday evening’s opening of Alexandria’s The Art League’s exhibition of paintings by Carol Dupre was held at its latest venue in National Harbor. Dupre’s “Alice in Wonderland” series has been a voyage of artistic discovery. “The final ‘staging’ of my second painting series of Alice has a totally different feel that the first series…. Alice has moved from child-growth and child-awakenings in many different accumulative ‘forms of knowledge’ to later years of further access reconstructing the initial identity forms” she informed the gathering at the location’s first ever show.
Jermaine Jackson Sings at DC Gala
Last night’s Children Uniting Nations gala at the J. W. Marriott had a wealth of talent with Def Jam artist,
Def Jam Artist Abraham McDonald after his crowd-stopping number at Neyla's for Children Uniting Nations - photo by Jordan Wright
Abraham McDonald and Jermaine Jackson who was accompanied by his
gorgeous wife, Halima Rashad. McDonald sang his latest hit “Miracle”. Surprise performer Jackson channeled his late brother, Michael, with his haunting rendition of “Smile”.
“This was his favorite song, “ he wistfully told the predominantly LA gathering, most of whom had been on Capitol Hill all day lobbying for global foster care advocacy. “A cause that” in the words of founder, Daphna Ziman, “counts on us. The children don’t vote and don’t pay taxes.”
Jermaine Jackson wows the crowd at the gala for Children Uniting Nations - photo by Jordan Wright
I spoke with California Congresswoman Diane Watson who gave one the most moving tributes of the evening. On cooking she told me. “I only cook once a year at Christmas, but I make all the same dishes my grandmother did. She was from New Orleans and could make all the wonderful recipes from Cajun to Creole. My sister and I had to figure it out since she never wrote down the recipes… but we remembered the flavors and worked it out on our own.”
Well, you knew I was going to steer the conversation around to food…
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Extra photos courtesy of Shutterbloom Photography http://shutterbloom.com/ and The Art League http://www.theartleague.org
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