Cos for celebration
Our colleague Sonny Bunch worked the red carpet Monday at the Kennedy Center, where America’s favorite ’80s dad, Bill Cosby of the decade’s defining sitcom, “The Cosby Show,” was honored with the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor.
One of the first stars spotted by Sonny was Sinbad, who, you may recall, was on that other ’80s show and “Cosby” spinoff, “A Different World.”
Sinbad explained that Mr. Cosby used entertainment to break social barriers and demonstrated that blacks and whites could work together.
“To watch a brother on TV with a white partner, it was crazy for that time,” he reflected, referring to Mr. Cosby’s role on “I Spy” opposite white co-star Robert Culp. “It meant there were no limits to what we could be.”
“Like Miles Davis, Cosby brought new notes, notes that we had never heard before and might not hear again,” Sinbad continued.
Among the other black artists in the house Monday night was funnyman Chris Rock, who, our spy tells us, had his driver idle by the curb of the Kennedy Center as he waited for Jerry Seinfeld, his partner in an opening skit, to arrive.
Was Mr. Rock hoping to bask in some of Mr. Seinfeld’s glory by walking the red carpet with the star of the defining sitcom of the ’90s?
Drinking games
Do young Washingtonians really drink that much, or are they just averse to recycling their drinking glasses?
We found ourselves pondering this question recently at the Corcoran Gallery of Art’s Fall Fete: A Nautical Affair. The soiree packed in nearly 1,000 of the capital’s dandy young professionals for a fundraiser for the museum’s various educational and outreach programs.
Within two hours, the chirpy smiles on the black-tie crowd were turning into grimaces as bartenders were sheepishly explaining to guests that they could no longer serve drinks because, alas, they had run out of glasses and ice.
We spotted some attendees resorting to tacky frat-party-style plastic cups, the kind these well-heeled types probably had not touched since college.
“And we paid $200 for this?” we heard being bandied about among the event’s “captains,” those who had paid top dollar for “all benefits of VIP plus: access to the Captains-only bar with endless bubbly; possession of the luxurious Captains gift bag; and transportation to the VIP after-party, courtesy of Reston Limousine,” according to the event’s Facebook invite.
By the way - that “limousine”? A shuttle bus.
The bar at the Donovan House Hotel, site of the after-party, was, needless to say, exceptionally well patronized.
Taking flight
Speaking of the young and restless, the Republican National Committee is ramping up its major donor fundraising among young professionals with the Young Eagles, a new group of highly successful faithful with deep pockets who - if their kickoff weekend is any guide - like to party.
They camped out at the superswanky W Hotel to hear the likes of Rep. John A. Boehner, Ohio Republican, dole out words of encouragement and impassioned pleas for more dough for next year’s midterm elections.
While in town, the Eagles flew over to the Corcoran soiree as well as a fancy-schmancy dinner at the home of former Ambassador to Luxembourg Peter Terpeluk.
Washington socialite J. Roby Penn IV is serving as the organization’s Mid-Atlantic regional director and, true to his Southern heritage, he hosted a hospitable party at his Watergate apartment, where his guests left his bar looking like “Georgia after Sherman marched through it.”
The 20-something Mr. Penn and his comrades continued the good times Monday night in Dan Snyder’s box at the Washington Redskins game, where they were joined by RNC Chairman Michael Steele; Rep. Michael N. Castle, Delaware Republican, whose likely opponent for the United States Senate in 2010 is Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr.’s son Beau; and former Texas Secretary of State Roger Williams, a likely candidate in 2010 for outgoing senator Kay Bailey Hutchison’s open seat.
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