Three cheers for Revenge of the Nerds, the hottest new monthly high-tech happy hour in the nation's capital. The event, held Monday night on the chic second floor of Darlington House in Dupont Circle, attracted a diverse crowd of tech lobbyists, journalists, PR pros, philanthropists, grassroots activists and others. The gathering's invitation asked: "Could you possibly turn off your BlackBerry (or other fine consumer electronics device), deactivate your left brain and get a little geeky among friends?" Indeed, and the smooth tunes of the Kevin Cordt Quartet helped! Hat tip to hosts Jenny Toomey of the Ford Foundation, Public Knowledge President Gigi Sohn, Consumer Electronics Association Vice President Michael Petricone and the rest of the "nerds."
Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski and other Obama administration notables joined Public Knowledge President Gigi Sohn, the watchdog group's staff, and tech and telecom policy watchers on Thursday night at PK's annual IP3 awards. This year, the group honored Virginia Deputy Secretary of Technology Karen Jackson; University of Virginia media studies professor Siva Vaidhyanathan; Sascha Meinrath, founder of the New America Foundation's Open Technology Initiative; and Verizon Vice President and Associate General Counsel Sarah Deutsch.
Among those spotted in the crowd at the Sewell-Belmont House on Capitol Hill were White House science and technology policy advisor Susan Crawford; President Obama's pick for intellectual property enforcement coordinator Victoria Espinel; Office of Science and Technology Policy Chief of Staff Jim Kohlenberger; and National Telecommunications and Information Administration chief Larry Strickling.
For more on the IP3 awards, click here.
The California-based entity that administers the world's Internet addresses has assured lawmakers it is committed to a "long-term, formal relationship" with the U.S. government when its current agreement ends next week -- and now the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers is ready to party. ICANN CEO Rod Beckstrom made the pledge in a letter Tuesday to House Judiciary ranking members. Read more in CongressDaily's story here (subscription required). He'll be in town Thursday with ICANN Chairman Peter Dengate Thrush for a celebration at one of D.C.'s hottest new addresses.
President Obama chuckled his way through the world premiere of JibJab's latest cartoon creation -- a catchy little superhero ditty called "He's Barack Obama" -- at Friday's Radio & Television Correspondents' Association Dinner. The JibJab guys, Evan and Gregg Spiridellis, were on hand to gauge the commander in chief's reaction in person (watch the video above). Organizers also showed a special RTCA reel of the Onion News Network, the online video companion to the popular satirical Onion news Web site. The evening's decidedly geeky stand up routine was provided by "Daily Show" John Hodgman, also known as the "I'm a PC" guy from those amusing Apple ads. In addition, two of the dinner's main sponsors were the Telecommunications Industry Association and Microsoft. Not a bad night for the tech industry.
TechAmerica continued the American Electronics Association's tradition of hosting an annual "Technology for Government" soiree on Wednesday but opted for a more economic spread of colorfully named appetizers and specialty cocktails rather than a formal sit-down banquet. AeA and the Information Technology Association of America merged to form TechAmerica in January. Although Google's Chief Internet Evangelist Vint Cerf, also known as the "Father of the Internet," was billed as the evening's star power, the event's creative menu stole the show.
Transparency & Innovation Station:
Cocktail: "Clearly Classic" (vodka martini with a citrus twist or olive)
Bits & Bytes: Cocktail nuts, marinated olives, Chipolina olives
Digital Dips: Sun-dried tomato, olive tapenade, and artichoke
Cloud Computing Café:
Cocktail: "Cloud Martini" (grapefruit vodka, Red Bull, cotton candy garnish)
"Cumulus" cupcakes
"Puffy Pastries" (meringues, éclairs, cream puffs)
Tech America Diner:
Silicon Valley sliders (mini beef burgers)
Eastern Shore crab cakes
Low Country mini quiches
Beltway BLT bites
Midwest cheese straws
Cyber Security Lounge:
Cocktail: "Malware" Mojito
"Sandbox" sandwich (mini Cuban)
"Phishing" tacos (tilapia filled tortillas)
"Computer" chips (sweet and spicy plantains)
The 2009 World Copyright Summit kicks off Monday night with some star power: Robin Gibb of the Bee Gees hosts a cocktail party on the pavilion of the Reagan Building and International Trade Center - where the conference runs through Wednesday. Gibb is not the only cultural icon in D.C. for this week's gathering: Attendees also include filmmaker Milos Forman and artist Frank Stella. But if your taste veers more to policy than foreign films, abstract art or the "Saturday Night Fever"/1970s disco craze, there's plenty of that, too.
The formal part of the conference gets underway Tuesday with a keynote speech by Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah (who occasionally takes a break from his day job by composing songs), and the Wednesday morning keynoter is Senate Judiciary Chairman Patrick Leahy (one of the Grateful Dead's better known fans). Also on the agenda: House Judiciary Chairman John Conyers, who delivers a Wednesday afternoon keynote, and Assistant U.S. Trade Representative for Intellectual Property Stan McCoy, who appears Tuesday.
And, if you miss Robin Gibb at Monday's cocktail party, you can catch him at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday when he delivers the closing speech of the conference - which is being hosted by the International Confederation of Societies of Authors and Composers, of which Gibb happens to be president. For further information, contact (202) 778-1305 or go to the summit's Web site. For more details on this week's tech and telecom policy events, visit CongressDaily's TechCentral page here.
Google's inaugural party didn't disappoint as Hollywood, Hill and high-tech celebrities mingled at the Andrew W. Mellon Auditorium on Tuesday night. Here's a quick rundown of the Internet company's A-list guests:
▪ From Hollywood: Jessica Alba, Ben Affleck, Casey Affleck, John Cusack, Glenn Close, Tate Donovan, Joaquin Phoenix and Sarah Silverman.
▪ From high-tech: Google CEO Eric Schmidt, Google co-founder Larry Page, YouTube co-founder Chad Hurley, Google chief legal officer David Drummond, and Craigslist founder Craig Newmark.
▪ From the Hill: Sens. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y.; Roland Burris, D-Ill., John Kerry, D-Mass., and Rep. Zoe Lofgren, D-Calif.
▪ From the Obama transition team: Jon Favreau, Beth Noveck, and John Podesta
▪ From the media: CNN's Wolf Blitzer, NBC's Dan Abrams, MSNBC's Willie Geist, Newsweek's Michael Isikoff, and Arianna Huffington of HuffingtonPost.com
Thousands flocked to the Newseum on Monday night for one of Washington's hottest Inauguration Eve parties. The soiree was hosted by pundit Arianna Huffington and her left-leaning news and opinion Web site HuffingtonPost.com and was sponsored by cable giant Comcast, social networking site MySpace.com and others. Rock legend Sting, pop singer Sheryl Crow and hip-hop star Will.i.am performed for the boisterous crowd. Intel also offered demos of the ePALS online community. Watch a video clip of the scene and Will.i.am's "It's A New Day" number here. More photos after the jump...
On Inauguration Eve, progressive grassroots organization MoveOn.org; the Service Employees International Union; actresses Rosario Dawson and Heather Graham; and R.E.M. frontman Michael Stipe will host an invitation-only soiree in honor of Manifest Hope: DC, an art exhibit celebrating the swearing in of President-elect Barack Obama. The event will feature performances by Rolling Stone's 2008 "Artist to Watch" Santogold; Hip Hop Hall of Fame artists De La Soul; and 2009 Grammy nominee Moby, who will DJ after the live set. Comedian Sarah Silverman and others are set to attend, officials said.
The Manifest Hope: DC art gallery, which features an array of the nation's most talented visual artists under one roof to mark the inauguration, will be open Jan.17-19. The project's goal is to encourage artists and activists to maintain the momentum from the presidential campaign and "bring real reform in three key areas: healthcare, worker's rights, and the green economy." On Jan. 19, Shepard Fairey's iconic "Hope" image will be on display at the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery. It will be the first portrait of Obama to be hosted at the gallery. For more information on the gallery, click here.
Cable giant Comcast and social networking site MySpace.com are pairing up with
the left-leaning news and opinion Web site HuffingtonPost.com next week to "celebrate change in Washington, the rise of new media, and a renewed commitment to service and the environment." They are hosting an invitation-only Inauguration Eve party at the Newseum with a handful of others. Hip-hop star Will.i.am, who made headlines during the campaign season for his "Yes We Can" YouTube video in support of now President-elect Barack Obama, is slated to perform.
Other hosts and sponsors include the AARP; Global Green USA, which is focused on stemming global climate change through green building; wind turbine manufacturer Vestas; the Service Nation campaign; clothing designer Kenneth Cole; the Musk Foundation -- which provides grants for research in the fields of renewable energy, space exploration, pediatrics, and science and engineering education -- and social change grant-maker Atlantic Philanthropies. For more inauguration party coverage, click here, here and here.
Government officials, business executives and association leaders who support "technology serving humanity" will celebrate the inauguration of President-elect Barack Obama on Jan. 20 at the 2009 LINK-live Presidential Inaugural Gala being held at the Corcoran Gallery of Art. The $1,000 per ticket event -- one of the most wired presidential galas -- will promote the advancements of science, information and communications technologies (ICT) to address workforce development skills, e-government services, healthcare and telemedicine, and research and development of green ICT solutions for energy and environmental challenges.
The gala's steering committee will recognize four individuals for their commitment to science, technology and education in their area of expertise. They include: Secretary of State-designate Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, D-N.Y.; Nobel laureate physicist Steven Chu, who is Obama's nominee for Energy Secretary; Gen. James Jones, a retired a former Marine Corps commandant who has been tapped by Obama to serve as national security adviser; and Laura Chinchilla, former vice president of Costa Rica. The LINK-live program will be broadcast live on the Internet. The gala is also using Twitter, ScribbleLive, UStream and Flickr.
The event is being hosted by the LINK AMERICAS Foundation (LAF), The Alliance for Public Technology (APT), The Children's Partnership (TCP), Education Development Center (EDC) and the George Lucas Educational Foundation - Edutopia.
The Consumer Electronics Association is getting in on the Inauguration Day action by hosting an invitation-only daytime party on Jan. 20 in honor of President-elect Barack Obama's swearing in. The high-tech trade group, which will have finished hosting its massive annual expo in Las Vegas earlier in the month, has rented out the 701 Pennsylvania Avenue Restaurant & Bar for a few hours in the afternoon -- not a bad spot to see and be seen on the historic day. LG Electronics will supply (presumably large) televisions for those who wish to watch the festivities inside, rather than braving what could be cold, winter weather outside. Related reading: RIAA, Google, Hollywood & High-Tech parties.
One of the hottest tickets in Washington next month will surely be the Recording Industry Association of America's inauguration after party featuring Grammy Award-winning R&B artist Rihanna. The RIAA announced Friday that the Def Jam recording artist best known for her hits "Umbrella," "Don't Stop the Music" and "Take a Bow," would be headlining their soiree at Ibiza nightclub on Jan. 20. Proceeds from the event will benefit Feeding America, the nation's largest hunger-relief organization.
RIAA Chairman Mitch Bainwol issued a statement saying his trade group was delighted to partner with Feeding America and bring Rihanna to the nation's capital for the invitation-only celebration. "With her unique sound and addictive melodies that have garnered numerous Grammy awards and countless other music accolades, Rihanna is the perfect fit to entertain our inauguration audience as we salute the historic Obama administration," he said. Other special celebrity guests and entertainers will be announced in the coming weeks.
Here's the answer to the question many in high-tech sector might be asking: "Does anyone know what Google has up its sleeve for Inauguration Day?" The Internet giant -- whose top executives have made no attempt to hide their enthusiasm for President-elect Barack Obama -- is partnering with the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights to host a Jan. 20 soiree at the Andrew W. Mellon Auditorium. The event invitation promises a "break from traditional inaugural balls" and a celebration of a "new era of open government."
As part of the invitation-only gala, Google is encouraging attendees to donate to nonprofits like LCCR's education and research arm; the D.C. Central Kitchen, which feeds thousands of needy individuals in the region; the Sunlight Foundation, a transparency watchdog; Green for All, which advocates for environmentally friendly jobs and industry; and One Economy, a group that brings broadband and tech training to low-income people. The company will match all monies received. Read about other tech-related festivities in this post.
Washington, D.C. will be abuzz with inauguration-related parties and other events from Jan. 15 through President-elect Barack Obama's Jan. 20 swearing in. Amid all the political and state society soirees, there's at least one high-tech event: the Bytes & Books Inaugural Ball, which will be held on Inauguration Day at the Folger Shakespeare Library. Sponsorships range from $2,500-$25,000.
The event is presented by the National Coalition for Technology in Education and Training, a group of leading education and industry organizations whose mission is to promote the role of technology in teaching and learning. Also of interest: MTV and ServiceNation "Be The Change" ball at the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center and the Creative Coalition's party at the Harmon Center for the Arts (featuring Elvis Costello, Sting and a horde of celebrities).
NationalJournal.com's Under the Influence blog has posted an 11-page round-up of events that is likely circulating throughout the K Street community. Take a peek here. Heard of other tech-related inaugural events? Let us know!
Details of one of Washington's most anticipated holiday parties -- the annual soiree hosted by entertainment industry trade groups -- have been released. The invitation above has been altered so as not to give away the RSVP info and logistical bits but as you can see this year's headliner is Mix Master Mike, a turntable impresario and contributing member of the Beastie Boys. Last year, the celebration featured a performance by hip-hop star Wyclef Jean. The year before that, the Barenaked Ladies.
The party is a fundraiser for Bread For The City and is sponsored by the Recording Industry Association of America, Entertainment Software Association, National Music Publishers' Association, SoundExchange, the Software and Information Industry Association and [oddly enough] the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America. What's the Motion Picture Association of America up to this year, you might ask? Chairman Dan Glickman is hosting dinner-and-a-movie for the D.C. press corps next week. The film: Universal Pictures’ “Frost/Nixon.”
The good folks at 463 Communications who represent a number of Silicon Valley heavyweights in Washington sent out their humorous yet sadly appropriate holiday party invitation on Monday. The title and tagline for the somewhat exclusive soiree: "463’s Depression 2.0 Party: We’re gonna party like its 1929…"
The invitation reads:
It was a time when…
Selling Apple had nothing to do with iTunes
Stampedes were held on the steps of financial institutions
The excesses of big business tanked the economy
The Yankees didn’t make the playoffs
And don’t forget to bring your money (hard cash, your credit probably isn’t any good here) for our annual charity raffle. In addition, to our major prize, don’t miss your chance to win other Depression 2.0 novelties including SPAM, Hamburger Helper, watered down shampoo, airline soap and many other great prizes !
Last year's "Self-Important Holiday Bash" was a show-stopper -- and served as 463's third anniversary party. They commemorated that milestone by showing a really funny video. Click here to relive the hilarity.
One of the chief lobbyists behind the push by major technology and media companies to overhaul the U.S. patent system in the 110th Congress wins Tech Daily Dose's award for the earliest holiday party invitation received. The e-mail summons from Steve Elmendorf arrived Friday afternoon. Through his work with the Coalition for Patent Fairness, the former adviser to former House Minority Leader Richard Gephardt, D-Mo., represented firms like Cisco Systems, Google, Microsoft, and Time Warner. The patent bill in question, sponsored by Senate Judiciary Chairman Patrick Leahy, gained traction but didn't cross the finish line this session. Fans and foes of the measure are already gearing up for a fight next year (but first, let's have some eggnog and sing "Jingle Bells").
Receiving Elemdorf's invitation amid our seemingly ever-worsening economic climate made me wonder if this winter's congressional staffer-lobbyist-media soirees will live up to previous years' glitz and glamour. My guess is they won't, given the fact that everyone is more than a little strapped for cash. Open bars may become cash bars. Shrimp cocktail and pâté may become Ritz crackers and Cheez Whiz. Gosh, I pray that I'm exaggerating. In any case, one can only hope that the hottest party of the season -- the annual bash co-hosted by the Recording Industry Association of America, Motion Picture Association of America and others -- is on track. Last year, the celebration featured a performance by hip-hop star Wyclef Jean. This year, who knows? Pat Boone? Vanilla Ice?
(Photo Credit: Digital Freedom campaign)
Did you know that in addition to making a persuasive argument for "fair use" of copyrighted material, Public Knowledge President Gigi Sohn also deejays a party like a pro? Sohn, who spun some 80s favorites (and dressed the part), joined a number of other guest DJs to provide an eclectic soundtrack for a Digital Freedom campaign soiree on Thursday evening.
Sohn is pictured above with Consumer Electronics Association lobbyist Michael Petricone. Both groups back the initiative, which advocates for consumer use of technology without "unreasonable government restrictions." Organizers said about 150 congressional staffers, lobbyists, lawyers and others attended the invitation-only party at Lounge 201. Up-and-coming band The Kin also performed. More photos after the jump...
American music impresario Quincy Jones received the National Association of Broadcasters' top honor at the trade group's annual education foundation gala on Monday night. Jones, who is best known as the producer of Michael Jackson's "Thriller" album, took home the Service to America Leadership Award after being serenaded by renowned jazz singer Patti Austin (who happens to be his goddaughter).
In addition to his legendary work in the music industry, Jones founded the Listen Up Foundation in 1991 to connect impoverished children with technology, education, music and culture. In 2004, he helped launch We Are The Future to build youth centers in poor and war-torn countries. From 1994-1999, Jones was also chairman of Qwest, at the time one of the largest minority owned broadcasting companies in the United States.
The black tie gala at the National Building Museum brought out a number of Washington notables including FCC Commissioners Jonathan Adelstein, Michael Copps, Robert McDowell and Deborah Taylor Tate, each of whom presented an award. Adelstein appeared on stage alongside 2008 Miss America Kirsten Haglund -- an honor he is afforded annually. "I assume it's by request," Adelstein joked. "For the next couple of weeks, he is going to be insufferable," McDowell laughed. Copps, who presented an award solo, lamented: "They used to let me [appear with] Miss America."
Members of Congress were also part of the event. Presenters included Reps. Chet Edwards, D-Texas; Ruben Hinojosa, D-Texas; Gregory Meeks, D-N.Y.; Hilda Solis, D-Calif.; and Cliff Stearns, R-Fla.
Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer braved wet weather on Tuesday night to share his vision of the future with more than 700 attendees of the American Electronics Association's annual Technology for Government dinner in downtown Washington. His big revelation of the night -- we're "on the verge of a fifth [computing] revolution."
The early 1980s ushered in the age of the personal computer; then the Internet was born; then came the world of Web 2.0 (and I guess I must have missed a fourth revolution in between the entrée and dessert). Now, society is facing a new era that will be "enabled by hardware but powered by software;" one where computing components are infinitely faster, smaller and cheaper, he said.
Wireless broadband networks are practically everywhere and that innovation puts the "whole world at your fingertips, wherever you go," Ballmer said. Soon, speech, touch and language will dominate personal computing, he predicted, and technology users will want to be able to interact meaningfully with their devices.
"All information will be consumed digitally [and] everything you need will be delivered on an IP network," he told the crowd. "The ability to find and analyze information will go up an order of magnitude," he said, noting that software will morph into something that exists in the "Internet cloud."
Continue reading Microsoft CEO: 'On The Verge' At Tech Dinner.
The good folks over at 463 Communications know that tech-related parties make for one of my favorite blog topics so I was glad when they sent me this little gem, which I would have seen on their own blog eventually. [Sidebar: I'm not sure why I didn’t think to blog about 463's annual Ocho de Mayo party -- it was a who's who of tech policy flacks, hacks, wonks, etc. at Chef Geoff's in downtown D.C.]
Anyway, 463er Katie Hallen writes:
Arianna Huffington and Melanie Ellison threw a posh soiree for Berkman Center for Internet Society Co-Founder Jonathan Zittrain this past Saturday night in honor of his new book, "The Future of the Internet – And How To Stop It."
Held at the Ellison’s breathtaking, ubermodern Pacific Heights home overlooking Alcatraz and the Golden Gate Bridge, the party was well attended by Silicon Valley celebrities including Melanie’s husband, Larry Ellison, Larry Page and Craig Newmark (sporting an Obama pin).
Others included Mayor Gavin Newsom, Jerry Brown, Phil Bronstein, Yves Behar (designer of the XO laptop), USA Today’s Jon Swartz (co-author of the cybersecurity caper "Zero Day Threat"), and Stanford Law’s Joshua Cohen (leading John Rawls philosopher and editor of the Boston Review). And, myself.
The Wall Street Journal’s Kara Swisher posted this fun video capturing the evening and thoughts on the book. For more, Zittrain discusses the book tonight on Charlie Rose. The Berkman Center is a 463 client.
The annual White House Correspondents' Association Dinner on Saturday night didn’t suffer from a lack of celebrity. Among those I spotted (and a few that I schmoozed) included former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger; actress Morgan Fairchild; actress-turned-autism activist Jenny McCarthy; actor Aaron Eckhart; Martha Stewart; and the legendary Larry King. Rupert Everett, Colin Firth, Ben Affleck, Pam Anderson, and Ashlee Simpson were also in attendance.
But the aspect that makes this post Tech Daily Dose-worthy was the presence of Mario Armando Lavandeira -- better known as gossip blogger Perez Hilton -- and Amber Lee Ettinger (a.k.a. Obama Girl from the "I Got A Crush On Obama" YouTube craze). I ran into Ettinger briefly before the dinner but Hilton, clad in a shiny suit jacket, showed up at the Capitol File after-party where big screen siren Rosario Dawson mingled and Fall Out Boy rocker Pete Wentz DJed. What a night it was!
Wednesday's annual Radio & Television Correspondents' Association Dinner was a classy affair, as always, replete with political celebrities from both sides of the aisle; TV personalities; and a host of other D.C. power brokers. Comedian and blogger Mo Rocca was the featured entertainer and his observations about old and new media elicited a chuckle -- at least from those of us who like to straddle the line between the two worlds.
Rocca, who writes the blog Mo Rocca 180 (whose tagline is: "only half as tedious as the regular news"), riffed about the extent to which the radio and TV business is considered cutting-edge, mentioning the industry in the same breath as cave-painting. He also asked whether there were any bloggers in the audience (and made a joke about them courageously leaving their parents' basements).
In this reporter/blogger's humble opinion, Vice President Dick Cheney's shtick got more laughs. He started his speech by donning the wide-brimmed hat and sunglasses that created a buzz in the blogosphere last week. Read about that uproar here. More coverage of the dinner can be found at FishbowlDC here and the Washington Post here.
Former FCC Chairman Richard Wiley received an award -- and some ribbing -- at Thursday night's Radio and Television News Directors Foundation dinner. He was honored for his contributions to the field of communications, particularly his role in launching the digital television transition.
Newspaper Association of America President John Sturm, who served as Wiley's adviser at the commission and presented the award, said it is "much more fun to be his client than his lawyer." Wiley, who is now the top attorney in Wiley Rein's communications division, "still thinks he's chairman" of the FCC, Sturm joked.
A videotaped tribute included testimonials from admirers, including current Commissioner Deborah Taylor Tate, and showed a placard on Wiley's desk bearing the workaholic's motto: "Thank God It's Monday." Associated Press CEO Tom Curley, NBC-Universal Vice President of Diversity Paula Madison and CBS legend Bob Schieffer were also honored.
The Radio and Television News Directors Foundation will host its annual First Amendment Awards on Thursday night at the Ritz-Carlton in Washington, D.C. Former FCC Chairman Richard Wiley will get a special award recognizing his contributions to the field of communications.
Associated Press CEO Tom Curley will receive the First Amendment Leadership Award; NBC-Universal Vice President of Diversity Paula Madison will get the First Amendment Service Award; and CBS legend Bob Schieffer will receive the Leonard Zeidenberg First Amendment Award. He'll also perform with his band, Honky Tonk Confidential.
(Photo Credit: Andrew Noyes)
Google christened its new Washington office on Thursday night with a star-studded party. VIPs included House Judiciary Committee Chairman John Conyers, D-Mich., as well as Reps. Chris Cannon, R-Utah; Steve Cohen, D-Tenn.; Charles Gonzalez, D-Texas; Darrell Issa, R-Calif.; Patrick McHenry, R-N.C.; and James Sensenbrenner, R-Wis.
FCC Chairman Kevin Martin and Commissioners Jonathan Adelstein, Michael Copps, Robert McDowell and Deborah Taylor Tate also stopped by. Other notables included ex-Virginia Gov. Mark Warner, Washington Post legend Bob Woodward and veteran broadcast journalist Judy Woodruff.
The affair attracted a who's who of technology policy pros, a list of whom would take up too much room in this blog post. You know who you are and I saw you having a good time sipping neon drinks and munching on sushi and coconut-covered shrimp. More than 650 guests RSVPed.
Silicon Valley's holiday parties in the heyday of the Internet were an extravagant, lavish sight to behold. Champagne, caviar, huge bonuses and who knows what else. Then, the Web bubble burst and employees drank boxed wine in the break room.
These days, the industry is back on its feet and the sector has embraced a more practical partying sensibility, at least in Washington. Case in point: eBay, Google, InterActiveCorp (which owns Ask.com) and Yahoo teamed up to throw a joint holiday bash on Monday night at a reasonably sized venue for a reasonably sized crowd.
Congressional staffers, tech policy wonks, lobbyists, reporters and a mishmash of others enjoyed an open bar and hors d’oeuvres at the red-hued lounge Indebleu in Chinatown. The mood was lively as were the conversations and the DJ spun some pretty good music.
Some guests also walked out with a stocking-stuffer or two. A table stocked with baseball caps, lapel pins and squishy stress relievers was positioned near the coat check.
Dinner and a movie is always a nice way to unwind, especially during the hectic pre-holiday season in Washington -- but Dan Glickman and the Motion Picture Association of America really know how to do it right.
On Monday night, the trade group invited a small group of folks over for a bite to eat and a special screening of "Charlie Wilson's War." The movie opens Dec. 21 and stars Tom Hanks as Wilson, a scandal-prone Democratic congressman from Texas.
Before relaxing in the MPAA's posh, private theater, guests mingled in the group's newly renovated reception hall, which was anchored by an expertly decorated Christmas tree. The caliber of invitees was far loftier than a typical dinner party at my house (no offense to my friends and family whom I believe to be VIPs).
Guests included the Washington Post's Amy Argetsinger; CNN's Wolf Blizter; National Journal's own Linda Douglass; David Mark of The Politico; Capitol File's Jayne Sandman; CBS legend Bob Schieffer; pundit Stuart Rothenberg; NBC's Chuck Todd and a number of others.
Tech policy PR firm 463 Communications held its "Self-Important Holiday Bash" on Thursday night at Hotel Monaco's upscale bistro Poste. The group, whose clients include heavy-hitters like Cisco and VeriSign, used the occasion to celebrate its third anniversary.
They commemorated that milestone by showing a really funny video. Immediately, I begged them to put the skit on YouTube and they did. 463's disclaimer: "We didn't take this video too seriously, so neither should you."
Congressional staffers, lobbyists, reporters and other followers of the entertainment industry in Washington celebrated the holiday season at the eagerly anticipated Recording Industry Association of America party on Wednesday night.
The event, co-hosted by the Motion Picture Association of America, SoundExchange and others, was held at trendy nightclub Ibiza and chart-topper Wyclef Jean performed for the crowd.
My apologies for the low quality cell phone photo. There's a second one after the jump.
As I walked into the National Association of Broadcasters' holiday party on Thursday, I finally felt like the jingle-belling season was upon us. Maybe it was the candy cane-flavored martinis or perhaps it was the big-screen projection of the Yule log, but for some reason, I felt instantly festive.
The party was a good one -- chock full of broadcasters, lawyers, lobbyists, reporters and their ilk. There was a make-your-own-hamburger station and several other tables stacked with warm, meaty dishes. Those NABers like their red meat and I seemed to be the lone vegetarian in the bunch.
I exchanged quick hellos with FCC Commissioner Deborah Taylor Tate; esteemed telecom attorney Richard Wiley; and legendary TV industry scribe Tack Nail before heading for the door. Meredith Baker, the new head of the National Telecommunications and Information Administration, was also there but I didn’t have a chance to meet her.
'Tis the season for holiday happy hours in Washington, which promise to bring out a fun mix of hacks, flacks, wonks and a potpourri of policy junkies. I kicked off the party-going parade on Tuesday with the Copyright Alliance's soiree at the swanky Sonoma wine bar.
A modest but lively crowd sipped specialty reds and whites and munched on a buffet of intriguing appetizers at the Capitol Hill bistro's back room. While there, I caught up with Cara Duckworth, media maven for the Recording Industry Association of America, who disclosed that she has been playing an awful lot of "Guitar Hero."
The latest version of the top-selling videogame for PlayStation 2 is on a number of holiday wish lists but Duckworth couldn’t resist buying it last weekend. She admits that the software has taken up much of her free time in the days since -- but she is getting really good at mimicking the moves of 80s crooner Pat Benatar.
Speaking of pastimes, I also learned that Patrick Ross, the executive director of the trade group that represents Microsoft, NBC Universal, News Corp., and more than 40 others, is an avid antique map collector. Go figure!
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