Party Reviews

SATURDAY NIGHT SPECTACULAR 2009



The Saturday Night Spectacular, benefitting theMatthew Tryson Bryant Foundation, was well-received by the 800+ crowd of high-rollers who wanted to have a terrific evening to help support a great cause. While guests feasted on a variety of dishes, including Beef Wellington, and premium cocktails, they were treated to performances by Cirque USA, Starship SuperGroup, and Kevin Costner's band, Modern West. The bash also featured a top-notch and very successful silent and live auction, benefitting the charity involved.

Co-host Michael Strahan, Wade Boggs, Jerry Cantrell of Alice in Chains, Jerry Jones, Wade Phillips, and Cuba Gooding Jr. all were spotted at this high-end gathering. The Starship Supergroup, was quite a hit, as they belted out many crowd favorites such as "Eye of the Tiger," "Rosanna," and "Almost Paradise." While the event did not attract as many celebrities assome of the other big parties on Saturday Night, this event was still a whole lot of fun and a true success in a more positive way.


LEATHER AND LACES 2009 SUPER BOWL PARTY



The 2009 Leather and Laces Super Bowl Party just keeps getting better every year. This year, our toughest reviewers, couldn't say a negative thing after leaving the festivities at Jackson's Bistro in Tampa. Kim Kardashian, Carmen Electra, & Jenny McCarthy were the gorgeous and gracious hostesses, with several accounts from partygoers describing how pleasant they were, when approached. Other notable attendees included Reggie Bush, Kourtney Kardashian, Kris Kardashian, Adrienne Bailon, Tony Little, Wade Boggs, Roy Williams, and Jerry Jones.

The event featured lingerie-clad models, go-go dancers, and exotic performers. The music, provided by DJ Avi, put everyone in a great mood to party the night away. Attending the event was an absolute no-brainer, as sub $300 tickets got you entry into this glitzy bash, and access to an open bar.


MADDEN BOWL XV





Madden Bowl XV had it all on Thursday Night at Tampa's The Honey Pot: athletes, celebrities, a Madden NFL 09 Tournament, appetizers, premium bar, and an amped-up after-party. The invite-only event, in a three-level playhouse, allowed guests to freely mingle throughout with athletes and celebrities such as:Antonio Bryant, Edgerrin James, Maurice Jones-Drew, Willie Parker, Justin Tuck, DeMarcus Ware, Matthew Stafford, Mark Sanchez, Derrick Brooks, Terrell Owens, Marshall Faulk, Antonio Gates, Tony Gonzalez, Steven Jackson, Chad Johnson, Darren McFadden, Willis McGahee, Evander Holyfield, Mark Clayton, Aaron Rodgers, Santana Moss, Darren Sproles, Greg Olsen, LaMarr Woodley, Darren McFadden, Chris Long, Jake Long, Donavan McNabb, Roy Williams, Mario Williams, Stephen Jackson, Michael Strahan, and Stacey Kiebler. The evening started off with cocktails and the Madden NFL 09 tournament. Plasma screens and Xbox 360's were aplenty, as the stage was set for an eight-man tournament. In the end, it was Tampa's own WR Antonio Bryant who edged out the NY Giants DE Justin Tuck for the Madden Bowl Trophy. Afterwards, it was Joel Madden, of Good Charlotte, who guest DJ'ed the party afterwards that had guests stick around as long as they could at this top-notch event.


ESPN THE MAGAZINE SUPER BOWL PARTY 2009



"If you pitch a tent, a big tent, they will come," must have been ESPN's montra on Friday Night, during Super Bowl Week. Most of the athletes and celebs in town, definitely made the rounds, and stopped by this event, enjoying the DJ sets of Samantha Ronson and live performance by Wyclef Jean. Jason Witten, Jordin Sparks, Evander Holyfield, Kevin James, Joel Madden, Benji Madden, Lil Wayne, Alyssa Milano, Stacy Keibler, Donovan McNabb, Vinny Testaverde, and Tiki Barber were among the notable folks to check out the big bash. Even though it was chilly outside, guests could not care less, as the site of so many athletes and celebs, and Wyclef Jeans performance, was enough to keep guests and ourselves amazed and satisfied at this event. ESPN even made sure to invite plenty of women, as the ratio seemed pretty even and made for an entertaining evening. For a full recap of the event, including a complete list of those attending, check out this from ESPN Magazine (pdf file).

MAXIM SUPER BOWL PARTY 2009



The Maxim Super Bowl Party was quite a rush. Tickets for this invite-only event are traditionally one of the most-sought after Super Bowl Party passes in town. Lindsay Lohan, Cal Ripken Jr., Pat Riley, Terrell Owens, Cuba Gooding, Brody Jenner, Joe Frasier, Sean Kingston, and a wide array of athletes, actors, and musicians were having a ball, mingling and dancing, in a packed, sofa-laden, on-stage VIP lounge. In the main area of the spacious, yet filled, Ritz Ybor, gorgeous Maxim-model-type women could be seen gyrating to the awesome mash-up sets of DJ AM. Drinks were abound and plentiful, as Patron Margaritas were a popular choice amongst the lucky guests. Maxim definitely knows how to throw a party, and we don't know how anyone could not have a good time at this one.



ROCK N' SOUL PARTY 2009 AT THE SEMINOLE HARD ROCK HOTEL & CASINO



The Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino was the place to be in Tampa on Saturday Night, the night before the Super Bowl. How do we know? Well, we have never seen a casino reach capacity and have to shut its doors down to the public during the height of the evening! The Rock N' Soul party was an invite-only can't miss event. Adam Sandler, Kevin James, Cuba Gooding, Paris Hilton, MC Hammer, Will I Am, The Kardashians, Michael Irvin, and many more high-profile celebrities were sure to check out the event on the biggest party-night of the week. Did the actual event live up to the hype? Well, for the most part it did. Models and movers and shakers adorned the club inside, as well as the standard go-go dancers and celebrity guest DJ's. The event was great fun and some guests even got to dance with the legendary entertainer MC Hammer during the evening, which was a sight to see. The Hard Rock definitely knows how to throw a high caliber party.


CLUB 009 PRE GAME PARTY 2009




Club 009 was a fantastic way to tailgate right before the Big Game on Sunday. Prime Sport and DeBartolo Sports and Entertainment, co-hosted this secret-agent/James Bond-themed party that included a wide array of delectable dishes, open premium bar, live entertainment, and NFL alumni & celebrities.  A spacious 10,000 square foot airplane hanger served as the perfect venue for sports fans to mingle and chat with athletes Jerry Rice and former NY Giant and current ESPN Sports Analyst Jesse Palmer, to name a few.

An important element of any pre-game Super Bowl party is the food. And Club 009 delivered with an over-the-top buffet-style menu, with choices ranging from BBQ Bratwurst to Paella Marinara to New Zealand Rack of Lamb to Cappuccino Cheesecake. The drinks provided were nothing less than top-shelf.

The atmosphere - half-indoor, half-outdoor, was great, as everyone seemed pleased with their decision to come to this event. Fans were decked out in the favorite NFL jerseys, and were treated to the Miggs band belting out many classic hits, including Journey's "Don't Stop Believin'."

This party is well-deserving of our highest five-olive rating, as DeBartolo Sports and Entertainment and Prime Sport masterfully set the mold for what a perfect Super Bowl pre-game party should be. Check out our pics!


MOVES MAGAZINE SUPER BOWL PARTY 2009



Wow. The Moves Magazine Super Bowl Party had it all last night. Celebrities, athletes, great music, great food, great drinks, a great venue, and a great crowd. Partygoers were treated to an open bar, with endless combinations of high end spirits, as well as a number of dining choices all around including delicious tapas, and sushi. More tantalizing, however, were the multitude of models, body-painted women, and friendly females traversing all throughout the spacious Venue in St. Petersburg, FL. Athletes were seen all throughout the crowd, and many guests were caught spying through the "fish bowl" style skybox where the crowd could watch celebrities mingle. You could see Subway's Jared striking up a conversation with Ray Lewis or Jonathan Ogden chatting with Shannon Sharpe. The most attention getting crew, of course, had to be Kourtney, Kris, and Kim Kardashian hanging out with honorary family member, New Orleans Saints RB Reggie Bush in the VIP area. We ran into Brandon Jacobs, Eric Dickerson, and Eddie George in the crowd, and each and every player was in a great mood and very cool to us. Needless to say, the bash will be getting our highest 5-olive rating, for its extravagant, yet comfortable production.
,

VICE THE PARTY SUPER BOWL PARTY 2008



One of the most creative Super Bowl parties is now in the books, and one can thank Dan Parente, founder of Bookem Danno productions for putting together an event that raised the bar as far as what partygoers can expect from a Super Bowl Party. With a sexy southwestern theme present throughout, patrons were treated to a variety of features such as a Guitar Hero stage, a gorgeous model "suspended" in a two-story block of ice, and a chilled Coors Light room. But the highlight of the evening for many occurred when LL Cool J took the stage just after midnight, and delivered an electrifying performance of his greatest hits to a packed crowd at the spacious Venue of Scottsdale. Even more memorable, was the unexpected appearance of Fresh Prince of Bel Air's Alfonso Ribeiro on stage and his gift of doing the infamous "Carlton Dance," delivering pure unadulterated joy to every single person in the joint. Aside from Ribeiro, the red carpet featured the following celebrities: Joumana Kidd, Kirk Morrison of the Oakland Raiders, Leon Hall of the Cincinatti Bengals, Marshall Faulk, Shaun Phillips of the San Diego Chargers, Steve Breaston of the Arizona Cardinals, Akin Ayodele of the Dallas Cowboys, Alex Smith of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Joey Fatone of NSYNC, and Darryl Mcdaniels of Run DMC.

While the party was noticeably missing its fair share of A-list celebrities, one element that was noticeable was the sheer multitude of beautiful women present throughout the party scantily clad in tasteful, yet provocative themed outfits. The only downside, perhaps, from an onlooker's point of view was there was a good amount of ogling by the male patrons, and the level of interaction took awhile to really get off the ground. However, once the effects of the open bar took over, and LL Cool J performed "Going Back to Cali," all was forgotten, and the $600 - $1,000 price ticket price, seemed like money well spent.


LEATHER AND LACES SUPER BOWL PARTY 2008

Overall, Leather and Laces was a fun party and was one of the better parties on Friday night.  At $500, this party was reasonably priced in comparison to other major parties and offered some unique experiences.  Former ‘Sugar Ray’ frontman Mark McGrath performed a solo set  while performers from Cirque du Soliel performed some amazing feats overhead.  Three beautiful girls served as co-hosts and eye candy for the crowd – Carmen Electra, Roselyn Sanchez and Catherine Bell.  There was a great photo op on the red carpet when they all posed together and they appeared briefly onstage later in the evening.   Celebs in attendance included at least 10 Deal Or No Deal models , ‘Best Damn Sports Show’s’ John Salley, Wolf from ‘American Gladiator’ along with other professional athletes and celebrities.   The open bar was flowing all night which was sponsored by Snow Queen Vodka.

There were a decent number of celebrities in attendance but the one downside was that a number of them, in particular the co-hosts, were sequestered in the VIP area. The venue was spacious and very comfortable to get around
 

HEARTS AND HELMETS SUPER BOWL PARTY 2008



The Super Bowl party weekend officially kicked off with the ‘Hearts and Helmets’ party on Wednesday night at the Venue of Scottsdale (Formerly the Cajun House Grill).   This party was advertised as being two parties in one - the Pamela Anderson party (Hearts) and the Shawn Marion-hosted poker tournament (Helmets). This party had a little bit of everything – a celebrity poker tournament, a fun cover band for guests to rock out to, a red carpet entry for the celebs, pool tables and music throughout the evening.

All ticketholders were invited to play in the poker tournament, provided they arrived before the tournament began.  Poker pros Robert Williamson and Jamie Gold (winner of the 2006 World Series of Poker Main Event), Phoenix Suns star Shawn Marion and most of the celebs in attendance played in the tournament.  Each table was assigned one of the ‘special guests’.  The poker pros had mixed luck at the tables – Williamson came in 12th place while Gold finished in 300th.  We ran into them the following night at the P. Diddy Block Party and they relayed to us that the tournament was a lot of fun.  The tournament was down to the final table around midnight when our staff left the party. 

There were a number of celebrities in attendance but the biggest stars were the co-hosts (Shawn Marion and Pam Anderson).  Among those in attendance were Young M.C., Steve Nash of the Phoenix Suns, Olympic gold medalist Dan O’Brien, baseball player Jermaine Dye and poker pros Williamson and Gold.  Pam Anderson caused the biggest stir on the red carpet when she was besieged by autograph seekers and fans. 

The tickets went for $500.   Entertainment was provided by local cover band Zowie Bowie who kept the crowd jumping with their great renditions of recent Top 40 hits.  There was a raffle with some very special prizes including a blinged-out watch and all ticketholders were treated to a gift bag at the end of the night.   There were a number of models dressed as sexy referees assisting guests.  Food was provided by three Scottsdale eateries: Pita Jungle, Village Tavern, and Z Tejas.  The party was a good time and provided a good value to ticketholders.  However, Pam Anderson mostly stayed in the upstairs VIP area which disappointed some ticketholders.
 

ASHLEE SIMPSON AT MYST SUPER BOWL PARTY 2008

Pop star Ashlee Simpson headlined one of the first Super Bowl parties of the weekend at Myst nightclub in Old Town Scottsdale. Here is a quick breakdown of the event.

Ashlee Simpson did not go on until midnight and the crowd was definitely hyped for her performance at that point. She sang four songs, most of which were off her new album, Bittersweet World. It appeared to our staff that she was actually singing the songs, as opposed her infamous lip-syncing performance on Saturday Night Live. Unfortunately, the height of the stage was so low that few fans could actually see her perform.

The event was originally advertised as costing $80 for general admission and $250 for VIP. Our staff showed up at midnight, right before Ashlee began her set. At that point, tickets were available for $30, but drinks were no longer free. VIP tickets allowed guests to go upstairs and hang out in the VIP area and see the stars.

The poster for the event indicated that both General Admission and VIP tickets allowed guests access to a "premium" open bar all night long. While Grey Goose Vodka is often categorized as a "premium" drink, this brand, while available, was not on the list of premium drinks offered in the “open bar.” Furthermore, the open bar was shut down at midnight, to the surprise of many patrons.

Spotted on the red carpet were a small number of celebrities including Fall Out Boy members Pete Wentz and Andy Hurley along with Brody Jenner and Frankie Delgado from MTV’s The Hills. If guests thought that they would have a chance to mingle with the VIPs, they were sadly mistaken. There were heavily guarded booths in the VIP area and rarely did celebrities venture out to mingle with the "commoners."

The crowd was very good-looking with mostly trendy 20-somethings in the house. There was one uncomfortable moment when a plain-clothes officer walked through the crowd, demanding to see proper identification from various guests who appeared to be underage.

This party did not live up to the hype. Few celebrities were in attendance and were sequestered from everyone else, the open bar was shut down early and the ticket prices took a drastic drop on the night of the event. When we showed up at midnight, it was inexpensive, but for those who purchased tickets in advance, some might feel like they were taken advantage of.

MATT LEINART SUPER BOWL PARTY 2008

This party was packed wall-to-wall with a good-looking crowd of well-dressed party-goers.  Everyone seemed to be in a great mood and I am sure that the open bar contributed to this festive atmosphere.  There was a live auction in the middle of the event that Matt Leinart personally helped out with.  Leinart made a point of taking a picture with the various auction winners which made for a more personal experience for all involved.  There was also a silent auction that consisted mainly of autographed movie posters.  Proceeds from the auction benefited the Matt Leinart Foundation. The event also had catering, which featured a variety of delectable morsels for the hip crowd to snack on.

Olive & Ivy happened to be a great location since it was located right next to the 944 Super Village and was situated right next to a large parking structure which made parking easy for everyone.   The low-lighting gave the party an elegant vibe and there was plenty of space to mingle even though the location was packed.

Matt Leinart was the first celebrity to show up and spent a lot of time on the red carpet talking to the press.   Even though it seems logical that the party host would be the first celeb to show up, this was not the case for some of the other parties.  NFL quarterback Kurt Warner arrived at almost the same time as Leinart and a steady stream of celebs followed.   Celebs in attendance included:  pop singer Nick Lachey, former Dallas Cowboy Keyshawn Johnson, Arizona Cardinal head coach Ken Whisenhunt, baseball player Reggie Sanders, ESPN’s Sean Salisbury, and St. Louis Rams’ Stephen Jackson. 

This was a fun party with a good-looking crowd.  The location was very cool and the open bar made for an entertaining evening.  However, there was nothing amazing or over-the-top so we cannot give them the ultimate award, 5 Olives. 


PLAYBOY SUPER BOWL PARTY 2008

Playboy, in its 9th year as Super Bowl party host, delivered a sexy and decadent experience for partygoers on the Saturday night before the big game in a 52,000-square-foot facility perfectly suitable for mass mischief. We've pretty much seen it all when it comes to exclusive parties, but this bash at the Rawhide Pavilion at Wild Horse Pass in Chandler still blew us away with its multitude of inviting and fun-loving gorgeous vixens dancing all throughout the venue. Of course, the creative and classy presentation of the food, cocktails, and music throughout the evening was nothing to sneeze at, either. Celebrity DJ Nick Cannon left no top dance hit unspun, and playmates did their best Energizer Bunny impressions as they never seemed to stop shaking their moneymakers all night. Several celebrities chose not to miss this giant bash including: Holly Madison, Bridget Marquardt, Kendra Wilkinson, Hugh Hefner, Vernon Davis, Kevin Dillon, Kevin Connelly, Alyssa Milano, Kevin Sorbo, Common, Tiki Barber, Kyle Boller, Regina King, Willie Gault, Franco Harris, Tom Arnold, Christopher Mintz-Plasse ("McLovin" from "Superbad"), Grady Sizemore, Heroes’ Milo Ventimiglia and The Hills’Audrina Patridge and Lauren Conrad.

This party was deserving of our ultimate award: 5 olives, for combining all the best aspects of a Super Bowl party under one roof. Since words can't express the magic that was the Playboy Super Bowl party, we will include the following video to give our readers a better idea.