Trimacho's Feast, from Fellini's Satyricon.
The Masters of the Universe gathered shoulder-to-shoulder in an "I-Love-the-80s" type of mega-mogul venue teeming with excess, minus, to be sure, the air-kissing trophy wives with the big Georgette Mosbacher hair at the Park Avenue Armory. This event can only be properly construed as a Modern Day reinactment of Petronius Arbiter's Satyricon. So decadent.
As 10,000 Chrysler hourly-workers are being laid off, Stephen Schwarzman throws himself a little $3 million somethingsomething with 250 of his closest friends where, as those intrepid Page Sixxies note, "CNBC's Maria Bartiromo and Charlie Rose of PBS blew kisses, as entertainment enchiladas Barry Diller, Sony Chairman Sir Howard Stringer and Donald Trump glowed in their tans." We couldn't help but bitchsmack, even though, of course, he is fully entitled to spend his money any way he wishes. We just wouldn't be a populist blog if we didn't, like, say something. Especially considering how The Guest List involves The Usual Suspects (AKA, Punching Bags) that this blog has so much fun hazing. From Dealbook:
"High finance, politics and a bit of celebrity came together Tuesday evening as guests gathered to celebrate the 60th birthday of Stephen A. Schwarzman, the chairman of Blackstone Group.
"Hundreds of attendees in formal attire arrived at the Seventh Regiment Armory on New York’s Park Avenue for the party, which came just a few days after Mr. Schwarzman’s firm completed its $39 billion purchase of Equity Office Properties in what was the largest leveraged buyout ever.
"Among those attending were John Thain, chief executive of the NYSE Group, which operates the New York Stock Exchange, who made his entrance shortly before Donald and Melania Trump. Out from a black Escalade stepped CNBC anchor Maria Bartiromo, with her husband, Jonathan Steinberg, son of financier Saul Steinberg. The ABC anchor Barbara Walters was also there, accompanied by Vernon Jordan Jr., the Washington power broker and confidant to former President Bill Clinton. On her arrival, Ms. Walters paused before the cameras, lit up by flashes as the snow began falling in earnest.
"The festivities served as a coronation of sorts for Mr. Schwarzman, a billionaire several times over, an active Republican donor and chairman of the Kennedy Center in Washington whose influence reaches deep into the worlds of finance, politics and the arts.
"Upon Mr. Schwarzman’s early arrival, paparazzi jostled each other for a shot, prompting police and security to more forcefully corral photographers into the contained area.
"... Inside the armory, the hall was festooned in red and white in a Valentine’s Day theme, with orchids scattered everywhere, said Maritza Placido, an employee of Kevoo Catering, which catered the entertainment and production staff at the event.
"Ms. Placido confirmed that Rod Stewart was the main attraction."
Red AND white orchids and Rod Stewart. Ah, it is so true what they say: All the money in the world can't buy Taste.
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