Regis University celebrates its 130th year this weekend with alumni gatherings, dinners – and donors. Big-name alums who made it back included Campbell Brown and Bill Murray.
On Friday night, Murray was awarded an honorary doctorate of humanities. “I met the nicest, finest people at Regis,” Murray said. “People who didn’t go to Regis didn’t turn out so well.”
On Thursday night, NBC newsie Brown emceed a donor dinner celebrating a successful five-year capital campaign that raised $82.7 million. She graduated from Regis in 1991 with a degree in political science/international relations – and they’ve been trying to get her back for years.
At the dinner, she credited her teacher the Rev. Michael Sheeran, now president of the university, with sparking her interest in public affairs – which led to her career in journalism.
Scoop alert! Brown is pregnant, expecting a baby in December. And we hear she’s leaving NBC for CNN.
Murray was at his Class of 1972 reunion Thursday night at Tavern Uptown – even though he did not graduate from Regis. He attended from 1968 to 1969 as a pre-med student, but dropped out after he was arrested for marijuana possession.
In 1997 he came back for his 25th and was spotted at a party at Duffy’s Tavern wearing a badge that read: “HI! I’m Bill Murray.” How funny is that?
Mo’ Mo
“The Tonight Show with Jay Leno” sent writer/comedian Mo Rocca to Denver on Tuesday and Wednesday to see if we were ready for the Democratic National Convention and to report on what to do in Denver when it comes down next August. He went to Lannie’s Clocktower Cabaret to talk to the Demented Divas, a drag queen team of Nuclia Waste, Portia Potty, Iona Trailer and Gabbriella Butz’In. Next stop, of course, was Diamond Cabaret.
On Wednesday afternoon, Rocca and the crew left for Minneapolis/St. Paul to do the same reportage on the town that’ll host the Republicans. The reports on the two cities are skedded to air on “The Tonight Show” July 30, 31 and Aug. 1.
And there’s more Mo coming. He’ll be covering the Denver convention as an on-the-floor correspondent nightly for Leno – as he did for Larry King and CNN in 2004.
Cutting up
A front line of Jay Cutler’s family showed up at Neiman Marcus on Thursday night to kick off the Sept. 17 Savor the Grape party at Morton’s DTC.
This is a throw-down for the Broncos QB’s charity – topped off with very-big-deal wines and steak and a band and football players and dames. A $250 price tag includes a VIP reception with Cutler and his pals, $150 for the regular deal, call 303-409-1177.
City spirit
Sightem: Carter Oosterhouse and a crew from the TV show “Carter Can” redoing rooms at Warren Village … Denver’s Double Edge Films shooting a scene for the feature “Ink” today at 17th and Champa. It’s a sci-fi action thriller, I’m told, “It’s A Wonderful Life” meets “Sin City” … Sez who: “Don’t you keep open a line for emergencies or for celebrities? I’m both! I’m a celebrity in an emergency!” Bill Murray in “Groundhog Day”
Bill Husted’s column appears Sunday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday. Husted also appears Tuesdays and Fridays on “Good Day Colorado” on Fox 31. You can reach him at 303-954-1486 or bhusted@. Take a peek at Husted’s next column at denver.
