Eva Longoria and Teresa Heinz Kerry watched, Annette Bening spoke, Idina Menzel sang and Nancy Pelosi marked a moment in history at the Tribute to Women in Congress on Wednesday at the Pinnacle Club. A century ago, when Denver last hosted the Democratic National Convention, only five of the delegates were women. “This time,” Pelosi said, “more than half are.” At that, the room, mostly female, exploded with applause. Clapping were Valerie Harper; Pelosi’s daughter, Alexandra; and dozens of women in Congress or running for office, including Nita Lowey, Carol Shea-Porter, Lois Capps, Hilda Solis, Rosa DeLora, Mazie Hirona, Doris Matsui and Betsy Markey. — Kyle Wagner
Too long to wait for Kanye West
Even though goverment finance rules forced many elected officials and their staffs to pay the $90 face price for a ducat to the RIAA/One party at Exdo Event Center, too many tickets got sold/handed out/bartered for the much yakked about show with Kanye West as the promised headliner and Bono as a possible. At about 11:45 p.m. officials stepped out of the club and told a line of a couple hundred people — that stretched two blocks — to forget about getting in. Who did make it past the gate? Forest Whitaker, Maureen Dowd, Jamie Foxx, D.C. Mayor Adrian Fenty, Fat Joe of DX and Arkansas Gov. Mike Beebe. — Jason Blevins
Severall hundred people not getting in
Flashy crowd
Rapper Fat Joe and actor Wilmer Valderrama, both looking sharp, warmed up the red-carpet crowd for Voto Latino’s superstar guest, Jennifer Lopez, Wednesday evening. Now a honey blond, J.Lo was wearing a lavender cocktail dress — short and strappy. She flirted with the camera and headed inside Vinyl nightclub for the Latino voter-registration-drive party.
Rosario Dawson, who founded the organization, arrived in a sleeveless white dress and was onmessage: “It is our responsibility as Americans to get out and vote.”
Next up: Jessica Alba, slim in a slinky black dress, who arrived on the arm of Cash Warren.
Sofia Vergara, who said she’s on track to be become a U.S. citizen next year, Craigslist founder Craig Newmark and political queen bee Arianna Huffington also popped in to hobnob.
Fergie finds inspiration
It was a natural that the Creative Coalition would choose the Black Eyed Peas as the entertainment for its gala Wednesday night at Fillmore Auditorium. It was group member
Will.i.am whose “Yes We Can” song and Internet-sensation video gave Barack Obama one of the coolest celebrity endorsements ever.
“Will.i.am inspired me,” bandmate Fergie said. “When Will made that song, I think it was touching to every person in America because it really said something.”
Said Will.i.am: “I did it because I was inspired by Barack Obama’s speech in New Hampshire, and that wasn’t even his victory speech. That was a speech where he lost. If he could inspire me when he lost, just think what he’s gonna do when he wins. I don’t know know how I’m going to contain myself. I’m just gonna keep writing and writing and writing. And not for fee, for free. For freedom.”
They shared the red carpet with “Hero” Hayden Panettiere. — Greg Hernandez and Ricardo Baca
Street rock
The show was free and the crowd was young — very young — as Silversun Pickups singer Brian Aubert kickstarted his band’s set at the “Unconventional 08” concert at 29th and Larimer streets Wednesday night. In front of a remarkable backdrop — a 20-foot-tall “HOPE” sculpture made of bicycle tire rims — Aubert proclaimed the gig “one of the most important shows we’ve ever played.”
“Vote for Obama. Vote for Obama. Vote for Obama!”
Comedian Sarah Silverman was spotted. This was the best indie rock lineup of the DNC, with bands Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, Nada Surf and Cold War Kids also on the bill.
VIPs were later treated to performances inside the Hope Manifest Gallery by Ben Gibbard of Death Cab for Cutie and Jenny Lewis of Rilo Kiley. — Ricardo Baca
Remember him?
Once he was the party’s top pick; now he’s signing books down the street. But folks still love former Democratic prez candidate Michael Dukakis. Wednesday found him hawking his new “How to Get Into Politics and Why” at the Presidential Experience exhibit at Invesco Field at Mile High.
One thing had changed for sure. The black helmet of hair had evolved into something involving a lot of salt and not so much pepper.
— Douglas Brown
Kucinich: He’s more fun than we thought
U.S. Rep. Dennis Kucinich of Ohio made an impromptu stop at the Skylark Lounge rockabilly bar Tuesday night and stole some thunder from the billed “Russian King of Rock and Roll.”
Kucinich, who earlier Tuesday gave a speech to conventiongoers at the Pepsi Center, spoke to about 300 people in a packed upstairs pool room. Denis Mazhukov, a piano- playing Jerry Lee Lewis impersonator, played to about 20 people downstairs.
“There’s something about being out West where we can expand our horizons,” Kucinich said.
Kucinich got his loudest applause early, when he told the crowd, “This group of neo-cons wants another four-year term. But in my opinion, their term should be 10 to 20 years.” — Nick Groke
Cold, but coolThe scene was hot at the chic Lawrence Street club 5 Degrees late Wednesday where Ben Affleck and wife Jennifer Garner, Forest Whitaker, “Battle in Seattle” director (and Charlize Theron paramour) Stuart Townsend, Star Jones, Kirsten Dunst and Danny Glover glammed it up.
Don’t pick on Chelsea!
Fashion moments
Richard Dreyfuss was shopping for a sport coat at Players menswear store in LoDo on Wednesday.
The “Jaws” actor, whose most recent role has him portraying Dick Cheney in “W” (the movie is in post-production), might also have been attracted by the sign on the store window hawking summer sale merchandise: “Liberal Markdowns.”
And the ever-stylish Matt Lauer was seen strolling in Cherry Creek Shopping Center, wearing jeans and a button-down shirt. — Suzanne S. Brown
News to her
TV correspondent Maria Menounos has interviewed them all at the 2008 DNC: Ben Affleck. Sarah Silverman. Seth Myers. John Legend. Even a few politicians.
But she’s playing to her “Access Hollywood” audience, and it’s been grueling. “I counted the blisters on my toes yesterday,” said the Medford, Mass., native from within the chaotic NBC tent beside the Pepsi Center. “Yesterday, there were 20 blisters.”
But she wouldn’t want to be anywhere else. Between now and December, she’ll be dedicated to politics. “I get such a high out of it,” she says. — Douglas Brown
