President Barack Obama’s 50th birthday, re-election benefit celebration
Stella’s column WITH STELLA FOSTER sfoster@suntimes.com July 4, 2011 6:46PM
President Barack Obama | Getty Images
Article Extras
Updated: October 20, 2011 12:27AM
A N UPDATE on President Barack Obama’s national 50th birthday/re-election benefit celebration in Chicago, which is a scoop I ran in my June 23 column. There will be a high-priced private dinner with Obama for the big dogs and doggettes a k a rich folks and supporters
Aug. 3 at $35,800 per couple. There will also be a birthday concert that same evening with a broad range of ticket prices. The president’s actual birthday is Aug. 4.
SPORTING NEWS: The Bears’ J’Marcus Webb is keeping himself busy during the NFL lockout. Webb will be attending the Athans Motors grand opening benefitting the Gridiron Greats Assistance Fund on July 7 at Athans Motors in Morton Grove and hosted by Mike “Da Coach” Ditka. The event is 6 p.m.-9 p.m. The Bears’ offensive tackle will also film his latest social networking “Sophomore Season” segment at the JW Marriott and will work out at the East Bank Club. . . . The Chicago native/Miami Heat star Dwyane Wade will be in town Wednesday for a private kickoff reception at Sunda for his “Wade’s World Weekend 2011,” which takes place the weekend of Aug. 26 in Chi-Town and is a benefit for his foundation. The evening will be co-hosted by Mesirow Financial exec Les Coney and Michigan Avenue mag’s Dan Uslan.
A SPORTS clarification: The Bears’ Kahlil Bell’s “Football Skills & Speed Training Camp is July 21-23 at Sunset Meadows Park in Arlington Heights. The camp is $199 per person, but some lucky inner-city students from the Garfield Park Gators will be attending for free. More info: fullridefootballcamp.com
THE TESTOSTERONE Set: Over the weekend at the crosstown throwdown between the Cubs and Sox, which the Sox won, a cool group of guys watched from two box suites. The fellas included Michael Jordan, the Sox’ Kenny Williams, “Windy City Live” Billy Dec, Mesirow Financial Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Richard Price, and businessmen Lester McKeever and Yusef Jackson and Robert (FTD Florist) Apotoft . . . “The Office” star Brian Baumgartner and the Utah Jazz star Raja Bell hung out at the new Studio Paris nightclub on separate evenings. . . . The Arizona Cardinals’ Larry Fitzgerald dined with friends at Fogo De Chao after watching the crosstown game on Saturday . . . Super Bowl Bear Otis Wilson will be inducted into the Hall of Fame at his alma mater, the University of Louisville, on Oct. 29.
ACTRESS Angela (“Green Lantern,” “Jumping the Broom”) Bassett has signed on to replace Halle Berry in the Broadway production of “The Mountaintop,” which opens Oct. 13 with noted actor Samuel L. Jackson portraying Dr. Martin Luther King. . . . R&B artist Alicia Keys will be producing “Stick Fly” on Broadway next year.
THE BUSINESS SET: The 25th anniversary of the Entrepreneurial Woman’s Conference sponsored by the Women’s Business Development is Sept. 14 at McCormick Place-West. There will be a breakfast and a financial panel discussion moderated by Sun-Times financial diva Terry Savage. The panelists are Cathy Hughes, head of Radio/TV One, Leylani Cardoso, founder/president of Bolzano Handbags; Maxine Clark, founder/Chairman of Build-A-Bear Workshop and Lynn Tilton, founder/CEO of Patriarch Partners LLC.
CHANGING LANES: Vic Kastil, formerly at the Horseshoe Casino, now heading to the new Rivers Casino as a player development exec . . . Sara Lee exec Jon Harris has been promoted to chief communications officer & senior vice president of Sara Lee’s new and not yet named spinoff company opening next year . . . Publicist Juan Kirkman, who was an exec with the Hotel Sax for six years, has joined the Hard Rock Hotel as the director of business travel & entertainment.
ENTERTAINING NEWS: Comic Hannibal (“SNL” “30 Rock”) Buress, a regular on the Jimmy Kimmel show, performing a special engagement at Zanies on North Wells starting Wednesday . . . State Rep. Al Riley hosting a “Jazz in the Park for Charity” July 24 at the Bicentennial Park in Olympia Fields featuring jazz legend Willie Pickens and trumpeter Shaun Johnson. For info: jazzintheparkforcharity.com . . . The 2nd Anniversary of the “Steppers’ Affair — All-White Attire” at the Alhambra Palace & restaurant is Thursday starting at 5:30 p.m.
BIRTHDAY CITIZENS: WLS-Channel 7’s Jim Rose, former Cub Gary Matthews, David Kupcinet and belated to designer Barbara Bates and to retired Judge/politician Bernard B. Wolfe, who turned 97 years young on July 1. On Wednesday: Nancy Reagan, Sylvester Stallone and Sam Payanotovich.Well, that’s Stella in the City!
Comments Click here to view or make a comment