S&P Sexy Legs

The crew at Ireland’s society bible, Social & Personal magazine, once again stepped up to the plate and delivered yet another of their legendary parties on Wednesday night. Guests showed up in summer finery to enjoy West Coast Cooler cocktails and pour over the latest Top 100 list – Sexy Legs!

In association with Horse Racing Ireland, the party certainly got hearts racing as many of the people on the list were in attendance and happily showing off the very reason they made the list …. their pins! First past the post to claim the sexiest pair of legs in Ireland was blonde hottie Lisa Duffy, who also graces the cover of this month’s magazine.

Lisa, who is married to ex. Corrie star Keith Duffy, was delighted with her accolade and beat off some tough competition from the likes of Sharon Corr, Amanda Byram and Jean Butler.

The terrace of Howl at the Moon was the hang out spot, such was the balmy evening. Among the throng were Astrid Brennan, Sinead Ryan and Joanne Byrne (both excited with their new TV show which premiers on RTE this week), Amanda Brunker, Libby Ryan and Gavin Lambe – Murphy, who is finding his new wine bar venture to be “hard work, but so worth it”.

Tamso Doyle of HRI was taking time out of her busy schedule to attend. She has a hectic weekend ahead at the Curragh with the Audi Stakes on Saturday and the Budweiser Derby on Sunday, two premier social events in the racing calendar. TV presenters Lucy Kennedy and Kathryn Thomas looked fab and are enjoying their summer break from our screens. Soon-to-be TV presenter Glenda Gilson was in top form and looking forward to her forthcoming debut on new music channel Bubble Hits.

Also there enjoying the hospitality of publisher PJ Gibbons were Nadine Wai – O’Flynn, stylist Ellie Balfe, Leanne de Cerbo (who has just joined S&P as Style Editor), Ross Robertson and Naomi Carroll, Richie Pearson, Cindy Cafolla and Richard Kavanagh, Andrew Rudd and the beautiful Jayne Blight, who had just jetted in from Sicily, via London, earlier that the evening.

Many of the party posse continued on to Renards and Lillies (where Take That were hosting their after show party) to put their sexy legs to good use on the dance floor.

Glenda Hits!

Glenda Gilson celebrates the announcement that she is set to join the presenting team at all new music channell Bubble Hits.

Bubble Hits today announced that Glenda Gilson will join the presenting team at the new music channel set to air on Sky Digital on the 14^th August.

Top Irish model Glenda joins former Eastenders star Chris Parker and former Six singer Liam McKenna as a Showbiz Correspondent on the Irish owned station that will broadcast to over 31 million viewers in the UK and Ireland. The trio will front the entertainment features and exclusive interviews that will run throughout the day.

Following out-and-about trails at high profile gigs and events in the UK and Ireland, Glenda beat four short-listed hopefuls to land the role as Showbiz Reporter for this exciting new TV channel. Glenda’s first official interview for Bubble Hits will take place tonight (28^th June) when she interviews pop sensations The Pussy Cat Dolls.

Speaking about her new role, Glenda, 25, said, “I’m absolutely ecstatic about my new role at Bubble Hits. I’ve had a lot of great help and support along the way and it’s such a huge opportunity for me. Not only is it my break into TV but also into the UK market. I can’t wait to really get my teeth into it and start working with Chris and Liam. They’re two top guys and we’ve had lots of fun together already during the trials.”

Bubble Hits prides itself as a no commercial breaks station which they believe will stop viewers flicking to other channels. Music shows such as ‘Get your Hits Out’, ‘Bubble Top 20’, ‘Bubble Cuddle’ and ‘Pop It or Drop It’ will form the basis of the stations programming. The station, owned by two young Irish entrepreneurs James Hyland and Lee Walsh, sees a return to the essence of music channels – to play music.

Summer Socials

It was a champagne and Kir Royal reception at the waterside deck for the annual Mid Summer Ball which was hosted at the luxurious K Club on Friday night last. The weather was clement and the spirits high as the guests assembled at the gala to raise funds for St. Bridgid’s Hospice and Home Care Team. Led by the Ambrielle committee team, the evening was a resounding sucess.

The inimitable Charlie Bird was MC for the evening and both he and special guest An Taniste Mary Harney TD gave us immense pleasure in the jokes and one liners that they fired at one another in their speeches. However, as they both declared that “what happens in the K Club, stays in the K Club”, I’m forbidden from revealing the source of the hilarity.

I was a guest of Olay, who had booked a small party of us into the nearby Barberstown Castle and ferried us to the K Club via limo. After a sumptuous dinner and dancing to the Jim Doherty Swing Band we retired back to base for our own private party. We all agreed though, what happens in Barberstown, stays in Barberstown.

Some of the guests included Ireland AM presenters Karen Koster and Laura Bermingham, stylist Sonia Mohlich and her partner Alan Bruton, Julie Byrne and hairstylist Stephen Kelly. Also there were Nigerian Ambassador to Ireland, H.E. Mrs Mandu Ekong-Omaghomi, Sinead Lynch, Triona McCarthy, Sir Wesley Deaton, and TV presenters Caroline Morahan and Pamela Flood, who I had the pleasure of sharing a table with.

Actually, I’d met Pamela just the evening before at the launch party for the new Opel Astra Twin Top, which took place at the Radisson SAS St. Helens Hotel. The girls were out in force for that one, and as the competition to win one of the convertible cars was drawn to a finale, it was a line-up of 6 females who took to the podium.

Looking summery on the terrace that evening were Nadine Wai – O’Flynn and her sister Lara, Roisin Ni Mhordha and Viv Maguire, FM104’s Jodie King, publicist Roisin O’Hea and the gorgeous Avila and Roz Lipsett.

Let’s hope the weather keeps up for all this al fresco socialising.

Pamela Anderson comes to Dublin....

Diarmaid Gavin, Grainne Seoige and Ryan Tubridy enjoy the MAC gig last night.

Quentin Fottrell and Triona "Party" McCarthy hang out with Pamela Anderson at the party last night.

Pictured at the MAC AIDS FUND VIVA GLAM V bash (l-r) Clodagh Kean, Paddy Bollard and Anette Rocca.

It’s not often that a huge (literally) A-lister comes to Dublin, but when Pamela Anderson rocked up on Thursday she caused mayhem. She was in town as part of her role as a passionate spokesperson for the M·A·C AIDS FUND VIVA GLAM V campaign. Leading figures from the world of fashion and entertainment gathered at No.15 St Stephen’s Green last night, to honour her.

Over 200 guests arrived at Hugh O’Regan’s stylish Georgian townhouse to party with the mega star where they enjoyed delicious Boru Vodka Martinis and Moet champagne with mouth-watering canapés, served by a number of cute male models. There was a veritable scrum when she arrived at the assembled guests tried to get a glimpse of the big star.

Those keen to catch a glimpse of the star included gardener extraordinaire Diarmuid Gavin and the ever glamorous TV star Gráinne Seoige, who was accompanied by her husband and TV3 commentator, Stephen Cullinane. RTE’s Ryan Turbridy came along with agent Noel Kelly, Derek Stenson was there with his pal Darren McBride and singer Brian Kennedy was in great spirits and is busy preparing for the first recording of his new RTE show which takes place this Friday.

Pamela was at Brown Thomas earlier in the day to present a cheque for €20,000 on behalf of the MAC AIDS Fund to Dublin AIDS charity, Open Heart House. The MAC AIDS Fund, which has so far raised $65million worldwide, is the charitable arm of MAC Cosmetics, and appointed model and actress Pamela Anderson as spokesperson for the VIVA GLAM V Lipstick advertising campaign in April 2005. Past MAC VIVA GLAM spokespeople include Christina Aguilera, Missy Elliott, Linda Evangelista, Elton John and Mary J Blige. Pamela’s specific platform focuses on the importance of getting tested, getting results and knowing your health status.

With such a high profile visit, MAC’s Global General Manager Peter Lichtenthal flew in from New York to mark the occasion.

David Blake - Knox, the Irish based producer who worked on the BBC’s Ruby Wax series of interviews, met Pammie years ago in LA when she was an actress in Baywatch and enjoyed catching up with her. It was her interview with Ruby that opened everyone’s eyes to her charm and wit.

Fashion designers Louise Kennedy and Joanne Hynes looked as stylish as ever as, as did Caroline Morahan from Off the Rails. CEO Dalton Philips enjoyed the party atmosphere accompanied by his wife Penny. Also enjoying the party was Mrs Margaret Kenny, wife of US Ambassador James Kenny, who came along with her daughters Courtney and Colleen. Glamour girls Gail Ferguson and Melanie Morris, Annette Rocca, Louise Loughman and TV3’s Maura Derrane all enjoyed the celebrations.

Pamela Anderson arrives at Brown Thomas early yesterday with BT boss Dalton Philips.

Fever pitch

World Cup fever has hit the country, and whatever team you’re supporting I hope they are doing well. I’m not a big follower of football so my motivation for going to see England Vs. Sweden on Tuesday night was not the match per se, but rather the Kopparberg Cider, who were hosting the party in 4 Dame Lane.

I first tasted Kopparberg a few months ago and, while I’m not a fan of cider, I absolutely loved it. So refreshing and the bottles are huge! It’s manufactured solely by first-class raw materials and fresh spring water. They don’t ad alcohol; instead it gets to slowly ferment to desired strength. According to an old Swedish original recipe, they have fermented this semi sweet cider, with light, fresh, clean fruity flavours and the range includes pear, apple and mixed berries.

The pear and apple versions have an alcohol level (or whatever you call it) of 4.5% whereas the mixed berries carries a whopping 7% ABV. That surely does the trick!

Among the guests were TV3 sports presenter Aaron Armstrong, Avril Mulcahy and Aimee Milne, sports writer Derek Foley (who tells me that Gary Oldman is being lined up to play him in a movie!), Rebecca O’Neill and photographer Ingmar Kiang.

Incidentally, the match was excellent and ended in a 2-2 draw.

The following night I bumped into Derek Foley again at a reception that Stephen Mackeral and his team at the Carphone Warehouse were hosting to showcase the latest in mobile communications. TV via mobile is no longer a thing of the future and was demonstrated to me on the night. Quite impressive.

I quizzed Derek on his Gary Oldman claim and he explained that there is currently a film project being put together about the Sunday Tribune’s fictional character Ross O’Carroll – Kelly. Derek, or One F as he is often referred to as in the column, will feature in the movie version and be played by none other than Mr. Oldman. Again, quite impressive.

Wedding of the Year

As we were driven up the avenue of Carton House in Co. Kildare, it was evident by the shear size of the marquee, the number of security men and the line of big cars just how spectacular the wedding was going to be. Then there was the style. Black tie for the gentleman and high fashion for the ladies.

It was definitely the big society wedding of the year, as Anne-Marie Leavy tied the knot with Kieran McManus in Ballivor Chuch in the brides native Co. Meath. The wedding was a true family affair with Anne-Marie's sister Vivienne and Kieran's sister Sue Ann as bridesmaids and brother Gerrard doing a reading. The ceremony was attended by 250 of the couple’s family, and an additional 500 attending the reception at Carton House. That’s some crowd.

Guests enjoyed a Dom Pérignon champagne reception in the gardens of the historic mansion, as background music from a string quartet mixed with the gentle sounds of the nearby fountain. Feasting on canapés, the girls, and boys no doubt, subtly eyed the fashion on show. From the simple to the outrageous, the word of the day was “elegant”.

And nobody looked more elegant that the bride herself. Anne-Marie looked absolutely stunning in a Vera Wang creation which was long and fitted with a lace top, suiting her tall frame. The bridesmaids looked fabulous too in long flowing pink dresses that were created by Irish designer Synan O’Mahony.

The interior of the marquee was breathtaking with each one of the tables sporting a gigantic floral display, with discreet pink lighting complimenting the flowers. Candles, chandeliers and cream napery completed the overall look.

The wedding dinner was delicious and worthy of the best restaurant anywhere. It was 8 courses, and included dishes such as “Tian of Smoked Chicken and Mango with Lakeshore Mustard Cream, Green Asparagus and Baby Leaf Salad”, “Steamed Paupiette of Dover Sole with a Lobster Mouse and Lobster Bisque Sauce” and “Roast Fair End and leg of new Season Lamb, Parsnip and Gubeen Dauphinoise, Truffled Port and Rosemary Jus”. Truly superb.

Speeches were short and simple and from the patriarch’s of the families. Gerard Leavy spoke of his delight at seeing his daughter so happy, while JP McManus welcomed Anne-Marie into the McManus family on behalf of him and his wife Noreen. Kieran’s best man, his brother John McManus, also made a lovely speech, with Kieran himself rounding off proceedings.

Among the guests I spotted were businessmen Dermot Desmond and John Magnier, Minister for Defence Willie O’Dea TD, Tamso Doyle of HRI, designer Lynn Hunter of Lynn Marr fame, Aisling Kilduff of the Design Centre and her husband Aidan and EU Commissioner Charlie McCreevy.

Entertainment was provided by several bands and singers, including Paddy Cole, and the party continued well into the wee small hours.

Summer Solstice with Finlandia

The Finlandia Girls - Jill Beecher, Grace Fox, Aoibheann Leeny and Aoife Manning at the Finlandia Midnight Sun bash last night.

Jamie Crawford and Sarah Whiteford enjoy the Finlandia Midnight Sun Party in celebration of the upcoming Summer Solstice.

Finlandia Vodka celebrated the upcoming Summer Solstice with an exclusive Midnight Sun Party in SIN last night. The place looked absolutely amazing, a vision in white created by Ronan Healy and his team at Catapult. DJ Mo Kelly entertained guests as they sipped delicious Finlandia Vodka cocktails and sampled the best of traditional Finnish specialities. There was even entertainment by fire jugglers, illusionists and dancers in the true mystic tradition of the Midnight Sun.

As the evening went on the lighted at the party changed, from white, to blue, to green to red. A celebration of Finland’s Arctic heritage - including the “Pure Beginning” of the Ice Age and followed by “Pure Awakening” triggered by the melting of Finland’s gigantic Ice Age Glaciers. The party climaxed with the “Pure Celebration” of Finland’s breath-taking Midnight Sun phenomenon and mystical Summer Solstice rituals.

One lucky punter and a friend were selected to experience the real Midnight Sun firsthand at an exclusive Midsummer’s party in Kittilä, one of Northern Finland’s most famous arctic villages. The winning couple will join over 300 VIP guests from 20 countries at the Global Finlandia Midnight Sun Party, where they’ll party all night long in the never-ending daylight. Sounds like my kinda party.

Among those in attendance last night were Jonathan McCrea, Frances Winston, Paul Trainer of The Dubliner, Fergal Breen, Jennifer Stevens and Elaine Prenderville of Irish Tatler, TV3’s Diane O’Connor, fashion designer John McCormack, Aoife Geraghty from The Design Centre, Andy Boase and Clionadh O’Leary.

And did you know that Finlandia Vodka is the world’s only vodka made exclusively from the finest six-row barley grown under the nurturing glow of Finland’s Midnight Sun? This barley is the most sought-after distiller’s grain in the world, indigenous to the long days and white nights of Finland’s extraordinary summer.

Another good reason to drink it. Not that any of us needed reasons to begin with.

Candice Gordon and Jens Gloeckner at the Finlandia Midnight Sun Party in celebration of the upcoming Summer Solstice.

Ciao!

"What do you think of my hair?" I shyly asked celebrity hairstylist Nicky Clarke.

"Yeah, it's in pretty good nick. You can tell you've never coloured it" he replied.

I'm taking that as a compliment. Actually you can take everything Nicky says as a compliment. He's a nice guy. I met him at an intimate lunch in the Presidential suite of the Conrad Hotel this morning, where he was giving a select few a preview of his new product range, "Red Carpet Style".

Despite being up since 5am for an appearance on Ireland AM, and having had just a couple of hours sleep before that, Nicky looked great. And for a man in his late forties, he looks a helluva lot younger too. Use the products, I guess, and look as good. Or visit one of his salons, of which he said he'd like to open one in Dublin.

I met Melanie Morris, editor of Image magazine, at the luncheon. She's looking forward to a weekend in The Merchant, Belfast's newest 5-star hotel. I've heard amazing things about The Merchant and I'm looking forward to what Melanie has to say about it. On my way out I (literally!) bumped into Triona "Party" McCarthy, who has been absent from the social scene of late. In the past few weeks she's been to Venice, Barcelona, Hamburg, Paris and London. And she's off to Italy soon. Very jet set.

Italians know how to do everything right. Food, cars, fashion. They ooze style and sophistication. And they’re a pretty nation too. A generalisation maybe, but judging by the amount of talent at the Italian Factory event in SIN on Wednesday night, it’s an accurate statement.

Running every Wednesday night, the Italian Factory event is a thumping club night run by a team of good looking Italian boys who know how to party. This week’s event was extra special as purveyor of style Maria Fusco showcased the latest designs from her hip Clarendon Street boutique Ave Maria.

Not your typical runway show, Maria enlisted the help of some of her top customers to model the clothes and dance on stage to bass-tastic music. Kinda reminded me of a Saturday night in Spirit!

Some of the Italian loving people there included models Brian Fallon and Matthew John, designer Virginia Macari and her beau Michael, artist Darryn Lee, Melissa Nelson and Gavin Lambe – Murphy, who is busy with his latest venture, a wine bar on Baggot Street.

Cin cin!

Rock on!

Dublin rock group Jaded Sun recently won the opportunity to support rock ledgends Bon Jovi in concert. The group triumphed in FM104's Battle of the Bands contest and are pictured here with FM104 presenter Mike Hogan and Bon Jovi.

GUESS what?

Another week, another fashion store launch party. Surely every major brand has a presence in Dublin by now? No? Who then? Guess? Exactly! A warm and sunny Wednesday evening saw the launch party for the brand new GUESS store at 22-23 South Anne Street, which was hosted by Karl Rodgers.

Unveiled by celebrity model and socialite Calum Best, the store was full of eager ladies hoping to catch a glimpse of the playboy and son of the late legendary footballer George Best.

“He (Calum) has been an enthusiastic customer of the brand for many years both in the UK and US, so for us it made sense that he be the one to welcome the brand to his native country,” said Paolo Panizzo, director of GUESS UK.

Best was overheard saying that he did a shoot for GUESS in the U.S. when he was younger and found it funny that he was still promoting the brand so many years later. How many years, he didn’t reveal. Busy with a hectic work schedule in London at present, Calum is unable to spend time in his adopted home of L.A., where he loves spending time. Perhaps he’s cultivating a movie career? When asked if he was going to play the part of his father in the forthcoming movie, he said he would love to but it would be a bit difficult as he’s over 6ft and his dad was way shorter!

Among the throng of invited guests, who enjoyed a bar provided by Cocoon, were agents Brendan Scully and Sean Montague, Derek Carberry, models Niamh Watmore and Rachel Kelly, diamond broker Maria Collins, Karla Elliott, TV3 presenter Karen Koster, John McKibbin and Jonothan Sultan, Alan Amsby and Maria Fusco of Ave Maria, who is currently busy organising her huge fashion show which takes place in SIN next week.

As guests spilled out of the store to enjoy the setting sun they mingled with the al fresco drinkers from Keogh’s across the street to form, what looked like, one big street party. Guess who broke it up?

eBay.ie makes the Irish click

Enjoying the eBay.ie 1st birthday bash are Ken Doyle, David Jesse and John McElligot.

Norman Pratt, Tamara Gervasoni and yours truly at the eBay.ie birthday party.

The phenomenon that is eBay has long been a home for shoppers who trawl the World Wide Web. For years the site has been shifting goods across the planet and turning over millions of dollars in revenue. Ireland now has its own dedicated site in eBay.ie, who last week celebrated their 1^st birthday. The panoramic Gravity Bar at the Guinness Storehouse was the venue for the party, which was attended by a variety of eBay aficionados, from staff and press to buyers and sellers.

eBay.ie allows buyers and sellers based in Ireland to meet and trade conveniently in their local currency. As the “world's online marketplace” with more than 193 million registered users, more than 50,000 categories and more than 89 million items available at any given time globally, eBay is a place where practically anyone in Ireland can trade practically anything.

It has been an exciting first year for eBay.ie and key highlights include launching a host of Irish stars off Europe's highest bungee crane for charity and the appointment of Judge, famous from his days on Wanderly Wagon, as the eBay.ie Security Watchdog. Many Irish celebrities are also using the site to raise much needed funds for charity. Recent celebrity charity auctions include Joe Dolan's “Such a good Lookin' Hipbone”, a round of golf with Keith Duffy and Samantha Mumba's car was listed on eBay last month.

Recent facts and figures indicate Irish buyers and sellers use the site to search for a bargain, sell unwanted items or as an additional sales channel turning their excess stock into cash:

- An item in the music category is sold by an Irish seller every 4 minutes

- An item is listed in the collectible category every 2.5 minutes

- An item of clothing bought by Irish buyer every 2 minutes

- A DVD is bought by an Irish buyer every 4 minutes

Guests at the birthday bash included former Rose of Tralee Tamara Gervasoni, Gerri O’Neill of Bohemians FC, Eugenia Monti, Christopher and Breda Osbourne and eBay.ie boss David Jesse and his wife Trevor (yes, her name is Trevor!), who were recently married in the U.S. and who will have another marriage ceremony in Ireland next week.

Commenting on the success of eBay.ie David said: "We've had a great first year and we would like to thank all of our buyers and sellers for making the site such a great place to trade. There are currently over 200,000 registered Irish users buying and selling on eBay - a great testament to the site and we'll be doing our utmost to ensure the continued success of eBay in Ireland”.

In March this year, eBay, together with the online payment service PayPal, announced they would be creating an additional 300 jobs in 2006, bringing their current workforce total to over 900 people.

Louis Vuitton Beach Party

Looking elegant at the Louis Vuitton party in Brown Thomas were Mairead Egan, Emer O'Reilly - Hyland and Grace Terrinoni.

Orla Deane and Astrid Brennan looking gorgeous at the LV bash.

Libby Ryan, Cindy Cafolla and Ness Mellet enjoy the Louis Vuitton party in Brown Thomas.

There was more Louis Vuitton per square inch in Dublin last night than there was in Paris, London or New York. Well, probably. Every girl (and a few of the boys) brought their best LV bags and accessories for the Louis Vuitton Beach Party in Brown Thomas last night, where the luxury brand was celebrating the launch of the newest addition to the family, a super new range of sunglasses.

Champagne glasses clinked (Moet, natch, being part of the LVMH house) and cameras flashed as laughter filled the air of the exclusive concession store. Career girls, ladies who lunch, socialites and models cooed over the fabulous new collection, which will surely be the must have accessory at this summer’s polo matches, race meets and al fresco soirees. They’re already a hit with stars such as Uma Thurman and Pharrell Williams.

I was introduced to Emma Winters from Louis Vuitton, who was on the design team for the new collection of sunnies. She enthusiastically pointed out the minute detail that makes these shades stand out from the rest. Think of the iconic monogram and the hinges from a sturdy trunk coupled with delicate engraving. She had reason to be enthusiastic. The new collection is gorgeous.

Emma, who is of Irish decent, was disappointed that she could not stay in the country longer and visit her good pal Tracy Piggott, but her hectic schedule only permitted an over night stay. She was accompanied by her colleague, the stylish Andrew Glenn, who is head of PR at Louis Vuitton. He seemed delighted with the launch party, the latest one of a hundred I’m sure he’s been to.

Some of the faces in the crowd I spotted were Astrid Brennan, Cindy Cafolla, newly married Aisling Gleeson, BT boss Dalton Philips and Joanne Hegarty, who is still flying solo at IoS but is taking a well earned rest next week. Maureen Kelly and Ann McGettigan, Gavin Lambe – Murphy, Sonia Reynolds and Fiona Gratzer, Alan Bruton and Jackie Rafter were also there, as was Mairead Egan, who was enjoying a short stay in Dublin away from her new home in NYC.

VIP editor Emer O’Reilly – Hyland looked stunning in an elegant grey silk dress, while former Miss World Rosanna Davison took the “beach party” theme to heart and wore very little!

Less is more, as they say!

Former Miss World Rosanna Davison strikes a pose at the Louis Vuitton party in Brown Thomas.