The Crowd: Terrence Howard hustles, the bubbly flows
Twenty-fifteen was launched with style on the Orange Coast. Hostess Elizabeth An and husband Gordon Clune welcomed some 300 guests in sparkling New Year’s Eve attire to a very special party at AnQi, South Coast Plaza.
Nicolas Feuillatte Brut Champagne flowed as the crowd entered a transformed restaurant adorned with silver branches backlit with red spotlights. Magnificent florals in shades of velvety deep red tones centered tables, lending to the feeling of celebrating in a sophisticated supper club.
AnQi staff passed endless signature tapas of coconut prawns, lobster dumplings, mini ahi tacos, crab puffs and AnQi’s famous lamb chop lollipops as guests shared New Year greetings arriving past the 9 o’clock hour.
Spotted in the crowd were O.C. social standouts Betty and S.L. Huang, Britt and Robert Meyers, Lynn Liou and Hoyt Yang, Mert Wallen and Mary Phillips, and South Coast Plaza’s influential man-about-town Werner Escher and his charming bride Diane. The crowd enjoyed a late-night supper featuring the House of An’s signature garlic noodle dishes.
The highlight of the night was the presentation of first-rate popular entertainment. An enlisted friends from Beverly Hills who often appear at her Crustacean Restaurant to travel to Costa Mesa for the New Year’s event. “American Idol” winners Kris Allen and Candice Glover were headliners, joined by “The Voice’s” Dez Duron.
A surprise appearance by actor Terrence Howard, rapping onstage right at the midnight hour, had the crowd bringing in 2015 to a distinctive beat. An came onstage with a special announcement that Howard and his wife, Miranda, are expecting their first child. It’s quite a year for Howard; along with a new wife and baby, Fox Television has debuted his new series, “Empire.”
*
Champagne on the bayfront
In grand classic tradition, the venerable Balboa Bay Resort welcomed the social crowd to a black-tie New Year’s Eve dinner dance in the grand ballroom. The party dates back to 1948, when the then-Balboa Bay Club first opened. In the 1950s and 1960s, New Year’s Eve at the club was the “A” ticket in Newport. Folks made reservations months in advance, and the regulars turned out year after year. Dec. 31 simply had to be celebrated on the bay.
The 2014 celebration kicked off at 8 p.m. with guests arriving and being greeted by a lavish reception created around a chic martini bar. The hotel’s executive chef, Vincent Lesage, created a gourmet five-course dinner with special wine pairings. Guests were seated at spectacular tables festooned in silver and gold.
Newport society table-hoppers included Gail and Ron Soderling, Diane and Doug Overby, Janet and Michael Andersen, Maria and James Teiviera, Sophia and Michael Munch, and celebrity jeweler Mardo Ayvazyan and his wife, Seyda. Dancing to the music of the 12-piece orchestra Rembrandt were Claira Lee and Lou Sabatasso, Bridgette Hertel, John Sanossian, and Jann Williams and George Morris.
A midnight countdown was followed by special late-night supper delicacies as the party continued to flow past 1 a.m.
*
A 6-foot-long check for SPIN
Orange County’s treasured nonprofit agency assisting those in need with lifesaving housing, employment and social services known as Serving People In Need got the celebrity treatment on television during the holidays.
NBC-TV’s popular weather anchor, Fritz Coleman, featured SPIN along with its executive director, Jean Wegener, on the final segment of his “Holiday Lights” broadcast, which showcased outstanding holiday decoration on homes throughout the Southland.
In the segment, Coleman presented Wegener with a larger-than-life-size check for $5,000 on behalf of the NBC/Universal Charitable Foundation. The generous donation was made to SPIN to assist local individuals and families facing a housing crisis in the Orange County region served by SPIN.
Coleman shared with Wegener that he was touched learning about the work of SPIN and was proud to make the donation to the organization on his broadcast, adding significant meaning to his holiday tradition.
SPIN begins its 27th year in 2015, recognized by both the OC Partnership and United Way as one of the most cost-effective and successful agencies of its kind in Orange County. To learn more about the work of SPIN, please contact development director Kim Frazier at https://www.spinoc.org or by calling (714) 751-1101, ext. 19.
Wishing all Daily Pilot readers a very happy, healthy and prosperous 2015.
THE CROWD runs Fridays. B.W. Cook is editor of the Bay Window, the official publication of the Balboa Bay Club in Newport Beach.
