The groom with the spikey hair wore his signature sneakers, and the bride was gowned by Vera Wang, the doyenne of bridal designers. She chose two gowns – one for the ceremony and another for the reception. The newlyweds were “too much in love to say good-night,” and so it was with the wining, dining, dancing and late-night romancing at the wedding of marketing executive Veronica Smiley, 42, to megaproducer/author/man-about-the-world Brian Grazer, 64. The bride walked down the aisle with her mother, Alicia Smiley, for the Roman Catholic ceremony.
Brian’s award-winning films top $l.5 billion in grosses, and include masterworks such as A Beautiful Mind, Apollo 13, The Da Vinci Code. Let’s not forget television’s Friday Night Lights, Arrested Development, etc.
More than 300 guests raised their champagne flutes in jubilant celebration at Brian’s hacienda in Santa Monica. Brian’s producing partner Ron Howard in Imagine Entertainment (founded in 1986) delivered a toast. As did Eddie Murphy and Vanity Fair’s Graydon Carter, who’s hosting his annual Oscar dinner-cum-fannybumper this weekend in Beverly Hills.
Don Rickles played it cool. No slapdowns. Advising the newlyweds “to hug and kiss every morning” and all will be well year in and year out.
Tinsel Town titans joined the newlyweds’ family, friends, the famous and not-so-famous. David Geffen, Fox’s Ann and Jim Gianopulos, CBS’ Les Moonves with Julie Chen, Disney’s Willow Bay and Bob Iger, George Lucas, Viacom’s Philippe Dauman, Imagine’s Monica and Michael Rosenberg, Oprah Winfrey, Gayle King, Paramount’s Cassandra and Brad Grey, Netflix’s Ted Sarandos with Nicole Avant, Quincy Jones, Fox’s Dana Walden, Patriots owner Robert Kraft, music mogul Jimmy Iovine with bride Liberty Ross, who wed the weekend prior in Beverly Hills at the Jack Warner estate that was bought by David Geffen for $47.5 million.
Paul Anka, escorting Lisa Pemberton, serenaded Veronica and Brian with his classic My Way, and Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga dueted on that jazz standard, It Don’t Mean A Thing If It Ain’t Got That Swing.
Amid the glamourati: Lionel Richie with Lisa Parigi, Susan and Robert Downey Jr., Chris Rock, Michael Keaton, Terrence Howard with Mira Park, Tobey Maguire and Jennifer Meyer.
For those who live in our Los Angeles area, columnist Steve Lopez is our must-read. Appearing in the Los Angeles Times’ California section (and online, of course), his columns are gems. This past Sunday, Steve took off on The Great Show in Politics about “the parade of presidential wannabes in the most entertaining primary season ever.” Wishing he had “a front row seat.”
Steve considers: “A Jewish socialist candidate who is roughly the same age as Moses has locked up the youth vote … An African-American candidate’s most lasting impression was a defense of his belief that the pyramids were actually grain elevators … The Donald seems to be one or two debates short of threatening to deny visas to anyone who’s eaten a falafel. He’s said he isn’t interested in publicity – that’s like Bill Clinton saying he isn’t interested in interns …
“Hillary Clinton, meanwhile, has been working on her campaign since the sixth grade, only to have Madeleine Albright and iconic feminist Gloria Steinem set the women’s movement back half a century … Just when you thought Clinton’s luck couldn’t get any worse, CBS anchor Scott Pelley asked her if she always tells the truth. Clinton said she ‘always tried’ to tell the truth, as if it’s like trying to bake a soufflé. Pressed by Pelley on whether she’s every lied, Clinton said, ‘I don’t believe I ever have, I don’t believe I ever will.’”
Girl, you have lied. Many times. Shamelessly. It’s documented. As we reported in our BHC column last week. Have you forgotten saying you were under sniper fire when you landed in Bosnia? No sniper fire. Girl, you were met by a young child with flowers and a poem.
Please read Steve Lopez. A Los Angeles treasure. Not to be missed.