• Former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay injured while rehearsing for “Dancing with the Stars,” but plans to continue competing. Wow, SUCH a survivor. [CNN]

• Oceana opens today! But don’t go, yet - no eating during Fashion Week! [GrubSt]

• The Cobrasnake is officially launching a clothing line. Um, random? [BB]

• A look at Tavern on the Green’s long descent. Sad face. [NYT]

• Following Ben Bernanke’s declaration that the recession is “technically” over, an ode to The Greatest Depression. We’re suckers for nostalgia. [NYMag]

• Matt Damon gives George Clooney’s girlfriend the thumbs up. Where’s my Paxil? [People]

[The famous "Man in the Moon with a Cocaine Spoon,"  from Studio 54. Photo via Disco-disco]. They say change is the only thing that remains constant, and nowhere is that more true than our fair city. Throughout the years, New Yorkers have bid fond farewells to the city’s most venerable and seemingly indestructible institutions: Studio 54, The Plaza Hotel, CBGB, some would even argue Times Square is not the same place it once was. More»

[Mariah Carey and Nick Cannon. All photos by ZACH HYMAN for PMc] Not nearly as refreshing as the charity work that serves as the backbone for The Fresh Air Fund, but an inspiring sight indeed, was the love displayed between relatively still newly-weds Mariah Carey and Nick Cannon at The Fresh Air Fund’s Salute to American Heroes held at the Tavern on the Green yesterday. The songstress served as an honorary chairman for the event for the independent, not-for-profit agency, which has been providing inner-city children with free summer vacations since 1877. Yes, 1877. That’s longer than “Hero” has been playing on the radio. More»

[Chefs Doris Choi and Natalia Rose] After having a mini-breakdown over our latest energy bill, my roommates and I decided it was definitely time to get serious about reducing our huge carbon footprint. After all, it will be swimsuit season before you know it - a perfect time to get in shape both physically and environmentally.  Last night, BeamGreen offered the perfect occasion to get on the right track to becoming a healthier, hotter, greener you at Tavern on the Green.  More»

With Easter coming up this weekend, many of us will be having house guests and out of town visitors to entertain. Maybe like me, your parents will be visiting, and expecting brunch on Sunday, something that has become practically a religion here. Being the easy-going/slacker daughter that I am, I suggested my parents pick the location and make a reservation for the Holiday meal. Being the procrastinating type of parents they always have been, of course they didn’t. So this week I tried to make reservations - and failed miserably. So you don’t suffer next year like I did, we thought we’d give you a word of advice to what some of the hardest brunch spots are to get a table on Easter… More»

• Unemployed? If you like restaurants, cheer up! Even in this economy, many top restaurants are on the lookout for new employees…hopefully it’s a sign of new jobs (in all industries) to come [Eater]

• Bidding for the Tavern On The Green has started, kind of, with informative meetings. Check out what big names may win the new contract in July. No rush, you have till the 1st of May to outbid them. [NYObserver]

• Getting ready and PUMPED for summer? Be warned of waxing in New Jersey. The so-called ‘Garden State‘ has gotten a rep for being…uhh…not-so-clean shall we say? So much so that the NJ law considers saying bye-bye to the Brazilian. [Gothamist]

• Speaking of Summer, there are plenty of sidewalk cafes that have already started taking to the street with outdoor seating options. Maurer put together a cute list! [Grub Street]

• Gramercy Park Hotel partners up with ASW proving it’s tough times for even the top notch hotels in this country.  Ian Schrager is continuing to focus on the first batch of Edition Hotels in pioneer locations [DBTH]

[Image via NYTimes]

Many of you may remember reading the NYTimes piece a year or so ago that examined the massive revenue of Tao Las Vegas, which at the time was cranking out a whopping $55 million dollars.  Such “vibe dining” is of course fueled by the massive 10,000 square foot night club component run by none other than Noah Tepperberg’s Strategic Group.  Noah and his pal Rich Thomas have perfected nightclub “stratification” (i.e. bottle service) both in Vegas and New York, taking clubs from semi-professional shady outfits into the legitimate investments we see today in the form of places like Marquee.

So with their newest iteration Lavo, it leaves us guessing for now at least, how much these guys are going to squeeze out of the new space and the pockets of eager club-goers? More»

Go Here for more photos of this event by Hayley Proudfoot

Children of Peru Foundation is a Charity organization based in New York & dedicated to building a better future for poor children in Peru. The organization raise funds to make grants to a select group of non-governmental organizations working in Peru to provide better healthcare & education for poor children.

Last Night, the charity held a St. Tropez White Party at the exquisite venue, Tavern On The Green in Central Park. The party was held to present the CD release of ONE NIGHT in ST. TROPEZ with resident DJ KENNY SUMMIT and overall, was a great success.

Stuck in the City? Tired of the Hamptons? I’m in Nantucket, but this is what I would be doing if I was further south. If you want to have your event featured next week, send me an invite, at kerryEcassidy[at]gmail.com!

Wednesday, July 23, 2008:

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Don’t have enough “to-do’s” in your datebook? Not invited to all the best parties, but willing to crash? Stalking a certain celebrity? Here’s what’s going on this week on the (mostly) invite-only scene, with some events you can still catch, even if you didn’t make the Party God’s “Nice List” this week.

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The Garden Party at Tavern On The Green, hosted every thursday by V&V Energy, was a lovely delight as to be expected. Included was a live band called Oblivious, refreshments by V&V all natural energy drinks, and above all, far too many beautiful and sweet people to even move (was defnitely not a bad thing). The band played covers ranging from Jane’s Addiction to Third Eye Blind.

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