When you suddenly get an invite to a party thrown by Donald Trump and the Sultan of Dubai, well, you gotta go, right?
I was all set to watch the Blogger Kid on Saturday night while Maria headed off to see Donna Summer (!) at the Hollywood Bowl (and she's got a great story to tell too -- more on that later). But after receiving the Trump/Sultan invite, well, I had to call a sitter.
The event was thrown at a massive mansion in Bel Air to celebrate the launch of the Trump Intl. Hotel & Tower Dubai. It also was an opportunity for developer Nakheel and Dubai to show off their continuing plans for the region. Man made islands, countless skyscrapers, loads of pricy real estate. To say they're floating in money there -- and plowing it into some unbelievably extravagant projects -- is an understatement.
Watching the multimedia presentation hyping the future of Dubai, I felt like we'd been transported to the opening of a James Bond movie. You know -- people gathered at an expensive gala, not realizing that something secret was actually going on.
Variety's party man Bill Higgins wrote up a good roundup of the event, here's his take:
Donald Trump threw the Middle East version of a wine-and-cheese real estate showcase Saturday night when he hyped his Trump Intl. Hotel & Tower Dubai with an L.A. party full of shock and awe.
Informed estimates put the tab at $5 million-$6 million, all to show off a real estate project 8,000 miles away during the last week of August -- not exactly primetime for Hollywood movers and shakers.
The 700-guest party produced by Obscura Digital was held in a massive Bel Air property (industryites would recognize it as the late Tichi Wilkerson Kassel's estate) and featured a geodesic dome theater with models and 360-degree video projections of the Dubai project. The replica of the Trump Tower was so large, one guest quipped, "Ed McMahon could live in there."
Christina Aguilera was on hand to sing a four-song set. Also spotted: Kate Walsh, Hayden Panettiere and Omarosa. Yes, Omarosa.
I brought along my friend Leslie, who snapped some shots with her camera phone:
The Trump Tower in Dubai -- the model lights up.
The party scene
The Epcot-style dome where the mock-up of Dubai was housed
Dubai, projected above the party inside the dome
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