How To Throw A Party Like A Star
Interview by Erin Carlson
<b>King Of The Party Lifestyle</b>
Sean "Diddy" Combs, shown here at his annual "White Party," is known for throwing lavish, star-studded parties.Tip No. 1: Hire a host
Jono: "I always want to have a great host -- that person is the face of the party, whether it's Jay-Z or ... Mariah Carey or ... Paris Hilton. If that person is associated with the event, then you'll automatically have their friends and supporters coming. So, automatically, the guest list starts getting bigger."Shown here is Mariah Carey arriving to her 2004 Halloween party in New York.
Tip No. 2: Always "over-invite"
Jono: "This is a party where your room holds 500 people and you invite 3,000. The reason you have to over-invite is because if you invite 30 people for a room that holds 30, and only 10 show up, your party's a failure."Shown here are clubgoers at the Funky Buddha Lounge in Chicago.
Tip No. 3: Know how to spot a VIP
Jono: "Security and a good door person are very important. The more high-profile the party, the more a crowd and hangers-on are gonna start trying to infiltrate. You need someone at the door who knows the faces, knows the media. Someone who can identify socialites or identify rising stars."Tip No. 4: Don't turn away D-listers
Jono: "I think that the celebs who get turned away tend to be more of the reality stars, the ones that Kathy Griffin (at left) calls 'the D-list people.' I would never turn Kathy away and, for the most part, I would never turn any celeb like that away. For lots of reasons. You wanna do favors for the publicist ... and often we have greater relationships with the publicists than with the celebrities themselves."Tip No. 5: Be Prepared For Jay-Z To Just Show Up
Jono: "What I find is that the biggest names that RSVP -- that publicists put on tip sheets -- never come. The ones that just show up are the ones that cause the biggest stir."At left, Rapper Jay- Z arrives at Olympus Fashion Week Spring 2006 in the main tent at Bryant Park in New York on Sept. 9, 2005.
Tip No. 6: Work within your budget
Jono: "If you can get a great budget together, then it's really important to do something that's gonna make (the party) memorable. It could be a great gift bag, it could be a special performance by a big star, or just a brand-new venue that everyone wants to see."At left are the gift bag items on display at the SqueezeOC Launch Party at Tentation Ultra Lounge on Aug. 19, 2005, in Newport Beach, Calif.
Tip No. 7: Clone party-hopping celebrities
Jono:"There can never be too many Paris Hiltons! I mean, honestly, can there?"Shown here is Paris Hilton impersonator Natalie Reid attending the Versace store reopening party at the Versace Fifth Avenue Boutique during Olympus Fashion Week in New York on Feb. 7, 2006.