Dozens of Manhattan journalists gave themselves a big hug last Thursday night, when The Hollywood Reporter celebrated its annual list of “35 Most Powerful People in Media.”
Surely it just was coincidence, and not a reference to the legend of Narcissus, that the party was held at the Pool in Midtown Manhattan.
The elite club included Gayle King, Savannah Guthrie, Craig Melvin, Hoda Kotb, Trevor Noah, Michael Strahan, Sunny Hostin, Jeff Glor, Lawrence O’Donnell, Samantha Bee and David Remnick.
“It’s always nice to be recognized by your peers,” said Ms. King, who volunteered that she was wearing “two pairs of Spanx” beneath her Roland Mouret dress. “Power means responsibility, and I never take that lightly.”
When Sara Haines, a host on “Good Morning America,” ran into her rivals from the “Today” show on the red carpet, a frenzy of air kissing ensued, as if someone had sprinkled fish food into an aquarium.
After the carpet, presiding on a folding chair atop the stairs, was Cindy Adams, the longtime gossip columnist at The New York Post. Chris Cuomo, the CNN anchor, knelt to buss her topaz earrings.
“Power means relevance in the moment, which is very fleeting in the media,” Mr. Cuomo said. “So make the most of it while you have it.”
There were some famous non-media types too, including Brooke Shields, Naomi Watts, Keegan-Michael Key, Christine Baranski, Cynthia Rowley and John Varvatos.
So what does it take to be anointed to the list? Some lobbying doesn’t hurt.
“Last year at this party, Joy Behar came up to me and said, ‘You’re insane, “The View” should be on this list,’’’ said Matthew Belloni, the editorial director of The Hollywood Reporter. “We looked at it, and it is a must-stop for all the presidential candidates, it is a news driver, and they are the leader in their category. So, they made the list this year, and Joy can thank her pushiness.”
And in the ultimate power move, having made the list, Ms. Behar didn’t show up to the party.
Tablecloth Flambé, Anyone?
“This environment is not an ideal situation to cook,” said David Chang, the founder of Momofuku.
He was among 23 star chefs who fed 376 guests at the Edible Schoolyard NYC spring benefit on Monday night, which honored its founder, Alice Waters, a pioneer of the local food movement. The chefs had to make do with impromptu kitchens, set up on folding tables inside the glassy public atrium at 180 Maiden Lane.
Every single chef was jury-rigging, Mr. Chang said. “It’s not ideal,” he added. “But we all believe in trying to do it right for Alice, who has been a real mentor to a lot of people.”
He managed to create a five-course meal for his table, including a cold fried chicken and an Earl Grey pie. Across the room, Danny Bowien of Mission Chinese Food (wearing a Green Day T-shirt and lacy short-shorts) dazzled his guests with nine courses, including a prime rib flambé that briefly set fire to the tablecloth.
Also producing marvels were Greg Baxtrom of Olmsted, Corey Chow of Per Se, Tom Colicchio of Craft, Clare de Boer and Jess Shadbolt of King, and Ignacio Mattos of Estela.
Bette Midler introduced Ms. Waters, who spoke of her mission to provide nutritious lunches to the nation’s public schoolchildren. Eating it all up, literally and figuratively, were Carolyn Murphy, the former model; Marie-Chantal and Pavlos of Greece; Aerin Lauder, the beauty heiress; Agnes Gund, the arts philanthropist; and Lela Rose and Maria Cornejo, the fashion designers.
Martha Stewart and her consigliere, Kevin Sharkey (wearing — gasp!— an unironed cotton shirt), were especially grateful for the meal.
“We just got back from Cuba, where food is very limited,” Ms. Stewart said. “And we were starving.”
