Archive for December, 2009

The media will be locked out of Gov. Jay Nixon’s “Celebrate the Season” fundraiser on Monday (Dec. 21) at the Chase Park Plaza, but the columnist plans to help the curious peek through the windows. Bubbly will be on tap and passed hors d’oeuvres in the Starlight Room at 6 pm for the Really Big Donors.  That’s  FOJ like Bob Millstone, Michael Staenberg, Drue Duncan, Steve Stone, Tom Green, Jerry Glick,  Fred Palmer – and the top tier of state and local elected officials.  Then, it’s on to a sit-down dinner in the Starlight Ballroom with  the 200 or so donors and elected who fall into the category of All The Rest..  Forget your invite?  Call friendly Amy Overington, the Dem Party staffer in charge of last-minute details.  (Meanwhile, will it take an Sunshine Law request to find out the names of the 50 St. Louisans invited to dine with Guv and First Lady at the Governor’s Mansion in Jeff City on Friday?  If you were there, call the columnist!)

December and our town is coming to life as it has through all the Decembers. Merry twinkles to the folks who seem to live by the moment – to the hilt. They were in abundance at the Fred Weber Inc.’s. holiday brunch on a bleak and chilly Sunday at Limestone’s Bar & Grille, where the company chairman and CEO Thomas Dunne, Sr., greeted the company’s execs and friends to a sumptuous buffet and serenading by carolers. Most of the guests knew it was a special place and that they were among the favored few in a world growing mad. Sinquefield’s Christmas Party pictures Courtesy of the Metro Evening Whirl

Basketball Hall of Famer Meadowlark Lemon strode to his seat at Tony’s spry as a teenager with unquenchable enthusiasm and at peace with the world.  He spoke eloquently of his 22 years with the Harlem Globetrotters and of the year he shared a room with teammate Bob Gibson before Gibson turned to baseball.  Lemon, who lives in Scottsdale, Arizona, spoke of the mysterious amalgam that keeps him going at 77. “At 4:45 this morning, I worked out at the Jewish Community Center in Scottsdale,” he said.  The conversation turned to another athlete – Tiger Woods – and his recent misfortunes. He opined, “When Tiger and his wife’s moms were in the house, one of them should have done what (Olympic Gold Medalist) Charles Barkley‘s mom did. She would smack him against the head.”  Then, Lemon’s host Tom Spitzer added, “Any man, who says ‘I’m just human’ is guilty. An NBA analyst said Tiger will lose millions at venues, but he doesn’t care.” Spitzer is the affable former sports agent, who with Rich Sauget, owns the Gateway Grizzlies. On his opinion of President Obama, Lemon softly confided, “He’s good, but he’s surrounded by strange people. They’ll eventually be weeded out.”  Pleasant, gracious and relaxed , Lemon turned to his Lemon Ministries in Scottsdale, where he serves as minister  He preaches, “It’s all about joy. Avoid happiness.  Happiness is a whimp. When adversity comes in, happiness disappears. Joy comes from deep within the belly.”  Lemon was in town for the Albert Pujols fundraiser Saturday night and was joined over dinner by Howard Mallott, retired bossman of Schneithorst’s.

Pujols

One of the most touching New Year’s Eve highlights will be the the romantic expression of vows to be taken on Dec. 31 by MVPer Albert Pujols and his wife, Deidre, to be followed by a pouring in Kansas City’s Westin Hotel. The next day will be the infanticipating couple’s 10th wedding anniversary.

Maxine Clark, founder of Build-A-Bear Workshops,, and her hub, Bob Fox, will bow their new enterprise – Casa de Salud – at month’s end on the corner of Chouteau at Compton Avenues. Fox explained that the project “will provide health and wellness services for Spanish immigrants and St. Louis University is one of the founding sponsors”. . . While most businesses are suffering these days with a plummeting economy, Roger Keech‘s AdArt on the Left Coast is having a rollicking year for creating visual displays and retail signs. On the town with Lester Miller, Cindy Leber, Keith and Ginny Barket, Keech said his firm’s revenue will beat last year’s. Little wonder. His national clients include the Gap stores, J.C. Penney, Old Navy, Red Bull and Macy’s.

Across the street from Tony’s, the ballroom in the Hilton St. Louis at the Ballpark was teeming with do-gooders, who plunked down a total of about $60,000 at the Snow Ball Dinner and gala to further the work of Mental Health America of Eastern Missouri (MIA). “We aid veterans coming back and their families,” said Ron Moitzfield, chairman of MIA, who attended with his wife Gwen. With artist Cindy Tower, gallery owner Bruno David touted Wash U’s Buzz Spector exhibit beginning Jan. 22. Joan Quicksilver, requisitely gentle and cool, orchestrated the event at which KMOV anchor Larry Conners served as emcee. Cornered with his glamorous wife of five years, Janet, I asked Conners if she gives him news tips from having served three hospitals over the years in PR. “She doesn’t give me shit!,” he exclaimed. Janet was also on the planning committee for the evening. A live auction was held presided over by Howard Meyer, who owns the Complex. He said he’ll close on the sale of the midtown club this week, when the new owners will begin transitioning it into an “upscale nightclub.” The legendary bombshell Norma Stern co-chaired the gambol with Ralph Komlos. Here ‘n there were one of Glendale’s Finest Matt Pappert, Drew Wojcik, Daniel Byrne, Judy Brilliant, Ellen Fercho and Mark Utterback, A few of the guests were vexed over a no-show by Sen, Kit Bond, who was to be presented with the Silver Bell Award.

Hometowner Jeffrey Fort says that Tiger Woods is getting all the attention in L.A. “Is there a new pre-nupt?” wondered people at a wine-tasting, according to Fort. He continued, “Paparazzi and agents are hounding talk shows, boasting they will fork over $200,000 each for new photos of Mrs. Tiger and the children.” And over at the International Auto Show, Fort claims that execs are moaning that “Tiger wrecked an Escalade – not a Buick – in the pricey sponsorship pact.” But the big news from Fort is that his post-production movie trailer operation, Motive Creative/Hollywood, steams along with co-owner Billy Michelson of HBO fame forcing Fort to set up an office in The London Hotel in West Hollywood. That’s where his favorite eatery, Gordon Ramsay, is located.

It was a great weekend any way you look at it (provided you weren’t looking at it in Afghanistan, Iran or at television stations ). But here I was sitting dead-eyed and slackjawed at the computer screen pounding out items. At the television studios staffers focused on bringing in tight shots of headlines on that fateful day, when the Japanese triggered a battle that shook our country into war. Eyewitness news set up interviews with eyewitnesses on the attack that became few or non existent at all. Some members of Congress had dreams that they were making speeches and when they woke up, they were. Officials in D.C., who divided their time between running for office and running for cover, were found to address the cameras. Over on I-64/US 40, two years of construction went like a decade. Full speed ahead!