A Garden Party Not in a Garden
Yesterday we went to BAFTA's Annual Garden Party -- the 20th, I've been told. Instead of being in the British Consulate's garden, it was held at the prestigious Greystone Mansion, where movies have been made and celebrities have gotten married.
It is a beautiful huge estate in Beverly Hills built by oil-tycoon Edward Doheny in 1928 for his son. And it is a short drive off of surprise, surprise! Doheny Road. From the hilltop parking, we meandered down winding stone staircases, past beautiful flora and a gorgeous overview of the imposing Tudor mansion. To American eyes, it looks like a castle. But once when I was visiting England, I learned the difference: Castles have moats and towers because they are first and foremost fortresses for military purposes.
The actual Garden Party was held in the courtyard of the mansion, which is in itself quite lovely. The decorations for the event made it even handsomer. And the food was excellent. Still, there's something that doesn't seem quite right about having a garden party on stone, lovely as the stone might be, with nary any grass beneath your feet.
It is a beautiful huge estate in Beverly Hills built by oil-tycoon Edward Doheny in 1928 for his son. And it is a short drive off of surprise, surprise! Doheny Road. From the hilltop parking, we meandered down winding stone staircases, past beautiful flora and a gorgeous overview of the imposing Tudor mansion. To American eyes, it looks like a castle. But once when I was visiting England, I learned the difference: Castles have moats and towers because they are first and foremost fortresses for military purposes.
The actual Garden Party was held in the courtyard of the mansion, which is in itself quite lovely. The decorations for the event made it even handsomer. And the food was excellent. Still, there's something that doesn't seem quite right about having a garden party on stone, lovely as the stone might be, with nary any grass beneath your feet.
We aren't allowed to bring cameras to these events, but I couldn't resist using this picture from BAFTA done by Adrian Carr because I'm in it. Or at least my back is. I'm the blonde wrapped in the black and red shawl talking to literary agent Michael Lewis. He was good enough to send out my spec scripts a couple years back, but unfortunately, it didn't end up in a staff writing job like I hoped it would at the time. Still, one of these days...
One of the highlights of the evening was chatting with the legendary JOHN MAYALL and his singer wife, MAGGIE. The man is an icon from '60s and '70s British blues music and so many of our favorite musicians played with him. Like ERIC CLAPTON and RON WOOD. Until this day, the only place I've seen Mayall is from the audience with him up on stage. It is really nice to meet the man and chat with him.
Everyone had a good time and most expressed their delight in having the party in this beautiful and prestigious setting.
One of the highlights of the evening was chatting with the legendary JOHN MAYALL and his singer wife, MAGGIE. The man is an icon from '60s and '70s British blues music and so many of our favorite musicians played with him. Like ERIC CLAPTON and RON WOOD. Until this day, the only place I've seen Mayall is from the audience with him up on stage. It is really nice to meet the man and chat with him.
Everyone had a good time and most expressed their delight in having the party in this beautiful and prestigious setting.
Labels: BAFTA
posted by Crystal at 12:59 AM
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