http://www.startribune.co...81528.html

C.J.: Farewell party was a rich affair
C.J., Star Tribune

May 18, 2004


An emotional speech from Lisa Harris gave her farewell bash on Saturday a certain poignancy.

"It was a moment," said former Mrs. America Jennifer Kline.

Harris is moving back to her hometown of L.A. with husband-producer, Jimmy Jam, who is leaving his hometown and relocating his music production house out there under a new label, Flyte Tyme West.

The party thrown at the home of Nancy Bigos could have been a Hollywood set. Guests were asked not to bring gifts but toys for the Children's Hospital and Clinics Diabetic Center.

Harris cried through the speech, getting especially choked up when thanking her ob-gyn Dr. Donna Block for "my three beautiful kids. ... I came to Minnesota in my 20s wide-eyed and in love," she said. Her only acquaintances were folks at Flyte Tyme who worked with her then-boyfriend. Her sister Brandi Padilla, Kevin Garnett's fiancée, wondered aloud whose life story it was: Lisa's and her own sound so much alike. Harris thanked "Brandi and my dear friend, Amelia Santaniello, [who] we kind of wrangled [into] co-hosting this extravaganza. Brandi, thank you for your awesome party ideas and for coming to all the meetings especially while stressed out during this playoff run and your engagement. Soon it will be all about you!" [Hmm, to some that might sound like wedding preparations are underway.]

Harris said she was happy to move here. "I didn't mind the terrible winters, the horrible selection of high-fashion or the lack of night life and dining options," she said. Things have really improved in the 14 years since she was hired by the Timberwolves "to design outfits for the cheerleaders. The little old ladies thought the skirts were too short and racy," she said. "I didn't mind. That's how I planned it!"

Some little old ladies probably wouldn't have enjoyed this party, but the approx 100 guests, who Harris noted were "hand-picked," had a blast.

For starters, there was a live mannequin in semi-formal attire: formal wear in front and very informal buttless breeches in the rear. Fresh to death, as the kids say. Rhea Isaacs was asked whether she had seen the "cigarette boy" from behind. "I saw the butt," said an unfazed Isaacs, who noted, "I saw Prince's." The only assets attracting more attention than this guy's were the guest of honor's, sorta. There were computer-altered magazine covers depicting Harris spread throughout the party. WCCO's Esmé Murphy could not stop howling upon discovering each issue. But the bikini shot on the dining room dessert table took the cake. "Why is that funny?" Harris protested to Murphy, adding it could be her (Lisa). Consensus was those were actually J.Lo's assets.

Nancy Bigos said family friend Tyler Lux, 13, was responsible for the covers of Harris on Bazaar, Shape, Star and FHM. Harris shrieked when she laid eyes on the FHM cover of her nude breasts covered by "her" hands. She screamed again when she came across the vat of bottled waters, with her face on the label.

The other star of the party was Bigos' "French Chateau on Lake Minnetonka." Any guest who has seen Marie Antoinette's palace in France knows that aside from a ballroom or two, she had nothing on Bigos.

"This reminds me of nothing I've ever seen in my life," said KSTP-TV anchor Angela Davis while scaling the stairs to the living quarters. At the top of the stairs, Davis noticed these closed gold doors and realized she could have taken the elevator. When her breath returned, she said Bigos should auction off the opportunity to "Be me for a day."

At every turn there was another breath-taking area, but none was as appreciated as Nancy's bath and dressing suite. "The chandelier in her dressing room is nicer than the one in my dining room," Santaniello said. The MOA style diva Sara Rogers noticed that Bigos' shoe closet was organized into designer sections. And we thought Bigos' shoe closet would be bare because so many beautiful pairs were used as decorations on the dessert table.

Other guests included: Debbie Fallon, soon-to-be ex-wife No. 3 of advertising exec Pat Fallon, and Lorie Line, with hair and makeup that made her look too much like Jackie Kennedy Onassis. Ruth Roitenberg was there, as was Angie Wicka, Peggy Burnet, Stephanie Ott, Belinda Jensen, Michelle Lettieri, Barb Padilla, Loren Daniels, Melinda and Alex Jacobs, Kim Insley, Gretchen Gill, Josi Wert, Cindy Redmond, Kelly Leischow, Stacey Rosenthal, Lysa Flynn, Becky Pohlad, Dian Yellen, Jane Schwartzman, Ryan Morgan and Jason Deavalon. Hair stylist Deavalon was responsible for the "invisible layering" on many heads.

Bigos said she owed a special debt of gratitude to Susan Gray, former owner of "Give My Regards To ...," and Lisa Kaplan. In addition to collaborating on party ideas, Bigos said, "They were running around [the party] making sure nobody had spilled anything; making sure everything was perfect" ... as a Hollywood set. Bye-bye, Fashionista. We'll be following you on the pages of InStyle.

C.J. is at 612.332.TIPS or cj@startribune.com. Please state a subject -- "Hello" doesn't count -- if you expect her to read your e-mail; attachments are not opened, so don't even try. More of her attitude can be seen on FOX 9 Thursday mornings.

I do not know one person on the guest list.

This farewell party was only for the rich, not for the famous. Look at the title.

Bad enough you ain't let me go with you, CJ. How come you ain't bring me no doggy bag?

Bull said:

and i wasn't even invited. huh

oops wrong thread




[This message was edited Thu May 20 11:16:19 2004 by SummerRain]

EROTICCITYNPG said:

Ms. Block is my wife's Gyno, and delivered our beautiful daughter as well.

Speaking of invitees, I'm kinda surprised that Terry Lewis, Monte Moore and Jellybean Johnson weren't invited to this party, since they worked a lot with Jimmy Jam. I know that Terry is already in LA, and he probably couldn't get away, but I would think that the other guys would come if invited (unless if they're also in LA).

The lady that threw the party, Nancy Bigos, is the wife of the guy that owns the company I work for, Ted Bigos (it's a property management company). The interesting part is that he also owns the building that Mani got "evicted" from a couple of months ago.