Popdemonium

Who says you can’t party like a rock star? Celebrity event planner and caterer Andrea Correale says you can without a Hollywood star budget.

Having satisfied the palettes of celebrities including Brooke Shields, Gwenyth Paltrow and Kim Catrall, Andrea knows a few things about throwing a fabulous bash.  As the President of Elegant Affairs, the New York based catering company behind numerous Hamptons and other high profile events, Andrea has worked with budgets and guest lists both small and extensive.

This summer, gather your favorite girls and guys and have an elegant affair of your own without breaking the bank.  Below, Andrea provides tips and tricks to throw a low cost bash in style.

Tip #1 – Save Money on Food with a “Daytime” Party

According to Andrea, having a party during the daytime versus at night will save major bucks.  “When it comes to the food, people’s expectations are usually much higher at nighttime events,” says Andrea.  Typically “PM” parties require more appetizers followed by dinner and dessert.  “You can get away with less expensive food and less of a spread at a day time poolside gathering,” Andrea continues.

Tip #2 – Lights, Candles, Action! Save on an Inexpensive Décor

Create a show-stopping and festive backyard presentation with simple and inexpensive decorations and accessories.  “Lawn chairs and table clothes are great, but don’t shy away from stored away Christmas lights, colorful tea candles and paper hanging lanterns,” says Andrea.  It’s the small things that add grandeur and charm to any party! These stylish decorations will cost under $30 and you’ll have them ready for the next bash!

Tip #3 – Arrange Your Own Tunes

Who says you have to hire a professional DJ to keep the party going? Instead of shelling out hundreds of dollars, create a playlist of your favorite summer time tunes on your iPod and connect it to speakers.  Voila! A DJ sure to play the tunes you and your friends want to hear for the cost-efficient price of…zero!

Tip #4 – Bottoms Up! Establish a Signature Drink

Every party should have a signature drink, but that doesn’t mean it has to be an expensive one.  Impress your guests with large bell glasses filled with red wine Sangria.  For an extra flair, insert the Sangria recipe into a colorful picture frame next to the Sangria.  Don’t stop there! Make Sangria ice-cubes by placing one, canned mandarin orange slice in each compartment of two ice cubes trays.  Fill each with red wine and freeze.  Serve with Sangria.  Supplement the Sangria with bottles of sodas and beers.

Tip #5 – Skip Filet Mignons and Grill Skirt Steak Instead

Don’t break the bank on Filet Mignon and Porterhouse steaks at your backyard bash. Skirt steak is a fabulous choice and costs at fraction of the price of the higher end favorites.  Skirt steak is a thin cut of meat, making it great to marinate and cook on the grill, as it soaks up the seasoning very well and cooks quickly. It’s one of the most flavorful steak cuts, but also one of the tougher ones too, which is another reason why it’s so great to marinate.  Decadent marinades make skirt steaks exceptionally delicious when grilled.

About Andrea Correale

Andrea Correale created Elegant Affairs, a full-service, off-premise catering and event design firm which is considered one of the best on Long Island, Manhattan and in the Hamptons.  Since its inception more than 15 years ago, Elegant Affairs has served over 1400 events a year with razor sharp attention to detail.

Elegant Affairs has satisfied some of the world’s most discriminating palates such as L.A. Reid, Mariah Carey, Nick Cannon, Brooke Shields, Russell Simmons, the Trumps, Gwyneth Paltrow, Kevin Spacey, the Stillers, Bebe Neuwirth, Kelly Ripa, and Kim Cattrall, to name a few.  Elegant Affairs has been featured on VH1′s The Fabulous Life of the Hamptons, The Real Housewives of New York City, and MTV’s True Life.  Besides being a celebrity caterer, Andrea has worked with budgets big and small to plan fetes ranging from million dollar weddings to an intimate dinner party for ten.  For more information, please visit: http://www.elegantaffairscaterers.com/

With Mel Gibson, Lindsay Lohan, and others headlining the news with their blunders, there aren’t many celebrity mistakes that go unseen – even the smallest, most insignificant ones.

Ronn Torossian, CEO and President of 5W Public Relations whose client list includes the likes of Snoop Dogg, Pamela Anderson and Nick Cannon, knows a thing or two about the world of celebrity PR.

Ron shared with us the impact of 24-hour social outlets on celebrity image and the affects they have on youth and pop-culture. A great piece for both  PR professionals and celebrity enthusiasts!

One of the most challenging parts of working in celebrity publicity is re-shaping an image which the world already thinks they know. Constant public scrutiny, the demand of hundreds of media outlets calling non-stop, and the immediacy of today’s media make this even harder. The latest news from Lindsay Lohan, Mel Gibson, Tiger Woods and other shining stars, makes one wonder about the differences between a celebrity and a “normal” human being.

After years of work with corporations and celebrities, I realize that the media often decides a story angle before they actually hear the facts. In “Bias” – probably the century’s most significant media-criticism book – Bernard Goldberg, ex-CBS producer, states that a lie in media terms is not really a lie, “they would pass the polygraph test… they honestly believe what they’re saying. And that’s the biggest problem of all”. Just last week, in an unprecedented rule in England, Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt won their case over privacy against a gossip outlet that reported an upcoming divorce. The damages will be accounted for by the paper and offered to the intruded couple. And, all this because drama sells paper, whether it’s true, false or exaggerated. I mean consider how many headlines were written on Tiger Woods, but what do we really know other than that he cheated on his wife?

The media simply feels compelled to respond to massive public interest, and human fascination. Celebrity representatives often can’t respond quick enough to damaging news – and this lack of response, or failure to fix the issue, can often shape the story. In contrast to a company, brand or product, the “celebrity brand” stands alone. If something is perceived to go wrong you can’t accuse production lines, ‘industry trends’ or forces of nature, like BP has tried to do. Instead, the individual celebrity is the only one who can break, or fix, his or her “brand.”

In today’s new media world, information is excessive. It has inflated the online market, and questionable stories and their sources are all around. The media and its key players – reporters, producers and editors – find themselves competing hard for your attention, click, and ‘retweet.’ This struggle makes it more challenging to proof-check every single story as the cycle is a 24-hour “news” cycle where everything and anything can happen anytime. Unfortunately, this also allows some to promote their own goals and stockholders’ interests by bullying people along the way. Perhaps the cure will come with online, fee-based content, which will charge readers for access but in exchange make a commitment to value and quality for the reader. It’s rumored that the New York Times and Apple will adapt such a model.

I have commented extensively in the media regarding Woods, Lohan and Gibson, and I believe in today’s America, with strategic planning and a PR plan, all of these figures can make a return to some degree and repair their image. They too are human beings, and for them too life shall go on.

Recently we have seen a return of sorts of Rev. Ted Haggard, who was forced to resign nearly four years ago as president of the politically powerful National Association of Evangelicals and to step down from the mega church he founded, after admitting that he had bought methamphetamine from and had a sexual interaction with a male prostitute. Haggard confessed in a tortured letter, calling himself “a deceiver and a liar” who had long wrestled with desires he described as “repulsive and dark.” Now, in his comeback, the energetic and positive Haggard says he is back to doing what he was born to do. “Tiger Woods needs to golf. Michael Vick needs to be playing football. Mr. Haggard needs to be leading a church.”

Celebrities, too, are human beings, not lab rats. They make mistake, like human beings, but their image can be harder to manage. They possess a “brand personality” that’s constantly up for scrutiny.

There is logic in a celebrity stating “this is what I do best, let me do my job.” Some can and will recover a blunder with the media, while others will not stand the test. Celebrities are individuals with red blood. They’re individuals with a wide public awareness and they represent something – bad or good. Working closely over the years with some of America’s most famous people, I wont allow my children to worship someone who can dunk a ball, golf the best, win an Oscar; look up to people you know, not people on TV or movies.

Ronn Torossian is the CEO of 5WPR, one of the 15 largest PR firms in the US. Named to the “Ad Age” and “PR Week” 40 under 40 lists, he was a semi-finalist for the 2010 Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award. His agency represents leading brands in all spaces, and has worked with celebrities including Snoop Dogg, Pamela Anderson and Nick Cannon.