The 100 People You Want to Meet
(NEW YORK) "I was rubbing shoulders with John McCain on the red carpet!" exclaimed a star-shocked Jason Wu. That sentiment aptly describes the deliriously diverse guest list at Time's annual celebration of the 100 most influential people in the world at the Frederick P. Rose Hall in Time Warner Center. Although fashion honorees Karl Lagerfeld, Carine Roitfeld, and Takashi Murakami had previous commitments, plenty of toasts were raised in their honor. "I've campaigned hard for fashion honorees after they entered general pool of politicians and peacemakers," recalled Kate Betts. "And of course Karl and Carine were thrilled after learning of their inclusion. Karl immediately proposed taking his own picture, and the Time photo editors were thrilled about it!"
Zhang Ziyi mingled with Rupert Murdoch, Kate and Laura Mulleavy gazed at Lance Armstrong, all was as it should be. "We're pretty shy," confessed Kate Mulleavy. "We're satisfied with looking at people rather than talking to them. But we did get to meet David Bowie on Monday at the Met which was spectacular, and we're dying to meet Mia Farrow if she shows up." Time's listmaker Adi Ignatius, Tyler Perry, Chris Rock, Martha Stewart, Robert Downey Jr., and Brian Williams surveyed the scene. Even Lorne Michaels was impressed. "I was kind of hoping Dalai Lama would be here," he craked. "But so far, I don't see him at the open bar. Maybe he'll join me at my table."
"I feel like I don't deserve to be here, but I'll take it," joked newest SNL star Casey Wilson. "So far the only thing I influence is my dog." Director Judd Apatow, a first-time honoree, agreed. "My wife is really a captain," he smiled. "I'm just a seaman at the ship. And I feel like it could only go down from here!" "We were in the car when I found out," reminisced 100-er Suze Orman. "I was in a state of shock and read the e-mail maybe 10 times, screamed with joy and then went to Taco Bell."
As guests like Georgina Chapman and Harvey Weinstein filed in for a meal and full menu of special performances by blissfully married Mariah Carey, Amy Poehler and Seth Meyers, Matt Lauer admitted that he rarely ventures out so late. "My normal bedtime curfew is 8:30- 9:00 PM," he admitted. "Today it'll be much later, but it's worth it." And after meeting nearly every fascinating person in the room, Marc Ecko offered them some fashion advice. "I think that every influential person should have clean underwear in their closet!"
VALENTINE UHOVSKI
