Thursday night I had one of the most enjoyable and exciting evenings I have ever covered. It was at the Sunset Marquis Hotel and Morrison Gallery Holiday Party in West Hollywood. The party was held on the grounds of the glamorous and exclusive Sunset Marquis Hotel. This holiday event was also to spotlight the photography of Timothy White. Mr. White is a well-known, successful photographer, and had his beautiful photographs of celebrities, musicians, actors, etc. artfully displayed and sold in the hotel gallery. The event was co-hosted by the actor and musician Billy Bob Thornton, a friend of Mr. White, who attended with his wife and some friends.
Unfortunately, it was raining quite steadily last night, so the lovely grounds of the hotel were somewhat damp and inaccessible. However, the party carried on gallantly despite the weather. The hotel had provided covered tents and umbrellas which helped, also much of the party was held indoors at the upscale bars, restaurants and lounges of the hotel.
The food was plentiful and absolutely delicious. There was an outstanding band composed of several top-notch musicians. The talented and entertaining singer Brenna Whitaker took the stage for most of the evening. There were probably over four hundred people in attendance, and while it was crowded, the staff kept everyone comfortable.
Most folks there were in a delightful holiday mood, and there were also some lovely ladies dressed up in colorful naughty Santa outfits to further lighten the spirits.
Although it was difficult to find him among the crowd, finally I spotted Billy Bob Thornton outside in the drizzle, talking with some friends. I went up and introduced myself and asked if he would kindly allow some photos. He could not have been more kind and accommodating, a true gentleman. We spoke easily about his musical endeavors, and he mentioned he has a new album coming out soon. I have downloaded some of his music, which is available on iTunes, etc. He is quite an accomplished musician, as well as the powerful and natural actor we all know and love. While I didn’t dare take up much of his time, the few minutes we spent together made a lasting impression.
For more photos visit my Flickr page here flickr.com/photos/joybennett/. For more information about the Sunset Marquis Hotel, visit sunsetmarquis.com. For more about Mr. White’s photography visit timothywhite.com, and for more information about Mr. Thornton and his music, visit billybobthornton.net.
Many thanks to the Sunset Marquis Hotel and Kiva at The Press House for this very memorable evening, and to Mr. Thornton for taking the time to make this humble blogger feel as important as Diane Sawyer herself.
