Variety fetes duo of dynamic decade
Bart, Byrne 'bar mitzvah' draws Gotham biz crowd
"We're just lucky the mayor doesn't control this space," joked Weinstein, who dubbed the gathering "Peter Bart and Gerry Byrne's bar mitzvah."
No amount of political posturing could have dampened the spirit of the celebration, which was commemorated with a tribute program that documented how the paper had transformed during the past decade.
"I read Variety every morning because of the quality," said Vanity Fair editor-in-chief Graydon Carter, who spent much of the night talking to GQ topper Art Cooper. "Peter Bart manages to be both skeptical and enthusiastic about the industry. He's constantly changing the paper, keeping it as fresh today as it was 10 years ago."
The revelers came from all walks of Gotham's creative community. They included columnist and author Jim Brady, actor Freddie Prinze Jr., talkshow host Montel Williams, chairman and CEO of USA Networks Barry Diller, Tribeca Films co-head Jane Rosenthal, actor William Baldwin, chairman and CEO of Sony Corp. Howard Stringer, model Frederique van der Wal, Showtime head Matt Blank, WNBC prexy Dennis Swanson, actress Sylvia Miles, Talk publisher Ron Galotti, actor Ron Silver, producer David Brown and magician David Blaine.
"The turnout at this party illustrates why Gerry and Peter have been so successful," said Bruce Barnet, president and CEO of Cahners Business Information, Variety's parent company. "What makes the Variety franchise so valuable is they are such trusted members of the community that they cover."
While Weinstein said he and his brother Bob were not trying to curry Variety's favor by co-hosting the party, he joked that the paper "only makes errors in judgment when they criticize our films."
In this spirit, the Weinsteins got a mock Variety front page, that included the brothers' faces superimposed on Laurel and Hardy. (In addition, Bart privately presented the hosts with another mock page that featured several spoof articles about showbiz, which he called "the X-rated version.")
Other guests: MTV chairman Tom Freston, head of Court TV Henry Schleiff, actor Dan Hedaya, actor Peter Boyle, "Today in New York" anchor Jane Hanson, New Line prexy and chief operating officer Michael Lynne, New Line TV prexy Bob Friedman, Time Out New York editor-in-chief Cyndi Stivers, attorney John Sloss, actor Bob Balaban, Esquire editor David Granger, Talk Magazine editor David Kuhn and model Josie Maran.
