Campari — having reached his majority — celebrated his third birthday (21st in dog years) in real style Tuesday evening in Finn & Porter’s new atrium downtown.
The 5-pound guest of honor, wearing a purple boa, kissed each of the 75 guests — including his favorite veterinarian, Lee Morgan from Georgetown Vet Hospital, and his wife, Kris; arts patron Judith Terra, excited about her new foundation, Friends of Israel Art; syndicated columnist Georgie Anne Geyer (whom Campari forgives for writing about cats); former pro basketball player Rep. Tom McMillen, who with his rescue dogs is enjoying his new Middleburg home and talked about new Nationals president and co-owner Stan Kasten, calling him “a real pro, whom D.C. is fortunate to have on board”; Muriel Nellis, literary agent for the talented Kaye Ballard’s soon-to-be released memoir, “How I Lost 10 Pounds in 53 years”; mayoral speechwriter Erik Linden; WTOP’s man-about-town Bob Madigan; Washington Flyer publisher Kenny Day; jewelry designer Janet Cam; Sheila and Ed Weidenfeld; Dorn McGrath; and publicist extraordinare Thea Bowers, whom we’ll miss when she moves to Los Angeles next month.
As Campari made the rounds from lap to lap, guests sipped a specially concocted Campari Fizz and Campari-tini in his honor and nibbled on sushi which was truly a visual feast. And party favors? What else: bags of mini-multi-colored dog bone-shaped people candy.
Lasorda talkin’ baseball
Baseball legend Tommy Lasorda — at the Palm Sunday evening — talked to me about how baseball has changed since his heyday — steroids, franchises, contracts and salaries. But he said, “It’s as good as it’s ever been because of the people we’re attracting.”
“What we need is parity [revenue sharing] like in the NFL,” the longtime Dodger manager said. “Then, any team can win, whereas now, the Yankees get a lot of money for TV rights, so they can get any player they want.” On the subject of baseball and the Olympics, Lasorda said, “Knocking baseball out of the Olympics is a disgrace.”
Two Perfect 10s for the environment
The popular former Ambassador to Ecuador Ivonne A-Baki is working closely on her foundation, Galapagos Forever, with actor Bo Derek, who was just named the first special envoy of the secretary of state for wildlife trafficking issues. “I think we had a past life together,” Baki said of Derek, with whom she was celebrating at a successful benefit in New York last night.
Moving on up on the East Side
ABC’s George Stephanopoulos and his wife, Alexandra Wentworth, are calling the moving vans in June. The sale sign is down on their Georgetown house and the power couple bought a much larger one — once owned by Surgeon General Antonio Novello — also in the East Village, at 31st and Dumbarton.
A stroll down the aisle
Best wishes to Roll Call’s Mort Kondracke and fiancée Marguerite Sallee, head of America’s Promise, who will wed this weekend — and what a weekend of events, which begin tonight.
Baby Blunt: From Russia with love
House Majority Whip Roy Blunt, R-Mo., 56, and his wife, Abigail, 44, just returned from Moscow, where they adopted a beautiful 18-month-old boy named Alexander Charles (“Charlie”). The proud dad has three children from a previous marriage, including Missouri Gov. Matt Blunt.
“Charlie has blue eyes and blond hair,” boasted very proud first-time mom Abby, as she pulled out a photo. “It’s like we stole the Gerber baby, and he understands Russian.”