City Guide
Events Calendar
Yao Ming makes a smooth move
Houston Rockets star Yao Ming and the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston are joining philanthropic hands in a first-time partnership that will culminate Jan. 30 with the Yao Ming Foundation Gala at the museum. The foundation is partnering with the MFAH in raising funds for the new permanent Ting Tsung and Wei Fong Chao Arts of China Gallery.
While details of the benefit are not yet nailed down, the cost of admission is. Tickets begin at $1,000 per person with top tables priced at $50,000, a serious tariff that all but guarantees that this will be one fantastic Chinese-themed evening. Look for a spectacular nod to China's rich cultural heritage in the museum's Cullinan Hall.
Official announcement of the event, presented by iTalk Global Communications, will be made at a press conference at the museum today. The emphasis will be on the Yao Ming Foundation, its work in China and the foundation's plans to rebuild five area playgrounds destroyed by Hurricane Ike.
Stay tuned for details on the gala as they become available.
Power brokers
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid worked the big Democrats in town on Friday creating a buzz that only those accompanied by Secret Service can. Parvin and Marty McVey opened their Memorial-area home in the morning for a group of around 30 that included Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, Harris County Sheriff Adrian Garcia, Mayoral candidate Annise Parker, City Councilman Peter Brown, former U.S. Rep. Nick Lampson and energy and healthcare execs.
Next stop on Reid's itinerary was Tony's where trial lawyers John Eddie Williams and Arthur Schechter hosted legal eagles for an intimate lunch. The senator shared stories of his difficult childhood and his early law practice, two forces key in shaping his political philosophy. The group included Ned Barnett, Jim Hart, John Boundas, Steve Mostyn, Fred Hagans, Sheridan Williams and Richard Mithoff.
Menil attraction
Academy Award-winning actress Tilda Swinton, in town for the Houston Cinema Arts Festival, spent much of her free time under the spell of the Menil family legacy. On Friday, Swinton and her entourage, including her beau artist Sandro Koop, visited the Menil chapels and the Twombly gallery at the Menil Collection. On Saturday, curator Kristina Van Dyke escorted the group on a private tour of the Menil House. Then it was on to the museum proper where the visit included so-called "treasure rooms" on the second floor, not open to the public.
Local talent
Congrats to Page Parkes Talent's Landon Wasem, who just wrapped filming in one of the first episodes of ABC's drama The Deep End, set to premiere during the current television season. The 20-year-old Houston resident has been working on the 20th Century Fox Television program in Dallas.
But wait, there's more. Wasem also has a role in Friday Night Lights as junior varsity player Kenny Olson, who has the not-so-modest aim of joining the varsity team as quarterback. You can catch him in the series Wednesday nights at 8 p.m. on 101Network on DIRECTV, uncut and without commercials. Or you can wait until the new season airs on NBC.
Houston,
Menil Collection,
Museum of Fine Arts
Adrian Garcia,
Arthur Schechter,
John Eddie Williams,
Marty McVey,
Parvin McVey,
Sandro Koop,
Sen. Harry Reid,
Tilda Swinton,
Yao Ming
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