Facebook billionaire Sean Parker has battled severe food allergies throughout his life, even landing in the hospital as a result on numerous occasions. Not wanting others to have to suffer through the illnesses that he’s suffered, Parker donated $24 million to fund an allergy research center at Stanford University. The treatment that he hopes the donation will lead to discovering would allow allergic patients to eliminate allergies in just two doses. Kari Nadeeau, M.D., PhD., an associate professor of the Stanford University Center for Allergy Research, will head Parker’s Foundation for Allergy Research. Nadeau already developed a therapy eliminating up to five food allergies per patients that has proved wildly successful; the treatment cured 680 of 700 patients.
Haute 100 real estate titan Howard Lorber’s son Michael Lorber fell victim to kidnapping scammers that claimed they had kidnapped his brother, Brian, and would blow his brains out unless he paid them $2,000 in cash: “It was the worst experience of my life. They told me that Brian had been in a car accident, they’d kidnapped him, broken his hand, and I needed to meet them with $2,000 in cash to pay for the damage to their car. They said they’d shoot him in the head if I called him.” Fortunately for Lorber, savvy cat that he is, had the good sense to pass a note to his assistant to call his brother and Brian was fine. We wish the Lorbers all the best; it certainly isn’t easy being the king(s).
The legacy of Seinfeld persists; influential entertainment criticism website the A.V. Club selected the Seinfeld episode, “The Chinese Restaurant” as the greatest sitcom episode of the last 25 years. Despite the episode not even featuring beloved character Kramer, the A.V. Club believes that the episode is the one in which the series really found its groove: “Within the real-time playlet that strands the increasingly desperate Jerry (Jerry Seinfeld), Elaine (Julia Louis-Dreyfus), and George (Jason Alexander) in a crowded dim sum waiting area, Seinfeld and Larry David’s “show about nothing” suddenly snaps into place,” writes Erik Adams.
NY Haute 100 updates consist of news about members of our New York Haute 100 List; a list of New York City’s most powerful players.
Haute Scene
January 16, 2015The Palm Beach Jewelry, Art & Antique Show Kickoff
