Parker Ladd, a prominent publishing executive, is once again hosting the annual Author Breakfast Series at Café Boulud at The Brazilian Court, with the lineup including Nelson DeMille, William Mann, A.J. Jacobs, and Jane Stanton-Hitchcock.

Some of our favorite famous faces made the trek south to North Carolina to show their support for nightlife moguls Scott Sartiano and Richie Akiva. Everyone got a turn on the mic or the turntables for the grand opening celebration weekend, including DJ Jus Ske, Nicky Hilton, Will.i.am, Fergie, Taboo, and Apl.De.Ap.

The Napa Valley Vintners’ (NVV) Premiere Napa Valley barrel tasting and auction, a weekend event designed for insiders of the trade that offers vintners the opportunity to be the first to get their hands on some of the finest wines that will be released later in the year, proved to be a smashing success, raising almost 30 percent more than last year.

Shanghai Tang celebrated the Chinese New Year with a party that was also a toast to the new Spring/Summer collection, which calls to mind the pop art era of Hong Kong in the 1960s, along with traditional Chinese arts such as the iconic Shan Shui mountain paintings and porcelain patterns.

Knowing that you would probably prefer to have all of your Manolo Blahniks swapped for Sketchers than be separated from your phone for any extended period of time, you can now watch the Dolce & Gabbana Fall/Winter 2010/2011 women’s fashion show live on iPhones and Android Mobile Devices. You read that correctly—the innovative design house is broadcasting the show on the most popular smartphones worldwide.

Adolfo Dominguez’s intellectual and sophisticated approach to design, as well as his innate sense of the contours of the human form, comes from his philosophy, cinematography, and design studies in Paris and London. After launching his eponymous label in 1973, Dominguez found widespread recognition outfitting the stars of Miami Vice, arguably the most fashion-defining show of the 80s.

If you’re doing South Florida in true socialite fashion, then Worth Avenue in Palm Beach undeniably offers the crème de la crème of luxury brand boutiques. One of the newcomers to the area down there is Courage. B., the apparel and accessories showroom that is a favorite with the fashionistas both in New York, and now in South Florida.

On Thursday, the good folks over at the James Beard Award Foundation indicated that they are salivating over our chefs just as much as we are and named many of them as semifinalists for their coveted honor in 2010. Here is the list of our local celebrichefs…

The James Beard Foundation announced their nationwide picks for the coveted top honor in the culinary world. Check out the NYC chefs and restaurants that will eagerly be waiting to see if they make it through to the next round, which will be announced on March 22.