On March 16, the 2011 Great Chefs Tasting Party® Gala benefitting the UCP of Greater Chicago cooked up a crowd with a terrific space, tremendous leadership and a lineup of top-tier chefs in the wings. Renowned chef Stephanie Izard headlined the event as more than 40 Chicago culinary all-stars served up their signature dishes hosted by Honorary Chair, ABC7 food reporter Steve Dolinsky and Chair, Mike Ditka’s Restaurant Executive Chef Tom Kenny. VIP tickets included an exclusive cocktail reception and cooking demonstration featuring Girl & the Goat’s Stephanie Izard (Bravo’s Top Chef 2008) and Sprout’s Dale Levitski (Bravo Top Chef competitor 2007 and 2010), private open bar and live auction. Founded in 1951, United Cerebral Palsy Association of Greater Chicago first opened its doors to address the needs of children and adults with cerebral palsy. They help a child with cerebral palsy use technology that lets her speak for the first time and a man unable to use his hands or arms learn to do his own laundry and prepare his own meals. They help a woman in a wheelchair roll down her new ramp and back into the community to mobilize and inspire.

The most recent phenomenon of downtown Los Angeles’ urban renaissance happened on Saturday: The Belasco Theater opened its doors with the sounds of the internationally respected DJ, deadmau5, spinning Unhooked for L.A.’s coolest crowd. Those with a love of electronic music or even those with a basic respect for the art of DJing understand the significance of such an event, but what’s even hauter is the venue itself.

On Saturday, March 26, Arizona Opera and the Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts will present a free outdoor screening of "La boheme," Giacomo Puccini's masterpiece and one of the most celebrated opera's of all time, in the Scottsdale Civic Center Amphitheater.

On Thursday, April 7, the Signature Room at the John Hancock Building will be buzzing with goodwill! The Ovarian Cancer Symptom Awareness (OSCA) group will host its very first gala. As every luxe event in Chicago, there will be fancy hors d'oeuvres and plenty of beverages, like the signature cocktail, Goose Island Beer and wine. There will also be upbeat entertainment and a live auction for guests to enjoy and participate in.

What is the fun in a vacation if the entire family can’t come? At Hotel Vitale your entire family is invited for a comforting stay at one of San Francisco’s boutique hotels–even your pets. Hotel Vitale is located in the Embarcadero adjacent to the iconic San Francisco seaside. Its urban foundation provides quick access to San Francisco’s premiere attractions. The SF MOMA is just a few blocks away, the Presidio hiking trails that outline the city’s natural boarders with elegant views of the Golden Gate Bridge and the San Francisco Bay are just a short drive away and the San Francisco Centre resides nearby full of upscale shopping destinations such as Bloomingdale's and Nordstrom.

Saturday night, Mark McGrath celebrated his birthday at Lavo in Las Vegas. The lead singer of Sugar Ray and current contestant on “The Celebrity Apprentice,” who turned 43 on March 15, was joined by friends and fiancé Carin Kingsland.

A cutting-edge center of well-being, Exhale is a collection of spa, fitness, healing, and relaxing programs located throughout Battery Wharf. Earlier this month, Exhale opened its doors to the public for its official grand opening, where guests were treated to complimentary mini-spa treatments, fashion trunk shows, and a sneak-peek of the soon-to-launch Core Fusion Boot Camp class, presented by Core Fusion co-founders Fred DeVito and Elisabeth Halfpapp themselves.

Thinking of redecorating? Mark your calendars for March 30 as the day for furniture shopping and cocktails in the Design District as MIYO Home celebrates the launch of their virtual boutique with a very unique auction and cocktail party. The evening will feature an auction of eight one a kind chairs designed by Miami’s A-list including artist and Haute 100 Iran Issa Khan, celebrity photographer Seth Browarnik, interior designer and design expert from Queer Eye for the Straight Guy Thom Filicia, and a chair designed by The Real Housewives of Miami. All proceeds from the auction benefit the Juvenile Bipolar Research Association which also served as the inspiration for each design.

On Friday, Rob Kardashian from “Keeping up with the Kardashians” celebrated his 24th birthday Sin-City style with a birthday dinner at Stack Restaurant at the Mirage. Later, he headed to Jet Nightclub to continue the celebration with family and friends.

Nuvo Sparkling Liqueur hosted a night of pink glamour in honor of Eva Longoria's birthday at the actress' Eve Nightclub in Crystals at CityCenter.

A warm ocean breeze in your hair. Smooth rum to go down. Your evening really can’t get much better than this. Start sipping at The Ritz-Carlton Key Biscayne at their rum tasting event at the gorgeous Dune Oceanfront Burger Lounge. The fun begins on Thursday, March 24 from 6pm-9pm where guests will be treated to complimentary nibbles and Mount Gay Rum tasting with an onsite DJ spinning beats. Other cocktails will also be served, priced at $8, for those who can only stomach so much rum.

If you thought that the whopping $60 million for Miami’s most expensive home (a 30,000-square-foot bay-front mansion) was impressive, then you’ll be awed to discover that Manhattan’s most expensive home – a 15,000-square-foot French Gothic style townhouse on Manhattan’s Upper East Side – which can now also be yours...for $90 million.

The Burj Al Arab celebrated St. Patrick's Day this past Thursday as it became the latest building to join the global green lighting phenomenon of city monuments.

Last night, my friend Roxy and I went to go check out designer Chrissie Miller (founder of fashion line Sophomore) and her design partner Madeleine von Froomer's (Proenza Schouler alum) new short film Truth or Dare which debuts their fall line of t-shirts. The film stars Chloe Sevigny, Jen Brill, Lesley Arfin, Scott Campbell, PJ Ransone and was shot by Cass Bird; the film was screened for the first time at Paul & Andre in Hollywood and was sponsored by Kanon Organic Vodka.

A full house greet Terry Fator Friday night when the ventriloquist celebrated the second anniversary of his hit show, “Terry Fator: Ventriloquism in Concert” at the Mirage. Media, VIPs, fans and guests lined up at the entrance of Terry Fator Theatre to see the headliner perform after Fator announced the addition of new puppet Berry Fabulous. Songs and dialog never before seen or heard were also in store and as 7:30 p.m. approached, the lights went down and the music went up as Fator took center stage.

“The Hills” star Lauren "Lo" Bosworth hosted Las Vegas' new nightlife destination Chateau Nightclub & Gardens at Paris Las Vegas last night to celebrate the launch of her book, "The Lo-Down."

I am delighted to share with you my beautiful Best Buddies experience from last night at their Third Annual Palm Beach Gala at the spectacular Mar-A-Lago Club! To start, the setting is a paradise – a divine gift from God – from the perfectly manicured grounds to the impeccable six-star diamond facility and the glamorous and elegant ballrooms, this place is gorgeous!! A huge thank you to Honorary Chairman, Donald Trump for hosting this important and special event and for continuously giving back to the community toward making the world a better place!

Plan ahead if you're a fan of classical music. World-renowned string group the Shanghai Quartet is coming to the Segerstrom Center for the Arts on May 5. Replacing the originally announced St. Lawrence String Quartet, they're bringing world influence and their own breathtaking performance to the stage here in Orange County.