Scene in D.C.: Dodd, George Stevens, Jim Kimsey, Missoni
“The friends who come to the book party are really your friends,” said George Stevens Jr. last night, referring to a crowd that included former Defense Secretary William Cohen, AOL co-founder Jim Kimsey, King and Spalding LLP’s Lloyd Hand and Motion Picture Association of America Chairman and Chief Executive Chris Dodd.
They were on hand at the MPAA’s headquarters to toast Stevens on his book “Conversations at the American Film Institute with the Great Moviemakers: The Next Generation from the 1950s to Hollywood Today.” Stevens founded the AFI.
MSNBC’s Chris Matthews talked with Eleanor Clift of “The McLaughlin Group” about “A Place in the Sun,” which starred Montgomery Clift, a relative of her first husband. The film was directed by Stevens’s father, also George Stevens.
Dodd touted the progress of the U.S. film industry. He said box office is up 17% from last year, thanks in part to highly popular films such as “The Hunger Games.”
He also alluded to the industry’s success overseas due to the release in China of a 3D version of “Titanic.”
Stevens teased Dodd about the hard life he leads representing the movie business, which involves attending events like the glamorous Cannes film festival next week.
“There’s a good chance Dodd-Frank won’t come up while I am there”, Dodd joked back, referring to the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, which he spearheaded when he was a U.S. senator from Connecticut.
Missoni Talk
Luca Missoni, who runs his family’s fashion label with his two siblings and serves as the historian and curator for Missoni SpA, divides his time between Italy and New York.
This week he made his first trip to Washington in 25 years to attend a small dinner party for journalists and industry insiders last night at the restaurant Fiola.
The meal was a warmup for a talk Missoni will give today at the Washington Design Center as part of its Capital Design Lecture Series sponsored by Luxe Interiors + Design magazine.
Jennifer Sergent, the marketing director for the Washington Design Center, said the Missoni brand is a good example of major fashion houses venturing into home design and lower-market labels, like the one Missoni did for Target.
Sales of Missoni products are up 40 percent from last year, according to Isabelle L’Huillier, a sales director for Stark Carpet, Fabric, Furniture, Wallcovering.
(Stephanie Green is a writer and photographer for Muse, the arts and leisure section of Bloomberg News. Any opinions expressed are her own.)
To contact the writer on this story: Stephanie Green in Washington at sgreen57@bloomberg.net or on Twitter @stephlgreen.
To contact the editor responsible for this story: Manuela Hoelterhoff at mhoelterhoff@bloomberg.net.
Stevens Reception
Stephanie Green/Bloomberg
Former Defense Secretary William Cohen, American Film Institute founder George Stevens Jr. and Motion Picture Association of America Chairman and CEO Chris Dodd.
Former Defense Secretary William Cohen, American Film Institute founder George Stevens Jr. and Motion Picture Association of America Chairman and CEO Chris Dodd. Photographer: Stephanie Green/Bloomberg
Stevens Reception
Stephanie Green/Bloomberg
Polly Kraft and novelist Jane Stanton Hitchcock.
Polly Kraft and novelist Jane Stanton Hitchcock. Photographer: Stephanie Green/Bloomberg
Stevens Reception
Stephanie Green/Bloomberg
George Stevens, Jr. signs copies of his recent book.
George Stevens, Jr. signs copies of his recent book. Photographer: Stephanie Green/Bloomberg
Stevens Reception
Stephanie Green/Bloomberg
"Hardball with Chris Matthews" host Chris Matthews and "The McLaughlin Group" commentator Eleanor Clift.
"Hardball with Chris Matthews" host Chris Matthews and "The McLaughlin Group" commentator Eleanor Clift. Photographer: Stephanie Green/Bloomberg
Stevens Reception
Stephanie Green/Bloomberg
Framed posters representing the career of George Stevens, Jr.
Framed posters representing the career of George Stevens, Jr. Photographer: Stephanie Green/Bloomberg
Stevens Reception
Stephanie Green/Bloomberg
Vans Stevenson, senior vice president state government affairs at the Motion Picture Association, Lloyd Hand with King and Spalding, and art collector Roger Sant.
Vans Stevenson, senior vice president state government affairs at the Motion Picture Association, Lloyd Hand with King and Spalding, and art collector Roger Sant. Photographer: Stephanie Green/Bloomberg
Stevens Reception
Stephanie Green/Bloomberg
Rocco Landesman, chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts, and his wife, Debby Landesman, a philanthropic adviser to corporations and foundations.
Rocco Landesman, chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts, and his wife, Debby Landesman, a philanthropic adviser to corporations and foundations. Photographer: Stephanie Green/Bloomberg
Missoni Dinner Party
Stephanie Green/Bloomberg
Theresa Amandi, Luca Missoni, the curator of fashion label Missoni, and Christopher Philips, Missoni Home's brand manager for the Americas
Theresa Amandi, Luca Missoni, the curator of fashion label Missoni, and Christopher Philips, Missoni Home's brand manager for the Americas Photographer: Stephanie Green/Bloomberg
Missoni Dinner Party
Stephanie Green/Bloomberg
Jim Gooding, the vice president and general manager of Washington Design Center, Luca Missoni of the fashion and home label Missoni, and Isabelle L'Huillier, the sales director of Stark Fabrics, Wallcovering, and Furniture.
Jim Gooding, the vice president and general manager of Washington Design Center, Luca Missoni of the fashion and home label Missoni, and Isabelle L'Huillier, the sales director of Stark Fabrics, Wallcovering, and Furniture. Photographer: Stephanie Green/Bloomberg
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