"Uhh...Don who?"
Posted on 11/30/2005 1:14:12 PM PST by NYer
History will forever record Elizabeth Brooks' bat mitzvah as "Mitzvahpalooza."
For his daughter's coming-of-age celebration last weekend, multimillionaire Long Island defense contractor David H. Brooks booked two floors of the Rainbow Room, hauled in concert-ready equipment, built a stage, installed special carpeting, outfitted the space with Jumbotrons and arranged command performances by everyone from 50 Cent to Tom Petty to Aerosmith.
I hear it was garish display of rock 'n' roll idol worship for which the famously irascible CEO of DHB Industries, a Westbury-based manufacturer of bulletproof vests, sent his company jet to retrieve Aerosmith's Steven Tyler and Joe Perry from their Saturday gig in Pittsburgh.
I'm also told that in honor of Aerosmith (and the $2 million fee I hear he paid for their appearance), the 50-year-old Brooks changed from a black-leather, metal-studded suit - accessorized with biker-chic necklace chains and diamonds from Chrome Hearts jewelers - into a hot-pink suede version of the same lovely outfit.
The party cost an estimated $10 million, including the price of corporate jets to ferry the performers to and from. Also on the bill were The Eagles' Don Henley and Joe Walsh performing with Fleetwood Mac's Stevie Nicks; DJ AM (Nicole Richie's fiance); rap diva Ciara and, sadly perhaps (except that he received an estimated $250,000 for the job), Kenny G blowing on his soprano sax as more than 300 guests strolled and chatted into their pre-dinner cocktails.
"Hey, that guy looks like Kenny G," a disbelieving grownup was overheard remarking - though the 150 kids in attendance seemed more impressed by their $1,000 gift bags, complete with digital cameras and the latest video iPod.
For his estimated $500,000, I hear that 50 Cent performed only four or five songs - and badly - though he did manage to work in the lyric, "Go shorty, it's your bat miztvah, we gonna party like it's your bat mitzvah."
At one point, I'm told, one of Fitty's beefy bodyguards blocked shots of his boss performing and batted down the kids' cameras, shouting "No pictures! No pictures!" - even preventing Brooks' personal videographers and photographers from capturing 50 Cent's bat-miztvah moment.
"Fitty and his posse smelled like an open bottle of Hennessy," a witness told told me, adding that when the departing rapper prepared to enter his limo in the loading dock, a naked woman was spotted inside.
I'm told that Petty's performance - on acoustic guitar - was fabulous, as was the 45-minute set by Perry and Tyler, who was virtuosic on drums when they took the stage at 2:45 a.m. Sunday.
Henley, I hear, was grumpy at the realization that he'd agreed to play a kids' party.
I'm told that at one point Brooks leapt on the stage with Tyler and Perry, who responded with good grace when their paymaster demanded that his teenage nephew be permitted to sit in on drums. At another point, I'm told, Tyler theatrically wiped sweat off Brooks' forehead - and then dried his hand with a flourish.
Yesterday, Brooks disputed many details provided to me by Lowdown spies at the affair and by other informed sources, scrawling on a fax to me: "All dollar figures vastly exaggerated."
He added: "This was a private event and we do not wish to comment on details of the party."
I've always thought bar and bat mitzvah's were basically religious in intent. Or so my Jewish friends tell me. They are the Jewish boy or girl's first aliyah (reading of the Torah) .
The party afterwards was just a chance for the family & friends to congratulate the girl or boy and welcome his or her entrance into the Jewish community.
I've been to a fair number of bar and bat mitzvahs although I am not Jewish. Some of the parties were very nice, but, needless to say, none were quite so over the top.
The religious nature of the event appears to me to be lost when you indulge in this sort of excess.
But as several have said, it's their money and their private business what they do with it.
Her wedding is going to be pretty anti climactic!
I suppose so, can't take it with him to prison.
I remember watching the Hollywood Squares or something like that, and a question was posed to one of the celebrities: "On a boy's Bar Mitzvah, what does he read from?" The response: "A cashier's check"
Just precious...
Yeah...I'd rather hear Joe jam out to Funk49 or Rocky Mountain Way than any of Don Henley's whiney crap. Hell, I'd even rather hear Joe talk about ham radio (he's a big CQ man, in case you didn't know).
Geez. The girl is only 13. Lighten up on her.
Gee, all I got for my Confirmation was a slap in the face and a guilt conscience.
Gee, all I got for my Confirmation was a slap in the face and a guilty conscience.
YES.
Well there was this Jewish girl from Brazil who I met in Miami...
Jews are homeless and destitute from Gush Katif disengagement and Hurricane Katrina and this creep pisses away $10 million on a freaking teenage party.
This is shameful.
FRmail me to be added or removed from this Judaic/pro-Israel/Russian Jewry ping list.
Warning! This is a high-volume ping list.
How was he hoping to honor with this excessive party for a 13 year old girl? It ceratinly wasn't the one we are supposed to honor.
And yer prolly better off fer it!
For one thing, we learn now that it was not his own money.
For another thing, this is supposed to be a religious ceremony celebrating a young person's obligation to fulfill G-D's commandments. That is not done with a vulgar and lavish display of excess.
I have heard about another very wealthy family that celebrated their son's bar mitzvah by giving him $1 million--all to be distributed to various worthy charities.
Would a twelve year old even know who any of those old fogies are?
..........................................
He earns it making body armour. I thinking he could have found somewhere to donate $9 million worth of vests, the world being what it is, and held the Bat Mitzvah to $1 million, like all the rest of us.
hahahhah
F# Maj has always been troublesome for me.
David Brooks gave $25000 to the Republican party in June.
God bless his daughter on her Bat Mitzvah.
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