Scenes, moments and general tidbits from the Tonic team attending the Clinton Global Initiative annual meeting.
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Friday, 11:48
The Star of the Clinton Show
This year’s Clinton Global Initiative is coming to a close soon and your Tonic editors have decided the star of this year’s show is a hysterical woman named Deidra.
Yes, President Obama, President Clinton, Matt Damon, Brad Pitt and many others have graced the halls this week, but Deidra stole the show.
Deidra was part of last night’s “Make It Right” panel. Make It Right is the foundation Brad Pitt started to rebuild the lower 9th ward of New Orleans with green, beautiful, affordable homes. Deidra was one of the original recipients of those homes.
While her story of losing her home to Hurricane Katrina was heartbreaking, her ease on stage — while flanked by Brad Pitt and President Clinton — was delightful. Her tale of her experience with Make It Right was filled with quips, one-liners and the sincerest of moments that had President Clinton doubled-over in laughter, clutching Brad Pitt’s arm as he hid his laughing, red face in the superstar’s shoulder. A feat, indeed.
Here are Deirdra’s top five greatest hits from last night:
- Brad Pitt introduced the head executive at Make It Right, Tom Darden. In the intro, Pitt said Darden was single and started auctioning him off. Darden turned red, naturally. Pitt says “Any takers?” And Deidra says, “We’re going to make a different kind of commitment tonight.” Ha!
- Deidra told a story about how she heard about “Make It Right” on the radio and now is in a 4 bedroom home. She says she’s living in a $250,000 house but paying $400, so now she can afford to give her kids a new life. An example: Her daughter is in dance lessons.
- At one point she turned to Pitt and said, “This is not an actor. I am not an actress. This is REAL.”
- She also commented that the house is full of gadgets. She said there are so many light switches in her house that she’ll go around clicking them for fun. She also said that she feels like she’s on stage as an actress when she goes to her kitchen because of all the light on her. She said she thought that was funny because, “I’m just cooking!”
- The best comment of the night: When she was talking about her new green-friendly, gadget-heavy home, she dropped the comment that she has a “dual-chamber commode. I’ll let you guys figure out what the two chambers are for.”
Ha!
Photo courtesy of Getty Images.
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Thursday, 2:46pm
Living La Vida Philanthropica
Dude, Ricky Martin in the house. He’s talking about human trafficking. He said something like when he thinks about human trafficking, his throat feels like it is going to come out of his mouth. In other words: He means it. He feels it. He’s not faking.
He’s got a foundation. Who knew?
– Erin
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Thursday, 11:40am
We Won The Bathroom Wars! (And Usher is here.)
Lots to discuss today. A sundry wrap-up, if you will. In no particular order:
- We won the bathroom war! The press are now allowed to hit the facilities unescorted, on the floor somewhere near the press compound. Weeee! (Excuse the pun. Not intended, but I’m leaving it in there anyway.)
- Hey, Usher showed up. “Yeah!” Wearing a dapper pocket square, he stood next to President Clinton while his group made a commitment that will affect young folk. For those interested, he did not do a dance on stage, no matter how much your “Behind the Scenes” editors willed him to do so.
- The creme puffs are back! And they are still tight. Thank you CGI food Gods. We salute you.
– Erin
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Wednesday, 3:00pm
Waft This Way
Something foul is drifting throughout the press room at CGI. And it stanks.
One of our Tonic team members smelled it first. (I will not say who to avoid accusations of “Who smelt it, dealt it.”) We do not know what the offending odor is but we know it smells like sulfer.
I’m beginning to think we’re being punished for being members of the media. I feel we should shout out: We’re not that media; we report good news!
– Erin
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Wednesday, after the first morning session
The Bathroom Wars Continue
As noted yesterday, the CGI staff are big on making sure the press are escorted everywhere… even to the bathroom.
I speculate that the intense babysitting is to keep the press from hunting down the big names roaming around upstairs and asking for interviews on the fly. But the fact that the bathroom are three flights up — and you need an escort to get there — causes a bit of an issue.
So, this morning I take off on my own because I know where the hidden, non-action area facilities are, and I’m not a big fan of hand-holding. (Rulebreaker, I know.) I make it up to the room in question and get verbally attacked by a CGI volunteer as I’m about to head in. She stops me and ushers me back downstairs to a bathroom we’re not supposed to use. She gets yelled at for bringing me there and walks me back up, not to the quiet floor I was at before, but now to the crazy, celeb-riddled floor where a panel session has just let out.
So, in her effort to follow rules that were set up to keep me away from newsmakers, she had delivered me directly into the hands of the people I’m not supposed to be interacting with. Ironic, no?
I’m actually glad she did, because if this volunteer hadn’t taken over the path of my morning, I wouldn’t have heard the following story related from one big-name panelist (who shall remain nameless – I’m trying to respect at least some bathroom boundaries).
Small talk engulfed the newsmaker in question. Her neighbor had asked about some of the changes she had seen in developing countries. The panelist said at one point in her career, she head a member of a president’s administration give a speech on democracy. One of the audience members at the speech cornered the speaker and asked, “I don’t understand — what do I do with this democracy?” The speaker told the girl, “Well, do you have any problems you want to solve?” And the girl understood; she began using the power of democracy to make change for the better in her community.
The newsmaker in the bathroom said it was one of her favorite anecdotes related to spirit of public service.
Thanks for the tip, CGI volunteer.
– Erin
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Wednesday, 9:30ish
The Clintons don’t pay their taxes… in NYC
Okay this one isn’t really behind the scenes, but I’m sharing anyway…
Mayor Bloomberg announced a NoVo Foundation commitment this morning. In his lead-up of the announcement, he ribbed President and Secretary Clinton for living in Chappaqua, NY but working out of New York City. He says it didn’t go unnoticed that their tax dollars don’t go to NYC.
Bill Clinton dropped his head into his hand at that and laughed behind the curtain of his crazy long fingers, hiding his ever reddening face.
– Erin
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Wednesday, 9:22am
Bill is Back. Where is Everybody Else?
I was running a little late this morning and expected to be held up even later by what was sure to be a line getting into the press room. I breezed right through and grabbed a seat in the room, which is practically empty today especially in light of yesterday’s mob that was clearly here to see President Obama onstage with Bill Clinton. Clinton is back at it again this morning, and right now Mayor Mike Bloomberg is addressing what’s clearly a thinner crowd gathered to see ABC’s Diane Sawyer lead a panel on issues concerning women and girls. Al Gore makes an appearance with an innovation panel later today (and we’ll be live blogging again, of course) but I’m curious to see if the place fills up a little more.
– Steve
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Tuesday, 6:33pm
More Celeb Sightings
On the celeb-sightings front: Whoever was sitting in front of Matt Damon turned around to chat — Damon looked like he was gracefully into the convo. Jesse Jackson was the first one on his feet to applaud something Clinton said. After the session was over, Ashton hung back to chat with somebody. Goldie Hawn was swimming upstream to try and get out of the place. And, Ben Stiller was being followed by a camera, looking like he wished it would just go away.
Seriously, this place is about as celeb-laden as the Oscars.
– Erin
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Tuesday, 4:16pm
Star-Spangled Plenary
Here’s one for the US Weekly set:
The Opening Plenary, introduced by President Clinton and to-be-rounded out by President Obama (does it get any better?) is a star-studded affair. Matt Damon spoke, of course, while announcing the Water.org commitment … but it didn’t stop there: the camera gave a glossy pan of suited-up celebs Jessica Alba, husband Cash Warren, model Christy Turlington and former nanny Fran Drescher.
UPDATE: Demi Moore and Ashton Kutcher sightings … more to come, I’m sure.
– Caroline
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Tuesday, 2:58pm
Chaos and Cookies
Every person in the building is trying to get into the opening plenary session because President Obama will be there. So much for escorted hallways. All warm bodies are packed in a thin space between the press holding room and the elevator. I’d call it cattle herding, but not quite. More like amoeba bumping into each other on a petri dish.
Ugh. This is uncomfortable… but, hey! There’s chocolate chip cookies! Ooh and they’re warm….
– Erin
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Tuesday, 2:31pm
The Press Is Already Moody
A semi-angry member of the press asked if she was always going to have to be escorted up two flights of stairs to the nearest women’s bathroom. CGI’s marketing head responded, “I’ll try and put in a call to the architect of the Sheraton…” Ha ha, funny man. The men’s room is down the hall, of course.
– Erin
******
Tuesday, 2:00-something…
CGI Has Hall Monitors
Press just got told that they can’t roam the hallways — we need escorts. It turns out this is not just a POTUS issue. Apparently 1,000 credentialed press plus 1,000 CGI members means clogged pathways. CGI has hall monitors. Ha!
– Erin
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Tuesday, 11:00am
Security is tight, and so are the cream puffs
Two bomb-sniffing dogs (an old chocolate lab and a German Shepard) and a line of press later, we’re finally inside the event. And we’ve got to give it up to the guys that ordered the food for the press: The cream puffs are insane!
Otherwise, we wait… in a still manner. POTUS speaks tonight so there isn’t much movement allowed. In fact, a trip to the bathroom is an escorted affair.
Stay tuned…
– Erin
