Jon Stewart vs. Elmo
Either they arrived as a couple, share the same stylist or suffered the worst fashion faux pas: Both Jon Stewart and Elmo wore the same tie to the 10th Annual Sesam
e Street Workshop Gala at Cipriani in New York on Wednesday night.
Daniel D’Addario of The Observer’s Velvet Roper reports that just like humans, most of the PBS stars (Sesame Street muppets) were just happy to be invited. “I’m excited to meet anyone in a tux,” Murray Monster told D’Addario. “ I don’t usually get to wear clothes.”
After last week’s 1990’s-redux micro-scandal, which found President Bill Clinton unknowingly posing for a photo with porn stars in Cannes, 
America's 42nd president was welcomed as the night’s honoree by H. Melvin Ming, president and CEO of the Sesame Workshop.
“It was our privilege to honor President Bill Clinton for his amazing work as a global advocate of children’s health and education,” Ming said.
Clinton, Stewart and others then took in a live performance by Big Bird and Oscar the Grouch.
'Office' Memo: 'The Pack' Will Be Back
Fans of "The Office’s" offensive and handsy recurring character Todd Packer (David Koechner) will be glad to know that this spring’s mini-arc was not a final burp for the polarizing traveling salesman.
“I know I’ll be back this fall,” Koechner (center, flanked by models working the event) told TheWrap at Tuesday night’s premiere of "Piranha 3DD" at the Mann Chinese 6.
As for whether he’ll be taking over Kelly’s desk now that Mindy Kaling is the new girl over at Fox, Koechner was less certain. “I doubt they’re going to put me in a dress,” the actor who will also reappear in the upcoming "Anchorman" sequel told TheWrap.
While the body-count demands of horror films like "Piranha 3DD" don’t offer actors franchise longevity, comic Paul Scheer (the lone survivor to reach the second installment) relishes a budgetary fluke that extended his arc.
“Low budgets are my savior,” Scheer says. “I shot a death scene for the first ‘Piranha’, but they couldn’t do the CGI because it was too expensive. Because of that, I was able to come back.”
As girlfriend and “Pretty Little Liars” star Lucy Hale hung by the concessions avoiding the press line, Chris Zylka weighed in on the expectations of his post-"Piranha" appearance as Flash Thompson in “The Amazing Spider-Man.”
(At right, Hale, Zylka, and Meagan Tandy huddle up at the after party.)
“Marvel’s not stupid,” he tells TheWrap. “They’re the biggest movies every year for a reason. As soon as people stop going to the theater for ‘Avengers,’ we’ll pop up.”
On his promotional schedule in the run-up to the July 3 release, “I go day by day and usually get a phone call waking me up to say ‘Where the hell are you?’” Zylka joked.
Cameos from David Hasselhoff, Jerry O’Connell, and Gary Busey pump up the Wayans-esque self-parody that opened Friday with a dual release in theaters and On Demand.
At the same time over in Soho House’s screening room, Wilmer Valderrama was the opening act for a premiere of the Tom Sizemore and Hector Jimenez (“Nacho Libre”) comedy “Cellmates.” Valderrama addressed the motley crowd (which included Johnny Knoxville, Kevin Farley and Andy Dick) suggesting that the film’s racially tinged comedy could help breach hot-button issues like immigration. {Rimshot}
No Cape Required: Chris Daughtry Joins the Justice League
Speaking of superheroes, Chris Daughtry swapped out his usual crowd banter during his set at the Nokia on Wednesday night, instead using the spotlight to announce that he’s teamed up with DC Entertainment for their “We Can Be Heroes” campaign.
Unlike an “Avengers-esque” windfall coming his way, he’ll be giving back.
“I have been a fan of DC Comics’ ‘Justice League’ characters, especially Batman, since I was young and am thrilled to be working with DC Entertainment.” Daughtry told the crowd. The singer will be rearranging one of his hits and supporting DC’s work raising money for the worst hunger crisis in 60 years in the Horn of Africa.
June’s After-Hours Forecast
Next week, the tone changes atop 9200 Sunset, as the Sundance Institute makes a rare trek from the mountains: They will honor “Beasts of the Southern Wild” director Benh Zeitlin at their annual Los Angeles benefit. Unlike the usual 'celeb table,' the institute splits talent amongst all tables for a twinkle of star power in each dining circle.
There’s no June gloom on the party circuit beyond that, with several high-profile events in the coming weeks.
The black Audis will be heading for the Sony lot the next night as Meryl Streep presents Shirley MacLaine with AFI Life Achievement award at the always A-list event, before FX President John Landgraf and LL Cool J take the honors from host Seth MacFarlane at the Chrysalis Butterfly Ball in Brentwood on June 9.
Finally, the candle shopping is well underway to place a 100 on top of a (presumably pink) cake for the centennial celebration of the Beverly Hills Hotel throughout the weekend of June 15-17.
Warren Beatty, Bill Cosby, and Brett Ratner join “honorary ambassadors” for the weekend Clive Davis, Bryan Lourd, Rick Rosen, Jeffrey Katzenberg, and Ben Silverman in a massive three-day celebration and fundraiser for the hotel's charity partner, the Motion Picture & Television Fund.
Unlike the usual closed-circle vibe on the grounds (see the annual “Night Before” party on Oscar eve), saddling up to Beatty by a bungalow is a purchase available to the general public to benefit to the MPTF. Just don’t buy it for a quiet night of rest — Mary J. Blige is performing.
"Sesame Street" photos courtesy of Sesame Workshop.
"Piranha 3DD" photos courtesy of Charley Gallay/WireImage.
