Parties

The brothers of Lambda Phi Epsilon at UCLA were excited to find the gray-and-teal apartment complex several blocks from campus. They had no house on Fraternity Row, but the complex could serve as their home base. About a dozen members of the Asian American fraternity moved into eight units in the 600 block of Midvale Avenue before the fall quarter started. In late September, they hosted a housewarming mixer to recruit new members. "Let us show you how Lambdas throw the sickest house parties in town and experience the social life that you can't experience any where else!"

A good Hollywood party these days combines certain indispensable elements: a beautiful room filled with beautiful people, good food and drink, efficient valet parking -- and a cause. At this year's Oscar parties, the cause element was especially important. (Oscar host Hugh Jackman wasn't the only entertainer who noticed that Oscar was throwing a glittering bash in hard times.) But that didn't mean forgoing glitz.

Forget the front row at Marc Jacobs -- this was the hottest place to be during New York Fashion Week. On Wednesday night, Gucci pitched an enormous tent on the north lawn of the United Nations and threw a party that felt like the Vanity Fair Oscar bash gone East. The evening, hosted by Madonna, was a benefit for the UNICEF Children's Fund and Raising Malawi, organizations that fight the effects of AIDS on children in Africa.

Nestled in a corner past the Mirage's general pool area, beyond the Secret Garden and Dolphin Habitat and down a winding concrete path, is Bare, the hotel's exclusive, adults-only pool. Shrouded in greenery and teak paneling, the velvet-roped entrance is guarded by an employee who checks IDs. Loud music booms from within, and after paying a cover charge, you turn a corner and are instantly hit by a scene of bronzed bodies glistening from the sheen of spray-on sunblock.

Damu Barnes, 32, bounced his 1-year-old daughter on his knee Saturday while keeping one eye on his son playing in the courtyard of Nickerson Gardens. Nearby, hundreds of hot dogs grilled on oversized barbecues, a gospel choir prepared to sing and about 200 of Barnes' neighbors gathered amid colorful balloons for the first Nickerson Gardens Community Family Block Party at the largest public housing project west of the Mississippi.

Barack Obama celebrated his 47th birthday Monday night at -- where else? -- a campaign fundraiser, this one on the 33rd floor of a Boston tower with dramatic views of the harbor. Obama was treated to two choruses of "Happy Birthday," the first by Harry Connick Jr. and his 10-year-old daughter, Kate, and the second by the crowd of about 850 supporters, led by Benjamin Zander, conductor of the Boston Philharmonic. Sen. John F. Kerry (D-Mass) introduced his colleague from Illinois.

Stunned and giddy, the hordes of guests at Sunday night's 60th annual Emmy Awards streamed out of the Nokia Theatre after the three-hour ceremony and onto the red-carpeted street, where flutes of champagne were passed around, creating an instant block party -- albeit a glamorous one. As a jazz band played Django Reinhardt tunes, the crowd was gently urged up the stairs toward the massive Convention Center for the Governors Ball.

The holiday potluck may seem like an innocent, inexpensive way to throw a party, where friends and colleagues can share favorite recipes, savor an unusual dish or indulge a sweet tooth. But for some people, it's a minefield of food-poisoning bacteria waiting to wreak havoc. Los Angeles publicist Nilou Salimpour-Davidov sums up her feelings about potlucks this way: "I think they're good for one thing -- to minimize your calorie intake. They make me lose my appetite."

Amid all the economic turmoil of 2008, there is at least one place where hope springs eternal: in the minds of New Year's Eve party promoters. In their planned scenarios, top-name musical talents will play into the early morning. Champagne will flow. And packed crowds will say goodbye to yesterday's troubles by tossing around hundreds of dollars like there's no tomorrow. But how will reality play out?

A year after rain prompted the last-minute cancellation of two major celebrations, disappointing thousands of fans, New Year's Eve concerts and parties across the Southland got underway Sunday without reports of problems. Event promoters, eager to avoid the troubles of 2006, planned this year's gatherings with wet-weather backup arrangements, including tents and indoor alternatives. But by 9 p.m.