And the Loudest Party of Them All? The Strokes-Fueled Sidekick Bash

Bold-faced names entertained President Obama in Brentwood, while Tribeca attendees got into the party spirit on the opposite coast

As Will Ferrell’s buffoon character co-hosted an intimate dinner on Thursday night’s episode of “The Office,” the actor himself was far from Scranton: He joined Tom Hanks, George Clooney and President Obama at a Jeffrey Katzenberg hosted dinner in Brentwood. Cost per plate: $35, 800.

TheWrap’s TheGrill@Tribeca, Harvey Weinstein, and Elton John kicked off Tribeca in New York, and Prince opened a series of shows at the antiquated Forum, but the loudest wake-up call on the party circuit coming out of Coachella came from The Strokes at the launch of the new T-Mobile Sidekick 4G by Samsung.

The rockers must have brought the same sound system designed for the polo grounds in to the much smaller VIP confines of a specially created space outside the former Robinson’s May in Beverly Hills as they blasted John Stamos, Jenna Ushkowitz, Emile Hirsch, and many more who had walked the magenta carpet for the bash. (Photos by Chris Polk.)

The party was something of a dual comeback, as the original Sidekick devices were a must-have social accessory that dominated the pre-Twitter, pre-Facebook era of manic-messaging around the same time that the Strokes were riding high on the charts and drummer Fabrizio Moretti was dating Drew Barrymore — the early to mid 2000’s. That was the time when executives and lawyers had BlackBerries and Nicky Hilton’s of the world had a sidekick (She was there on Wednesday, too.)

Inside Wednesday night’s bash, Stamos gave encouragement and congratulations to Jareb Dauplaise (now a lead on MTV’s “Hard Times of R.J. Berger”). The two worked together on the ABC show “Jake in Progress” years ago. A few booths closer to the opening percussion set by DJ Ravidrums (including a cameo by Paula Abdul, right), video game moguls Shaun White and Tony Hawk shared booth space. Madelina Zima, Emile Hirsh, Brenda Song and Jesse Metcalfe were among others going hands-on with the device on the day it was released, and scoring one of 40 pairs of Skechers earmarked for talent.

T-Mobile premiered a new technology at the event, giving influential social media guests an RFID wristband tied to their Twitter and Facebook accounts. By swiping the bracelet at various activity stations throughout the event (a recording studio, laser tag, a diner), it automatically updated statuses hands-free. Hosts rewarded the messaging with tokens that could be redeemed in a swag shop, skeeball style.

After taking the stage at 11:35 p.m. with an ear-crushing rendition of “Reptilia,” the Strokes ended exactly at midnight, with Julian Casablancas saying, “We’re being shut down….I hope we get paid.” More than 1,500 guests who scored the hard-to-get invites crammed the bash.

Elsewhere on Wednesday, Michael Barker (co-president of Sony Pictures Classics), producer Jeremy Chilnick, director Morgan Spurlock, and producer Abbie Hurewitz celebrated Spurlock’s branded film “Pom Wonderful Presents: The Greatest Movie Ever Sold” at an ArcLight screening and after-party. Let’s hope Spurlock has more than one of those jackets, as he’s worn the same walking billboard throughout all of his appearances going back to Sundance. (Photo by Film Magic)

Courtney Cox broke new ground on promotional panels by taking the Q&A with a giant glass of red at the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences’ “An Evening with ‘Cougar Town.”  Co-stars Busy Phillips, Christa Miller, Ian Gomez, and behind-the-scenes talent Michael McDonald (supervising producer) and Bill Lawrence (creator/executive producer) took part in the free-flowing look at the ABC series. (Photo by Matthew Imaging.)

On Thursday night, Ryan Phillippe and Taylor Kitsch, left, hit the Tribeca Film Festival after-party for their film the “The Bang Bang Club.” Co-star Malin Ackerman, as well as festival juror Zoe Kravitz, Jason Reitman, and the usual NYC coterie of models hit the American Express and Cinema Society hosted bash. The film opens in limited release today.

Simultaneously, the Kings of Leon and “Talihina Sky” party hosted by Heineken took over perennial hotspot Marquee.

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