Interested in raising a little ruckus for a good cause on the night before Halloween? On Friday October 30, 2009 a group of young professional philanthropists known as "Future of Hope" will join City of Hope's fight against women's cancers by hosting the Halloween-themed benefit A Night of Mischief at Marquee in New York City. Appearances will include cast members from the hit television series Gossip Girl and The City and cameras from the CW television network will be on hand filming Tinsley Mortimer for her new CW reality series Empire State. This new reality show will air this winter chronicling Tinsley's travels, adventures and causes.

The evening will be dedicated in loving memory of Amy Salm who lost her battle with cancer this year. Tickets are $99 in advance and $120 at the door based on availability. Guests are asked to dress in costume. The night features an open bar with sponsors such as Innocente Tequila, Three Olives Vodka and Manhattan Beer Company. A dessert bar to satisfy even the sweetest tooth comes compliments of the Cupcake Stop and Milk & Cookies Bakery. There will also be a live raffle with over 30 prizes including a Valentino handbag, roundtrip jetBlue Airways tickets, Equinox gym membership, private dinner prepared by Chef Rob Hesse of Hamptons hotspot Georgica, and Knicks, Rangers, and Jets tickets.

A variety of celebrities have put their names to a Shepard Fairey print in order to support gay marriage. More than 80 celebrities including Julia Roberts, Charlie Sheen, Natalie Portman and many others have signed "Defend Equality - Love Unites" original prints with a design by Shepard Fairey. Some celebrities took a unique approach to signing. Jared Leto wrote out the language of California's Proposition 8 ballot initiative (which stipulates that marriage is only between a man and a woman) on the back of his Fairey print, burned it and put the ashes in a clear glass urn with the inscription, "Here lies within, the remains of Proposition 8, may it rest in peace." Virginia Madsen added a collage to her poster. The pieces will be sold in online auctions next month. On November 12, Shepard Fairey will take part in the official launch event at the Andaz West Hollywood hotel. VIP tickets for the event are $100.

Get your taste buds ready, the third annual Taste TV Los Angeles Luxury Chocolate Salon will be held on October 11th 2009, 11am-5pm at the Pasadena Center. It's even bigger this year, with over 16,000 square feet, over twice as much room as last year. Participants include over over 35 chocolatiers, confectioners, wineries and other culinary artisans, such as: Choclatique, Happy Chocolates, Rushburn Toffee Co., The Tea Room chocolate, Quady Winery, Chocolatl, Alter Eco Fair Trade Chocolate, Helen Grace Chocolates, Mignon Chocolate, TCHO, Amano Artisan Chocolate, Plush Puff Gourmet Marshmallows, Sweet Beauty Organic Chocolate Spa and many more. In addition to the delicious sampling opportunities there will also be demonstrations, chef and author talks, wine tasting and a chocolate chef competition. Tickets are $20 in advance or $25 at the door.

These days museums are struggling harder than ever to make ends meet and one way to host weddings and other events. The Independence Seaport Museum in Philadelphia takes this to a new level. The museum had a $100,000 makeover and has a designated website, Events at ISM, that includes information on the variety of spaces available including not just the galleries but a theater that seats 63, a 530-seat auditorium and outdoor space that includes a 3,000-square-foot amphitheater patio. The museum has partnerships with a variety of vendors for offering related services.

In profiling the changes, the Philadelphia Inquirer quotes museum president Lori Dillard Rech who said she wants the museum to "become the top-rated and top-used, unique rental space in the city." The Seaport Museum courted meeting planners, wedding consultants and other party professionals at a gala to show off the renovated spaces.

The museum's move to brand itself as an events venue may also be a way to distance itself from past scandal. A couple of years ago former the former museum president, John S. Carter, pleaded guilty to charges of fraud and tax evasion, accused of appropriating more than $1 million in funds from the museum and is currently serving a 15-year prison term.

Wine, food and beautiful surroundings are the lures of the Taste Of The Beach Florida event. The four-day culinary and cultural celebration runs from November 5-8, 2009 on Northwest Florida's Gulf Coast and benefits children's charities. The festival is comprised of seven events ranging from wine tastings and film screenings to winemaker dinners and a charity auction all taking place in an area full of white sand beaches, boutiques and golf courses and other temptations. This stretch of Florida includes Escambia, Destin, Panama City Beach and many other towns an area that is often too warm in the summer months but very pleasant in the fall.

This year's events includes: Taste of The Harbor, Taste of Bay Wine & Food Experience, Al Fresco Reserve Tasting at Ruskin Place, Telluride MountainFilm on Tour, Seeing Red Wine Festival, a series of wine maker dinners at area restaurants, and the Taste of The Beach & Charity Auction. Various events range from $35 to $145. Tickets are available at the Taste of the Beach website.

Winemakers often bring their bottles to wine tasting events introducing people to their brands but for craft distillers the opportunities to dazzle are fewer. But distillers are in the spotlight at the Distillers Festival to be held October 24 and 25 in Portland, Oregon. The festival brings together over 70 artisan distillers from across the country for tastings of the best vodkas, rums, whiskies, brandies and more esoteric spirits. The event takes place at the Bossanova Ballroom and will include cocktail and food pairings, educational seminars and a mixology contest. A $10 one-day pass gets you three taster tickets.

An Italian style summer feast is scheduled for this Saturday, July 25, in the Napa Valley town of St. Helena. The 15th Annual Festa Italiana at V. Sattui Winery is a celebration which began as a thank-you event for the winery's customers and has evolved into an evening of fine wine, fine food and general merriment. The event is held in the winery's Oak Grove and will feature music by Italica, a group of Bay Area Italian musicians. The ample menu includes antipasti, roasted wild boar, grilled tri-tip, fresh salmon, pastas, salads, tiramisu and biscotti. Angelo Ibleto from Angelo's Smokehouse in Petaluma is roasting a wild boar which he will parade through the event before serving it. He is also making sausages and grilling the tri-tip for the occasion.

And of course there will be plenty of V. Sattui wine on hand. The event will mark the premier of the 2007 Gilsson Vineyard Zinfandel. This is the first time that winemaker Brooks Painter has made this wine from this vineyard in the Russian River appellation. The wine is a bold, fruit-forward Zin, with abundant berry and spice aromas, perfect for pairing with the grilled meats being served at the Festa. Tickets are $75 per person for the public and $65 per person for members of Sattui's Cellar Club. More info available on the V. Sattui website.

To look at this small Manhattan eatery, you'd never make the connection. Tucked in the atrium of the IBM building on the corner of Madison Avenue and E 56th Street, Obika seems like just another dine-and-dash joint to service the suited masses within a three-block radius. To judge this shop on a glance alone, however, would be a grievous error. In reality, its clientele consists of a mix of ardent regulars and tourists (mostly from Europe) who are committed to the magic made at this mozzarella bar. The customers' zeal was evident by their presence alone on May 21, 2009, when Obika catered the latest De La Concha cigar dinner.

Anthony Fauci, a partner in the restaurant, represented Obika at the cigar event, held in the store where he and his brother, James, have been regulars for as long as anyone can remember. In a new twist on what has become a regular occurrence for the Manhattan tobacconist, Obika provided a mozzarella and pasta tasting menu designed to complement the Camacho cigars featured.

The event was standing room only, as Obika took over the shop – lining the counters for food preparation and consumption. Instead of opting for traditional sit-down meals, store general manager Ron Melendi opted for a more fluid approach, in which guests could stand, sit at a boardroom style table at the front of the store or eat on available counters.

Coming up Saturday, May 16th, is the Madison Avenue Gallery Walk. From 11 am to 6 pm, approximately 50 galleries on Madison Avenue between 57th and 86th Street will open their doors to raise funds for arts education in New York City public schools.

The sprawling, day-long event will include free guided gallery tours conducted New York City public school art teachers, and a silent auction of notable works donated by participating galleries.

Pictured is the Whitney Museum where, if you complete a family-friendly scavenger hunt, you can get 2 for 1 admission.

The Madison Avenue Gallery Walk is sponsored by HSBC Bank USA, N.A. and New York magazine, and benefits the Fund for Public Schools.

We headed over to Dylan's Candy Bar to check out what's new and what's hot for Valentine's Day and found a ton of amazing goodies - edible and otherwise!

There's more at Dylan's Candy Bar (the upscale candy store and lifestyle brand created by Dylan Lauren, a.k.a. Ralph Lauren's daughter) than just sweeties for your Valentine's Day sweetie. We found a great line of canvas bags, the most adorable little raincoat, scented reeds, jewelry, and a gym bag we very nearly stole (at right - that's me in my "going to the gym" pose. I don't know why it's like that.). We liked the bright yellow towel in there, too!

So have a look through our gallery and see which treats spark your fancies. There's a lot of see at Dylan's Candy Bar!

Those images they publish of motorcycles are so shiny and perfect. Here's a look at the way the bikes really appear in person (shiny and perfect).

These photos were taken at the Ducati New Year event on January 15, 2009. The event included a fashion show, boxing, and the unveiling of the new Ducati Streetfighter (pictured here on the loading dock before the show)!

For a closer look at the Streetfighter and a whole bunch of other great Ducati bikes, have a pass through this gallery:

Perhaps we should say "The Wild West Meets the Eastern Seaboard." The Whitaker August Auction House in New Hope, Pennsylvania (it is also possible to participate online) regularly features couture and vintage clothing, western wear and "cowboy collectibles," and Asian, Bolivian, and Native American textiles and art.

Their upcoming event, taking place October 24th and 25th, will feature pieces from the Cleveland Museum of Art, NYC Costume Study Collection, and Mia Farrow's very own closet. See the gallery below for some of the items that will be auctioned.

I've been to plenty of wine pairing dinners but what about a dinner based around vodka. The Zyr Vodka Maker dinner at WIld Thyme in Southampton, NY on May 16 offers an entire meal that uses the vodka infused with a variety of flavors. It starts with hors d'oeuvres paired with a classic martini; followed by a martini of scallop ceviche paired with cilantro and jalapeno infused Zyr; curry seared Ahi tuna with a cucumber peanut relish with is paired with a peanut infused Zyr; American red snapper with white asparagus spears, brown butter and pistachio paired with Zyr infused with lemon zest; seared duck breast and foie gras with peppered melon and black olive vanilla sauce paired with an aged infusion of cantaloupe and pepper Zyr martini; a sorbet of wildflower blossoms; and finishes with a caramelized banana and chocolate spring roll with roasted almond ice cream paired with something they call a banana transfusion, a puree of banana blended Zyr digestif. This unique meal costs $85 and the phone number for Wild Thyme is 631-204-0007.

Imagine having the crown shown above placed on your head. You can't do that but you can get a rare glimpse at the ornate creation. The crown is part of the Czech crown jewels currently on display at Prague castle. The gold crown is studded with 96 precious stones including rubies and sapphires. The AFP reports that it was first worn by the Holy Roman emperor and king of Bohemia, Charles IV of Luxembourg, for his Prague coronation in 1347. The crown is being shown along the the scepter, imperial orb and other priceless objects. Czechs and foreign visitors have only been allowed to view the jewels nine times in the last century. This time it is to commemorate the 15th anniversary of the founding of the Czech Republic, the 90th anniversary of the foundation of Czechoslovakia and the re-election of President Vaclav Klaus and the object will be display for 11 days.

Tables of Ten:Dining for a Cause is a unique fundraiser held by the Avenues of Art & Design and Pacific Design Center in West Hollywood, CA on May 30. Designers, showrooms, restaurateurs and chefs set up tables on the outdoor plaza of the Pacific Design Center. Each chef creates unique cuisine for one table and each table is outfitted in extravagant design from distinguished designers and showrooms. This year's chefs include: Ben Ford of Ford's Filling Station, David Schanhals from The Palm West Hollywood, Javier Plascencia of Romesco, Yoshinura Kojima and Wolfgang Puck from Red Seven by Wolfgang Puck, Michael Bryant, David LeFevre of Water Grill, Kerry Simon from Simon L.A., Evan Kleiman with Café Angeli, Crustacean Beverly Hills, and Antonia Lofaso of SBE's Foxtail (and contestant on BRAVO TV's hit show "Top Chef"). Designers for the tables include Willard Ford of Ford/Brady, Leslie Frankenheimer for Architectural Digest, FIDM: Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising, Hutton Wilkinson for Baker Furniture, Daniel Vandenbark for Dezine, Inc., Brooke Ziccardi, Michael Berman, Tracy Murdock, Karen Brady for RL Homes, and Inner-City Arts, featuring tables decorated by the children. Proceeds from Tables of Ten will benefit Inner-City Arts and kicks off the Avenues of Art & Design's 11th Annual Art & Design Walk. on May 31. The Art and Design Walk is a free event from 4 PM to 8 PM along West Hollywood's Melrose Avenue, Robertson and Beverly Boulevards. Over 300 fashion boutiques, design/furniture showrooms, fine art/antique galleries and restaurants will open their doors to guests offering special reception, food and entertainment.