You might not have realized it Sunday night, but there was a strong Houston connection for one of the winners at the Academy Awards. Ryan A. Brooks, who grew up in Houston and graduated from the University of Texas, co-produced Inocente, which took the Oscar for Best Documentary Short Subject.
He was joined in the limelight by his co-producer, Amarillo native and UT grad Jessica Latham.
A Houston baseball star as a kid, playing on the U.S. National Baseball Team at age 13 and helping lead the Longhorns to the college World Series in 2000, he is founder and president of Gold Glove Productions, a Los Angeles-based film production company. He has produced a number of award-winning films including Slam Planet and Harvest of Redemption.
Dressing for the Oscars
While most eyes were on the red carpet at the Dolby Theatre on Sunday night, there were off-site parties where the glamor quotient soared off the charts and H-Town's Diane Lokey Farb contributed mightily to the dazzle.
She wore Oscar de la Renta gowns for two nights of partying that included a Chopard dinner at Soho House as the guest of Chopard co-president and owner Caroline Scheufele, Harvey Weinstein's pre-Oscar party and Elton John's AIDS Foundation Academy awards viewing party.
The fashion maven is still flush from all the heady hobnobbing that included Jennifer Lawrence, Leonardo DiCaprio, Bradley Cooper, Hamish Bowles, Ben Bourgeois, Jamie Foxx and more.
Artful experience
It was standing room only at DiverseWorks Wednesday night when the alternative art space hosted its first Diverse Discourse lecture, which headlined Naomi Beckwith, the Marilyn and Larry Field's curator at the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago.
Turning out for the lecture were guests included MFAH director Gary Tinterow, CAMH director Bill Arning, Heidi Gerger, William Goldberg, Shannon Buggs, Jason Fuller, Valerie Cassel Oliver, Kellye Sanford and Fritz Lanham and Kerry Inman.
The free public lecture was followed by an invitation-only dinner at the home of Victoria and Marshal Lightman.
Baby love, my baby love
Diana Ross fans, save the date! The diva wings her way to H-Town on Nov. 2 as headliner of the 17th annual Houston Children's Charity annual gala, and getting that signature on the bottom line has HCC executive director Laura Ward over the moon.
Add gala chairs Penny and Paul Loyd Jr. to those who are counting the days until the curtain goes up at the Hyatt Regency Downtown. Joining the team are Andrew Cordes and Brian H. Teichman, who will serve as auction chairs.
Stepping into the spotlight as gala honorees are Leticia and Steve Trauber.
Birthdaying at B-19
Houston and Austin friends helped Susanne Dawley Byram blow out a significant number of birthday candles at Brasserie-19 earlier this week as Diane Lokey Farb, Janet Gurwitch, Linda Schmuck and Becky Zimmerman oversaw all the arrangements.
Some 30 gal pals joined forces in celebrating the birthday girl who has recently returned to Houston after living in Austin for a number of years. Joining the party as a surprise were Susanne's two daughters — Dominique Dawley, a student at St. Edward's University, and Danielle Dawley, a singer and photographer living in New York.
The party crowd included Patsy Fourticq, Karen Mayell, Donna Vallone, Frann Lichtenstein, Fredell Deutser, Susan Smith and friends from Austin.
Former Houstonian Ryan A. Brooks took home an Oscar for producing Inocente, Best Documentary Short Subject.
