My business partner Cynthia Wilson and I recently launched a new version of Evolution Look Online. We designed the site so that creative types have a place to share experiences, network with each other, show their work and get advice on upcoming projects.

You all know that for the past four years, I’ve been working to support children in the foster program of DC Child and Family Services. Well now, my dear friend Stacie Scott Turner is taking her passion for foster youth further by launching a new initiative that will take 15 foster girls to Africa to witness The World Cup in June 2010.

XOL will host their kick off luncheon this Friday at The W Hotel. The events co-chairs are BET’s CEO, Debra L. Lee and Soap Opera legend and Foster Activist Victoria Rowell! If you’d like to be a part of this fabulous event and find out how you can make a difference in the life of a child, please go to www.extra-ordinarylife.org.

Extra-Ordinary Life is the realization of a dream by Founder, Stacie Scott Turner. Placed in foster care as a baby and subsequently adopted by a loving family, Stacie launched XOL to provide hope and opportunity to foster girls that have not yet been blessed with a permanent home and family.

Extra-Ordinary Life operates as a program within the PURSUIT OF DREAMS FOUNDATION (POD), an established 501(c)3 that provides intervention resources, guidance and motivation to youth and athletes. Pursuit of Dreams was founded in 2004 by Beverly Kearney; the legendary University of Texas Track and Cross Country coach who is a living example that greatness is possible despite extreme obstacles.

The XOL program is a natural extension of the work of the Pursuit of Dreams Foundation—as both seek to inspire youth to dream big and achieve. Beverly Kearney has a passion and gift for coaching and mentoring youth to achieve greatness—and will be an inspiration to our girls.  

It’s 2010. We can all move forward together. There’s no need to leave any child behind. Please log on to www.extra-ordinarylife.org today and join this wonderful cause.

Paul Wharton xx 

Things are getting really hot in here, too hot if you ask me. You’ve all heard about the issues my friends, Tareq and Michaele Salahi are facing surrounding their recent “appearance” at The White House State Dinner. Although much of the story hasn’t come to light, the facts are, they attended the event and took pictures taken with some of the most powerful political figures in the world. (From the set of “Where the Elite Meet on WDCW-TV, host Paul Wharton with Tareq and Michaele Salahi)

In every situation there’s two sides to the story and the truth lies somewhere in the middle. I don’t know exactly what happened but I do know that Michaele and Tareq are not a threat to National Security. They might be guilty of a horrific social blunder and social climbing at the highest level possible but they are basically good people that mean well.

Something tells me if I showed up at The White House unannounced, I would not have been waved through the gates with no prior clearance. I mean really… Can you imagine, my most slim fitting tuxedo, big Dior shades and my hair freshly blown out! Nope, wouldn’t happen. Someone had to be expect them, don’t you think?

My goodness I’m happy this wasn’t me. I understand proper protocol but I can understand the allure of being invited (in any capacity) to the White House. Most of us would’ve been standing up there with Joe Biden grinning and snapping as many shots as we could.

To be continued… What are your thoughts?

Paul Wharton xx

I recently attended the annual Knock Out Abuse Fundraiser that helps fight domestic violence. This is one of the most exclusive events of the year (this year it was chaired by top Fed-Ex lobbyist Gina Adams) and I’m happy to be able to take part in such a fabulous and important evening. My dear friend Charrisse Jordan invited me to be her “date” (and I say “date” because her husband is Eddie Jordan, Head Coach of the Philidelphia 76′ers). There were rumors that Eric Benet was going to perform but that never happened. Our celebrity speaker was none other than Ms. Robin Givens. Her speach was heart-felt and engaging, you go girl! I was introduced to Robin by Zina Garrison, the superstar tennis-pro that also lives in the DC area. Hey Zina!!

After the event, Robin Givens and I hung out in the Ritz Carlton bar and talked about life, her experience with domestic abuse, living in NYC and Florida, her two wonderful kids and her plans to get back to down to DC soon. It occurred to me days later that instead of focusing on why we were all supporting Knock Out, several people complained about the lack of celebrity musical entertainment. Hmmmm, I’m torn here people. I understand the ticket prices were expensive (in the $500-750 range) but I don’t want to loose sight of why we’ve all been supporting Cheryl Masri and Jill Sorenson’s cause for all these years.

Knock Out Abuse Against Women is a Washington, D.C. based organization that for the past 16 years has promoted awareness and raised money to combat domestic abuse. Since 1993, Knock-Out Abuse Against Women has raised more than 5 million dollars to aid victims of domestic violence through supporting shelters for women and children whose lives have been shattered by abuse, poverty and homelessness.

With all of this fabulous partying in DC, it’s easy to loose sight of the purpose. Who says you can’t have a great time and make a difference in the lives of women and children that are in need of a helping hand.

Cheers,

Paul Wharton

At around noon on Thursday I headed over to The Ritz Carlton Georgetown to meet my friend Carol Joynt at her Q & A Cafe with Simon van Kempen of The Real Housewives of New York.

(Photo: Mary Amons, Paul Wharton, Simon van Kempen)

 I invited my friends Mary and Rich Amons to join Simon and I for a lovely lunch with Simon after his interview with Carol. He’s actuallly a very pleasant, funny and interesting guy that I enjoyed spending the afternoon with. We talked about Alex, the kids, his co-starts in New York, my best Brooklyn friend (and his borough neighbor) Rosie Perez and lots of other interesting topics that I’ll fill you all in on at a later date! After a bottle of wine and a bottle of champagne, we were fast friends!

I’m looking forward to lots of fabulous adventures with the van Kempen’s in the future :-).

Cheers,

Paul Wharton xx

Ok people, I have some exciting news for you! I had a personal meeting with the head man in charge at The North Pole yesterday. That’s right, Santa Claus himself. I told him that a lot of us have been good little boys and girls this year but what if (just for conversation sake) some of “us” had been a little bad :-)… With only about 6 weeks until Christmas, is there hope to get back on his good (gifting) side? To my relief, Santa said, “Ho, ho, ho, oh Paul, there’s good in all people, it’s never too late to get on Santa’s good side”! Not that this has anything to do with me but I wanted to ask for all of you (heheee).

Thanks to my friends at Macy’s, I had the honor of spending my morning with the official Macy’s Santa and Mrs. Claus. We unveiled the opening of “Holiday’s on Display”, a holiday spirit filled exhibit at The Smithsonian National Museum about famous holiday displays (windows) seen around the world. I chatted with the Museum’s Curator and Author of Holiday’s on Display William L. Byrd about his new book and all of his magical holiday memories that inspired him to write this book. Check out the interview in the holiday section of my Paul Wharton’s TrenDC blog.

So write, email, bbm and instant message Santa your lists right away! He is alive and well!!

Paul Wharton xx

I recently attended a book launch for my friend Leslie Sanchez of CNN. Our host Don Patron did an amazing job making his home feel warm, welcoming and gorgeous for all. Leslie Sanchez is taking the assumptions and myths about women in politics and turning them on their heads. YOU’VE COME A LONG WAY, MAYBE (Palgrave Macmillan; October 2009) tackles hard-hitting questions like: Can women handle the stress and confrontation of life in the political limelight? Why are women judged in terms of factors like fashion and approachability? How did the media manage to boil down three complex women into the ditz, the bitch, and the darling of Election ‘08? D.C.-based Leslie Sanchez lives in the hotbed of high level politics, and can answer these questions with unparalleled authority, experience, sass, and candor.

Election ‘08 was a nonstop whirlwind that seemed to finally propel the modern political campaign into the 21st century. New media and the age of instant news led the way. Young voters seemed finally energized. And most importantly the roles not only of race, but of gender, seemed utterly redefined. At the heart of the tumult were three women who were equally captivating in very different ways: Sarah Palin, Hillary Clinton, and Michelle Obama. These women continue to hold a prominent place in the news, whether via media obsession with First Lady Michelle Obama’s every well-heeled move, speculation over Sarah Palin’s decision to step down from the governorship, or Hillary Clinton’s oft-analyzed moves as Secretary of State. But is all that attention good or bad? As a Republican strategist, popular pundit, and frequent columnist, Sanchez spent the 2008 presidential election as part of CNN’s award-winning team analyzing what it meant for all Americans, and what it meant for women specifically. YOU’VE COME A LONG WAY, MAYBE not only takes a hard look at the skewed media coverage and public scrutiny that these women have undergone during their journey in a male-dominated arena, but Sanchez further examines voting patterns, social networking trends, and the media cycle to reveal what the groundbreaking election of 2008 says about how women treat each other on the political battlefield and how that impacts the future of women in politics.

Way to go Leslie!!

xx

Paul Wharton

It’s that time of year again. I’m sure you all remember the fabulous holiday television special I hosted last year on DC 50, The Metropolitan Cooking and Entertaining Show. Well, that same convention came back to DC this past weekend. My Mother, Cynthia, Chase and several thousand Washingtonians flocked to the Washington Convention Center to watch The Neeley’s prepare a fun filled meal and my dear friend Paula Deen spread the love and the butter on a fantastic piece of poultry!

Paula’s latest project isn’t even hers at all, her husband Michael is the author of a brand new book that Paula is quite proud of; “My Delicious Life with Paula Deen”. In it, Michael shares his thoughts and feelings on finding the love of his life, his career as a Shrimp Boat Captain and what it’s like sit down to some of the most fantastic meals on the planet, every night. I love a good love story! Paula and I picked right back up where we left off. As soon as she saw me, we were arm and arm just like old times! I adore Paula Deen and the person she is. She’s kind, loving and real. It’s not all sugar coated foolishness, Paula has given me some serious tough love business advice. “You have to make money while you’re sleeping Paul”… She believes in me and it feels so wonderful.

Spending time with Paula always marks the beginning of my holiday season. I’m so happy to be here, in DC, with all of you! Stay tuned for more Paul and Paula adventures in early 2010!

All my love!

Paul Wharton xx

Hello Gorgeous! I know it’s been a few days but hey, it is the summer time! I had an amazing week. We had a few cool events in DC including the opening of the uber-fabulous W Hotel. The rooftop terrace is the most sought after place to be (next to the rooftop of The Donovan House Hotel)… It was a who’s who of DC’s most fabulous power players. We raised our glasses of Veuve Cliquot and pointed them in the direction of The White House (which is just about a block away). It’s times like this that you realize how lucky you are to be a Washingtonian. We were literallly in ear shot of the White House, wow amazing!

A quick shout out to Michelle Fenty, my new favorite girlfriend in the city. I love, love, love Michelle and all the work that she’s doing in the city. I enjoy her very much and look forward to years of fabulous friendship. Oh yes, and here’s to a very cool Mayor as well. I’m happy to know you both.

Fantasia Barrino of American Idol fame is here for a few more days performing in The Color Purple at The Kennedy Center, big kiss to you Fantasia, you’re very sweet and you work very hard.

My business partner Dr. Wanda Dyson and I launched our new line of medical grade skincare products CFL Faces, on the beautiful rooftop terrace of The Donovan House Hotel. It was fabulous. Thank you to my friends Lavar and Trish Arrington, Omarosa, Marcia Dyson, Donnell Kearney, Joelle Myers, Natasha Bobo, Charles Rockefeller, Erika Gutierrez, Nicole Venable, my publicist Charlotte Reid and Nancy, my Mommy, Pat Hawkins, Aidah Fontenot and all of the many other people that made the event a total success. For more info on my new line of products check out www.cflwellness.com.

Have you all voted for your favorite DC Top Model? If not, be sure to go to www.dc50tv.com and vote today!

All my love,

Paul Wharton xx

Top Models are either born or voted for! Check out our portfolio of fabulous Top Model contestants on the homepage of www.dc50tv.com. Vote for your favorite and she could be on DC 50 TV! For more model info, check out www.evolutionlook.com. I have a fabulous DVD entitled “How Models are Made” that can help you break into the business!!

All my best,

Paul Wharton