Let’s just say it’s unlikely Ron Howard will be attending any more of Graydon Carter’s parties. At least not when boats are involved.
Here’s what happened, according to sources who would know. On May 18, during the Cannes Film Festival, the former Vanity Fair editor and world-renowned party-giver persuaded the Oscar-winning director to attend a luncheon he was co-hosting aboard a yacht called the Renaissance. But when Howard arrived at the 367-foot luxury vessel, he was surprised to
discover that the lunch appeared to be an unofficial, unsanctioned publicity event, complete with photographers, for his upcoming film Avedon, a documentary about famed shutterbug Richard Avedon.
Since Carter had nothing to do with the film, it struck Howard as odd. All the more so considering Avedon already had its official event, sponsored by Vanity Fair, a day earlier.
“Ron was surprised,” a source tells Rambling. “And annoyed.”
One potential explanation for the ersatz publicity event: Carter’s co-host was Alexander Klabin, the New York-based investor who happens to have a stake in Burgess, a chartered yacht company with a fleet of over 1,000, including the Renaissance. What better way to drum up business for your boats than having a bunch of stars — along with Howard, attendees included Natasha Lyonne, Rosemarie DeWitt and model Eddie Mitsou — photographed on one of them?
Less clear, though, is why Carter would deploy his still formidable star-wrangling abilities to promote a movie he had nothing to do with — aside from maybe upstaging the Avedon party thrown by his former magazine the day before.
“Ron and his team had a wonderful time,” is about all Carter will say of his party, disputing that there was anything odd about it at all. “It was in honor of him and his documentary. And it just happened to take place on a boat. I really don’t know what else to say.”
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Meet Hollywood’s other Jeffrey Epsteins; From pro-wrestler Danhasen to LiB to Azealia Banks, a slew of stars are casting spells.
This story appeared in the June 3 issue of The Hollywood Reporter magazine. Click here to subscribe.
