Proper Affair: The Addison, Boca Raton – April 16
Boston Proper and the Achievement Centers for Children & Families united in April to host the seventh annual Proper Affair to benefit low-income children and families in our community. The event featured fabulous food, cocktails, silent auction, raffles, and the much anticipated runway show. LEFT: One of the Boston Proper models shows clothing from the Boston Proper spring line.
BELOW: Spectators enjoy the fashion show and festivities. Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star
By Thom Smith
He may be 6-foot-3 and turning 40 in August, but Nick Loeb still seems to be the little boy lost. He first attracted attention in the Palm Beaches in 2005 when he ran unsuccessfully for Delray Beach City Commission and has been popping in and out of the news like a Whack-a-Mole ever since.
Nick Loeb and Sofia Vergara before they broke off their engagement last year. Photo provided
In recent times, he’s made news for his lengthy (by Hollywood standards) fling with actress Sofia Vergara. They met in 2010, broke it off in 2012, announced their engagement two months later and broke it off — reportedly for good — last May.
But Loeb, always alert for opportunity, never sits still for long.
Nick was born with a diamond-studded gold spoon in his mouth. His father, John Loeb Jr., has been described as a businessman, philanthropist, art collector, vineyard owner, publisher, lecturer, onetime aspiring sculptor and ladies’ man. Nick lived in Denmark for three years when his father was Ronald Reagan’s ambassador. His mother was Danish but he hardly knew her: His parents divorced when he was a year old. He went to the elite Loomis-Chaffee School in New York, but instead of going Ivy League he took a finance degree at Tulane.
While Nick was at college, his mother married Jeffrey Bauer, a New Jersey newspaper publisher. In 1996, she went to Bauer’s office in New Jersey, dispatched him with three slugs from a .357 magnum and then turned the gun on herself.
Nick’s uncle is Edgar Bronfman, who ran Seagram’s and Universal Studios. After graduation from Tulane, Nick headed west, interning at Universal. He worked as a production assistant on Mike Nichols’ political blockbuster Primary Colors and was given a few lines as a waiter so he could earn a Screen Actors Guild card. He appeared in one barely seen flick, The Smokers, but soon realized the money was elsewhere.
His father has owned condos on Flagler Drive in West Palm Beach since 1978, so in 2003 Nick headed east, landing in Delray Beach. Two years later, he invested in real estate, married Swedish store manager Anna Pettersson, and moved into a big house on Lake Ida listed in his father’s name. And he set a new goal: a seat on the Delray Beach City Commission.
He raised a record amount of money for a local campaign, much from supporters in California and New York, and hired one of the top campaign management teams in Florida. Opponents accused him of carpetbagging. Loeb lost to longtime Delray Beach resident Fred Fetzer by 104 votes.
Loeb lay low for more than a year. He and Pettersson were among several co-chairs for a veterans support fundraiser in November 2006. He raised money for another City Commission campaign in 2007 but didn’t run, then sought an appointment from Gov. Charlie Crist for an open School Board seat. Another opportunity presented itself in 2009 when Loeb considered running for the Florida Senate seat of Jeff Atwater, who had decided to run for chief financial officer.
But in late August, Pettersson was cited for DUI in Boca. Six weeks later, Loeb pulled out of the race and, to clear his head, once again headed west.
Early in 2010, in the restaurant in L.A.’s Sunset Tower, he met Vergara. Six months later, as he recuperated from a car crash that broke his pelvis, she took care of him.
Meanwhile, back in Palm Beach County, Nick and Anna were divorced. Thanks to a prenup, she got $15,000 and Santorini, a Labrador retriever.
In 2011, Nick launched Crunchy Condiments, a crispy fried onion-based topping for burgers and dogs. He entertained a U.S. Senate run in 2012, but then put politics on a back burner as he and Vergara announced their engagement. He sat at the Modern Family table at the 2013 Emmy Awards and they hugged joyously as the cast rose to accept the show’s best comedy award. All seemed well with the world.
A few months later, in February 2014, Vergara was invited to the White House Correspondents’ Dinner. Lots of big pols, lots of stars. For Loeb, it marked an end and a beginning: Vergara met Joe Manganiello, the Pittsburgh-born jock turned actor; he met Chris Christie, the governor of New Jersey.
Last winter the actress announced that she and Manganiello, who’s two inches taller than Loeb, were engaged. In February, the New York Post’s Page Six gossip column reported that Loeb had signed on as “honorary chairman” for Leadership Matters for America, a new political action committee headed by Christie. Subsequent reports, however, listed Christie as the honorary chairman and “New York investor” Loeb as a contributor.
Loeb said he changed his mind about politics after meeting the governor and would “work to bring awareness of and raise money” for Christie, noting, “He’s a normal guy who you can have a beer with.”
(Incidentally, among others helping Christie raise money is Linda McMahon, a major GOP player who co-hosted a fundraiser for the PAC in Connecticut. She and husband Vince McMahon, of pro wrestling infamy, own a beachfront penthouse in Boca.)
As for Loeb, is he really over Vergara? Back in their huggy-kissy days (November 2013), the couple created two frozen embryos. Loeb has filed suit to prevent her from ever destroying them. The Colombian actress countered that she would never destroy them because the act might alienate many in her fan base who believe life begins at conception.
Stay tuned.
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Jim Kelly speaks at the Inspiration Breakfast for the YMCA. Photo provided
At 55, Jim Kelly looks as if he could still zip a pass to Andre Reed for another one of their 65 touchdowns. He’s trim, just under 200 pounds. That’s 20 under his playing weight, more than 60 under his retirement weight. A ramrod straight 6 foot 3 inches, he still cuts an imposing image. He can joke about losing four consecutive Super Bowls, because they are inconsequential when compared with his other challenges.
In 2005 he buried his son, Hunter, 8 years old, a victim of Krabbe disease, a nervous system disorder. Two years ago, doctors began a battle against an aggressive squamous cell cancer by removing much of Kelly’s jaw and most of his teeth. They thought he was clear, but several months later it was back. The fight resumed, with 35 radiation sessions and three chemotherapy treatments. He’s been cancer-free since last spring, but the feeding tube into his stomach didn’t come out until last November.
When he finally left the hospital in Buffalo, two dozen doctors, nurses and family members lined the walkway, all in No. 12 or “Kelly Tough” T-shirts, waiting for high-fives from their hero.
The scene was similar March 24 at the annual Inspiration Breakfast for the YMCA of South Palm Beach County at Office Depot’s headquarters on Military Trail.
“I smile because I’m here. It’s better to be seen than to be viewed,” Kelly said, and in closing challenged the more than 500 guests to “make sure when you leave today to make a difference in someone’s life.”
Kelly is adjusting to the prosthetic jaw and dental implants, but the absence of saliva glands requires that he take frequent sips of water. The guests had no trouble understanding, and afterward they jammed the hallway for nearly an hour as he signed autographs.
Special guests included Howard Schnellenberger, former FAU head coach and Miami Dolphins assistant among many jobs, but best known to Kelly as the man who persuaded him to play at the University of Miami. The good-natured barbs flying in both directions helped the Y raise $103,000.
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Hendrick’s Gin has launched the world’s first and only Flying Cucumber. Photo provided
It’s a bird. ... It’s a plane. ... It’s a flying cucumber! Move aside, Goodyear Blimp. There’s a new dirigible headed this way. Hendrick’s Gin has launched Hendrick’s Air (HendricksAir.com), the world’s first and only Flying Cucumber. The big balloon debuted in LA in April and is making its way to its home at the Lantana Airport by May 28. The 130-foot-long, 44-foot-tall Flying Cucumber is adorned with a giant “eye in the sky,” exuding whimsy and a dashing sense of purpose.
Jim Ryan, Hendrick’s brand ambassador, says the company “has been continually surprised by the odd popularity of our unusual cucumber-infused gin, so taking on the challenge of air travel seemed like the next logical step.” That’s one way to look at it.
Engineered to follow a slow and low flight pattern, the Cucumber maintains a civilized speed of 35 mph. The sub-1000-foot cruising altitude allows for “an invigorating view of the marvels below,” Ryan says, for those lucky enough to climb aboard.
Rides aren’t open to the public. However, the blimp will be visible from almost anywhere here, especially the beaches between noon and 4 p.m. daily. There will be a viewing party from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Hudson Delray (900 E. Atlantic Ave.) on May 29.
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Alexis Roderick and Billy Joel
Billy Joel, a new Manalapan property owner — $40 million for three parcels — may use some space for a playground.
The singer, 65, and girlfriend Alexis Roderick, 34 this month, are expecting this summer.
Joel, however, wouldn’t be the first with a playground. You can’t see it from the street, but what is likely the most elaborate private kids playground this side of Michael Jackson’s Wonderland is just down A1A in Ocean Ridge. It takes up the side yard of Al and Nancy Malnik’s beachfront estate at the east end of Ocean Boulevard. Al Malnik, a lawyer, entrepreneur and philanthropist, had it built a decade ago for his infant triplets, Spencer, Jarod and Nathan. Since then Nancy has given birth to Jesse, 5, and twins Noah and Sterling, 4.
By the way, Al, who is 83, had hosted Jackson at the estate several times while offering financial and legal advice.
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When Russ Hibbard closed his Bamboo Room blues bar, he said he hoped it wouldn’t be permanent. A year later, the pickin’s look good for a comeback, just not with Hibbard.
The local businessman, who launched the club just off Lake Worth’s main drag in 1999, had made it clear he was cutting loose so he and his wife would have the freedom to enjoy their retirement. But he made it clear he intended to sell the building to someone who would keep the music that was performed by local and regional acts as well as John Sebastian, Bo Diddley, Jorma Kaukonen, Big Bill Morganfield, Al Kooper, Marcia Ball and Levon Helm. A year and several rumors later, he may have his wish.
On March 6, the name of Ryan Mueller, a Delray Beach real estate investor, appeared in state corporate records as the registered agent for Bamboo LW LLC. Mueller runs RJM Real Estate. The deal is for a reputed price just under $1 million, and the new owners have pledged to bring back the live jazz, folk, rock and, of course, blues.
“We hope to be ready this fall, and we want to keep the same feel as before,” Mueller said. “We’re already looking for someone to come in and run it full time.
“There’s a lot of things going on in Lake Worth. It’s different from Delray, but a lot of money is being spent and a lot of good things are happening.”
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For term-limited Boca Raton City Council member Constance Scott, it’s back to school, and no doubt she’ll have to be a quick study. Scott has accepted an appointment as director of local relations for FAU. Her job is to develop sound relations with the cities and communities around the university’s campuses.
Scott was graduated from the University of Michigan but has lived in Boca most of her life. She remembers attending the campus’ dedication by President Lyndon Johnson in 1964.
Things were a little different back then. FAU opened as a high-tech, upper division school — no freshmen or sophomores. It ultimately became a full-fledged university, but the original futuristic concepts that included direct electronic access to recorded documents and classroom lectures from dorm rooms was never realized — budget cuts by the Legislature. It continues to excel despite politics.
Scott’s successor on the City Council is Jeremy Rodgers, 36, who first came to the city as a student at FAU while working for IBM. A Brooklyn-born army brat, Rodgers still works for IBM as a computer security engineer. Rodgers’ wife, Mandy, holds a master’s degree from FAU. They have three kids, ages 6, 4 and 2. Rodgers also serves in the Naval Reserve as a warfare information officer. That could be a plus in his new job.
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Delray’s popular On the Ave series of free evening concerts is usually held in the hustling and bustling downtown. But for a month, beginning May 7, the party moves west, to the Southwest 5th Plaza Stage for four Thursday shows plus special activities, a kid’s corner and food tents. The move, says Stephanie Immelman, executive director of the Delray Beach Marketing Cooperative, provides some traffic relief downtown while affording the opportunity to check out such attractions as Vintage Tap and the new Fairfield Inn.
Classic hip-hop group Plaid Blazer plays May 7, with a special performance by members of the 7 Cyphers hip-hop program at Milagro Teen Center. R&B and dance fill the bill May 14 with Pocket Change plus a meet and greet with former NBA stars Otis Birdsong and Micheal Ray Richardson.
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Will Diane Cestari, DeAnne Friedberg and Barry Roberts of Boca Raton, Roman DeSilvio of Delray Beach or “A” Marchese of Boynton Beach be Tri-Rail’s next “Senior Idol”? They’re among a dozen over-65 finalists who will sing in the commuter rail service’s 10th annual competition at 2 p.m. May 17 at Parker Playhouse in Fort Lauderdale. The preliminaries attracted more than 100 hopefuls and the judges faced tough choices.
“Usually we have a pretty good idea who will win,” Tri-Rail public information officer Bonnie Arnold said, “but this year everyone is really talented. It’ll be very close.”
The winner receives $500 and a one-year pass on Tri-Rail. Tickets are $12; proceeds go to Broward Meals on Wheels. For tickets, visit parker playhouse.com or call 954-462-0222.
Reach Thom Smith at thomsmith@ymail.com.
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