New York, October 30, 2006 - If you thought your shoe habit was out of control, Jennifer Lopez won an award for hers! Well, sort of. Lopez was among this year's honorees at the Acessories Council Excellence (ACE) Awards, honoring those who have furthered the popularity of shoes, bags, sunglasses and jewelry. It wasn’t the Academy Awards, but the very in love J. Lo remembered to thank her husband in her acceptance speech, beaming at Marc Anthony who was in the audience, and saying “Thank you baby”. Quietly brimming with pride at the dinner was J. Lo’s mom, Guadalupe.

The ACE gala was dripping in fashion world bigwigs like Michael Kors, Narciso Rodriguez, Nina Garcia, stylist Rachel Zoe and executives like Terry Lundgren of Federated Stores and Reed Krakoff of Coach.

Naomi Watts was last to arrive, reportedly coming directly from a film shoot. But she made it in time to present an award to Tom Ford, who, she said, has cornered the market on sexy, which is one accessory that goes with everything.

Photos: Caroline Torem-Craig

Los Angeles, October 28, 2006 – All eyes were on Whitney Houston at the Carousel of Hope gala on Saturday, and anyone in the room could tell that the recently separated singer, who looked terrific, was definitely not on drugs. She was with her mentor Clive Davis. When Jeremy Piven asked the paparazzi why they didn’t scream for him like they did for Whitney, one muttered that if he disappeared for years like she did, they’d be excited to see him, too!

American Idol alum Katharine McPhee, Usher and Barry Manilow all performed for a diverse Hollywood crowd that included Halle Berry, Teri Hatcher, Sharon Stone, Sidney Poitier, Virginia Madsen, Nicky Hilton and Andie MacDowell. Also present at the Beverly Hilton were a slew of “where are they now” types – Linda Hamilton, Suzanne Somers, Marilu Henner, Minnie Driver and even vowel-seller Vanna White.

New York, October 26, 2006 – This year, Fashion Group International’s Night of Stars lived up to its name, with presenters Julianne Moore, Mariska Hargitay and an unsmiling Gwyneth Paltrow, who, one guest quipped, looked more like she was going to an IRS audit than to a glittering fashion party. Honorees included Carolina Herrera and YSL’s Stefano Pilati. And we learned why it is that half of Hollywood worships style goddess Rachel Zoe – she was named Fashion Oracle! Let’s hope that the normal-sized Anne Hathaway doesn’t turn into a stick figure like some of the stylist’s other devotees – she presented the award to Zoe, and just the day before, the two hit the Marchesa anniversary soiree. Red headed beauty Karen Elson, aka Mrs. Jack White, was svelte just six months after giving birth to her daughter, Scarlett.

New York, October 29, 2006 – “You should have seen it this morning, when the carpet blew away”, the DreamWorks rep told us at the premiere of Flushed Away. That was in answer to our expressed doubts about the feasibility of their planned promotional stunt due to the day’s high winds. But it was still a go. And there on a blustery Sunday afternoon, in the middle of Manhattan on West 68th Street, which was closed to traffic, sat a giant inflatable toilet. And Hugh Jackman and Kate Winslet, whose voices grace the animated stars – rats, actually – of Flushed Away, held hands and plunged down the toilet slide. (Yes, the life of a movie star is really glamorous.)

Ian McKellen, Andy Serkis and Jean Reno also star, but were smart enough to not show up at the premiere, thus avoiding the indignity of sliding down the toilet.