Living the Sweet Wife at The Starter Wife Premiere
Chilly wind kept the temps far below normal L.A. standards, but the bright afternoon sun reflected on the glass of the mod Pacific Design Center making for a perfect setting for the premiere of Debra Messing’s TV Movie for USA Network, The Starter Wife. Based on the book by Gigi Levangie Grazer (wife of huge Hollywood producer Brian Grazer), the miniseries drew in loads of fans and celebs.
Debra graced the plush pink carpet in a subtly striped pinstripe Bottega Veneta dress. The hook and eye closures and intricately ruched gathers made for one of her best fashion choices ever!
It was not hard to miss Dreamgirls star Anika Noni Rose in her mom's psychedelic vintage orange and green printed dress. We're not talking Pucci fabulousness but pukey ugliness! I don't know who her publicist is, but she’s smokin’ somethin’.
Jerry O'Connell arrived in a sexy collared shirt unbuttoned to show just enough chest hair. Debra's former Will & Grace costar Eric McCormack showed up with his wife, but Marcia Cross arrived solo. Other celebrities who walked the carpet included super cute couple Chris Diamantopoulous and Becki Newton of Ugly Betty, Jack Coleman (Heroes) and wife Beth Toussaint (Dallas vet), Vincent Martella (Everybody Hates Chris), Sharon Lawrence and James Remar (Sex and the City hottie).
I got the chance to meet great American hero Buzz Aldrin and his wife! Though they were super friendly, I couldn’t help but be a little distracted by two things:
A. his massive bling. He had a huge moon and star shaped diamond ring!
B. His eclectic wife whose awful plastic surgery left her with ears near the back of her head. And, she was wearing a low cut tank top and no bra. I mean... do we need to see fripples on an 80 year old?
The movie was super fun. A very stylish and only-in-L.A. story, Debra plays a divorced wife black balled from the entertainment scene. As my friend and TV producer Carlotta Espinosa said, "The movie hit really close to home. I know way too many women that this [movie] is too close to!”
The after party was held on the pink-lit patio of Wolfgang Puck's restaurant at the PDC. Featuring Wolfgang Puck’s signature California fusion cuisine, guests could pick from four bars and three food stations. Photographers wandered the room snapping Polaroid shots of guests, completing the experience with a “The Starter Wife” frame. My friend Jim and I took a Prom Pic but this was so much more fun than prom. 
I got a chance to meet the perfectly unglamorous and totally gorgeous Parminder Nagra, who looked perfectly put together in a black Trina Turk top, jeans, and glasses. We bonded over our love of British fashion. Jason Grey Stanford of Monk joined in on our conversation about “Mindy’s” ER character. While Jason fuelled the party with vodka tonics with a splash of cranberry, Mindy cut out to attend to her new Chocolate Lab puppy.
Jerry O’Connell arrived for about five minutes with a few guy friends. One of his friends yelled out “Dude! No one is at this party! Let’s go!” Very few people there were under 40, so yeah, it was getting a little lame. But I couldn't leave without dessert. And the mini molten lava cakes and gigantic covered strawberries were worth the wait.
A few of those and some more drinks with Jason and we were finally ready to go. We did score a gift bag full of makeup, Pond’s beauty products and a copy of The Starter Wife . I can’t wait to get started on it, though something tells me I could be reading my future.
More: For much more on the Starter Wife series -- which premieres May 31on the USA Network -- visit our Single Again: Starting Over, Starting Now area in iVillage's Love & Sex section.
Comments
What is "just enough chest hair?"
Are the Grazers divorced now or not?
nope -- still together
I happen to love Debra Messing and I think she can make any movie watchable, except for this one. I happen to read this blog on www.dishpronto.com/sidedish and it was right when it said the mini-series was simply overdone. How many times do we have to see the same theme over and over again?
