The Apollo Party I'm Missing

I’ve never been to the legendary Apollo Theater in New York City, although it’s only about 160 miles from where I live. “Legendary” gets thrown around too often, but the Harlem venue with a somewhat muddled history prior to 1934, when it became “Where Stars are Born and Legends are Made” from Ella Fitzgerald to Stevie Wonder, James Brown and Lauryn Hill.

So somehow I get this printed invitation in the mail to go to this event honoring The Queen of Soul, and the late King of Pop. Seems like a once-in-a-lifetime thing. And I haven’t been to Manhattan in quite a while.

Wait: what’s that? $1000 a head! Guess I WON’T be going after all. But what would I have gotten for my money?

Marc Anthony and JLo getting some award named for the great acting couple? Chase bank getting an award? Jamie Foxx hosting? Meh.

The invitation was a great piece of information for me.

The Chairman of the Board for the Apollo is Richard Parsons, former head of Time Warner, since mid-2009 head of Citigroup.
The board includes familiar names such as music producer Quincy Jones and historian Henry Louis Gates, Jr., the latter probably better known by most of America for getting arrested at his own home last year. Then there’s business tycoon Ron Perelman, honorary co-chair with Quincy of the benefit committee, who seems to court controversy wherever he goes; I know him best as the guy who almost destroyed Marvel Comics.

Some acting couples on the benefit committee, such as Angela Bassett & Courtney B. Vance and Kyra Sedgwick & Kevin Bacon; Baconologists, please note. Also, Bill Cosby and his wife Camille; director Spike Lee, and his wife Tonya Lewis; Denzel Washington, and his wife Pauletta; Marcia Gay Harden; and a musician who’s played at the Apollo, Smokey Robinson.

But what if I had MORE money to spend? What would be my options?