Arts & Culture

Celebs Rock Out at the 50th Annual Grammy Awards Talent Gift Lounge

Cash for your car

Amy Lee from Evanesence with The SakThe 50th Annual Grammy Awards Talent Gift Lounge was one of the hottest invites in town last week. Presented by Kinerase and featuring Xbox Rock Band, celebs poured in to pick up hot new products. Some of the talent seen around the lounge included hot stars like Rhianna, Feist, Amy Lee, Ringo Starr, Jason Bateman, Ludacris, Chris Brown, The Plain White T’s, Blair Underwood, Brad Paisley, Natalie Cole and many others.

Rock Band for X-box Live 360
It was clear where the party was as soon as you entered the lounge and heard all the celebs rocking out on Xbox’s newest game, Rock Band.

Chris Brown loved the game claiming that he did “way better than Rhianna on the drums” and that “she should stick to vocals!”

Josh Groban said he’d been waiting for Rock Band to come out and scooped one up before leaving to rehearse with Andrea Boccelli.

Now fans of the popular game “Rock Band” on Xbox 360 can participate online with activities like creating their own rock band with friends, joining a virtual celebrity band and entering Play and Win sweepstakes to win special prize packages. Artists such as T-Pain played on-line with fans live from the Grammy Style Studio suite. The Xbox Live Game with Fame program is a fantastic way for Xbox Live Gold members to meet, chat and play with some of the hottest stars in music. Past Game with Fame celebrity players included Rihanna, Jenny McCarthy, Jack Black, Shia LeBeouf and Andy Roddick. Learn more about Xbox Live events at the Game with Fame web site .

Other Studio guests that had a chance to play with fans from the style studio included T-Pain, Akon, Ali Hewson, Buckcherry, Daughtry, Dave Koz, Emerson Drive, Emily King, Fat Joe, John Legend, Lang Lang, Lil Mama, Miranda Lambert, Natasha Bedingfield, No Doubt, The Pussycat Dolls, The Roots, Ryan Shaw, Snoop Dogg, Solange Knowles, Tank, and will.i.am, with many more to follow. Those interested in jamming out can send a friend request to the Xbox Live Gamertag.Miley Cyrus on Xbox 360's Rock Band

Anarchy Denim
Exclusively debuted at the 50th Annual Grammy lounge were the fabulous Anarchy Denim jeans. Made right here in Hollywood, CA, the exclusive Diamond Los Angeles jean is made with diamond buttons and sells retail for $6,500. Designed exclusively for the Grammy Lounge were the Los Angeles skinnies, made with about 2.0 Carats worth of diamonds. Understandably, Anarchy Denim was a huge hit with celebs at the Grammy Lounge this year.

Miley Cyrus came picked up a couple pair of Anarchy Denims and then said “Mommy, come here!” and made her mom take home a few pairs as well. Miley said, “I love having stuff that no one else has!”

When Ringo Starr came into the lounge he walked directly to the Anarchy Denim hoodies and said, “This is made for me! Live, Love, Party!”
Cyndi Lauper with The Sak and Solstice SunglassesicePod

icePod made sure celebrities were rockin their iPods in style with their exclusive iced out iPod cases. Cyndi Lauper took one look at her new case and said “Oh My Gawwwwd!”

Solstice Sunglass Boutique
Celebrities need their sunglasses and this year Solstice Sunglass Boutique did not disappoint at the Grammy Lounge, offering celebs a huge range of Spring ’08 eyewear.

Rhianna picked up a hot pair by designer Balenciaga while Ludacris picked up some shades by Diesel and YSL. Chris Brown went with Marc Jacobs and Kellis picked out a pair from Gucci. Amy Lee loved her pair from Giorgio Armani and Miley Cyrus said that the Marc Jacobs she picked out were “perfect” for her.

Kinerease
The Kinerease skincare line has made quite an impression on Hollywood, with countless celebrities stopping by the Kinerease’s Grammy Lounge for some nice swag.

Miley Cyrus – who uses the Kinerease Clear Skin Collection herself – picked up the Kinereas Ultimate Day and Ultimate Night Moisturizers for her mom.

Natalie Cole, another fan of the Ultimate Day and Night moisturizers, also stands by the powers of the white tea contained in the Kinerease Gentle Daily Cleanser. But Kinerease promises not to be just for ladies. Jesse McCartney, Josh Groban, The Plane White T’s, Andrea Bocelli and The Foo Fighters love the line as well! They mentioned that Brad Pitt has also been a longtime fan of the line.

The Sak
As the official handbag sponsor of the 50th Annual Grammy’s, The SAK offered talent the first opportunity to pick up the hottest bags from Silverlake, their new leather collection (not yet in stores!). One of the big hits with celebs was the Ashbury collection’s graffiti-inspired tote that promotes peace. While many celebs were already a huge fan of The Sak, all were excited to pick up a few more fabulous bags. Miley Cyrus said she’s been “a fan of The Sak for years” and picked out two Silverlake covertible satchels to add to her collection.  The Silverlake convertibles were indeed hard to resist with their convertible satchel, or convertible clutch and flap styles. The Plain White T’s took care of their girlfriends, picking out bags for valentines gifts and Amy Lee of Evanescence and Cyndi Lauper were all about the Ashbury Gilles Jourdan tote that promoted Peace.

Jason Batemen said that if he carried a purse, “it would be The Sak.”

Taylor Swift playing Xbox 360 Rock Band

Ceclia
Ceclia has the perfect accessories for everything from handbags to shoes. Grammy nominee Dane loved the line, as did the Foo Fighters who picked up some lovely accessories for their girlfriends!

Procase
Because stars in the music world are always touring, the road cases from Procase were another popular item at the Lounge. Celebs like Ringo Starr and Cyndi Lauper asked for custom cases as well.

Simmons Jewelry
Russell and Kimora Lee Simmons know jewelery, fashion and music and their line of bling did not disappoint. Ringo Starr said he’d wear his pieces of Simmons immediately, Natalie Cole loved her bracelet, and Miley Cyrus fell hard for the diamond Hello Kitty line.

Gibson
Gibson is renowned for their guitars and Grammy talent clamored to get their own “Music Rising” guitar designed by U2’s The Edge. Stars could play their favorite tunes on any of the Gibson guitars from their line. Miley Cyrus claimed that for her 16th birthday, she would rather have a Gibson rhinestone guitar than a

Segate
One of the Lounge’s newcomers this year was Segate – a computer back up system that can be an absolute lifesaver. Believe it or not, celebrities have problems with their computers just like everyone else! Miley Cyrus picked one up because she just lost a lot of photos, Cyndi Lauper said Segate was exactly what she needed because her computer “keeps melting.”

Sonomax
Jason Bateman’s favorite product at the lounge was Sonomax – headphones that keep everything out except the music. Sonomax custom fit their “Soundcage” headphones for celebs on-site.

The sound must have been incredible because Herbie Hancock said “Wow! This is amazing I can only hear my music…nothing else!” Blair Underwood she was getting rid of her old ear buds "immediately.”

Celebs also loved picking out swag from vendors like: Snow Queen, Croton Watches, Havaianas, iHome, Rituals – Pure Beauty, Indulgent Escapes, fūl, Drawknife Billiards, Distinctive Design Group, Anarchy Denim, and Dickies. 

About the author

Julie Lipson