The bash to crash

By CHARLOTTE SUTTON, Weekend Editor

© St. Petersburg Times, published December 17, 1999

And why not? Anyone who has been anybody for virtually any memorable length of time will be there: a hand-picked group of the artists, musicians, gourmands, producers, actors who have led us to the doorstep of the third millennium.

Like a lot of you, we here at Weekend were having a tough time deciding how to spend the very last night of the millennium (note to all who insist the millennium is next year: Humor us).

Should we hop in the Lear jet and chase the turn-of-the-century between time zones? Latch onto one of those bazillion-dollar African safaris, hot-air balloon journeys over the French wine country or voyages to Antarctica? Zip around and catch Barbra in Vegas, Aretha and Sting in New York, Celine in Montreal?

Oh heck, if you're going to dream, why not dream really big?

So our critics have offered their thoughts on who they'd like to see at the New Year's Eve party of their dreams, a party that would celebrate the very best, or most interesting or just plain strange, from their own areas of expertise. Living or dead, it doesn't matter -- this is fantasy time.

Who are all of these people? Click to see a larger version of this illustration. [Times art: Don Morris]

• Partying bon vivants: The world is their oyster
  The Hon. Thomas Jefferson
• The place was a pop party; the subject was Prince
  I got the call. I was plenty surprised. I figured I would spend this Y2K New Year's like all the rest: at my desk, with the Underwood in front of me, a shot of whiskey and a pack of Luckys, tapping out some hack piece for two dimes.
• The creme de la creme stages a smooth bash
  My millennium bash owes a lot to Jay Gatsby, that elegant impostor from F. Scott Fitzgerald's great American novel. Gatsby cut a glamorous figure on the veranda of his Long Island mansion, presiding over some of the wildest parties ever thrown.
• Art party draws line on New Year's resolutions
  Here's my ultimate New Year's party to close out the old millennium and open the new:
• Amid roars of the egos, TV parties on
  James Murdoch passed a heavy hand over his face and set down his drink, leaving a wispy ring of moisture on the fine antique desk that dominated his den.
• Still in infancy, Hollywood parties sloppy
  JAN. 1, 2000 -- Those Hollywood types don't know how to clean up after themselves.