Casablanca Business

Archive for the ‘Party Cannons’ Category

As you plan your birthday party, you may get inspired by the range of both extravagant and news-making parties given by celebrities. While some of these parties cost in excess of 1 million dollars, you can use some of these over-the-top ideas to create the perfect birthday party that is uniquely your own.

Naomi Campbell tends to celebrate big time. Several years ago, she held a three-day party in Dubai that had different “theme days” and was thought to cost about 1.8 million dollars. The first day emphasized an “all white” theme. “Hip hop” was the inspiration for day two. The focus for day 3 was “Brazilian samba.” Last year, fashion designers Dolce and Gabbana threw Campbell a “La Dolce Vita” themed party in Cannes. For her most recent birthday, Campbell celebrated at Raffles, a popular celebrity nightclub in London.

While you may not fly friends all over the globe for your next birthday party, Campbell’s party themes, based on color, music or film are a great starting point for your birthday party.

Mariah Carey and husband Nick Cannon celebrated Carey’s 40th in Barbados, dining privately with an intimate group at Whispers on the Bay restaurant. They also enjoyed her favorite cake (yellow with chocolate frosting) flown in specially from New York. The Dom Perignon was plentiful and the trip served as both a quiet celebration and relaxing getaway for the birthday girl.

Sometimes, the best birthday gift you can give yourself is a vacation. Consider a private getaway for you and your loved ones. Even one or two nights away can help you feel invigorated and ready to embrace your next year.

Ashton Kutcher rang in his 29th year with a family dinner in Los Angeles. His 30th birthday party in 2008 was also a relatively low-key affair. Kutcher and his wife Demi Moore, as well as close friends including Gwyneth Paltrow, Madonna, Kate Hudson and Bruce Willis, enjoyed dinner at Gemma, a restaurant located in the Bowery Hotel. They stayed late at the now-closed Cuban lounge Socialista.

Letting others take care of the food, decor and entertainment is a great way to approach a birthday party. A reserved area in a restaurant or club can provide the food and drinks, allowing you to spend quality time with your family and friends.

Hollywood found the ultimate treasure chest with Pirates of the Caribbean. Jack Sparrow and his dreadlocks are now found at every door during Halloween and every costume party. And for good reason – pirates give the sexy allure of adventure, danger, and excitement on the high seas! Command your own ship, invade merchant vessels with cannons booming, overpower military galleons (just to be brazen), and plunder gold and goods. Not to mention doing all this among the backdrop of hot tropical skies, blue ocean, white sandy beaches and hidden treasure. Honestly, who doesn’t dream the life of a pirate? The Hollywood version, of course!

Pirates have enjoyed a glorious renaissance in the last few years, and costume manufacturers have jumped to the demand with creative, elaborate and sexy costumes. From authentic Jack Sparrow outfits to lacy female captains and lusty tavern wenches, you’ll be sure to recruit yourself for a glamorous life on a stolen vessel, if just for one evening. So, what selection is available in the marketplace? Pretty well anything you can think of! Here’s a few ideas to get you started:

Buccaneer: Historically, buccaneers are closer to the modern romantic fantasy of a pirate: the English crown paid escaped slaves, rebels, mercenaries and rogues as licensed privateers to fight against England’s shifting enemies, from the Spanish to the French to the Dutch. Attacking ships and plundering towns, buccaneers lived an independent and even democratic life, voting for strong captains and dividing the spoils. Many ran pirate bases and some retired as wealthy merchants. Henry Morgan is one of the most famous, who became a wealthy plantation owner, was knighted in England, and even became deputy governor of Jamaica!

As a buccaneer, a good look is a puffy white or black shirt, overcoat, sash, black boots, a sword and an eye patch. Buccaneers had their own type of sword, the boucan, a long knife with a curved end, originally used for hunting.

Captain Jack Sparrow: Your costume will include a white “puffy shirt”, a vest, sash and belts, and boot covers. Dress in loose blue trousers and brown leather boots. Add a black overcoat, buy a (plastic) cutlass and scabbard, and a pirate hat with attached beaded braids. Grow a mustache and goatee you can braid, and complete your outfit with makeup and mascara. Why fight when you can negotiate?

Elizabeth Swann: A perfectly ordinary aristocrat, until pirates stole her away! Look for a flowing white gown costume with gold embroidery and petticoat. Add a red admiral’s jacket and hide a dagger to show that you’re no ordinary damsel in distress.

Tavern Wench: You can find a large variety of pirate wench costumes. Common themes include ass-kicking ankle boots, a kerchief headpiece or pirate’s hat, and a short skirt or dress. A tip for wearing a skirt is to wear a petticoat underneath to create a sexy flare effect in the skirt. Use your wild imagination to add accessories, such as gaudy jewelry, an eye patch, scarves or sashes, and long jacket. Wear a sword to keep back the drunken, lusty sailors, but take their plundered gold!

Lacy Fantasy Pirate: What happens when you mix a pirate with a haughty, aristocratic woman? A sexy, lacy pirate queen! Put on a lacy dress, a hide corset, and top with a pirate hat full of lace and feathers. Add gems and rubies, knee-high boots and a toy pistol, and you got a lady who’s not afraid of the high seas!

Pirate Captain: If you’ve just read the above about buccaneers, you now know that many pirates were hired by the English to harass the Spanish and other competing European powers in the Caribbean. The burgeoning British Empire even sent actual naval officers to aid in pirate raids! As a commissioned naval officer, you wear a red jacket with gold accents. However, you’re also a pirate, with the black boots, gruff beard, hat and eye patch!

The great thing about taking the kids out for a day of fun is that it doesn’t usually take much to keep them entertained. At the Bay Area, kids have the time of their lives exploring what these great attractions have to offer. Bring your kids to these places for an entire day of adventure, excitement, and laughter.

Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum

You don’t need to board a plane for your family to soak up the rich culture and history of ancient Egypt. All you have to do is drive down to a quiet neighborhood in San Jose, a few blocks away from the Municipal Rose Garden. You can’t miss the majestic Egyptian temple, which is actually the Egyptian Museum at the Rosicrucian Park. This is no ordinary museum, for the Egyptian Museum is the home of North California’s largest collection of treasures from Egypt, Babylon, and Assyria, as well as incredibly life-like representations of ancient Egyptian life. Entering the museum feels like a step back in time into a dazzling world of papyrus, glittering jewels, and Egyptian Gods. Your kids will have a blast viewing real mummies in their coffins, intricately-painted walls, and the very tools used to build the grand pyramids. The whole family can also enter a replica of a pyramid and pretend to be pharaohs as you view the displays and ponder the hieroglyphic writings. The best exhibit is located on the basement – a realistic replica of an Egyptian tomb sans the dust, deadly snakes, and traps. The Egyptian Museum has knowledgeable children’s tour guides on staff, so make sure to ask for their help, especially when your little ones have questions.

Boomers Park

Boomers Park at Livermore (formerly Camelot Park) is a great place for wholesome fun. Adults come here with their kids and without their kids, and they always have a fantastic time when they visit. As for the kids, Boomers Park is paradise because there are so many exciting things for them to do! Golfers in the family should check out the challenges at their miniature golf courses; windmills, wild waters, and sand traps are just some of the obstacles you have to overcome in order to achieve golfing immortality. Those who like fast cars should take a ride on one of the hi-octane Go Karts and experience the thrill of sharp turns and curves. On a hot day, you and the kids can board their bumper boats, which are equipped with their water cannon. There’s no better way to cool down than to shoot a stream of water at other boat riders. Just make sure you bring a change of clothes, because they will shoot back! As if these attractions weren’t enough, Boomers Park has a black-lit laser tag room where everyone in the family can enjoy a high-tech game of tag. There’s also an arcade where your kids can stand to win great prizes. All in all, Boomers Park has the recipe for family fun entirely pat-down.