Ask the Answer B!tch

I am reading more and more about celebrities whose birthday bashes are "sponsored" by different companies. Is it something new in Hollywood, or have we just never been privy to the details before now?
—Martina, Chattanooga, Tennessee

The B!tch Replies:  Captains of industry have been shelling out for celebrity birthday parties for years. Even quasi-celebrities, like tennis flamingo Maria Sharapova, have had their birthdays bought and paid for by large companies looking to score with the cool kids.

Two years ago, when she turned 18, Motorola paid for Sharapova's fete, complete with a cake with the cell phone company's logo on it. The guests didn't get free Razrs, but I hear it was an okay party anyway, with a deejay and such.

"She was already one of our brand ambassadors," Motorola's David Pinsky tells me. "We thought it would be a nice gesture to host her party."

Right. In the same way that L'Oréal gives so much of itself every Oscar season. So selfless, those makeup people, buying TV ads and putting out press releases like that. It makes my heart sing.

Mary J. Blige had her 36th birthday bash sponsored by Boost Mobile in January. And last year, carmaker Cadillac hosted Shaq's Scarface-themed 34th soiree in Miami. Whether the company also paid for Shaq's unofficial dates—two live tigers named Krishna and Ganga—I can neither confirm nor deny.

Singer Mario had his 21st sponsored by Moët Hennessy in the Hamptons this past Labor Day weekend. The company's name was featured on the party invite, along with another brand, VitaminEnergy.

And LiLo almost—almost—had her 21st birthday bash at Caesars Palace paid for by vodka brand Svedka. The partnership was never formally sealed, for reasons that forever shall remain a mystery. I have no earthly idea why a major corporation would not want to partner with Lohan for this singular coming-of-age extravaganza.

In paying for at least a portion of the food and music, a corporate sponsor is trying to do something very simple: show they have cred.

Gotta get the in-crowd to like your brand. After all, which seems smarter to you: throwing a party for Mario or paying for a commercial people will probably TiVo right through?

"Companies find they're getting more bang for their buck by associating with an artist their target audience identifies with," explains Nia Gandy, whose multimedia company, HYT ME (which, appropriately, stands for Hungry Young Talent Management and Entertainment), produced Mario's birthday party.

Indeed. Happy 18th, Mario. Pass that Hennessy.

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