Michael Donahue

• Party Line: Rufus' kids reunite Published 09/06/2011 at midnight

  One of those musical happenings took place Sunday night during Center for Southern Folklore's Memphis Music and Heritage Festival. Children of the late Rufus Thomas -- singers Vaneese and Carla Thomas and their brother, Marvell Thomas, on keyboards -- reunited ...

• Party Line: Radiothon kickoff Published 01/18/2011 at midnight

  Memphis celebrities, including basketball great Elliot Perry and WMC-TV anchor Joe Birch, participated in Celebrity Waiters Night last Tuesday at Buffalo Wild Wings on U.S. 64. The event kicked off the 20th annual Rock 103 Ronald McDonald House Radiothon.

• Party Line: Holiday traditions Published 12/21/2010 at 12:04 a.m. 2 Comments

  The Memphis Junior Cotillion Club held its revamped Presentation and Holiday Ball Sunday night at The Peabody.

• Party Line: Flip-flops, tank tops at Phoenix Club summer bash Published 08/30/2010 at 5:52 p.m.

  The invitation to Phoenix Club's "Party at the Palace" read "Attire is casual, flip-flop & tank tops (you get the picture)." "I didn't realize people were gonna take that to heart and actually wear tank tops and flip flops," said ...

• Party Line: Sideburns for life Published 08/09/2010 at 5:46 p.m.

  Jordan Janawitz took home the gold -- or, rather, a colorful plaque bearing a picture of Elvis in a white jumpsuit -- after winning first place in the Mr. Sideburns contest at the 24th Elvis 7's rugby tournament. Players from ...

• Party Line: Party over here Published 05/18/2010 at 12:03 a.m.

  The Memphis in May International Festival World Championship Barbecue Cooking Contest is one big party, but within that party are hundreds of little parties held by cooking teams.

• Party Line: How sweet it is Published 05/11/2010 at midnight

  "La Dolce Vita" was the theme of the Art of Good Taste Grand Auction Saturday night at Memphis Brooks Museum of Art. In addition to the auction, where bottles of wine were sold for thousands of dollars under a tent ...

• Party Line: Second Chance Prom time-travels to assist Neighborhood School Published 02/16/2010 at 12:03 a.m.

  It was big hair and spiky pumps for some women and mullets and checkered Vans for some men -- along with dated formal attire -- at the Second Chance Prom on Saturday night at Minglewood Hall.

• Party Line: Shoes take center stage Published 02/01/2010 at 5:45 p.m.

  The words "... and automobiles" could have been added to the "Wine, Women & Shoes 2010" title of Thursday night's Le Bonheur Children's Medical Center benefit. The jam-packed party, which drew mostly women and featured wine tastings, a shoe fashion ...

• Party Line: Students kick up heels at opening of new University of Memphis law school Published 01/18/2010 at 6:29 p.m.

  The new Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law turned into Rock 'n' Roll Law School for a night as students sipped cocktails and danced to music played by deejay Robert Raiford. Instead of carrying law books, students and other guests ...

• Meet the Chef: Jonathan Magallanes Published 02/09/2012 at 5:39 p.m.

  What made you decide to become a chef, and when was that? When I moved back from Florida six years ago I started helping out my dad. ... The main responsibility there was shopping every morning for everything. And the ...

• Best bet: King Cake Published 02/09/2012 at 11:36 a.m.

  The King Cake, with its spring-like colors of purple, yellow and green, probably is my favorite cake. Many King Cakes are just coffee cakes with icing and a plastic baby stuck inside. They make me feel good because it's Mardi ...

• Party Line: A 'Night in Hollywood' at Cirque du CMOM Published 02/06/2012 at 6:02 p.m.

  Brad, Angelina and Meryl would have fit right in Saturday night at The Children's Museum of Memphis as "Night in Hollywood: A Vanity Affair" was the theme of this year's Cirque du CMOM fundraiser. The event was designed to make ...

• Meet the Chef: Louie Valle Published 02/02/2012 at 4:16 p.m.

  Describe a dish you created: Our version of the muffaletta. We don't have a New Orleans style. We have a different style of muffaletta. It's our best-selling sandwich. It's a big, meaty sandwich with salami, ham, roast beef, mozzarella and ...

• Best Bets: Quiche Published 02/02/2012 at 3:24 p.m.

  There's something about quiche and the 1980s. I remember covering an REO Speedwagon concert in the late 1980s at the Mid-South Coliseum. I was backstage after the show when Gary Richrath, the lead guitarist at that time, asked me, "Do ...

• Party Line: A Swank affair Published 01/30/2012 at 4:44 p.m.

  Not every fundraiser can boast an Oscar-winning actress as one of the guests, but the FedExFamilyHouse "Home is Where the Heart is Gala" counted Hilary Swank among the attendees Saturday night at The Peabody.

• Meet the Chef: Xena Lovelady Published 01/26/2012 at 2:53 p.m.

  What is the Xena Lovelady style? Simple. I think food should taste like what it is. The more you add on your food, you kind of get away from what it was intended to be.

• Best Bet: New York-Style Pizza Published 01/26/2012 at 2:44 p.m.

  If you're at Java Cabana on Thursday evening, you might catch Nicholas Gwinn playing guitar during singer/songwriter night. If you're at Mama Mia's Pizzeria on other nights, you might catch Gwinn tossing large circular slabs of dough into the air ...

• Party Line: St. Jude Red Carpet Bash celebrates with 'British invasion' Updated 01/24/2012 at 6:54 p.m.

  When he learned "British Invasion" was the theme of the St. Jude Red Carpet Bash, John Shea found a shop where he could rent curly white wigs with little ponytails. John, Cannon Smith and John McArthur wore the wigs with ...

• Meet the chef: Thomas Stukenborg Published 01/19/2012 at 9:52 a.m.

  What was the first thing you ever cooked or baked? A cookbook. It was on top of the toaster oven. I was making breakfast for my mom and burned it up. It was Mother's Day morning.

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