L.A. Report: SoBE Lifewater's Fourth of July Party

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As my friend and I drove to Santa Monica to attend the SoBe Lifewater 4th of July Party sponsored by Belvedere at the Shangri-La Hotel in Santa Monica hosted by Andy Samberg, Akiva Schaffer and Rashida Jones, I couldn’t help day-dreaming about flippy floppies, Poseidon, nautical themed pashmina afghans, and a half naked Andy Samberg possibly grinding up against an inflatable dolphin. A girl can dream. But the moment we attempted to pull up to the hotel valet and was greeted with a sad face, a full lot, and a mob of people waiting to get in, my simple dreams of happiness turned into a nightmare.

Note to self: When invited to a celebrity pool party on a holiday week in sunny Los Angeles, show up at, if not before, the start time of the event. I’ve now locked this bit of information away in my brain forever, burned into my medulla oblongata. So I waited, surrounded by the svelte tanned half-naked bodies of young Hollywood as they toe tapped and texted madly to gain entry and pondered my fate. And as soon as I had given up, the gates to paradise were opened and in I went. Buxom models in custom-made swimsuits by celebrity stylist Mariel Haenn greeted us with a bottle of SoBe. The vision I beheld as I walked into the party was so different from what I had just experienced out front. In here, people were smiling, the music was blasting, and the sun seemed to shine brighter. There wasn’t a care in the world in here, and there was also free catering.

As I stood in the catering corner nibbling on tropical fruit salad, ogling my fellow party-goers, I mentally prepared myself for the crush of people I would have to maneuver though to properly investigate the party. But no sooner than I had started, I stopped. I spotted by good friend Neal Brennan (co-creator of The Chappelle Show) and made my way over for a quick hello. As my attention was on Brennan, I didn’t realize that the event's hosts were seated next to him and was introduced. And as Andy’s hand reached out to shake mine, I did what any girl would do... I gave him a fist pound. “I wasn’t expecting a fist pound from the girl in the white summer dress.” What can I say Andy, Prada can play tricks on you that way.

So there I remained ensconced in the celebrity cabana with Neal Brennan, Andy Samberg, Akiva Schaffer, Aziz Ansari, Rashida Jones, and more, enjoying all the benefits the SoBe Lifewater Party had to offer. It was warm in that celebrity bubble, soothing and comforting, but my bubble was popped when Coltrane Curtis came by with giftbags and reminded us mortals that we weren’t worthy enough of receiving their bounty -- and I knew, it was time to go home.