Wish I had been invited :-(

Being hired to play paparazzi at a party? That kinda sounds like fun!

That's what I thought. Plus, being able to play the "bitch" designer? Oh, yeah!

A fool and his money are soon parted.

So were the MTV cameras there? (/snark)

Seriously, what is this kid supposed to look forward to for the rest of her life?

(Altho I have to say the parents or whoever do get an A for creativity.)

I must be old and humorless, because I think this is appalling. Really, truly appalling.

Females dancers performed inside transparent bubbles while the runway doubled as a dance floor. Another area was transformed into a speakeasy for the children.

Ruh?

According to Websters, a speakeasy is "a place where alcoholic beverages are illegally sold; specifically : such a place during the period of prohibition in the United States"

On preview: I'm right there with you, scody.

From Wikipedia article on B'nai Mitzvah: "This phenomenon may in part result from a desire by Jewish parents to provide a cultural equivalent of the American sweet sixteen party, the Latin American quinceañera, or the Catholic confirmation."

Geez, I didn't get a sweet sixteen, quinceanera, confirmation, OR bat mitzvah. In fact, my parents gave me nothing but 18 years under their roof and a $200 beater car.

Geez, I didn't get a sweet sixteen, quinceanera, confirmation, OR bat mitzvah.

Yeah, me neither. My big party for turning 16 was getting to invite 3 or 4 friends out to dinner to the Spaghetti Factory. To which we walked uphill, both ways, in the snow.

My big 16th birthday gift was a "Happy Sweet Sixteen, Mudpuppie" shoutout on the signboard of the local Exxon. The next day it was back to "1gal Milk, $1.69."

I shouldn't complain. It was pretty much the only thing going in town.

And no, I'm not making it up.

Next week's episode: Celebutante Erica goes to the "slammer."

And did anyone else notice the end of the story?

Another son, Kyle, a horse lover, was treated to a hoedown for 200 at Sandy Valley Ranch.

This stuff writes itself sometimes.

Oh thank god. As I read the first few comments I thought I was going to be the only curmudgeon.

I've said it before and I'll say it again:

I hate my generation (and the one that followed it because honestly they're the same)
Damn kids.

GOML.

Here is a great example of why, besides the abject materialism:
≡ Click to see image ≡

I see that and I think "Hrm.. she ain't half bad looking." Well no, actually, what I think is "I'd hit it." Because I'm 19 and male and thus very crass.

Then I remember that despite the comments in thread, the article isn't about a sweet sixteen. It's a bat mitzvah. This chick is fucking twelve years old. And she looks like that.

Christ.

If you need anything I'll be in the kitchen drinking boiling water.

In six years, this kid is going to be applying to colleges.
Should be a laff riot.

Hey, don't knock confirmations - I scored a free set of plastic rosary beads during mine! I've also attended bar and bat mitzvahs which were...Mere-Mortal affairs, as the celebrating consisted of simple buffet-style meals held at the teens' homes. But everyone was having too much of a good time to think of how...y'know, middle class we all were.

Of course, the article didn't say if the $500k was paid out in Chinese Afterlife Money.

the good thing is that the mostly-untaxed American rich don't really suffer the hit for throwing such expensive parties, I'm sure they manage to write everything off for some weird reason. so it dents their wallet less than a Spaghetti Factory outing dents a regular family's wallet

I did a report on B'nai Mitzvot twenty six years ago in religious school. One of the late 60's era magazines described a family hiring a stripper.

I had my celebration in the back yard with strolling musicians---I hated the hired bands playing cheesy covers of "Whip It", my brother had his at a country club with a band. I had made it clear to chupahija that I did not want a sweet sixteen--as far as I was concerned they were for girls who had tons of friends, not the class psycho--but she threw an all-female surprise one at a restaurant anyway, which was mostly relatives and friends of the family. Only two of the guests were my age. I sound like an ingrate, but this would not have been the place I would have chosen.

Well . . . some actors got paid a day's wages, didn't they? I mean, something half decent came out of this, didn't it?

I wonder what she'll do for her wedding.