Super Bowl XLV Party at BlackFinn

Sarah, one of the bartenders at BlackFinn, pouring a stack of shots.

Photo by: Brooke Niemeyer

The Green Bay Packers beat out the Pittsburgh Stealers, 31 - 25 in the Super Bowl. Check out my NBC photo gallery showing how fans of both teams celebrated the game at a midtown sports bar. Go Packers!

NBC NiteSide NiteByte Posts

New York City:

NiteByte: Ivanka Trump Shows Off Her Athletic Side

Miami:

NiteByte: Ghost Wridah Offers Words of Wisdom to His Tweeple

Washington DC:

NiteByte: Luke Russert Settled in for Shark Week

Olympic Boxer Eric Kelly Starts a New Fight

Eric Kelly and me at Lucky Strike Lanes

By: BROOKE NIEMEYER
USA Olympic boxer Eric Kelly may have put down the boxing gloves, but he's taken on a new fight.

"I like to teach the things I've learned along the way," Kelly told NiteSide at the birthday celebration for Noel Ashman at Lucky Strike Lanes and Lounge in Midtown earlier this week.

"I'm very much about giving back to the community."

Kelly is speaking to high school students in his native Brooklyn, where he tells kids to stay in school and away from drugs. He also hopes to inspire.

"I just tell them if you believe in yourself and you've got a goal, stick to it, no matter what you do," Kelly said. "We're from a tougher neighborhood, but there are options and you can be the best ever."

Kelly said that he is also going to be working with Charitybuzz.com, an online celebrity charity auction site, later this summer to raise funds for Haiti.

This story ran on NBCNewYork.com's NiteSide.

NBC NiteSide NiteByte Posts

New York:

NiteByte: Ivanka Trump Gets the Royal Treatment

DC:
NiteByte: Socialite Sophie Pyle Watches Her Man on the Ice

Miami:
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Inside the Official NBA Draft After Party at the 40/40 Club

Photo by: Brooke Niemeyer

Here's the photo gallery I created from the NBA Draft After Party at 40/40.

NitePics: Inside the Official NBA Draft After Party at the 40/40 Club

NBA No. 2 Draft Pick Evan Turner Parties at Jay-Z's Club

Evan Turner on the red carpet at Club 40/40.

Photo by: Brooke Niemeyer

By: BROOKE NIEMEYER
Recent Ohio State grad Evan Turner said last night that the thrill of being the No. 2 pick in the first round of the NBA draft -- and being grabbled by the Sixers -- had yet to sink in.

"I'm just so tired right now because I've been going all day," the 21-year-old hoops phenom told NiteSide at the Official NBA Draft After Party at Jay-Z's 40/40 Club in Manhattan last night.

"I'm looking forward to tomorrow when I can relive this whole thing with my friends and family."

Friends, fans, and fellow NBA ballers -- including Chris Bosh -- attended the bash sponsored by Skullcandy/RocNation Aviators &Ace of Spades. Turner, who will play for the 76ers, said his rise to fame has been a whirlwind.

"This has been fun times," Turner said. "I'm making great memories and am trying to enjoy it all."

Turner is not only looking forward to tomorrow, but also for what his future now has in store for him.

"Coach told me I need to be ready to play hard," he said. "That's what I'm gonna do."

This story ran on NBCNewYork.com's NiteSide.


Update: This story got picked up by NBC Philadelphia and ran on their homepage!!! It ran under the headline "Sixers New Star Parties at Jay-Z's Club"

NBC NiteSide NiteByte Posts

New York City:

NiteByte: Chrissie Miller Jams to Techno at the Yankee Game

Miami:

NiteByte: Kourtney Gives Scott Disick a Dad's Day Shout Out

DC:

NiteByte: Fashion Guru Betsy Lowther Opts to Shop

Ping-Pong Club Helps Raise Money for Haiti Earthquake Victims

By: BROOKE NIEMEYER

MANHATTAN— Franck Raharinsy decided to use bad news to do good.

“You take one of the poorest countries on Earth and you give them the most powerful earthquake,” Raharinsy said of the Haiti earthquake that killed more than 100,000 people. “There must be a message for all of us from somewhere.”

Raharinsy, the co-founder of SPiN New York, a ping-pong club in Gramercy, desperately wanted to help. He teamed up with New York modeling agency, Modelina, as well as artists, designers, and actors to put together the Haiti Disaster Relief Fundraiser.

Raharinsy said he made a few calls to friends and before long the list of participants had reached a group he describes as “believers in a good cause.”

“It also doesn’t hurt to have an activist such as Susan Sarandon as a close friend and partner,” Raharinsy said.

Sarandon hosted the event and told attendees, “Even donating ten dollars can help.”

Donations are going to the Friends of the Orphans Haiti Initiative, which focuses on helping to improve the lives of orphaned children.

There was a suggested donation of $20 to attend the fundraiser, which was open to the public, as well as a silent auction, with these proceeds going to the charity Friends of the Orphans Haiti Initiative.

The Friends of the Orphans Haiti Initiative focuses primarily on helping to improve the lives of orphaned children and is teamed with a doctor at the sole cost-free pediatric hospital in Haiti.

“It is best to give and help organizations that are already up and running in Haiti since a lot of them have been destroyed,” Raharinsy said. “You have to help the survivors.”

The event was held at SPiN and Raharinsy felt it drew in a large crowd of donators not only because of the good cause, but also due to the fun atmosphere. SPiN offered free games of ping-pong all night and the opportunity to play games with celebrities as well.

“Ping-pong brings people together, opposed to sitting down at a charity dinner for hours with people you might not want to sit next to,” Raharinsy said.

Jennifer Rayno, the director of Friends of the Orphans Haiti Initiative described the evening as energetic and fast-paced and considered the results to be fantastic.

“We are so indebted to SPiN, Modelina, Susan Sarandon, and all the other celebrities who lent their names and presences to really attract attention,” Rayno said.

Other celebrities in attendance included Russell Simmons, Veronica Webb, New York Knicks player Al Harrington, 30 Rock’s Judah Friedlander, Top Chef’s Gail Simmons, and many others.

Although Rayno knew that this event would bring in a crowd, she didn’t expect to feel so humbled by the final results.

“Friends of the Orphans appreciates the effort more than we can say,” Rayno said. “Money raised will be put to immediate and good use.”

The event brought in $17,088 and Raharinsy felt this was a lucky amount and tried to see the positive in what he considered to be lucky numbers.

“Seventeen is my lucky number and 88 is the Chinese lucky number,” Raharinsy said. “The zero is the beginning.”
Raharinsy acknowledges that this is a time when not everyone has spare money to donate, but he said that there are other ways to help.

“They can offer some of their time for free to a charity as a sweat contribution,” Raharinsy said.

Even though the fundraising event has passed, this doesn’t mean the organizers work is done. They are also doing an online auction at Charity Folks, with the proceeds also going to the Friends of the Orphans Haiti Initiative.

What originally began as a tough day for Raharinsy just a couple weeks ago turned into something positive for those who are facing an even larger battle.

“Sometimes you’re having a bad day,” Raharinsy said, “and then you remember that you’re lucky to be where you are.”

Traveling Miles to Cheer on People Running Miles in the New York City Marathon

Doreen Phillips came to cheer on her friend running in the New York City Marathon.

Photo by: Brooke Niemeyer

By: BROOKE NIEMEYER

Doreen Phillips came all the way from Atlanta, Ga. for the New York City Marathon and she's not even running in it.

This isn’t the first time that Phillips has traveled over 800 miles to come to the marathon. She has done this for several years. Her travels to the marathon originally started as a way for her to reconnect with her hometown of Brooklyn, but the past two years she has come to support a particular marathon runner: her best friend in Atlanta.

Phillips, 44, came to cheer on Christopher Reeves, named after the actor he shares a name with and who suffered from a spinal cord injury. He was running on behalf of the Christopher and Dana Reeves Spinal Cord Research Foundation.

Phillips wore a shirt with the words “Team Reeve” and held a sign with the same phrase. Running in the marathon is one of the ways Reeves is working towards bringing awareness to spinal cord research and to help people with these injuries to get the help they need to get better.

Reeves’ involvement was inspired by his brother, who is serving in Iraq and has seen many people suffering with spinal cord injuries as a result of being in combat.

As Phillips stood on the sidelines, checking her phone for word from Reeves, she cheered on the other runners, especially anyone with their names on their shirts.

“People are running by, and I don't know who they are, but I still cheer,” Phillips said. “I just want them all to do really well.”

When the text came that he was close to where she stood, she hoisted her sign into the air. As he came into view, her screams and shouts got louder than they'd been all morning.

“Woo hoo!” Phillips yelled. “Yay Chris!”

When he found her in the midst of the large crowd, he leaned over the barricade for a quick hug. There was just enough time for her to tell him she was proud of him and she'd see him at the finish line before he was off running again.

“You can do it! Keep going!” she shouted.

She cheered and clapped for him until he was long past her standing point in the crowd.

“That's my best friend and I am proud of him.”