FOX Goes Green in Hollywood

Had Joyce Kilmer attended Monday (Sept. 24) night's FOX Eco-Casino Party, she might have observed, "Blog posts are written by fools like me, but only FOX can give celebrities a tree."

In what has become an annual tradition, FOX commandeered a hot Hollywood nightclub (Area this year, taking over for last year's Boulevard3) and let its stars run wild on the gaming tables for the chance to win chips redeemable for FOX merchandise. Thus, the Eco-Casino party was able to set up what I'm sure will be FOX's next reality smash, Who Wants to Play Blackjack Like a 5th Grader.

Of course, the event wasn't only about learning gambling tips from tikes too young to remember that glorious summer of 1994 when Ini Kamoze regaled us with the adventures of a young hotstepper. No, it's about giving money to charity and as of this reporter's departure at 10 p.m. a variety of Green and Earth-friendly organizations -- including the Nature Conservancy and Habitat for Humanity -- had raised at least $21,600.

And, since FOX usually jumps the gun on the fall season by just a wee bit, the annual September party is also about FOX giving one last catered meal (and an assortment of themed martinis) to shows on the verge of a premature demise, shows you might never see again. Two years ago, the stars of Kitchen Confidential came out in force, despite having already been pulled from FOX's schedule. Last year, the cast of Happy Hour came to party, even if the show never aired again. And on Monday night, no stars came earlier and stayed later than the lovely lads and ladies of Nashville. Perhaps if coalminer's daughter Mika wore short-shorts and high red boots on Nashville, somebody would actually be watching FOX on Friday nights.

To be honest, I'd meant to start this blog post with a celebration of 24 star Kiefer Sutherland, whose constant willingness to show up at events of this ilk, even after six seasons and an Emmy, is nothing short of admirable. Sutherland's post-party DUI arrest has somewhat tarnished those warm feelings, though I'm inclined to point out that several weeks ago, FOX sent out hundreds of COPS-themed Breath Tester key chains to reporters as a promo item. How could nobody at the network have brought theirs along to the party?

The obligatory party gift bag was a recycled tote made from old FOX billboards, a gimmick The CW used back at the TCA press tour. Mine appears to have been crafted from a small part of Homer Simpson's yellow skull.

The bag's contents:

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