Bezos Wedding: Pajama Party, Media Scrum, And A Grand Total In Venice
The marathon Sanchez/Bezos ring exchange celebrations in Venice didn't precisely follow Mozart's Le Nozze di Figaro (The Marriage of Figaro) narrative arc, although the party gauntlet itself did share a number of tropes with Mozart's and Lorenzo da Ponte's brilliant 1786 comedy. For one thing, the weekend featured the trials and tribulations of a set of 200-plus figures more than slightly financially and socially elevated in stature than the lowly Figaro as they more or less stumbled (or were shepherded) from luxury abode to rager and back, only to shower, change, eat, shop, and then strike out to the boat queue for the next rager. Like Figaro, they had a lot of work set in front of them.
The edgy dress throughout the gauntlet was only amplified by the code for the 'final' Arsenale party on Saturday, 28 June, as guests began to break out their gear for the strikingly retro-themed 'pajama party.' Surprising numbers of them actually managed to adhere to the code. Pictured below, U.S. larger-than-life Über-producer Brian Grazer, clearly in touch with his inner apex-predator leopard, fearlessly boards his launch at the Gritti Palace in his perfectly spotted silk sleep-set, bound for the Hef-like bacchanal. The leopard does not change his spots.
Massive kudos to Mr. Grazer for upping the male ante. The Gritti's dock-manager to Grazer's left, foreground right in the shot, is suspicious that his sturdy right elbow, offered for support during that parlous little leap from land to sea, is being roundly ignored. But what sort of mimsy leopard would take a dock manager's elbow, for Christ's sake? Time for the predator to strike. Nothing like a little entertainment for the paparazzi to keep things rolling out in front of the Gritti. Mr. Grazer brings a bracing dose of team spirit to the Bezos megaparty.
US film producer Brian Grazer leaves the Gritti Palace Hotel for a party on the third day of the wedding of US Amazon founder Jeff Bezos with Lauren Sanchez, in Venice on June 28, 2025. (Photo by Stefano Rellandini / AFP) (Photo by STEFANO RELLANDINI/AFP via Getty Images) AFP via Getty Images
Party after party, all weekend long — and that's saying something — Italian/American and summer-on-the-Med regular Leo DiCaprio had been oddly ducking and diving each time he exited the Gritti, putting his hands up in front of his face when it was time to board his launch, thereby ruining hundreds upon hundreds of photo editors' days. In police stakeout parlance, it took about two seconds on the first day to make his steady girlfriend, Vittoria Ceretti, then, trotting a few yards behind, DiCaprio. Why so shy? It's not as if the photographers are, in any sort of ancient Native American context, 'stealing his soul through his eyes.' He's one of the more regularly photographed men in the United States. It's part of his job.
US actor Leonardo Dicaprio leaves the Gritti Palace Hotel for a party on the third day of the wedding of US Amazon founder Jeff Bezos with Lauren Sanchez, in Venice on June 28, 2025. (Photo by Stefano Rellandini / AFP) (Photo by STEFANO RELLANDINI/AFP via Getty Images) AFP via Getty Images
Then came the Arsenale pajama party on Saturday. Simultaneously proving that he is a man's man, and with a wink at the 1960s heyday of the Playboy empire, DiCaprio went straight for the jugular in the Hef-iest of the several Hugh Hefner sets on parade, in Hef's trademark early-era crimson silk, no less. DiCaprio's striking LA Dodgers topper, in all black, adds geographical authenticity to the provenance: For all we know, these crimson silk jammies could have been a set of Hef's, snatched up by an eagle-eyed DiCaprio as they closed the Playboy mansion down. It's the strikingly broad leg of the pant, cut to be comfortable for a frictionless exit, that scream Hef-in-his-1963-heyday. The Gritti Palace associate greeter just to DiCaprio's left seems pleased with the joke.
Did he duck again? Sadly, yes, but not before the paparazzi caught the kit, crimson top, crimson bottoms, and the silver neck chain underneath. Hef would have been proud.
Easily half the wedding weekend's Figaro -esque comedy was brought by the great chase given by the guests and the attendant Sanchez/Bezos party-planning and security apparatus to the coursing hounds of the international press. Although in architecture it was a game of thrust and parry, it was no less hard fought. Pictured top, a textbook example of the box-and-block tactics that the police on Venice's new hybrid jet-skis used to corral the photographers aboard their private launches outside the sole dock on the private island of San Giorgio Maggiore, site of the Sanchez/Bezos ring ceremony and dinner, on June 27. Jet skis are a splendid invention, for mega-yachtsmen, surfers and surf competitions, and security forces alike. The Venetian police's hybrids, recently aquired, are by Huracan Marine, designed to run on diesel when the cops need bursts of power and speed, electricity when all that's required is slow cruising.
With pleasantly surprising discretion, in April, as they selected Venice to be their wedding celebration location, Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez set a 3-million-euro ($3.5-million) gift in motion to three Venetian charities, while also requesting that their guests eschew personal gifts.
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A Timeless Wedding With a Black and White Color Palette at Charlotte's Mint Museum
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New York Times
3 hours ago
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Very few football chants are meant to be taken literally — Mohamed Salah is a wonderful footballer, but, just for the record, he is not actually an 'Egyptian king' — yet it is hard not to take a chant seriously if it has been crafted without care. A player signed from any other club could have had a similar song bellowed out in his honour and it would have been fine. But not someone from Juventus, and for very good reason. May marked the 40th anniversary of the Heysel disaster, when 39 mainly Juventus fans lost their lives at the 1985 European Cup final in Brussels after being crushed by a collapsed wall. One of the main factors in those deaths was a charge by Liverpool supporters from a neighbouring section of a crumbling venue, which investigators subsequently deemed unfit to host a match of such magnitude. Advertisement Many in Italy have never forgiven Liverpool for what happened in Belgium that day, and feelings in Turin remain especially raw. There have been efforts from both clubs to improve relations, but the fact Liverpool have not faced Juventus in a competitive fixture in more than 20 years means there have been precious few opportunities to build bridges. On the most recent occasion, a Champions League quarter-final first leg in 2005, travelling Juventus fans responded to a display on the Kop that spelt out 'friendship' in Italian by turning their backs. It is not difficult to imagine how Juventus fans may feel on hearing the Chiesa chant. For them, the image of 'crying in Turin' being invoked by fans of the club indelibly associated with the most dreadful event in its history will cut deep. Liverpool fans know how hurtful crass chants can be. 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He always seems to be smiling and given his minimal impact during a title-winning season, he gave the whiff of a competition winner as he paraded the Premier League trophy around Anfield in May. His song was sung loudly that day on the concourses of the stadium before it made its way into the stands, almost like a victory chant. Given Liverpool's reduced attacking options presently, there is hope he can do better. At Wembley during the Community Shield, it was one of the loudest songs in the Liverpool end. When he scored the winner against Bournemouth, Anfield erupted, but he had already been serenaded before his strike in the closing minutes. Over the weekend, respected Liverpool fan sites were pushing it on their platforms. Advertisement Chiesa, for his part, says he is 'really grateful for the song they are singing', but that does not necessarily mean he knows about its potential implications. When the journalist and Walk On podcast presenter Tony Evans — who was at that European Cup final in 1985 — wrote critically about the chant yesterday, the pushback online was significant. It seemed typical of a generational divide on the issue among Liverpool fans, between those who lived through Heysel and its immediate legacy and those who didn't. As the years pass, details are forgotten. In recent times, I feel partly responsible for this. Before the 40th anniversary in May, The Athletic was due to publish a series of articles detailing what happened in Brussels and the impact on both clubs. Shortly before they were due to appear, a car ploughed into a crowd of fans at Liverpool's title parade, leading to the hospitalisation of more than 100 people. Without knowing the condition of the injured, and with emotions so heightened, it felt insensitive to be pushing death in front of readers. I understand if some think this was the wrong decision. Three months on, I am not sure whether it was the right call, but I would like to revisit the subject this year. It is clear to me that fading memories of Heysel help explain why the Chiesa chant has taken hold without people questioning it, while also offering mitigation when it is suggested it might be malicious. Whatever the context, it has already given Juventus fans the chance to say it is a battle cry against them. Anti-Juventus songs have never previously featured among the Liverpool fanbase, but now there is one, with the chant being spread via social media. It is easy to find clips shared by Sky Italia and others, and the replies from Juventus fans saying Liverpool have no shame and their fans are drunken hooligans or animals. So far, there have not been any newspaper articles on the subject, either in England or Italy, but if Chiesa starts delivering regularly and earns a recall to his national side, it is imaginable that reporters will want to know what has boosted his confidence. The song will almost certainly be subjected to scrutiny. Advertisement My concern relates to what this means for the present. The Champions League draw is made next week and I, for one, am hoping that Liverpool avoid Juventus or, indeed, any Italian opponent. Liverpool fans have had well-documented issues against Napoli and Roma in recent years, and there has to be a risk that the Chiesa chant, however it was intended, could effectively serve as a call to arms for hooligan elements who need little encouragement in targeting visitors from Merseyside. It's a shame because, but for one unnecessary line, it's a great song. Supporters do not like being told what to do or having fun defined for them, certainly not by the club they support or by journalists. Yet it would not take much to amend 'f*** off' with something such as 'later, Juve', or even 'arriverdverci'. I'm sure there's someone out there with a more creative mind than me who can play with the bit about 'crying in Turin'. It would be a small gesture, but one that would go a long way. Spot the pattern. Connect the terms Find the hidden link between sports terms Play today's puzzle
Yahoo
5 hours ago
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Camp Daggett to mark centennial with celebration on Walloon Lake
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