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TV Critics Pool Party with Penguins at Ritz Carlton

Where: 1401 South Oak Knoll Avenue [map], Pasadena, CA, United States, 91106

We never would have thought that Hallmark Channel, the creator of all things warm and fuzzy and starring Kellie Martin, would be responsible for breathing new life into Penguin Gate.

The first Penguin Gate happened back in 2005 when P.Diddy and the folks at Hotel Victor in South Beach decided having a couple of scared-looking penguins stand in the middle of a hotel party would be cool, much to the dismay of PETA.

This time, Hallmark Channel brought some penguins from either Sea World or the San Diego Zoo to hang around their pool party at the Ritz Carlton Huntington Hotel & Spa in Pasadena, as part of the Television Critics Association Press Tour.

A TV critic for the SF Chronicle had this to say about the penguins:

What I did find out was that THE PENGUINS HAD A ROOM ACROSS THE HALL FROM ME. Damn dirty penguins. I knew it...They were the stars of the party. They came down a blue carpet. Yes, they really did. I was late, so I don't know if Morgan Freeman actually introduced them as planned.

Later I met the penguins. There were only two of them. They were cute, and small - surprisingly small, as if you could club the life out of them with a Wiffle bat. Not that I would even think of such a thing, but they were definitely small. Like actors. They certainly looked bigger up on the screen when I slept through "March of the Penguins." But my point is this - I tracked them down and I asked the keeper a question: "Did these penguins have a room at the hotel?" She looked stunned. "Uh, yes." I stared back. "What number?" She looked blank. "First floor, 100s maybe?" I asked. Then she lit up. "Yes, room 110." Ha! J'accuse!

We knew Ritz Carlton had a pet-friendly policy but apparently this now includes penguins. Putting penguins up at the Ritz might cause PETA to look the other way on this one but the only thing the Hallmark Channel forgot was to pay Tara Reid a couple grand to show up and throw up.

Related Stories:
· Penguins in the hotel [Tim Goodman, Bastard Machine]
· P.Diddy's Penguin Party Piques PETA [HotelChatter]
· Ritz Carlton Pasadena reviews [TripAdvisor]

Tags: Celebrity Scoop / Penguin Gate / → All Tags

P.Diddy's Penguin Gate At The Vic Continues

Where: 1144 Ocean Drive [map], Miami Beach, FL, United States, 33139

The plot thickens...

According to the New York Post, while six scared penguins were snout taped for display purposes at the Hotel Victor opening party, P.Diddy was busy cashing in. Appears the hotel shelled out nearly $100G for Diddy to host the party and crash at their new pad last weekend. However, despite a deal with the Victor not to go to any other hotels that weekend, Diddy broke the exclusivity clause when he dined with Demi Moore Kutcher at the Delano. Yup, that's right, the topless hotel pool touting Delano. Can't nobody hold him down, oh no.

Oh, and it appears Diddy ranks ahead of at least one sorry party girl. Mz. Tara Reid was invited to the Vic opening party but offered nothing more than a free room and the use of some sort of Hotel Victor house car. Apparently, Tara felt stiffed with her booty. Seems giving a known lush unfettered use of a Coup in the midst of a giant party where the free drinks flowed should be filed under "bad idea", don't you think? Hotel Victor is lucky she didn't wrap that jalopnik around a telephone pole.

Doesn't it seem like just a matter of time before a hacked Sidekick, or some sort of celebrity porn video, surfaces at Hotel Victor? Feels that way to us.

Related Stories:
·   P. Diddy's Penguin Party Piques PETA [HotelChatter]
·   Penguins Pay Off For Puffy [NY Post]
·   Miami Hotel Scene: The Vic Off And Running [HotelChatter]
·   Miami's Top Hotel Pool Scene #2 [HotelChatter]

Tags: Hotels / Penguin Gate / → All Tags

P. Diddy's Penguin Party Piques PETA

Where: 1144 Ocean Drive [map], Miami Beach, FL, United States, 33139

This Hotel Victor opening just keeps getting better.

According to the Miami Herald, last weekends Hotel Victor opening party, which we earlier told you included Victoria Prado and a circus-style motorcycle wheel of death, also included a six pack of scared, cowering penguins.

Loud music, strobe lights, rings of fire with motorcycles jumping through them--hmm--this doesn't sound like the kind of environment we see penguins in on the National Geographic Channel.

PETA must have "snout tapped penguins" queued up as a Google news alert, because they are already all over this one.

Page Six is reporting that P.Diddy, the parties host is now in the midst of a hate mail storm--PETA style.

P.Diddy's Claims Of Innocence Post Jump...

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