Slate V, the video branch of the online mag, threw a party at the cavernous Avalon last night, complete with open bar, roving waiters, and a big buffet. Infiniti provided the decoration, in the form of a car. No raffle, and the back seat wasn't big enough for any Tommy Lee action.

Editor Jacob Weisberg looked a little too comfortable with that mic.

Virginia Postrel's back in town, working on a new book, with her tall, dark, and handsome UCLA professorial husband, Steve Postrel.

People were talking about Iraq, the heat, why no one is watching the debates, the heat.


Mickey Kaus, temporarily blonde-less, Allen Mayer (dreamy, etc.), Slate EP Bill Smee, were all holding court in various power centers.

Investigative types asked us what rewards we'd reaped from the mediabistro.com sale. Perplexed as to how to respond, we looked for Dear Prudence.

Prudie, aka Emily Yoffe, was only there as a big screen video. Michael Sonnenschein confessed that the projections of her with a kitchen knife were having an effect on his, er, projection. TMI.

His book finished, Matt Welch continues wrestling the LAT's op-ed section into some sort of shape. Foreign correspondent Emmanuelle Richard, just back from Oregon, was soignee as ever.

Publicist Jennifer Lee and her team did a great job--hob nobbing, introducing people, flagging down waiters, etc. Goodie bags held an Infiniti pen and a Slate V key ring, but everyone was far too intellectual to be concerned with such mundane details.

Kerry Washington is preparing to shoot Bury Me Standing in Philadelphia.

Fellow thespian Peter Jacobson seemed to know everyone, from where we stood. By the bar, if you must know.

Publisher Cliff Sloan must be tickled pink by the success of Slate V, what with the 2 million downloads.