Katie Holmes and Mayor Michael Bloomberg at The New York Observer's 25th anniversary party.

Last Thursday evening at New York’s perch of power dining, the Four Seasons Restaurant, billionaires could be found clinking glasses with politicians, actors could be seen rubbing shoulders with news correspondents, and throngs of notable wordsmiths quaffed copious amounts of liquor at The New York Observer’s 25th anniversary soiree.

“I think this is the best collection of New Yorkers I’ve seen in 20 years!” effused Ronald Perelman, who leered lustily at our highball glass.

“Can I ask you one question?” he continued. “Where’s the bar?”

It’s thataway, just behind Katie Couric, we assured the business tycoon. Or if he preferred, he could hit the bar on the other side of the restaurant’s famous pool room, where Harvey Weinstein had posted up and Spike Lee, who declined to take off his puffy coat, had helped himself to the generous spread of gourmet goodies before chatting up Katie Holmes and Donald Trump.

(Sadly, Shindigger caught only the tail end of that conversation. Mr. Lee saying to Mr. Trump: “Well, that’s one thing we can agree on.”)

Observer editors past and present—Peter Kaplan, Elizabeth Spiers and Ken Kurson—circled the room, while publisher Jared Kushner greeted guests with wife Ivanka Trump at the door. And from the worlds of business, politics, entertainment, fashion and beyond, the stars just kept pouring in. Even Mayor Michael Bloomberg was impressed with the turnout. “The Observer does throw a hell of a party,” he said in his opening remarks, before dubbing attendee Cory Booker “the handsomest mayor in America—west of the Hudson River.”

Here came Terry McDonell and Danny Strong and Jay McInerney and Audrey Gelman and Larry Gagosian and Ray Kelly and Joel Klein and George Pataki and Eric Schmidt and Kevin Ryan and—oh my!—Rupert Murdoch.

We just had to talk to Rupert Murdoch

“Mr. Murdoch? Mr. Murdoch?” Shindigger beckoned.

“What?” said the cantankerous billionaire, walking right on by with wife Wendi Murdoch.

“Can we ask you a few questions, sir?”

“No!” barked Mr. Murdoch, before making a dramatic swat in our direction. Shindigger agilely ducked for safety, silently chuckling at the news baron’s aversion to the press.

In no time at all, we found friendlier prey. “Someone from The Observer already observed me,” said Broadway favorite Christine Baranski, who was chatting with fashion consultant Fern Mallis under the floral protection of one of the poolside trees.

“New York is just the coolest city, and I love the fact that this paper really makes New York seem cool,” Ms. Baranski said. “The Observer touches on the sophistication and fun of the city. I just like the tone of it.”

Just then, we re-encountered Mr. Perelman, who had been paired with a cocktail, and who had his own take on The Observer. “The only bad moment I ever had was when they wrote a story about a little synagogue,” Mr. Perelman said, referring to Chloé Malle’s prickly 2010 article about the billionaire’s lavish private synagogue.

“I wish they didn’t, but they did, so that’s the end of it,” he said. “I still love The Observer, even besides that.”

Very gracious, we thought, bumping then into Observer alum George Gurley, with whom we had pre-gamed earlier in the evening at Jean and Martin Shafiroff’s glitzy Saint Patrick’s Day cocktail party. The suavely fuddled Mr. Gurley made the perfect VIP-fixer for Shindigger when PR maven Peggy Siegal was hand-holding elsewhere.

“He does Shindigger, he’s trustworthy,” Mr. Gurley assured José “Pepe” Fanjul, the president of Fanjul Corp. and Florida Crystals Corporation.

“I think this is the best event!” exclaimed Mr. Fanjul’s Carolina Herrera-clad wife, Emilia Fanjul.

We danced past the couple then to catch up with model Hilary Rhoda, who was getting a kick out of the bash.

“Oh, it’s a great party!” she said, holding a plate of Christian Albin’s Italian gourmet cibo. “I love the room, it’s gorgeous. I love the band. Obviously getting into the food situation.”

Ms. Rhoda, also dressed in a Carolina Herrera creation, had just returned from the runways of Paris, where she had walked for Céline. “Now I’m back and on photo shoots,” she said.

Photorealistic artist Chuck Close was also taking advantage of the buffet.

“I love The Observer almost in spite of myself,” he said. “At first it was a guilty pleasure, and then one day they endorsed Mitt Romney. I almost canceled my subscription. What were they thinking?”

What brought you back onboard, we wondered?

“When I go to Europe and can’t read you, I get really upset,” he confessed. “It went from being a guilty pleasure to a real pleasure.”

A cocktail later, we found ourselves yelling: “Ms. Herrera, we saw you at the School of American Ballet’s Winter Ball, and you were dancing!”

Shindigger had never witnessed her quite so zippy.

“Yes, I know. I’m South American,” Carolina Herrera retorted sassily.

Cuchi-Cuchi!

Back to the bar we traipsed.

“Do you have a white wine or champagne?” Padma Lakshmi pressed a barman.

“Rosé or brut?” he asked.

“Brut,” the foodie stated assuredly.

Ms. Lakshmi wanted to know our thoughts about her Blossom Ball. “Did you have fun?” she asked.

“We did, “Shindigger said.

“I’m glad!” she said. And then the Maison Martin Margiela-wearing TV host told us about the previous day, which she had spent in Albany: “I was recognized by the State Senate. Every State senator was there, because it’s budget time,” she dished, lowering her voice to a serious, husky tone. Though she lost us at “budget.”

When the band was replaced by DJ Chelsea Leyland’s turntables, things had officially strayed, and Shindigger was impressed (and a tad disappointed) that not a single sloshed attendee plummeted into the white marble pool. Cases in point: when perpetually grabby Four Seasons proprietor Julian Niccolini began frisking two attractive slabs of meat, offering to shower them with pricey pours of Bordeaux. Or when Gawker founder Nick Denton resorted to flirting with a pride of hungry tech lionesses, having already refused to be photographed with Mr. Murdoch because “it’s too obvious.”

Shindigger sidled up to the bar for last call with Ashleigh Banfield of CNN and Fox News’s Kimberly Guilfoyle.

“We’re together,” Ms. Banfield joked about their warring media outlets. “I’ve known her for eight years. We use to work at Court TV together.”

“Did you see Rupert Murdoch? He didn’t want to talk to us,” we bemoaned.

“Because I work at CNN, he didn’t want to talk to me, either,” said Ms. Banfield.

“No, he’s great! God bless him!” Ms. Guilfoyle cut in, right on cue.

As Rihanna’s “Diamonds” thundered over the speakers, Ms. Banfield revealed that she had gotten a smooch from the Newark mayor.

“We had a Cory Booker sandwich,” swooned Ms. Guilfoyle.

As things were wrapping up, at least one guest took on a reflective air. Mr. Close told us that he was overwhelmed by the turnout and notable faces. “I’ll make sure to be at the 50th anniversary,” he promised. “I’ll be 98.”

Shindigger likes a man who can forecast that far ahead—or, for that matter, with any type of math skills.

Here’s to the next 25 years!

The Four Seasons Restaurant, 99 East 52nd Street, (212) 754-9494, 6:30-9:30pm, by invitation only.

Yes you are!

Updated: Tina Fey responds below!
Have you been reading all about Taylor Swift telling Amy Poehler and Tina Fey that they are going to hell for their Golden Globes jokes in the most recent issue of Vanity Fair? Or wait, was that Katie Couric who told Taylor Swift that, and the singer was just relating it back in an anecdote? Did Amy Poehler say she was actually going to hell? Did Couric totally rip off a very famous Madeleine Albright quote about a basketball?

If you are confused, don't worry. Here are some GIFs from Mean Girls to help explain.

Okay, so first of all there is Taylor Swift, who is a person who is not above mocking her ex at Grammys during her opening song, because:

And she is pissed because during the Golden Globes, Amy Poehler and Tina Fey were making some jokes, and one happened to land on her. Technically, Ms. Fey was the one who dug it to the singer about her relationship with Harry Styles, warning her not to go after Michael J. Fox's son.
"Or go for it!" Ms. Poehler said.
"No, she needs some me time, for herself," Ms. Fey countered. Remember, they were pretending to be drunk.

And then Taylor Swift, who never told Kanye West to go to hell BY THE WAY, was all:

So she waited until she was on the cover of Vanity Fair this month, so she could say this in a profile (re: the Golden Globes jokes):

"You know, Katie Couric is one of my favorite people, because she said to me she had heard a quote that she loved, that said, 'There’s a special place in hell for women who don’t help other women.'"

Because seriously, Amy and Tina, don't even try to mess with the girl who literally wrote a song called "Mean":

Unfortunately for Katie Couric, who you just know is feeling like:

Especially when it was Madeleine Albright who actually said that.

So right out the gate, we're pretty much feeling:

But luckily, Amy Poehler is a classy lady, and responded, "Aw, I feel bad if she was upset. I am a feminist and she is a young and talented girl. That being said, I do agree I am going to hell. But for other reasons. Mostly boring tax stuff."

Ms. Swift has not yet responded, nor has Tina Fey. But as it stands right now, we have Amy Poehler being all:

While a grown-ass 23-year-old is freaking out in a corner, like:

Update: On Wednesday, Ms. Fey joined the fracas, telling Us Weekly that Swift should just get over it."It was just a joke, and I think it was actually a very benign joke," said the comedian. To New York Magazine, she added that the young singer wasn't the only one who could take out her fury in verse:

"Me, too, though! Me, too. I could do a song. I could do a whole song about it."

Which, as much as we'd like to see, is also kind of defensive response for someone so much older, wiser, and cooler than Taylor Swift. Like, turn the other cheek, Tina Fey! You do not have to drag yourself down to "Dear John" levels! Be more like Poehler, who has a new social network for girls about self-esteem issues, instead of the woman thinking up satirical songs that rhyme "Swift" with "John Mayer's dick."

Jeff Zucker (Getty Images)

Deadline's Nellie Andreeva reports that Jeff Zucker, executive producer of the decently-rated if not world-beating new talk show Katie, may already be on his way out; the former NBC chief is said to be a candidate to take over CNN when current president Jim Walton's contract expires at year's end.

Mr. Zucker, who worked with Katie host Katie Couric during her tenure as host of Today, told The Hollywood Reporter in 2011 that "Katie is a unique brand in television... Our hope is that we take that into the program." In the same interview, Mr. Zucker expressed regret over what had happened to NBC during his tenure as president of that network, when it fell from first to fourth among broadcast networks.

Flacks for Ms. Couric’s eponymous show sent out an email this morning touting what they described as her "impressive" debut ratings. Specifically, they noted Ms. Couric's program "towered over" Anderson Cooper's daytime show, "bested" Dr. Phil among women aged 25 to 54, which is the most valuable demographic for daytime talk shows, and "beat" Dr. Mehmet Oz.

In addition to performing well against her veteran competition, Ms. Couric scored ratings that were higher all five days last week than her other rivals who are also daytime talk rookies including; Steve Harvey, Jeff Probst and Ricki Lake. Overall, the week ended well for Ms. Couric, who premiered as he started as TV’s #3 syndicated talk show in the coveted women aged 25 to 54 demographic.

Ellen DeGeneres, The Ellen DeGeneres Show (2003-present): Jennifer Aniston

Jimmy Fallon, Late Night (2009): Robert DeNiro

• Conan O'Brien, The Tonight Show (2009-2010): Will Ferrell 
• Jay Leno, The Jay Leno Show (2009-2010): Jerry Seinfeld
• Jay Leno, The Tonight Show (2010-present): Lindsey Vonn
• Nate Berkus, The Nate Berkus Show (2010-2012): Dolly Parton
• Conan O'Brien, Conan (2010-present): Arlene Wagner [curator, Leavenworth Nutcracker Museum]
• Anderson Cooper, Anderson (2011-present): the family of Amy Winehouse
• Bethenny Frankel, Bethenny (2012-present): Vanessa L. Williams
• Jeff Probst, The Jeff Probst Show (2012-present): Kelly Pozzoli, schoolteacher with cervical cancer
• Katie Couric, Katie (2012-present): Jessica Simpson

Katie Couric (Getty Images)

Katie Couric's new talk show, Katie, has announced some of its first guests--and it tends toward supermarket-checkout celebrities. Ms. Couric's first show is to feature Jessica Simpson's first TV interview since giving birth to daughter Maxwell, reports Deadline, with a performance by mom-friendly act Sheryl Crow. Other big names booked for the fall include the press-friendly--Jennifer Lopez, Chelsea Handler--and the press-shy--Barbra Streisand and Fifty Shades of Grey author E.L. James. Ms. Couric's new show, to begin September 10, has also reached out to Sarah Palin, who infamously accused the host of "gotcha journalism" for an interview conducted in the 2008 presidential campaign, to "no response."

Katie Couric (Getty Images)

Onetime queen of the morning Katie Couric is reclaiming her throne--for one short week. She'll be guest-hosting Good Morning America for the week beginning April 2, as part of her new utility-player duties at ABC in the leadup to her new chat show, Katie, in the fall.

This comes at a pivotal time for morning news, as Ann Curry reportedly is losing or has lost the esteem of her colleagues at Today (where she occupies Ms. Couric's old seat) and Matt Lauer ponders whether he can get more money elsewhere. A world-beating week for ABC might raise blood pressures among Today producers accustomed to first place.

By 9:50am Michael Kors was a mob-scene! Kors’ publicists attempted to keep the clutter to a minimum, but how can you with Jessica Alba, Anjelica Huston, Katie Couric, and Debra Messing in the front row?

“Can you make sure we get this specific shot of the seating?” The Observer begged publicist Savannah Engel…

“Excuse me! You’re in my seat—that’s my seat!” hissed a malnourished editor in row 2, to one ill-fated guest.

Good morning fashion frenzy!

“Rugged elegance…cozy textures… gutsy knits and fur…” read the run-of-show.

“What the hell does ‘Gusty knits’ mean?” questioned a befuddled Billy Morrissette.

“Not a clue,” we chuckled equally perplexed from our seat.

Then typical debate arose: who would be The Observer’s prey today. A sturdy defense force protected any significant or juicy utterance from our movie star options. Editors are far too judicious with their comments… We trekked back down to the runway to seek out someone.

“I hope it’s better than that African Safari show,” one late arrival whispered as she plowed through our path.

“Hey now! Those Mario Testino ad spreads rocked,” we yelled defensively.

Abandoning our mission, with all the fuss, we marched back…

“How far are you in your pregnancy? It’s beautiful!” The Observer overheard Rachael Zoe hum to some statuesque mother-to-be…

What a relief to make it back to section A-5—with the delectable SCENE creative director, Cricket Burns, to chew the fat with! (Naturally, there was in fact very little fat in the Lincoln Center tents that day.)

Why does Rachael Zoe bring her husband to shows?” Ms. Burns said with a justifiable eye roll.

She gets what she wants these days,” we replied all too knowingly.

“Ha Brad Goreski has a better seat,” laughed Ms. Burns.

By the time look 15 came out on Kasia—an Ivory Mongolian lamb vest, paired with an Alpaca hand-knit pullover and black/ivory tartan bias skit—we saw Ms. Zoe spasm with enough joy to give us a seizure. For safety reasons, we turned our focus back to runway, although “I die!” moments were still audible…

On the other hand, the stylist’s delight was understandable. Michael Kors’s signature take on luxurious American could not have been more brilliant. Wool/cashmere tartans, herringbone and buffalo checks came in crimson, ash, camel and black; Model Daria Strokous wore an oversized knitted Coyote cocoon coat over her ensemble to stomp down the rustic, wooden runway.

And who can forget that stellar glossy black glove leather trench with black fox vest? A black Alpaca, Teddy Bear duffle coat with toggles, catered to the intrepid man. Kors’s sheer Chantilly lace dress with a sleeveless black Melton pea coat—pure bliss! For evening, just add a touch of shine to that slouchy silhouette, with a magnificent crystal beaded jersey gown. Get a load of that Ms. Messing! Your name all over it!

“Sublime, sublime, sublime!” raved Ken Downing, fashion director at Neiman Marcus, backstage. “We always love when Michael does red, because it’s so signature to him. Tons of great fur… and I like the idea of fur being modern as a cover up! It’s not that piece that you keep in your closet that you bring out for a gala; it’s something that you can wear every day. Super glamorous, super chic! And as you know, Michael loves a glamorous woman… Amazing dresses! Michael’s dresses are just a go to for every woman…”

Who do you envision wearing them?

“My customer—every one of my customers— has a Michael Kors dress! It’s insane!”

“You live in Texas still? Or American Airlines? Something like that?”

“You’ve read my quotes! I live on American Airlines. But I pay my taxes in Texas! I pay a couple of taxes in Texas… I have a weekend house on a lake as well.”

Are you going there after? Can we come?

“I am going home literally for twelve hours… rearranging my wardrobe and flying to London!

“…I should be a spokesman for American Airlines!”

Images: Patrick McMullan and GETTY.