Issue link: http://papercitymagazine.uberflip.com/i/975393
62 THROWBACK TO THE '20s SHELBY HODGE SHIMMIES AT THE THOUGHT. PHOTOGRAPHY MICHELLE WATSON. A lways a party of over-the-top proportions with an undercurrent of Las Vegas at play, Galveston's San Luis Salute to Mardi Gras 2018 reimagined the raucous heyday of the notorious Maceo family — in particular, their Hollywood Dinner Club, which opened in 1926. The night played out in the Galveston Island Convention Center, where towering white palm trees swayed above fields of white orchids springing from every tabletop. While Debbie Harry and the Blondie crew were the surprise entertainment, it was internationally renowned burlesque diva Scarlett James who rocked the night. After seductively stripping down to a glittering thong and mini-bra, James, a native of France, slid into an elevated bowl for a well-choreographed champagne bath. Members of the cele- brated Krewe of Momus, their duchesses, and others among the crush of 2,000 raised their smartphones to capture the beguiling routine. HOSTS: Paige Fertitta and Blake, Patrick, and Blayne Fertitta, three of the four children she shares with her husband, entertainment czar Tilman Fertitta. WHO: Astronaut Mark Kelly, University of Houston System chan- cellor Renu Khator and husband Suresh, dean of the Texas senate John Whitmire, UT Medical Branch president Dr. David Callendar, honoree Dr. Joan E. Nichols, CNBC Power Lunch co-anchor Brian Sullivan, Maria and Neil Bush, Diane Lokey Farb, Mark Sullivan, Brenda and Tom Koch, Joy and Vic Fertitta, Joan and Doug McLeod, Doe and Henry Florsheim, Kevin Gilliard and Frank Billingsley, Lizzie Andrews, and Robert Derrick. See more Shelby Hodge at PaperCityMag.com. A BURLESQUE DIVA SEIZES THE NIGHT, AND THE SMART PHONES GO WILD. Burlesque diva Scarlett James Blake Fertitta, Blayne Fertitta, Paige Fertitta, Patrick Fertitta Neil & Maria Bush Jim & Dancie Ware Debbie Harry of Blondie Sarah Delly, Frances Moody, Catherine Hart Astronaut Mark Kelly Daughter Claudia Kelly Matt & Sterling Tramonte Diane Lokey Farb Mark Sullivan Momus King James McLean, Momus Queen Ari Brown Joy & Vic Fertitta Benjamin Foster, Jeff Shell