Celebrity parties occasionally dissolve the boundary between stars and hired staff

Evidence

As the cocktails flowed throughout the night, and after Stevie sang “Happy Birthday” (the African-American arrangement) to Diana and she blew out her 58 candles, it seemed like everyone got really loose, guests and caterers alike. Toward the end of the night, even the kitchen staff took turns going out to dance in the boxing ring whenever we heard a favorite Motown song. I even bumped with Barry Gordy on the dance floor. The energy reminded me of the house parties my black friends in the ’60s used to throw in their apartments, where everyone line-danced in the living room. It had that kind of vibe despite its A-list guests. Everyone was getting down. By then, Kevin Costner was relentlessly hitting on one of our waitstaff and RuPaul had become smitten with one of our cute gay waiters, and kept following him back into the kitchen. He hung out with us for quite some time, chatting. It was one of those rare nights where the boundaries blurred between stars and the help, and no one seemed to mind except for one of Diana’s daughters, who Viva reported was giving her heavy attitude. — Dolores DeLuce, Blow Jobs, 160

Categorization

• XREF: Reverses the author’s usual pattern in this book of service stacked beneath celebrity glamour; a rare night where hierarchy dissolved.
• CANDY: The image of kitchen staff dancing in a boxing ring with a Motown soundtrack while Costner works the waitstaff is an entertaining firsthand detail.