Dan's Papers - July 27, 2007

There are just some weekends you can never forget. This past weekend was one of those. It all began this past Thursday, when someone here at Dan's Papers received an invitation to a party in Water Mill. The term "party" in the Hamptons is often used as a catchphrase for cocktail hours on the beach or benefit bashes, where guests don their best whites and pearls. Yet this invitation was different and the editorial staff here at Dan's Papers became curious.

The invitation was for Sir Ivan's superhero-themed party, where the launch his new superhero character that will appear on NBC's Sci Fi Channel Show, "Who Wants To Be A Superhero?," was to take place at his private castle/mansion. A superhero party in the Hamptons? This could be too good to be true. After some lengthy discussion about the key detail on the bottom of the invite that read, "Superhero costumes are strongly encouraged. Be creative and let your imaginations run wild!" it was decided -- I would become a Superhero.

Luckily, the rest of the young editors are not shy to the social scene and would be joining me in this Daredevil mission. One of my favorite Superhero characters is "Storm" from the comic book X-Men. In the X-Men film trilogy, Storm is played by Academy Award-winner Halle Berry. Storm's Superhero abilities are uncanny and include the ability to control all forms of weather, including the wind, lightning and all naturally-occurring forms of precipitation. In addition, Storm can reduce or raise the temperature of her environment and use winds to elevate herself and fly at high speeds. Immune to the effects of the weather, I felt that Storm would be the perfect superhero for this party.

Let me mention that it is NOT easy to find Superhero costumes but with a little creativity and gas in my car, my outfit came together. Saturday night arrived and we changed into our costumes, decking ourselves out in wigs, fake eyelashes, multicolored capes and of course, fun accessories such as head lamps, sunglasses, toy guns and backpacks filled to the brim for our adventure.

The pseudo medieval castle is immaculate -- 20-rooms, 13,000 square feet (a walking tour takes 30 minutes) and an eclectic mix of Las Vegas-meets-Disneyland decor. As we approached the castle, we were greeted by three little people who handed us blue and red capes to wear while entering the gates to the party. We were already in costume and at this point felt very prepared for the spectacle. Sabrina Mashburn, Features Editor, was Lara Croft from the movie Tomb Raider, where the character is played by actress Angelina Jolie. David Rattiner, Associate and Web Editor, was Super Dave. Janine Cheviot, Assistant Editor, was a cross between Alice from Alice in Wonderland and Super Woman. LiAnne Alcon, Art and Production Director at Hampton Style was Super Butterfly, with a wingspan of four feet.

Many of the editors did not know the background of Sir Ivan, or "Mr. Mitzvah, the world's first Jewish Superhero," as he now calls himself, so I took the time to explain the history of this very interesting and complex individual to the group.

Ivan Wilzig made a leap of faith back in 2004 when he changed his career from banker to music producer. Signed to Artemis Records, Wilzig produces music under the genre of "technippy" (a combination of techno and hippy beats) that is intended to reach the rave scene not only in the United States but in Europe and Australia where it is most popular. Often termed a "playboy," Ivan is known for his stint on the short-lived reality television series, "Single In Hamptons" and without a doubt, for throwing wild, all-night parties at the castle. Ivan is the son of the late Siegbert (Siggi) B. Wilzig, who was a Holocaust survivor, oil tycoon, investment banker and among other things, assistant to Nobel Prize winner Elie Wiesel. Making a fortune with his successes, Siggi Wilzig was able to support a number of charities, such as Steven Spielberg's Shoah Foundation and the Jersey City Medical Center, a free treatment center for immigrants that now bears the Wilzig name. Siggi was born in Krojanke, West Prussia and was the only child in his school of 1,500 students to survive the Nazis' genocidal efforts. He arrived on the shores of the United States weighing 90 pounds without a penny to his name.

Ivan grew up in Clifton, New Jersey, with his brother, Alan, and sister, Sherry, leading a privileged lifestyle. He read many comics as a boy and sang in a choir. At age 13, he was able to belt out a duet of "My Yiddishe Mama" with Sholom Katz, the famous Jewish cantor. The eccentricities in the Wilzig family do not stop there -- Ivan's 72-year-old mother, Naomi, owns and curates the World Erotic Art Museum in Miami's South Beach. The museum hosts over 4,000 pieces of erotic art that she personally collected from around the world.

The hour-long weekly competition television show that Sir Ivan (Mr. Mitzvah) is on currently is being produced by legendary comic-book creator Stan Lee (Spiderman, Hulk, The Fantastic Four, X-Men). The show sets out to challenge a lucky few to create their own superhero and prove that they are really super. Of course, the reward for the winner, chosen by Stan Lee himself, is immortality in the form of a comic book.

As we entered the backyard of the castle, there was a large movie screen set up for the screening of "Who Wants to be a Superhero?" Also set in place was an infinity pool that overlooked Mecox Bay and a basketball and tennis court. Lining the pool were large fire pits, dancers and a few people swimming with little more than their birthday suits on. The crowd was filled with out-of-this world characters like Cat Woman, Batman, Superman, Super Bunnies, Super Angels, SNL's Ambiguously Gay Duo, the Incredibles, Wonder Woman, Spider Man, Wolverine and Robin. I spotted Mr. Mitzvah running around, dancing and stopping for nothing but a few photo opportunities.

Inside the castle was a large dance floor with a DJ dressed in a "super" sailor costume, a pool table, arcade games, a suit of armor and Michael Musto, NYC-based writer and gossip columnist for the Village Voice. Surrounding the pool were lounges, couches and a large Jacuzzi, where people soaked their feet and relaxed with glasses of champagne after dancing to the thumping tunes.

Mr. Mitzvah's super powers were released that night and include flight, night vision, super-strength and enhanced senses. He uses his Star of David paddle to deflect any attack. As a direct descendant of King David, Mr. Mitzvah received the paddle (along with his superpowers) from his father on the day of his Bar Mitzvah. It was first given by God to David after he slew Goliath. Now Mr. Mitzvah uses it in his sacred mission to save the lives of children everywhere. His weaknesses are Non-kosher foods (pork, lobster, shrimp) and his favorite sayings are "Oy, vey!" and "Mazel tov!"

The night continued with drinking and dancing until the very early morning hours, but my entourage and I left around 2 a.m. after sharing many laughs and drinks. Although some people think that Mr. Mitzvah has gotten his hands on a bad batch of Ecstasy or that he is Mr. Insanity, he truly is a party legend here on the East End. And we thank him for that.