National Italian American Foundation 35th Gala and Celebrity Doppelganger!

DC ON HEELS was thrilled to be a part of this year's National Italian American Foundation's 35th Anniversary Gala Awards.  Mama Mia! What a night it was!!! So many talented, prestigious and notable Italian-Americans were in attendance this year.

Giuliana DePandi Rancic, anchor and managing editor of "E! News" and start of the Style Network show "Giuliana & Bill," was the mistress of ceremonies for the event. Markette and Vanessa nabbed an exclusive interview with the down-to-earth E! host and celeb reality star.

Giuliana gave us the scoop on what's happening in Hollywood, including confirmation that Bravo TV's fashion darling who everyone goes "bananas" for, Rachael Zoe is officially preggers!

She also dished that the bootlylicious Beyonce has "almost confirmed" that she, too, has a bun in the oven. Guiliana also talked about growing up right here in Bethesda, Md. and how as long as you work hard and put in the time, you can achieve great success and get a piece of the pie -- just like she has. Ok, well she actually has the whole damn pie!

But the girl is no stranger to hard work. She is currently producing several upcoming television projects, has authored a new relationship book with her hot hubby entrepreneur and the original Apprentice winner Bill Rancic, is co-starring in her own reality show (again with her cute husband) "Giuliana& Bill," Host and Managing Editor of "E! News," juggling life and marriage and trying for a baby in the carriage! Geesh the woman is unstoppable!

Giuliana attended American University grad school just like Markette and I, and was a Terp during her undergrad years. The creamy olive-skinned beauty even gave us props saying that she loves DC ON HEELS and to "keep working hard." She also joked that she could officially rock her heels for the night -- sans her more vertically challenged co-host of "E! News," Ryan Seacrest. What a great and funny gal she is!  And the night just kept getting better...

Hello Mr. Antonio Sabato, Jr. =)

DC ON HEELS hosts Markette and Vanessa

 DC ON HEELS with ESPN host "Around the Horn" Tony Reali

With Univision host Fernando Fiore and his wife

V&M with actor Tony Lo Bianco

We love a man in a great Italian suit! 

 Markette and Vanessa with the most beautiful singer in the room

Gala Honorees 

 Sophisticated and glamourous Italian fashion

DC ON HEELS makeup artist and stylist Didi Greene pictured with actor Michael Badalucco

Red hot paisanos!

 Markette pictured with Emmy award-winning actor Michael Badalucco

Heading out in the Fiat

(La mama de Antonio Sabato, Jr. pictured right. Remember her from his reality show?!)

 Show us those heels!

Markette and her favorite First Lady Betty Ford in the President's Hall

Vanessa and her favorite First Lady Abigail Adams 

Markette, Antonio and Vanessa

 All smiles with our friend Steve Michael, Mr. Sabato, Jr. and Vanessa 

 Vanessa (left) with Tony Lo Bianco and Markette (right)

Above: with President of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting Patricia de Stacy Harrision.

Below: with NIAF gala honoree Tom Izzo, Michigan State University head coach

Italian Americans are the nation's fifth largest ethnic group, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. One out of every 10 Americans has some Italian ancestry, making their number an estimated 26 million, the Bureau reports.

Notable gala attendees for the evening were:

Hon. Samuel A. Alito, Jr.--Supreme Court Justice

Michael Badalucco--Emmy Award-winning Actor

Yogi Berra--Baseball Great

Robert Davi--Actor

Danny DeVito--Golden Globe and Emmy Award-winning Actor

Fernando Fiore--Univision Host

Tommy Lasorda--Sports Great

Jim Messina--White House Deputy Chief of Staff

Joe Pantoliano--Actor

Mike Piazza--12-Time MLB All-star

Bill Rancic--Co-star of E's "Guiliana &Bill"

Tony Reali--ESPN Host of "Around the Horn"

Antonio Sabato, Jr.--Actor

Mary Sciarrone--Star of TLC "Cake Boss"

H.E. Giuliomaria Terzi di Sant' Agata--Ambassador of Italy to the United States

Nicholas Valvano--CEO of the V Foundation

Jim Walton--President of CNN Worldwide

Stay tuned for our exclusive interviews with Guiliana Rancic, ESPN's Host Tony Reali,  Actor, Robert Davi and Italian film producer, Aurelio De Laurentiis --one of this year's honorees. Mr. Laurentiis received the NIAF United States-Italy Friendship Award, presented by funny-man actor and producer Danny Devito. So stay tuned! SPECIAL THANKS: Didi Green of Eyma Salon in Bethesda for  our fabulous hair & makeup and Kevin Snevely of Herndon for photography and production.

What an incredible evening! Ok, from real-life celebs to celeb look-alikes guess what time it is? That's right it's time for our weekly installment of Celebrity Doppelganger. So who is our copycat this week? Well, last week we found out who TBD ( News Channel 8) anchor Morris Jones celeb look-alike was...

And since we  see him every Monday and he always tell us if we're getting rain or sun we thought we'd take a stab and see who our favorite weatherman's doppelganger Joe Witte is...

Ok I had to Google who Joe's number one Patrick Stump was. Patrick WHO???  Turns out he is the front man for the popular band Fall Out Boy. You know the group that Ashley Simpson's hubby Pete Wentz is in? Yeah it took me a minute too.  Ok well Regis Philbin is a close second and I def. know who THAT is. How did this weeks doppelganger measure up? I'm gonna go with not that close. I guess Joe is just an original!  Nominate next week's doppleganger. E-mail dconheels@gmail.com send us a jpg and the name of your friend or of yourself! 

That's all from  DC ON HEELS "Giving you the local hookup to food, fashion and fun in our Nation's Capital." 

    
    Ciao bella

   Besos xoxoxo Vanessa

Click on icons to connect with us!

Watch us every Monday on TBDTV at 4:30 and 6:30 pm with Morris Jones!