I SPY NY: New Year’s Eve with Mariah Carey, Patti Smith and More

I spy in NY on New Year’s Eve…

Mariah Carey belting it out at Madison Square Garden (top photo), Patti Smith performing (and celebrating her 63rd birthday) at Bowery Ballroom (middle photo), Nick Lachey and Vanessa Minnillo smooching at the Nivea Kiss Platform Party in Times Square (bottom photo), Chuck Berry performing at B.B. King, Cobra Starship and Josh Madden hanging at Hotel Rivington, Jennifer Lopez singing in Times Square, Gov’t Mule playing Beacon Theatre, Disco Biscuits storming Nokia Theatre, Deborah Cox hosting a party at the Chelsea Art Museum, and Leigh Lezark mingling at the Tribeca Grand Hotel.

Russell Simmons, Patti Smith Hit NYC Gala

It’s a great day to be a New Yorker!

Especially when Russell Simmons and Patti Smith are talking shop at the Gordon Parks Awards Foundation Gala Tuesday night!!

“I haven’t written a music note in awhile,” Simmons tells me, when I tell him about my music blog Poison Ivy.

But Simmons is still very much in the music loop with Globalgrind, his fantastic hip-hop site we told you about back in January.

“We’ve grown 400 percent in the last six months,” the Def Jam mogul says.

Patti Smith was much less talkative, tip-toeing her way around the black tie event in a pair of blue jeans and a sports coat.

“Who’s that woman being photographed?” a pair of dressed up glitterati asked me when I snapped this pic.

“Don’t stare too long,” I said. “That’s Patti Smith.”