Since party conventions are no longer about nominating candidates, what are they about? Mostly free stuff. And celebrities. On Saturday night, The Boston Globe sponsored a media party in the new Convention Center on the Boston waterfront. Besides a bizarre entertainment lineup that included Larry Watson (a performer who combines the fashion sense of Sinbad, circa 1993, and the flair of Sexual Chocolate’s Randy Watson) and Little Richard, there was a Ferris wheel, a chocolate fountain, and all the free booze you could handle. On the way out, media members were treated to DNC tote bags stuffed with schwag that ranged from the predictable (a reporter’s notebook), to the curious (a box of Kraft Mac & Cheese shaped like donkeys and stars), to the inexplicable (National Auto Dealers Association used car guide).

The politicians notwithstanding (nor the Mac & Cheese), the biggest thrill of the Convention has to be the celebrity spotting. On a reportorial excursion to the luxury boxes, I saw Andre 3000 talking to U.S. Congressman Kendrick B. Meek of Florida. Not surprisingly, the politician was doing all the talking. Andre may have been conspicuous, what with the cravat and all, but among the old-timers and high-rollers in the executive suites, he went practically unnoticed.

Andre 3000, musician from the rap group Outkast

Watching Michael Moore in the Fleet Center hallway

henrypb