The champagne ? and the itty bitty appetizers ? flowed freely last night on New York's Lower East Side at a dual party for uber-producer Pharrell Williams (marking his birthday), and Robin Thicke (celebrating his just-certified gold record, The Evolution of Robin Thicke). Bold-faced friends like Diddy, Jay-Z and Thicke's wife, actress Paula Patton (Déjà Vu) gathered at upscale supper club Stanton Social to surprise Thicke, who thought he was only there for the birthday.

"I know you thought you were showing up for me," Williams said as a stunned Thicke stood by, "but everybody here was showing up for you." Later, cornered by EW, he was asked what he had to say about his American Idol guest appearance, scheduled for next Wednesday. "I've never seen the show," he said with a wink, "but I really hope Paula Abdul wins it." Also coincidentally in the house was season 4 castoff Constantine Maroulis, still spinning out his 15 minutes.

Markedly not present: Cristal champagne. Jay-Z continues to boycott the luxury brand, ever since its company director made public remarks disparaging the hip-hop community. Instead, he drank from bottles of Ace of Spades, which reportedly retails for something between $750 and $1,000 ? not too shabby. As Diddy, Pharrell, and the Hova simultaneously popped corks, Chad Hugo (Pharrell's partner in the Neptunes production team and co-conspirator on the Star Traks label, which Thicke is signed to) told EW that he was still in the studio with Ashlee Simpson, and that people would be "amazed" by what they've got so far. "I think she's really gonna surprise people on this. She's been underestimated."

Jay-Z also snuck in a little self-promotion, when his just-released single with Rihanna, "Umbrella," came on the sound system, telling us it would be "the song of the summer. Make sure you write that down!" The party continued long after Thicke led a singalong of "Happy Birthday," adding his own falsetto flourishes. As the night eventually wound down, the big boys ? Diddy, Jay, etc. ? gathered the troops and moved on to another nearby hotspot. And this lowly reporter? She headed home, with a champagne buzz and stomach full of birthday cake.