It was a diamond, tulle and tuxedo turn out at Milk Studios in Hollywood as locals Charlize Theron and Jeffrey Katzenberg picked up two prestigious honors.
You just knew that the glitzy amfAR gala was sponsored by Harry Winston as soon as you saw Charlize dazzling in her whopping 32.57 carat earrings and 6.6 carat secret cluster ring.
Lea Michele piled on an 88.34 carat secret combination necklace and a 68.57 matching diamond bracelet.
AmfAR, the Foundation for AIDS Research, honored Theron and Malibu’s Jeffrey Katzenberg, chairman of DreamWorks New Media, for his exceptional contributions.
In a conversation between courses, Michele used the word “ecstatic” to describe her feelings. She noted the 180 carats worth of diamonds she wore in her rings, earrings and secret combination glitz by Harry Winston, as well as a spectacular necklace and bracelets, valued, according to stylist Brad Goreski, at $2.5 million.
“I was born and raised in the Bronx,” said the “Scream Queens” star in her Elie Saab gown, “and here I am now, wearing over $2 million in diamonds.”
After an introduction by Barry Diller, Katzenberg acknowledged the progress made in the fight against HIV/AIDS and for LGBT rights, but expressed concern about the “hateful” speeches in today’s politics, saying, “Let’s make no mistake, if intolerance wins, amfAR and all it stands for loses.” After thanking Jane Lynch and Cheyenne Jackson for opening the night’s festivities with a song and a kiss, event co-chair Heidi Klum welcomed guests, encouraging all to “dig deep” during the night’s live auction. “You’ve got to wake up and fork up that cash,” said the “Project Runway” host.
Theron, too, called for “an end to the intolerance and bigotry that’s driving this disease,” adding, “Unfortunately, it’s pretty clear from this election that when it comes to ending intolerance and bigotry, we’ve got a long way to go.”
The posh auction, which offered artwork, luxury trips, jewels, a Paris fashion show and a “Madge in Miami” package, (concert tickets and a picture with Madonna) alone brought $50,000.
This was a shindig with no shortage of star power.
Guests included Jon Hamm, Courtney Love, Malibu’s Kelsey Grammer and local music man David Foster, Jesse Metcalfe, Paris Hilton, Estelle, and Jason Derulo, who closed the evening on a lively note with a performance of his hit songs.
The gala raised more than $2 million!