DISORDER ON THE COURT
By Kim Devore/ Entertainment Writer
It’s not just politics that makes for strange bedfellows-tennis can serve up some odd couples as well. How ’bout ace Andre Agassi sharing the net with the likes of cutup Kelsey Grammer or No. 5 seeded Gustavo Kuerten pitted against TV pop doc Phil McGraw?
These unlikely parings were all part of the Mercedes- Benz Cup and its annual Night at the Net celebrity fundraiser. Others on the all-star roster included swoon and tune-maker Michael Bolton, former comedian Dennis Miller and pal Matthew Perry.
The evening kicked off with a VIP cocktail party at UCLA’s Drake Stadium, where casually clad guests kicked back with a couple of margaritas and fish tacos before taking their courtside seats.
Perry came out swinging and believe it or not, can actually put away a pretty good slam, while Agassi came up with some fairly decent one-liners. Even though the pros could have easily annihilated their comic counterparts, a spirit of sportsmanship prevailed. In the end, Team Kuerten was the one to beat, but the real winner was the Recording Academy,w which landed a net gain for its MusiCares program.
The Sunday finals turned out to be a smashing success for Agassi. Although Jan-Michael Gambill put up a fight with his jaw-dropping 120 mph serves, the champ went on to clinch his third Mercedes- Benz Cup in a 6-2, 6-4 victory.
SOMETHING FISHY
Whenever you get several hundred high-powered people together in this town, you’re bound to run into a few sharks. But the splashy bash at the Aquarium of the Pacific featured the real thing. The black tie crowd got face to face with more than 150 sea critters at the facility’s new Shark Lagoon. It was all part of this year’s Ocean Conservation Gala. The event honored a slew of environmental crusaders including Ted Danson, Monterey Bay Aquarium executive director Julie Packard and Warren Iliff of the Aquarium of the Pacific.
A MAN AND HIS MUSIC
Ginny Manicni took the podium at UCLA’s Royce Hall to kick off a new season of summer concerts and honor her late friend Jack Elliott. Elliott, who served as founder of the Mancini Institute, died last year. The program showcased some of Elliott’s own music as well as works by Dave Grusin, Claus Ogerman and Patrick Williams, all backed by the Henry Mancini Institute Orchestra.
With noted soloists like Hubert Laws, Lee Ritenour and Vinnie Colaiuta, it was the hottest ticket in town and the price was right. The summer concerts are free to the public. The institute, meantime, celebrates its yearly Mancini Musicale on Saturday.