Their supporters include animal lovers and A-listers like Cindy Crawford, Pamela Anderson, Jessica Biel, Brooke Burke Charvet, Katherine Ross and Sam Elliott as well as Dr. Lisa Newell, Richard Chesterfield and Victoria Harris.
Many of them turned up at the exquisite Gull’s Way Estate overlooking the Pacific for the California Wildlife Center’s Wild Brunch.
“We are celebrating 18 years and 45,000 rescues, and that’s awesome,” Victoria Harris said.
As guests made their way to the grounds, they were greeted by adorable pictures of orphaned raccoons, squirrels and songbirds all on their way to recovery. There were also fun facts that read, “It takes $1,700 to raise an orphaned fawn and last year we cared for 20 thanks to your help.”
The casually clad crowd sported polos and Hawaiian shirts, while the gals floated around in breezy summer frocks and parasols to keep out of the sun. While the DJ spun classic tunes from the Beatles, Buffalo Springfield and The Beach Boys, there were lots of live and silent auction items to check out. They included everything from tropical and exotic getaways — everywhere from the Caribbean to South Africa — to a visit to a wolf sanctuary, an afternoon with the gibbons (as in primates — not Lisa) and baskets filled with pet treats.
Richard Chesterfield, fresh from Nicole Kidman’s local bash, was cooking up a veggie feast with Caesar salad, white truffle mac n’ cheese and no-meat curry. Also on board, local favorites like Duke’s and Tavern One. Plus there was plenty of wine to wash it all down.
CWC Executive Director Jennifer Brent wanted to thank all the people, including hard working staff and volunteers, and people who cared and called in to make it all possible.
“Each and every one of you attending are choosing to make a difference for animals,” she said, “and I want to thank each and every one of you for making this a part of your annual giving.”
And you can be sure all the thousands of rescued and rehabbed animals appreciate it too.
Maybe the DJ said it best on their behalf when he played the Brian Wilson classic “God Only Knows.”
Now that’s a grrreat cause!
THE VOICE IS THE CHOICE
Congrats to creatively inclined locals Mark Burnett and Roma Downey for their recent Emmy win for their smash show “The Voice.” The popular songfest picked up the top spot in the “Reality-Competition” category. This season’s buzz has been bigger than ever with superstar recording artists Miley Cyrus and Alicia Keys joining in the fun along with returning coaches, pop star Adam Levine and country king Blake Shelton. Each coach selects contestants for their teams during blind ambitions and can “steal” wannabes during the battle rounds.
The singers who progress to the live performance shows compete for America’s votes in hopes of winning a recording contract grand prize. Mark was front and center as host Jimmy Kimmel joked that he is the man responsible for the future of the country after Republican nom Donald Trump got a big attention-grabbing bump on Mark’s “Celebrity Apprentice.”
Other artists to take home the golden girl included the folks behind “Game of Thrones” for Outstanding Drama Series, “Veep” for Outstanding Comedy Series and “The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story.” Brit wit John Oliver went home with the prize for best comedy variety for “Last Week Tonight.” Cheers, Mate! May the Jon Stewart force stay with you!