Entertainment Writer
MALIBU SEEN
Music man David Foster and his lovely wife Linda Thompson barely had time to recover from their travels to Europe, Alaska and Dave’s native Canada, when they found themselves back at work and back on the circuit.
The dynamic duo, who are always on hand to laud the efforts of others, were on the receiving end of the applause this time, honored for their many charitable contributions by Women in Film.
WIF threw a glittering toast to Hollywood girl-power as part of its annual awards gala at the Century Plaza Hotel.
A sea of paparazzi surrounded the red carpet and snapped away at the likes of Halle Berry, Amy Brenneman and Rosie O’Donnell, who were among this year’s recipients.
Berry was Oscar-perfect, sporting a sexy satin number and glittering jewels. O’Donnell went for missionary-chic wearing a long, black, buttoned-down tunic and sensible shoes.
The Fosters brought along beauty Brooke Shields who presented them with the Norma Zarky Humanitarian Award.
“Giving back is a clich,” said Shields, “but Linda and David have turned it into an art form.”
It was a reunion of sorts as “Cagney and Lacy’s” Sharon Gless presented Tyne Daly with her award. Daly delighted the crowd with wit and charm, glancing occasionally at an acceptance speech she had freshly scribbled at the VIP cocktail reception.
“They asked me to send my remarks so they could post them on the teleprompter,” she said, peering down from her rhinestone bifocals. “I thought it was so charming that they thought I could still read.”
O’Donnell and Anne Sweeney received this year’s Lucy Awards, while Berry and “Spiderman’s” Laura Ziskin took home the Crystal Awards.
Tickets for this star-spangled bash went for upwards of 500 bucks, but Ziskin put both the ticket prices and WIF’s progress in perspective.
“I remember going to this 25 years ago,” she reflected. “Back then, most of the women in Women in Film were secretaries. We were at Sportsman’s Lodge, but it only cost 35 dollars.”
Well, you’ve come a long way baby!
SURFSIDE CHIC
The Fosters were front and center at another splashy bash-the first annual Style by the Shore. They joined pal Penny Marshall along with Alec Baldwin and Owen Wilson for an evening of fundraising and fashion to benefit the Santa Monica BayKeeper and Heal the Bay. Hollywood hipsters, VIPs and wannabes gathered at Carbon Beach to check out a glorious collection of sexy satin dresses, silk cargo pants and slit-to-the-hip minis, all designed by David Park.
Leo DiCaprio, who was out promoting his new flick, “Gangs of New York,” was a no-show, but Toby McGuire kicked up the celebrity quotient quite a bit. Mingling near an upstairs bar clad in baggy beach attire and baseball cap, Spiderman looked downright human.