ROE YOUR BOAT
By Kim Devore/Entertainment Writer
It was a groovy ’70s style get together that just made you want to break out the love beads and burn your bra.
Planned Parenthood and hundreds of politically concerned pals gathered at the Regent Beverly Wilshire Hotel to observe the 30th anniversary of Roe v. Wade-the landmark United States Supreme Court ruling on abortion.
The hotel ballroom was transformed into a living lava lamp, sporting more peace and flower-power signs than a VW van convention. The tables were done up in shades of shocking orange, yellow, turquoise and cranberry, topped with gerber daisies and Day-Glo smiley faces.
“Welcome 1973,” beamed emcee actor Camryn Manheim. “If any of you have flashbacks we have trained medical staff in the back.”
To get folks in the mood, they played era anthems like “Philadelphia Freedom” and “Dancing in the Streets” while showing clips of determined protesters posed for a revolution. As guests sipped Chardonnay and snacked on steak tartare, the paparazzi angled for a peak at those glam gals from “Sex and the City.”
Sarah Jessica Parker bounced in wearing a strapless silk top, flouncy lace skirt and rich, floral coat. Lovely Kristin Davis opted for an elegant steel-gray pants suit, while steamy Kim Cattrall, fresh from her Golden Globe grab, waltzed in with a brilliant blue chiffon gown.
After her racy HBO run, Cattrall lamented that the days-and nights-of her character’s freewheeling sexual escapades were numbered.
“It’s really bittersweet,” she said with a sigh. “It’s been such an amazing journey for all of us.”
Even if the show is coming to an end, it certainly gave America something to talk about. From lipstick lesbians to foot fetishes, “Sex and the City” covered everything you ever wanted to know about sex and possibly more. That was one of the major reasons why Planned Parenthood selected the show to receive its 2001 leadership award.
The Roe v. Wade milestone also served as a call to arms and it gave Ms. Manheim a chance to reflect on some of the changes that have taken place over the past three decades.
“In 1973, Helen Reddy was singing, ‘I Am Woman,'” she noted. “In 2003, we have Britney Spears singing, ‘I Am a Slave.'” As Manheim sees it, the women’s movement has taken a giant step backward, saying, “when you look at the political landscape then, and the political landscape now, it almost makes you wistful for Richard Nixon… almost.”
Her sentiments were echoed by actor Christine Lahti, who said the right to an abortion is a concept that might be lost on many younger women. “They don’t know what it’s like not to have that as an option,” she said, “and they don’t realize how close they are to having that right taken away.”
Manheim, fully in control of this crowd, went on to salute dedicated Democrats like Congresswoman Maxine Waters, Gov. Gray Davis and Congressman Brad Sherman for fighting the fight for reproductive rights.
“After 30 years,” she said, “they’re working to make sure this is a celebration and not a farewell.”