YOU GOTTA HAVE FRIENDS
Anytime Brad and Jen are in attendance, you know there will be a blinding barrage of strobe lights and a whirl of motor drives. But Mister Pitt and his missus were just two of the famous friends taking part in the annual star-studded bash for Project A.L.S., an organization devoted to finding a cure for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (Lou Gehrig’s disease).
Other A-listers filing into the Beverly Wilshire included swinging super-spy Mike Myers, as well as Courtney Cox, Dana Carvey, Ben Stiller, William Baldwin, Brooke Shields, Warren Beatty, Annette Benning, Bob Saget, Jeffrey Katzenberg and … well, you get the idea.
Despite the mega-watt starpower, the Big VIP at this fete was Brad Grey, the heavyweight chairman of Brillstein-Grey Entertainment. The man of the hour was presented with this year’s David Niven Award by Project A.L.S.
Mister G told the crowd, which included champ Mohammed Ali, that he was truly honored to be recognized by the group, saying, “Project A.L.S. personifies what can be accomplished with sacrifice, perseverance and love.”
The little get-together also managed to raise more than a million bucks for the cause. After a delectable feast of fillet mignon, seasonal veggies and chocolate mousse, they settled in for a sweet treat-a set of American tunes from Hall of Famer Paul Simon.
WILD THING
Adventure seekers, animal lovers and others heard the call of the wild and scampered up to an ocean-view estate atop Big Rock to benefit the EarthWays gang and Rebecca Dmytryk’s WildRescue. Dmytryk’s cause is all about critters, and her group works tirelessly to improve response programs for feathered, flippered and four-footed friends in need. The evening’s special guest was wild and worldly Bill Toone, the respected director of Applied Conservation at the San Diego Zoological Society. We gathered around the campfire like boy scouts and brownies to hear Toone’s hair-raising tales of face-chomping, blood-sucking, foot-long centipedes and throngs of restless natives.
In addition to grizzly and gripping adventures, Bill spoke passionately about his latest crusade-a foundation called Living Intelligently for the Future of the Earth, also known as LIFE.
GUILDED LILY
Speaking of intelligence, actor and conservationist Ed Begley Jr. was among the great minds gathering at the Ahmanson Theatre for the opening night performance of “The Search for Signs of Intelligent Life in the Universe.”
Lily Tomlin made a triumphant return to the stage with her laugh-out-loud one-woman show. The out-of-this-world production has universal appeal with actors of all ages in attendance. Other faces in the crowd included Shirley Jones, Erik McCormack, JoAnne Worley and Kathy Najimy.