Scene & Heard: The buzz about L.A.'s high society
June 19, 2011
Scene & Heard: Chrysalis Butterfly Ball
As emcee of the 10th annual Chrysalis Butterfly Ball on June 11, Tom Arnold reminded the event's guests of the importance of the organization that helps the homeless achieve self-sufficiency.
June 26, 2011
Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation holds 'A Time for Heroes' benefit
Celebrities gathered en masse on the lawn of Veterans Affairs campus for "A Time for Heroes," a June 12 benefit for the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation. As the day's heroes, the stars, including Ashlee Simpson, Ashley Tisdale, Olivia Munn, Laila Ali, Mira Sorvino, Eva La Rue, Angus T. Jones, Melissa Rivers and Zachary Levi, mingled among guests and manned carnival-style booths.
June 12, 2011
Scene and Heard: Jane Fonda on the senior years
Before she could present Jane Fonda with the UCLA Longevity Center's Icon Award, Jennifer Lopez had to pause midway in her recitation of Fonda's lofty achievements — actress, fitness guru, author and activist for environmental, human rights, health, women's empowerment issues and more. "You're busy like crazy," Lopez said. "I thought I was busy."
May 29, 2011
Scene & Heard: P.S. Arts 'Bag Lunch' charity auction
With 225 designer handbags — all stuffed with Dior beauty products — for sale in a silent auction at Tuesday's annual P.S. Arts "Bag Lunch," guests didn't just arrive on time. They came early to Heather Thomas Brittenham's Santa Monica home to plan their bidding strategy.
April 24, 2011
Scene & Heard: LACMA Collectors Committee and 'Taste for a Cure'
For the Collectors Committee of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, April 9 was a big day. The museum's curators packed the morning with presentations of artworks they hoped to acquire, Patina served up lunch beside the Resnick Pavilion, and the evening featured a gala dinner where members voted their preferences.
May 8, 2011
Scene & Heard: 'Rock & Royalty Race to Erase MS' gala
Nancy Davis and Tommy Hilfiger, co-presenters of the "Rock & Royalty Race to Erase MS" gala, know how to attract the stars.
April 17, 2011
Scene & Heard: Colleagues luncheon honors Nancy Reagan
Former First Lady Nancy Reagan was reunited with old friends on Tuesday when she was guest of honor at the annual spring gathering of the Colleagues, a volunteer group that supports the Children's Institute in its work to help youngsters affected by violence, abuse or neglect.
April 10, 2011
Scene & Heard: Los Angeles Lakers Youth Foundation's Casino Night
Following the April 3 game against the Denver Nuggets, 750 Lakers fans poured into the Lexus Club at Staples Center for the 4th annual Casino Night, a $500 per person benefit for the Los Angeles Lakers Youth Foundation, which promotes education, teamwork and self-esteem by focusing on sports and providing financial aid.
March 27, 2011
Scene & Heard: Sports Spectacular Women's Luncheon attendees donate memorabilia for auction
Jessica Penner and Zuzana Moravcikova breezed into the Beverly Hills Hotel, hockey sticks in hand. One stick belonged to Jessica's husband, Dustin Penner of the Los Angeles Kings, the other, to his teammate, Zuzana's fiancé, Michal Handzus.
March 13, 2011
Scene & Heard: 'I Have a Dream' Foundation-Los Angeles gospel brunch
The "I Have a Dream" Foundation-Los Angeles staged its annual gospel brunch on March 6, with Amy Brenneman of "Private Practice" playing host to an audience that included Ray Romano, Noah Wyle, Regina King, Michael Cudlitz and Scott Bakula, among 400 other guests.
March 20, 2011
Scene & Heard: 'A Night at Sardi's'
The event was "A Night at Sardi's," and the honoree was Walt Disney Co. Chief Executive Robert Iger. The result? Event co-chairwoman Laurie Burrows Grad said the 19th annual event, founded in honor of her father, Broadway legend Abe Burrows, raised more than $1.6 million for the Alzheimer's Assn.
January 30, 2011
Scene & Heard: Diavolo's 'salad' days at Broad Stage
Who doesn't love a good party? That's the attitude of leadership at the Broad Stage in Santa Monica. So with that thought in mind, the opening night of Diavolo came complete with a shindig at the French bistro La Cachette in Santa Monica.
March 6, 2011
Scene & Heard: No day off for Jane Fonda
As the star of "33 Variations" at the Ahmanson Theatre, Jane Fonda has been performing six days a week, twice a day on weekends. Instead of relaxing on her day off, she spent Monday discussing her life, career and current play with Michael Ritchie, artistic director of the Center Theatre Group, at a gathering of CTG's Artistic Director's Circle.
December 26, 2010
Scene & Heard: Sweet Honey in the Rock concert reception
Members of a cappella group Sweet Honey in the Rock were greeted with holiday wishes at a Champagne reception backstage after their Dec. 19 concert at the Broad Stage in Santa Monica.
1:43 PM PST, November 26, 2010
Scene and Heard: Michael Kohn Gallery party
Just before leaving the 25th anniversary dinner at Michael Kohn Gallery in Los Angeles, Ellen DeGeneres took a turn on the vibraphone with the Lynne Gordon Quartet. "This is harder than it looks," she said, tossing back the mallets.
December 19, 2010
Scene & Heard: Steven Spielberg presents Jeffrey Katzenberg with Ambassadors of Humanity award
There's no better proving ground for testing a friendship than by starting a restaurant and movie studio together from scratch. At least, that's what Steven Spielberg said before he presented the Ambassadors of Humanity award to his friend and business partner, Jeffrey Katzenberg, at a fundraiser for the USC Shoah Foundation Institute at Hollywood & Highland's Grand Ballroom.
December 12, 2010
Hollywood Reporter's 'Power 100: Women In Entertainment Breakfast'
The Hollywood Reporter announced its annual list of the entertainment industry's top female power players Tuesday over breakfast at the Beverly Hills Hotel. No. 1? Anne Sweeney, president of Disney/ABC Television.
December 5, 2010
Scene & Heard: 'Next to Normal' opening night at the Ahmanson Theatre
Where else but Los Angeles could the names in the audience be as familiar as those onstage? Witness the Nov. 28 opening for "Next to Normal," the Tony Award- and Pulitzer Prize-winning musical at the Ahmanson Theatre. The guests included Keely and Pierce Brosnan, Amanda Seyfried, Camryn Manheim, Sarah Silverman, Rob Corddry, Tracie Thoms of "Cold Case," Adam Brody of "The O.C.," Jesse Tyler Ferguson and Sarah Hyland of "Modern Family" and Billie Joe Armstrong of Green Day.
November 14, 2010
Scene & Heard: A Sondheim soiree at the Bergmans
Supporters of the ASCAP Foundation paid tribute to Stephen Sondheim at an intimate Nov. 7 gathering at the Beverly Hills home of Marilyn and Alan Bergman, the Academy Award-winning lyricists for such classic songs as "The Way We Were" and "The Windmills of Your Mind."
October 31, 2010
Scene & Heard: Carousel of Hope gala draws a starry crowd
From onstage at the 32nd Carousel of Hope, emcee Jay Leno surveyed the crowd before him, describing the gala as one where "the audience is more famous than you."
November 21, 2010
Scene & Heard: 'Artist's Museum Happening' gala at MOCA
The Museum of Contemporary Art's recent fundraiser was proclaimed to be many things:
October 10, 2010
Scene & Heard: Salons by the Shore benefits MOCA
The Salons by the Shore, a series benefitting the Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles, came to a close on consecutive Sundays with Urs Fischer's "Dialogue" and Richard Prince's "Art Talk." The former was at the home of Peter Morton, the latter at that of Edythe and Eli Broad. Both Malibu homes were designed by Getty architect Richard Meier & Partners and showcased contemporary art.
October 17, 2010
Scene & Heard: Los Angeles Philharmonic 'Celebración' gala
The Oct. 7 "Celebración," the Los Angeles Philharmonic opening night gala, attracted 800 guests to what looked like a high-tech supper club on Grand Avenue. Judging from the crowd packing the dance floor, guests could have danced all night — when they weren't praising music director Gustavo Dudamel and Peruvian tenor Juan Diego Flórez for the night's concert of Italian and Latin classics.
November 7, 2010
Scene & Heard: Annual Fulfillment Fund gala
It was James Cameron's turn to present an award at the Fulfillment Fund's annual gala Nov. 1. The recipient? Jim Gianopulos, co-chairman of Fox Filmed Entertainment, whose friendship Cameron called, "one of the great treasures in my life."
September 19, 2010
Scene & Heard: Salon by the Shore
At the first Salon by the Shore to benefit the Museum of Contemporary Art, museum director Jeffrey Deitch introduced internationally recognized artist Doug Aitken and offered some explanations for L.A.'s ability to create so many great artists. Among other considerations, he named the landscape, climate and intellectual foundation of the city.
October 3, 2010
Scene & Heard: Lynda and Stewart Resnick Exhibition Pavilion 'Unmasking' at LACMA
Attracting more than 1,000 people and raising nearly $5 million, the Sept. 25 "Unmasking" of the Lynda and Stewart Resnick Exhibition Pavilion at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art brought together some of L.A.'s most prominent faces from finance, real estate, entertainment and art. "It's so joyful — we gave a party and everybody came," said Wendy Goldberg, host committee member, along with Jane Nathanson, Shelli Azoff, David Bohnett, Eva Chow, David Geffen, Michael Milken, Carole Bayer Sager, Terry Semel, Florence Sloan and Bobby Kotick.
September 12, 2010
Scene & Heard: Opening of Christian Dior boutique in South Coast Plaza
Actress Eva Mendes, clad in lavender Dior, lingered after the ribbon-snipping ceremony at the newly renovated Christian Dior boutique in South Coast Plaza, chatting with guests at the cocktail reception Sept. 1 about, among other things, her admiration for Dior designer John Galliano.
September 5, 2010
Scene & Heard: 'What a Pair!' revue gets boost at Library Alehouse
"What a Pair!" organizers Jody Price and Ruth Stalford paired up with "the beer chicks," Christina Perozzi and Hallie Beaune, and the Library Alehouse in Santa Monica on Tuesday for a class in "Beer Pairing 101." "What a Pair!" is an annual musical revue, slated for Sept. 25, that features celebrity duets and benefits breast cancer research at the John Wayne Cancer Institute.
August 29, 2010
Scene & Heard: Festival of New American Musicals fundraiser
L.A.'s Festival of New American Musicals closed its third season Aug. 21 with a tuneful fundraiser, billed as a birthday party for Tony Award-winning composer Jason Robert Brown, of "Parade," "13," "Songs for a New World" and "Last Five Years."
August 22, 2010
Scene & Heard: Harold Pump Foundation celebrity fundraiser
A crowd rich in sports legends, Academy Award winners and recording stars packed the Hyatt Regency Century Plaza for the Harold Pump Foundation's anniversary celebration.
August 8, 2010
Scene & Heard: Rubbing elbows
A greater treat than refreshments awaited the audience after the July 31 performance in the New Original Works (NOW) Festival at REDCAT, a.k.a. the Roy and Edna Disney/CalArts Theater in Los Angeles. The evening's artists — having performed hip-hop, contemporary dance and shadow theater in 3-D — joined them to mingle in the lobby.
August 1, 2010
Scene & Heard: HollyRod Foundation's DesignCare '10 fundraiser
Holly Robinson Peete and her husband, former NFL quarterback Rodney Peete, welcomed more than 500 guests to the historic Green Acres estate in Beverly Hills for DesignCare '10, a fundraiser for the HollyRod Foundation (www.hollyrod.org), which provides care for patients living with Parkinson's disease and autism.
July 18, 2010
Scene & Heard: Stars turn out for Hopper opening at MOCA
After passing by Dennis Hopper's towering sculpture of "La Salsa Man," guests at the July 10 reception for "Dennis Hopper Double Standard" shared memories as they perused the show at the Geffen Contemporary at MOCA.
August 15, 2010
Scene & Heard: Geffen Playhouse's 'Love, Loss, and What I Wore' party
Following the fourth cast's premiere in "Love, Loss, and What I Wore," theater-goers proceeded from Westwood's Geffen Playhouse to the Napa Valley Grille for food and the chance to continue sharing fashion memories with the play's newest actors: Florence Henderson of " The Brady Bunch," Meredith Baxter of "Family Ties," Tony Award winner Marissa Jaret Winokur of "Hairspray," the Groundling Theater's Paula Christensen and Gina Torres of "Huge."
March 21, 2010
Steve Martin and Eric Fischl on why L.A. loves art
In the beginning of "A Conversation With Eric Fischl and Steve Martin" at the LA Art House in West Hollywood, Martin pondered our love of art, noting that Los Angeles has built new art museums costing hundreds of millions of dollars.
July 11, 2010
Scene & Heard: At the Hollywood Bowl, the picnic basket as status symbol
So what if 21st century concert-goers are unlikely to pack picnic baskets with fine china, linens and candelabras. When the L.A. Philharmonic launched its summer classical season, the great Los Angeles social tradition of dining at the Hollywood Bowl continued in style.
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