Library Benefit Has Plenty of Style
The Scene: “Write Now, L.A.!,” a benefit for the Library Foundation of Los Angeles, held Friday night at the Santa Monica Airport’s Museum of Flying. The party was hosted by L.A. Style Magazine, American Express and the Writers Guild of America West. Funds raised will go to branch libraries damaged or destroyed in the L.A. riots.
Who Was There: Celebrity hosts Sinbad, Michael Gross, Paul Mazursky and Debbie Allen; L.A. Style Publisher Holly Tennyson and Editor-in-Chief Annie Gilbar; Roger Simon of the Writers Guild; city librarian Elizabeth Martinez Smith and a slew of local writers. Tennyson and Sinbad made a celebrity entrance in a small plane for the benefit of the cameras.
Dress Code: Invitations specified “creative black tie appreciated” but, as usual, Angelinos only read the words creative and black. One man apparently interpreted the instruction to mean, “Oh, go ahead and wear a kilt.”
Money Matters: Tickets were $50, and guests were encouraged to bid on items that included signed television scripts, movie memorabilia, vacation packages and a pair of sequined, vaguely Wayne Newton-ish pants worn by rap star Hammer.
Hot Potatoe: Up for auction were copies of “Murphy Brown” scripts autographed by creator Diane English--as well as an autographed copy of Dan Quayle’s speech attacking the fictional unwed mother.
Chow: Food stations dispensed comestibles from some of L.A.’s most popular restaurants, including Citrus, Opus and Remi.
Favors: A gift bag containing the latest issue of the magazine, two cassette singles, various cosmetic products and an application for a child’s library card.
Quoted: Guests seemed more interested in talking and eating than in bidding, and Debbie Allen finally had to yell: “Yo! Shut up!” at the crowd. (It didn’t work.)
Triumphs: This was L.A. Style’s sixth annual bash but the first one for charity. It was nice to see the new leadership at the magazine opting for a charity fund-raiser rather than just feeding a bunch of not-so-starving writers.
Glitches: Lines at the food booths were so long that one guest complained, “It would have been faster just to go to Citrus to eat dinner.”
Exit Line: Michael Gross on the items up for auction: “I like the Hammer pants, but I don’t know whether my wife would let me get away with them. Actually, the lunch with Carl Reiner would be fun, too. Especially if I was wearing the Hammer pants.”
