Hollywood Stages an Affair to Remember

The Scene: Wednesday night’s Commitment to Life VI, the annual award show benefiting AIDS Project Los Angeles. This years’s event, an all-star production of the music from “West Side Story,” was the fund-raiser of the year and APLA’s best show yet--due to the work of producer Bernie Taupin and chairmen Ron Meyer and Barry Diller. Honorees were Barbra Streisand and David Geffen, and the Universal Amphitheatre was packed to the rafters with a red ribbon-wearing, gold card-toting Hollywood crowd.

The Buzz: Dumbest pre-show rumor--that Bill Clinton would appear. He didn’t, but he did send a telegram.

On Stage: Shirley MacLaine emceed the show, which featured Patti Austin, Clint Black, Natalie Cole, Sheila E., the rap group E.Y.C., Billy Joel, Elton John, Wynonna Judd, Patti LaBelle, Kenny Loggins, Lyle Lovett, Branford Marsalis, Johnny Mathis, Liza Minnelli, Aaron Neville, Russ Tamblyn, and Eddie Van Halen. Geffen and Streisand received their awards from Warren Beatty, who introduced himself, “Hi, I’m Shirley MacLaine’s brother.”

Dress Code: No visible consensus. The power types were in dangerously understated businesswear, striving to look like they just rushed over from work. At a Wednesday night event in status-conscious Hollywood, black-tie is a sign that you’ve got too much time on your hands.

Favors: A “West Side Story” video cassette, a painter’s cap, and a commemorative T-shirt. The souvenir program was the approximate size and weight of the San Fernando Valley Yellow Pages.

Barbra Watch: She sang, but what guests were really talking about when they left was Streisand’s speech, a fiery denunciation of government neglect that went far beyond Hollywood’s usual safe liberal lip service. “I will never forgive Ronald Reagan for his genocidal denial,” she said, adding that she believed that during the last two administrations, “rules were made by and for white Christian heterosexual males.” The speech went over well; the crowd gave her several standing ovations.

Money Matters: The evening raised an astounding total of $3,914,000 for APLA. (Some guests were wondering how much more could have been raised if the legal hurdles had been overcome so the event could have been released as an album or broadcast on cable television.)

Triumphs: The show, the show, the show. Someone hire Bernie Taupin to produce the Oscars. Quickly.

Glitches: The pre-party was unworthy of the program that followed. Most of the stars remained safely backstage, dealing with rehearsals or stage fright. Even without them, the party tent was jammed. There were no tables, or for that matter, plates. Hungry guests elbowed their way to buffet stations and ate standing up off napkins. For the average party-goer, it was uncomfortable--but for anyone with AIDS, it must have been intolerable. It’s time to ask the question--why does APLA neglect its own clients’ needs at its splashy events year after year?

Exit Line: Shirley MacLaine at the microphone: “The next person who was supposed to be here is Arnold Schwarzenegger--but on the way over he remembered he was a Republican.”

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