Benefit by Calvin Klein an Event to Remember

It was a toss-up which elicited more hoots and howls at AIDS Project Los Angeles’ $1-million fund-raiser at the Hollywood Bowl on Thursday night: Tina Turner’s sexy act or the grungy-looking models, including rapper Marky Mark, who showed Calvin Klein’s entire underwear collection.

Klein, honoree of the APLA fashion industry event, sent a few shock waves through the almost unshockable L.A. crowd.

As the skivvies segment unfolded, a rap recording featured the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. chanting “let freedom ring” to a pounding rock beat. Mark, Klein’s underwear mascot, dropped his jeans and grabbed his privates, while other off-the-chart moments included a male model in a jockstrap and several topless teen-age girls. It was not your usual Hollywood Bowl dinner show.

By the time Turner came onstage to perform, the audience was in a frenzy over an army of 350 models stomping in clunky work boots up a long white runway. The finale was so crowded that the stage looked like a Manhattan subway at rush hour.

“How it all comes off is in God’s hands,” Klein, who had spent days casting and choreographing, sighed before the show.

The crowd of about 1,400 included event co-chairs Barry Diller, Sandy Gallin, David Geffen, Jeffrey Katzenberg and Steve Tisch.

“Small family affair,” mused Diller.

“It’s spectacular,” said Jacqueline Bisset. “Twilight’s happening. It’s beautiful. The food’s good. There’s a lot of attractive people. It’s a good cause. What more do you want?”

The black-tie dress code was studiously ignored by about half the audience, Warren Beatty, Diller, Gallin and Geffen included. They wore T-shirts or turtleneck sweaters. Geffen and Beatty wore jeans.

Dutifully gowned were Harper’s Bazaar Editor Elizabeth Tilberis and Veronica Hearst (wife of Randolph, chairman of Hearst Publications), who were honorary event co-chairs. Hearst Publications was a major underwriter of the event.