Simply DiVine!
The Third Annual Simply DiVine! at Two Rodeo Drive raised over $135,000 for the Los Angeles Gay & Lesbian Center August 16. Over 350 people attended the affair that featured food and wine from Los Angeles’ top restaurants and wineries. The evening event was held under the stars amidst the elegant boutiques of Beverly Hills’ Rodeo Drive.
Restaurants included AOC, 8 oz., Jar and the Grill on the Alley; Vintners included Paradigm, Sebastiani Vineyards and Winery and Bernardus Winery. Wells Fargo Bank was the presenting sponsor. Visitors could eat and drink while listening to an array of musical talents in the plush Beverly Hills setting.
In addition to the exceptional gastronomic delights, a silent auction beckoned shoppers. Strolling along the cobblestoned paths of Two Rodeo Drive in the moonlit night, a spectacular array of goodies called. There were DVD packages, a trip to Napa to visit the vineyards on a private jet, dinners, wine and vacation packages to match anyone’s desires.
The Los Angeles Gay & Lesbian Center provides a host of services to the Los Angeles services the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) communities, including free HIV/AIDS care and medication for the economically disadvantaged, food, clothing, housing and support for LGBT youth, low-cost counseling and addiction-recovery services, counseling for LGBT families, legal services, health and HIV prevention education programs, transgender services, cultural arts programs and much more. They even have a 24-bed transitional living facility for homeless youth.
To find out more about the L.A. Gay and Lesbian Center or to donate, visit www.lagaycenter.org
Try It, You’ll Like It!
By the way, if you happen to be at the Beverly Center, Westside Today will share a little-known secret with you: Silky Smooth, a delicious alternative to just plain ice cream. A blended dessert that combines the best of gelato and ice cream into a fabulous fusion that has 20 percent fewer calories and 40 percent less fat, this dessert is really special. Also available are fat-free sorbets and low-carb alternatives. Silky Smooth serves only cane-sugar sodas and features a giant selection of the finest diet soft drinks available. Located on the 7th floor near Macy’s.
For more information, visit www.silkysmoothicecream.com
Voting for a Legal Separation
The Beverly Hills City Council voted to separate the BH Chamber of Commerce from the Conference and Visitors Bureau (CVB) August 21. Fueled by Mayor Barry Brucker, the vote reflected cooperation among the council members, though not outright agreement.
The CVB will have its own board of directors and the chamber board will remain intact. A committee headed by Brucker and Councilwoman Linda Briskman must have a plan in place by November 1.
Passion and Fashion
On August 14, Sammie L.A. – London was the scene at a book signing by author Deborah Kanafani for her new book, Unveiled, the story of courageous women working behind the scenes to bring about peace in the Middle East by challenging the patriarchal hierarchy of their countries.
For Kanafani was the wife of former Palestinian leader Yassar Arafat’s senior advisor. She was Director of International Productions for the Palestinian Broadcasting Corporation, producing programs on the rights of women and children for UNDP and UNICEF. She ran conflict resolution programs between Palestinians and Israelis.
Kanafani is a Lebanese American. This is the romantic and tragic story of her glamorous life in the turmoil of Middle Eastern diplomacy.
Sammie believes that uncompromising fashion can create peace. With that in mind her new Beverly Hills boutique is the venue for mixing fashion and world affairs.
Sammie’s boutique is located at 9609 Santa Monica Boulevard in Beverly Hills, phone (310) 278-8068.
Asian Accents at Tagore Gallery
Sundaram Tagore Gallery presents Dimensions in Color, a group show featuring Asian artists. The exhibit opened at the Sundaram Tagore Gallery on August 23 and runs until October 5. The show includes works from seven of the gallery’s most influential Asian artists.
“We are excited to present works that are very unique-they represent our artists in Korea, Japan, India and Uzbekistan. Together they weave a dynamic dialogue and address issues of east and west.â€
A complete list of the artists includes: Subhankar Banerjee, Natvar Bhavsar, Nathan Slate Joseph, Ho Sook Kang, Sohan Qadri, Anil Revri, and Hiroshi Senju.
The gallery will also host a special exhibition by Prabir Purkayastha, who has been traveling and extensively photographing Ladakh – a part of the Tibetan plateau situated at the northern tip of India – for the past 15 years. He has held critically acclaimed, major solo exhibitions in New York, Katonah, London, New Delhi & Mumbai. His photographs of Ladakh have been exhibited by Fuji Films in Cologne, Germany, in group shows throughout India and have been published in the leading magazines and newspapers in India and abroad.
Claudio Guzman, 1927 – 2008
Emmy-award winning director and producer Claudio Guzman passed away July 12. Guzman received the Emmy for the Song of Bernadette for Art Direction.
Guzman, a native of Chile, had a career that spanned several decades. His work included directing for the Patty Duke Show and Harper Valley PTA; producing the nation’s first bi-lingual educational programming for children, the acclaimed Villa Allegra, and producing I Dream of Jeannie.
Guzman is survived by his wife Micki; daughters Alexandra and Pilar Guzman Mitchell; first wife, actress Anna Maria Alberghetti; and stepchildren Eloise Rich Proctor, Kelly Rich and Kenny Rich.
