More than $2 million was raised when the USC Institute of Urology honored Derrick Hall, President of the Arizona Diamondbacks major league baseball franchise, who was presented the Louis Zamperini Courage Award on Nov. 20.
A prostate cancer survivor himself, and now cancer free, Hall is a tireless advocate of cancer fighting charities, and he encouraged other men to be tested after age 40.
Dean Puliafito welcomed more than 600 guests, and introduced “Saturday Night Live” alum, Joe Piscopo, the evening’s emcee.
Although Piscopo provided lots of laughs, it was difficult to compete with Jay Leno’s hilarious monologue. To add to the evening’s festivities, nine-time Grammy winner Sheryl Crow – herself a cancer survivor – brought the crowd to their feet, with her chart-topping “All I Wanna Do” and “Every Day is a Winding Road.”
At another event at the Beverly Wilshire, Cedars-Sinai Board of Governors honored philanthropists Janet and David Polak on Dec. 2, who have funded their own Foundation for Stem Cell Research. Accepting their award, they described Cedars-Sinai as a community – not just a hospital – serving multiple needs.
Finally, we are pleased to announce that the 25th anniversary of the Night of 100 Stars, one of the premier Oscar viewing soirees, will be held at the Beverly Hilton on Sunday, Feb. 22. This black tie event (which we have attended since its inception) will, of course, be hosted by impresario Norby Walters and our publicist pal, Ed Lozzi, will organize the largest red carpet next to the Oscars!
The title sponsor is famed Canadian designer Peter Nygard, Chairman of Nygard International. Many more than 100 stars will attend – including scads of previous Oscar nominees and winners.
There are a limited number of seats available at $1,000, which includes a gourmet dinner and open bar with the finest wines and liquor.
For more information, visit www.nightof100stars.com or call 310.446.5416. Hope to see you there!
