Amped at AmfAR

AmfAR (the Foundation for AIDS Research). Good cause, right? Of course it is. But by the fifth speech at the org’s Gotham event at Cipriani on Wednesday night, the warm glow of the exit sign never looked so welcome. A much-needed moment of levity came shortly after a narcolepsy-inducing speech by Richard Gere, when we found ourselves eavesdropping on our neighboring table.

Affected Matron with Wine Glass: So, what’s your stance on AIDS?

Smiling, Silver-haired Man: I’m against it.

Speeches were, for the most part, good.

“I was always surprised with their tastes,” said amfAR presenter Woody Allen of Dr. Mathilde Krim and husband Arthur. “I found out they have a ranch in Texas. And these are Upper East Side, sophisticated New Yorkers.

"What the hell were they doing in Texas? I couldn’t think of what they would do there or why they would even be there. Were they herding cows? Their tastes were very, you know, Catholic. They enjoyed their home on the Island. They enjoyed New York their cultural life with show people and the political life. Apparently they could even find what to do in Texas.” (John Clarke, Jr.)