Variety On the Town

Ragin' Cajuns

The event: "Little Chenier" premiere

The details: Saturday in New Orleans at the Prytania theater followed by an after-party at Grand Isle.

The guest list: Pic’s stars Johnathon Schaech, Fred Koehler, Tamara Braun, Clifton Collins Jr., Chris Mulkey, Isabella Hofmann, director-writer Bethany Ashton Wolf and writer Jace Johnson plus members of the local community.

The menu: Cajun cuisine like gumbo and fried alligator and a local cocktail called Sazerac made from a 200-year-old recipe.

The entertainment: Zydeco music from the Abe Manuel Band (whose members appear in the film) joined by 16-year-old fiddler Amanda Shaw.

The talk: The tale of two brothers, which Louisiana lieutenant governor Mitch Landrieu called “the most accurate depiction of Cajun culture” that he had ever seen, finished shooting just one month before Hurricane Rita devastated the southwestern Louisiana community where the pic was filmed. The preem was a fund-raiser for those in the region who are still in need. Money was raised for  Rita Remembered (P O Box 145, Lake Charles, LA 70602), which aids people through an arts and literacy program; and Musicians’ Village — a cornerstone of the area’s Habitat for Humanity program — which was conceived by Harry Connick Jr. and Branford Marsalis’ to provide a community for the city’s displaced musicians.

From left: Jace Johnson, Chris Mulkey, Isabella Hofmann, Johnathon Schaech,
Bethany Ashton Wolf, Clifton Collins Jr. and Tamara Braun. (Photo by Catherine Victoria)

Stars Serve Up Laughs

Retired tennis pro Andre Agassi served up aces with an eclectic mix of entertainers and sports stars for the 12th annual Grand Slam for Children benefit concert at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas on Saturday. Event, which included a live auction and dinner, scored $9.1 million for at-risk youth in Las Vegas. Prior to kicking off the concert, Tony Bennett said, “I love what I do. This doesn’t feel like work to me.” When asked if long-time friend Jerry Seinfeld would perform with him, George Wallace quipped, “He can’t handle me.” (B. Scherzer)

Jessica Simpson's Religious Experience

Volunteering for Operation Smile was like a religious experience for Jessica Simpson who cried, prayed and sung on stage, before a crowd of industry insiders and philanthropists, including Mark Burnett, Roma Downey and John Salley at Operation Smile's 25th Anniversary Gala at the Beverly Hilton Hotel on Friday. While on stage, Simpson invited the audience to bow their heads and pray with her, after which she sang "Amazing Grace." "The Lord makes me want to sing," she exclaimed. Simpson revised the last verse of the religious hymn with "I was blind but Bill (as in William P. Magee Jr., the surgeon who founded the org) made me see." Reacting to chuckles, Simpson added, "Some of you might think it's a little cheesy but it's so true."  Later, Salley got laughs when he poked a little fun at Simpson's perf saying, "I want to say something before the teleprompter. I want to sing 'Amazing Grace.' I have a rendition too." (E. Bertet)

HFPA's Lucrative Lunch

Charlize Theron, Marc Anthony, Jennifer Lopez, Hilary Swank and Jamie Foxx had a fruitful lunch at the BevHills Hotel on Thursday during the annual Hollywood Foreign Press Installation luncheon where a record $1.2 million was handed out to more than two dozen film-related charities. Below are some highlights said on stage.

“Never trust a woman with a check!” said Theron upon receiving the grant for the Film Foundation.  “And stop looking at my dress. It’s all wrinkled.”

“You’re looking great… with all due respect.  And that dress, come on man. I don’t even know how you let her come out with it,”  Foxx told Lopez and Anthony while on stage.

Marc Anthony: “It’s a great way to make friends in Hollywood: ‘Hey, how you doing, here is a $100,000 check,’ said Anthony when announcing a grant.

Lopez to Anthony after her speech:  “How did I do?”
Anthony: “We’ll talk about it on the way home. I’m so proud of you.”

(E. Bertet)

Katzenberg's Tasteful Fete

“Agent and humanitarian is not an oxymoron,” explained Jeffrey Katzenberg at the Jonsson Cancer Foundation’s 12th annual Taste for a Cure benefit at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel on Saturday. Katzenberg, co-chaired the event, which honored United Talent Agency’s partner and board member Jay Sures with the Gil Nickel Humanitarian award. In an effort to raise money for the foundation, comedian Kevin Nealon auctioned off lavish getaways to Napa, Italy and Australia. Besides the wine and food tasting reception, featuring vino from leading California women vintners and a three-course meal prepared by LA's top women chefs, the close to 600 attendees were also treated to a surprise performance by Mary J. Blige. (S. Francis)

Ali's Picture Perfect Punch

Knockout Heidi Klum honored knockout Muhammad Ali at the Claiborne and DETAILS hosted “Magnum Photos: Muhammad Ali,” at 401 Projects in Gotham on Tuesday. The evening curated by Muhammad Ali's daughter, Maryum Ali, and long-time manager and friend, Gene Kilroy, combined the iconic images of the great Muhammad Ali with the personal, rare glimpses of the man behind the myth. The exhibition features the work of Magnum photographers Thomas Hoepker, Abbas, and Alex Webb. The exhibit is on display at 401 Projects in New York until July 29. A portion of the proceeds from print sales will be donated to the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research. Fox was on hand for the event along with Mariah Carey, Damon Dash, Mikhail Baryshnikov and Rocco Dispirito.

A Ghetto Gala

It’s not at every film awards gala that one of the honorees is named Spanky, but then again there are many extraordinary things about the Ghetto Film School, which hosted its annual spring benefit Monday night at Italo eatery Bottino. South Bronx-based org connects minority students with opportunities in the film world, and includes on its board helmer David O. Russell, IFC gm Evan Shapiro and producer Rachael Horovitz. Presenter Elvis Mitchell pointed out, however, that the evening was definitely not authentically ghetto by taking place at Bottino, a one-time Chelsea hotspot best known for serving hungry gallerists and not-so-starving artists. Also making the scene were helmers Mira Nair and Tamra Davis, Harvey Weinstein, CAA’s Bart Walker, and thesp Ione Skye. (I. Mohr)