Variety On the Town

Elton John's Puppy Love

If you're Elton John's dog you don't just sit home scratching yourself like other hounds. Instead, you attend glamorous red carpet events and even pose for photos with the likes of Gwyneth Paltrow and Elizabeth Hurley. Tuesday night, Elton's cocker spaniel, Arthur, got groomed for the Breast Cancer Research Foundation's Hottest Pink Party Ever. So, not only did this dog get to go to a star-studded soiree, he got to go to "the hottest pink party ever." Ever?  Talk about a lucky dog.  (photo: WireImage)

Stars Show What They 'Can-Do'

See everyone... doing good does make you feel good. Helena Christensen and Gwyneth Paltrow appeared to be in high spirits as they arrived for the Food Bank For New York City's 5th Annual Can-Do Awards on Monday. The evening, hosted by Stanley Tucci, was held at the Chelsea Piers and featured cocktails, dinner, a live auction and performance.

The org works to end hunger in Gotham, distributing food to 1.3 million New Yorkers through approximately 1,000 emergency and community food programs throughout the five boroughs. For more info click here. (photo: WireImage)

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)

Comedians Pitch In

Comedy and camping converged at the Laugh Factory Thursday night as The Jewish Federation’s Entertainment Division hosted the 2nd annual Laugh Out Loud event. The night of comedy raised funds to help over 1,000 inner-city kids attend Camp Max Straus, a residential summer camp located in Glendale and run by Jewish Big Brothers Big Sisters.

The all-star lineup included host Chris Kattan, Jeff Garlin, Chelsea Handler (who gave $500 to the Federation), Bill Bellamy, David Spade, Elon Gold and Dov Davidoff. Howie Mandel delivered a taped message from Vegas.  “I think it’s a great cause and I think it’s very important to take this cause in seriousness even though we’re all supposedly funny people," said Kattan. "Usually it’s the funny people that get people to pay attention to these types of situations going on.” (J. Marks)

Arquette Makes A Splash

It was all about dunking at the fundraiser for EB Medical Research Foundation hosted by Courteney Cox and David Arquette on the Santa Monica pier on Saturday. Since its launch three years ago, the fundraiser has expanded tremendously with the support of Cox and Arquette, along with their entourage, including Kate Beckinsale, Patricia Arquette, David Spade, Catherine Keener, Jeanne Tripplehorn, Adam Sandler and Balthazar Getty. "My friend Balthazar is here and is willing to get in the dunk tank for me," said Arquette. "For me, that's support." Patricia Arquette, who came with her daughter, was eager to show her brother some love in the dunk tank. "I'm fearless," claimed Arquette with a big smile. "I'm going to dunk my brother. Oh yeah, he's going to get dunked really soon." (E.Bertet)

Sharon Osbourne's Royal Encounter

Before entering the Waldorf Astoria ballroom for Elton John’s AIDS Foundation: An Enduring Vision sixth annual gala on Tuesday, guests went through airport-like security due to President Bush’s occupancy at the hotel. Event’s MC Anderson Cooper joked that honoree Sharon Osbourne,  "told me she was stopped by a security guard earlier tonight and asked, "Are you here to see the president?' And she said, 'No, I am here to see the queen.'" (A. Morfoot)

Williams Works the Crowd

Wilmer Valderrama stood out as the only young Hollywood hipster at the annual Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation’s Los Angeles Gala, Making Magic Happen, which he emceed Wednesday night at the Century Plaza Hotel. The fundraiser honored Robin Williams who charmed the crowd, which included Billy Crystal, Cheryl Hines and Angie Harmon with his usual — and still effective — jokes; notably his imitation of Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger talking about stem cell research, which made the audience break into laugher. On a more serious note, Valderrama told On the Town about the work he has done with the foundation. “I’ve played basketball with kids in wheel chairs and visited hospitals,” he said. "It’s been the most awakening experience I’ve had." (E. Bertet)

Sedaka is still Mr. Song

Neil Sedaka’s still got it going on. Yes, that’s right; Neil Sedaka can still hold an audience. American Idol’s less than stellar finale had most wishing our aging pop superstar population remained healthy, vital and mercifully off stage, but Sedaka’s set at Thursday night’s Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation gala proved some oldies remain goodies. Sedaka closed the foundations evening at the Beverly Hilton quipping, “Songs of the ‘50s and ‘60s may be a little naive but you can understand all the lyrics” and asking the audience to let him know if they remembered any of his songs. They did and JDRF supporters including Sidney and Joanna Poitier, Jacqueline Bisset, Kirk Douglas, Dominck Dunne and designer Taryn Rose joined in clapping and singing along to “Breaking Up is Hard to Do” and “Calendar Girl.” It was a cheerful easy going ending to a night where Larry and Shawn King had feted Annette Bening and Warren Beatty with the org’s Stem Cell Champions nod and touted the political barriers stem cell research was breaching. Polio surviving producer George Schlatter received the Angel Award and compared the possibilities stem cell research offered to the invention of the polio vaccine. Kinko’s founder Paul Orfalea and his wife, Natalie, were honored with the Caregiver nod. (L. Repstad)

Scorsese's Garden Party

Not all of Hollywood's heavy hitters were in Cannes or at a network Upfront party Tuesday night. A very impressive crowd mingled in MoMA's Sculpture Garden in Gotham for a soiree honoring Leon and Debra Black and Martin Scorsese. The director, has donated some of his most famous films such as "Taxi Driver," "Raging Bull" and "Goodfellas" to the museum's collection, and has been closely involved in many of MoMA's film conservation initiatives over the past two decades. This was not your average garden party with the black tie affair raising $3.8 million for the Annual Fund of the Museum. Guests included Michael Ovitz, Edgar Bronfman, Barry Diller and Mayor Michael Bloomberg.

- posted by Mia Sulpor

Romano Rallies For the Kids

What do you get when you bring together an eclectic group that includes Sean Hayes, Rick Shroder, Kathie Lee Gifford, Jean Smart, Miss America, Doris Roberts, Kathy Ireland, and HRH The Prince Edward Earl of Wessex? Well, for starters, 1 million dollars, which is the amount the crew raised at a benefit honoring Sam and Mary Haskell for the Viewpoint School in Calabasas, CA on Saturday.

The event, held at the Beverly Hilton Hotel, featured stand-up comedy by Ray Romano, who joked, "I always felt this need to raise money for rich kids." Later, during the night's live auction, Romano put his money where his mouth was, forking over $24,000 for a Yankees package which included a day with manager Joe Torres. He then jokingly asked if he could possibly make the check out to Campbell Hall — the school where his kids go — because he feared going home to his wife and telling her he spent $24,000 on another school.

- posted by Mia Sulpor