Big Doings

It's been a very busy week. Tonight I'm going to the premiere of an independent movie a friend produced. Tomorrow, Raul returns for a week and my good friend Anna arrives for a visit.

Last night I had drinks at the Standard with my cousin's fiance who was here on business. And of course, then there's Halloween. But we won't go into that. Let's just say somebody was over served. And here I thought bringing our own mixed drinks in big-gulp cups was a good idea. Turns out it was a very bad idea. However, the carnivale on Santa Monica Blvd. was a lot fun ... from what I can piece together.

The night after Halloween was my boss' big gala event at the Beverly Hills Hotel. She was being honored for her lifetime of charity work for children. It was a fabulous evening. Debbie Allen's dance academy performed through out the evening, Paul Reiser hosted the show and Fred Willard hosted the auction with the assistance of supermodel-turned-actress, Amber Valletta. Shirley MacLaine spoke about my boss and Sidney Poitier presented her with the award. During my boss' acceptance speech, she was kind enough to thank her staff by name, including myself.

The best part of the night was when Reiser introduced clips of four different children's charities that the money raised was going to go toward. After one video for Camp Harmony three siblings from an underpriveleged family who attended the camp came out on stage and the eldest sibling spoke about their experiences. When she spoke about her broken family and how they have been homeless, she broke down and started to cry, and so did I and the rest of the audience. It was such a heart-breaking moment. A moment I will never forget. And a moment that made me realize how fortunate I am and probably many of you who may read this blog entry. Whenever I'm feeling down and blue, I will remember that precious little girl and remember how blessed my life has been and the myriad of amazing experiences I have had.

Celebrity sightings at the gala event: Sidney Poitier, Shirley MacLaine, Jackie Collins, Paul Reiser, Debbie Allen, Fred Willard, Amber Valletta, Krista Allen, Robert Forster, Marty Kove, Tom Bosley (who looks very old), Bruce Jenner, Sugar Ray Leonard and Jake Weber (Patricia Arquette's husband on "Medium") and Monica Horan ("Everybody Loves Raymond").