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Archives for October 2011

Sarah Brown and Heidi Klum Honored in DC

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Sarah Brown and Heidi Klum with their awards at the Jefferson Hotel Friday, October 28, 2011

Susan G. Komen for the Cure honored Sarah Brown, wife of former British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, for her Global Leadership.  Their annual gala, took place at the Kennedy Center and also honored Dr. Charles M. Perou, Ph.D. for Scientific and Medical, Dr. Ellen V. Sigal, Ph.D. for Advocacy, Dr. Sandra M. Swain, M.D. for Community and First Lady Betty Ford was posthumously honored with the Lifetime Achievement award, which was accepted by her daughter Susan Ford Bales.   The event was hosted by  NBC’s Hoda Kotb and featured performances by Natasha Bedingfield, Miri Ben-Ari, Afro Blue, and Denyce Graves-Montgomery.

Across town at the Building Museum, the International Women’s Forum presented super-model Heidi Klum with the Hall of Fame Award.  Afterwards, Brown and Klum gathered with friends at the Jefferson Hotel – check out the full story in The Washington Post’s Reliable Source.

Designer Tory Burch salutes the Rebecca Project for Human Rights

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Powerhouse New York Designer Tory Burch, joined Washington’s powerhouse women at her newly opened Tysons boutique along with hosts Dr. Elena Allbritton, Norah O’Donnell, and Catherine Reynolds to host a reception to benefit the Rebecca Project for Human Rights.  The foundation advocates for justice, dignity and policy reform for vulnerable women and girls in the United States and Africa.

Check out the photos from the night below:

Axelrods Love New York

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David and Susan Axelrod gathered new friends and old to announce a historic partnership between their foundation for epilepsy research, CURE Epilepsy, and Autism Speaks at the Second Annual New York Benefit. Thirty percent of people with autism develop epilepsy as well, so for the first time, the two organizations will work together with the National Institutes for Health on brain research.

George Stephanopoulos and Ali Wentworth were the MC’s and sponsors of the glitzy but sober event at the Sheraton New York. David Axelrod introduced Mayor Michael Bloomberg asking him to not run for president. The mayor praised CURE’s efforts to find scientific answers to the cause of epilepsy. The Axelrods also honored Suzanne and Bob Wright in their six-year battle to raise awareness for Autism.

Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski were presented with CURE’s Excellence in Journalism Award to the sold out crowd that included Caroline Kennedy and Edward Schlossberg, Harvey Weinstein and Georgia Chapman, Kevin Sheekey, Lally Weymouth, Lee and Bob Woodruff, Marc Adelman, Joanna Milstein and John and Donna Marino.

Peter Sagal, from “Wait Wait Don’t Tell Me,”  was the evening’s auctioneer, and pointed out if you need “to wheedle money from people bring someone in from NPR.”

Donnie Deutch, attended the event after being nudged by Mika to make a donation. He won a trip to the Emmys in the Fund a CURE auction.

Dr. Schlomo Shinnar, from Albert Einstein’s School of Medicine, received the Leadership in Epilepsy Award.

You can follow these two important organization’s work on Twitter at @CureEpilepsy @AutismSpeaks #epilepsyautism.

DC's Most Fun Fundraiser

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Chef Jose Andres and Dr. Sharon Malone

Auction cards were flying fast at DC Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy’s Fourth Annual Celebrity Auction.

Dr. Sharon Malone, chair of the auction, greeted guests in the beautiful atrium of the DLA Piper law firm for one of Washington’s most fun charitable evenings. The event’s lead sponsor was WorldWide Parking Inc, represented by Mark Meisel who was filling in for his father, Joel Meisel.  Meisel kicked the night off by presenting the “Standing in the Gap” award that “recognizes steadfast, decisive and trustworthy leadership” to DC Mayor Vincent Gray.

Gray, a former DC Campaign Board member, thanked DC Campaign’s Executive Director Brenda Rhodes Miller and shared how much he missed working with the organization.

Sharon Malone’s husband, Attorney General Eric Holder, and DC Attorney General Irv Nathan, husband of Steering Committee member Judy Walter, watched as auctioneer BJ Jennings, revved up the crowd to raise thousands of dollars for the program.

One of the hottest auction items was for dinner with famed chef Jose Andres who wowed the crowd twice. First, by jumping in to up the bidding and secondly, by doubling his donation and offering each of the highest bidders a dinner at his home.

Other hot items included lunch with best selling author and MSNBC analyst, Richard Wolffe, who was also the event chair, or dinner with NPR’s Michele Norris and a visit with Gwen Ifill and her PBS show “Washington Week.” Some of the big bidders included Art Collins, CEO of Public Private Partnership, Inc.

Guests included board members: Chairman John Ray, Cait Clarke,  Nancy Keener, Jennifer Burton, Nancy Chockley, Frank Conner,  Linda Howard,  Kate Koffman,  Donna Middleton-Cooper, Michael P. Reed,  Amita N. Vyas, Barbara Wolf, Brenda Rhodes Miller, and steering committee member Marna Tucker. Also in attendance were ABC’s Polson Kanneth, Holly Page, and Sue Charlton .

Check out photos of the auction action below:

Graham Moore Sells Alan Turing Script to Warner Bros

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Graham Moore (right) with Vice President Joe Biden and Susan Sher

Graham Moore, the New York Times best-selling author for his first novel, The Sherlockian, has scored a 7-figure deal with Warner Bros for his script about math genius, Alan Turing, titled The Imitation Game.   The script, just like his book, is receiving rave reviews and is reported to have been picked up due to Leonard DiCaprio “chasing the project.”

Moore is no stranger to DC, as his mother, Susan Sher, spent over two years in the White House as Chief of Staff to First Lady Michelle Obama.  The family even celebrated the release of his first novel at the Vice President’s residence (pictured right).

Read the whole report from Deadline Hollywood here.

Watch the Bloomberg/Washington Post/Dartmouth College Republican Presidential Debate

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Dartmouth College will host, along with Bloomberg and the Washington Post, the Republican presidential candidates tonight to debate the U.S. Economy in what is being tagged as #econdebate.   This is yet another stop on the road to the 2012 election for the candidates who have been debating for the last few months hoping to take a lead in the polls.

“We are pleased to host Republican presidential candidates at Dartmouth,” said President Jim Yong Kim. “The debate on the U.S. economy will take on critical issues of national importance and help us all make informed decisions on Election Day.”

You can watch the debate which begins at 8:00 PM ET  online or on a Bloomberg Television station in your area.

via Politisite.com