PARTY LINES : ARTHRITIS FUND-RAISER GETS NIFTY WITH '50S.Byline: Barbara De Witt Hula-Hooping with Tony Dow of ``Leave It to Beaver'' was a real treat Wednesday at the seventh annual All-Star Salute to Administrative Assistants at the Warner Center Marriott in Woodland Hills. Dow, as well as a cast of celebrities including NBC NBC in full National Broadcasting Co. Major U.S. commercial broadcasting company. It was formed in 1926 by RCA Corp., General Electric Co. (GE), and Westinghouse and was the first U.S. company to operate a broadcast network. newscasters Kathy Vara and Christopher Nance in ``Grease'' ensembles - she wore a poodle skirt with red petticoat and he wore jeans and a black leather jacket - hooped it up to entertain guests at the nifty '50s-themed gala sponsored by the Daily News of Los Angeles to raise money for the Valley branch of the Arthritis Foundation. As guests entered the Marriott, they were mobbed by bobby-soxers - actually members of CSUN's Alpha Omicron Pi Alpha Omicron Pi (ΑΟΠ, AOII) is an international women's fraternity that was founded on January 2 1897 at Barnard College on the campus of Columbia University in New York. Its founders were Stella George Stern Perry, Helen St. sorority sorority: see fraternity. - screaming for autographs. Inside, they mingled with celebrity look-alikes, including Ermal Williamson of North Hollywood, who's a dead ringer for John Wayne and does those commercials that you probably thought were film clips of the late western movie hero. Yes, he's the same height - 6-foot-4 - as Wayne, has the walk ... and talks the talk, but he's never carried a gun. Inside the ballroom, the stage was set up like a retro diner, with costumed performers from City Heat Productions singing and dancing to the music of the ``Happy Days'' era. Daily News columnist Dennis McCarthy didn't wear a costume, but he was there to help last year's Administrative Assistant of the Year, Karen Harlin, present the 1998 awards to Brenda Reid of Freddie Mac Freddie Mac: see Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation. and Madeline Hess of Sage Publications. Over a luncheon of chicken and mocha Mocha (mō`kə), town (1990 est. pop. 2,000), S Yemen, a port on the Red Sea. It was noted for the export of the coffee to which it gave its name but declined as a trading port in the late 19th cent. with the rise of Hodeida and Aden. mousse, event co-chairwoman Carol Saunders told me they went for the '50s theme because it was the 50th anniversary of the Arthritis Foundation, and Sheila Cook, a past event chairwoman, was thrilled with the response. ``We've had several themes over the years, but this is definitely the most popular, with 600 in attendance (raising $45,000 for arthritis research), so I don't know how we'll be able to top it,'' Cook said. Earlier in the week, 700 opera fans drank fine wine from 39 vineyards and grazed on gourmet food from 21 of L.A.'s top restaurants that ranged from barbecued beef and macaroni and cheese from Buffalo Club to chocolate cake soaked in amaretto am·a·ret·to n. pl. am·a·ret·tos An Italian liqueur flavored with almond. [Italian, diminutive of amaro, bitter, from Latin am with whipped cream from Valentino while L.A. Opera artists sang. The bash, which raised $276,000 to support future operas, was held at the Petersen Automotive Museum The Petersen Automotive Museum is located on Wilshire Boulevard along Museum Row in the Miracle Mile neighborhood of Los Angeles. One of the world's largest automotive museums, the Petersen Automotive Museum is a non-profit organization specializing in the education and history of , a venue that's becoming ultra popular with the dining-for-dollars crowd. According to event chairwoman Joan Wrede, ``My concept for the afternoon party was an outdoorsy out·door·sy adj. Informal 1. Associated with the outdoors: outdoorsy hobbies such as fishing. 2. affair where people could see the sun and not feel crowded, so that's why we went for the circus-tent effect. And seeing all these people having so much fun confirms all our efforts.'' Actor Pierce Brosnan and Christie's Los Angeles chairwoman Marcia Hobbs were honorary co-chairs of the event sponsored by BMW BMW in full Bayerische Motoren Werke AG German automaker. Founded as an aircraft engine manufacturer in 1916, the company assumed the name Bayerische Motoren Werke and became known for its high-speed motorcycles in the 1920s. of North America Inc. The L.A. chapter of Fashion Group International did the social scene this week, too. Its members met at the downtown CaliforniaMart to present several local design students with their annual Rudi Gernreich scholarships. Winners were Nichole Shinners of American Intercontinental University American InterContinental University, commonly called AIU, is an international for-profit university owned by Career Education Corporation (stock symbol CECO). It was founded in 1977 as the American College of Applied Arts. ; Louiza Babouryau and Shelly Chen of Otis School of Fashion Design; Elizabeth Wijaya and Bonnie Kim of Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising; and Atsuko Watanabe of Pasadena City College. The event also included a presentation of what's hot for fall '98 in Europe by Jim Siewert of Celanese Acetate. Event chairwomen were Lisa Davis, Lizi Ruch-Plotnick and Heather Shuemaker. CAPTION(S): 5 Photos Photo: (1) Schmoozing at the '50s-themed All-Star Salute to Administrative Assistants luncheon at the Warner Center Marriott are Kathy Mace, left, Barbara Muskin and Gail Sullivan of Royal Staffing in Sherman Oaks. Myung J. Chun/Daily News (2) Doing the opening night party scene at Otto's Grill at the Music Center are ``Dealer's Choice'' stars Adam Scott, left, and Daniel Davis with Laura San Giacomo of TV's ``Just Shoot Me.'' The play runs through May 31 at the Mark Taper Forum The Mark Taper Forum is a small thrust stage with 745 seats at the Los Angeles Music Center built by Welton Beckett and Associates. It has presented innovative plays since 1967. The world premiere of Angels In America was produced here. . Craig Schwartz Photography (3) Singer k.d. lang, left, poses with Cher, who received the Vanguard Award at the April 19 Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation gala at the Century Plaza Hotel The Century Plaza Hotel in Los Angeles is a landmark 19-story luxury hotel forming a sweeping crescent design fronting the spectacular fountains on Avenue of the Stars adjacent to the twin Century Plaza Towers. . The star-studded event raised $625,000 to support GLAAD's efforts for fair representation in the community. Berliner Photo (4) Restaurateur Piero Selvaggio of Valentino, Primi and Posto, left, chats with Bettina Duval at the L.A. Opera's International Wine Auction, held last week in a huge tent on top of the Petersen Automotive Museum. The BMW-sponsored event attracted 700 guests and raised $276,000 to support the upcoming opera season. (5) Encino residents Linda and Jason Small were the winning bidders for an evening with Dr. Matt Golombek, project scientist of the JPL (language) JPL - JAM Programming Language. Mars Pathfinder project, at the L.A. Opera benefit. Lee Salem |
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