WEST HOLLYWOOD, CALIFORNIA – MARCH 10: (Exclusive Coverage) (L-R) Elton John and David Furnish … [+]
This year’s annual Elton John AIDS Foundation Academy Award Viewing Party raised a record breaking 10.8 million dollars for AIDS research, bringing the cumulative total the event has raised in its 32 years to an incredible 110 million dollars.
The numbers from the Sunday night event are impressive, of course. Even more noteworthy is that 32 years after it started, the event is still setting records for money raised. But the numbers are only part of the story of Sunday night’s soiree, which featured a performance by R&B group The Gabriels, and, as usual, other than during COVID, John joining the artist guest for a duet. He took to the stage to first introduce the group around 8:30 PM, then returned to the stage at the end of their set for a smashing performance of “Are You Ready For Love.’
I have been fortunate to attend the event several times over the years and have had some incredible experiences and encounters there. There was the very animated discussion with Dave Grohl on our favorite Van Halen album; talking with Steven Tyler about why my favorite Aerosmith song happened to be, and still is, “Kings And Queens, and the time Duran Duran’s Nick Rhodes was gracious enough to let me cut short an interview to follow Cameron Crowe, who I had never met at that time, into the crowd.
There have been some very good times over the years at John’s annual event. But this year’s event was as strong as any. And it wasn’t just getting to say hello to Wolfgang Van Halen, who was, as always very gracious. Nor was it other luminaries in attendance, including Brandi Carlile, Avril Lavigne, MUNA, Orville Peck, Alicia Silverstone, Toni Braxton, Zooey Deschanel, Smokey Robinson and countless more musicians and actors,
More than anything, the energy in the room was incredibly positive. I think much of that came from the youthful vibe. Many of the people I encountered were there for the first time. Actress/model Isabella Attolini was in attendance for the first time. She said her favorite things at the party were the energy, the food and the Don Julio photo booth, a popular attraction all night. Attendees went into the booth two at a time, ordered one of three Don Julio cocktails, which were delivered via spinning door, then posed for photos. Yep, that was a favorite.
For Attolini though, it was the cause that made the night most memorable. “I felt the charity component makes it more special,” she says. “It gave people an actual meaningful reason to be there.”
A U.K. couple I met in the photo booth line, a great place to socialize, were there for the first time as well, and were so impressed they discussed hoping to make the event an annual trip. Whether it was producer/songwriter Cael Dadian, model Julia Birke and actress Ida Lundgren, who was there for the second time, or many of the other new blood in attendance, the vibe was incredibly friendly and warm throughout the night. There was no jaded Hollywood stuffiness in this room, making for a night everyone could feel good about being a part of and helping in the fight against AIDS.
