16th Annual Steve Chase Humanitarian Awards Gala

Last night I attended the 16th Annual Steve Chase Humanitarian Awards Gala to benefit the Palm Springs based Desert Aids Project. I've written about it in prior years; the DAP is a non-profit organization that provides medical care and comprehensive support services to people living with HIV/AIDS in the desert community. They offer free, confidential, rapid-result HIV testing, as well as counseling, home health services, legal assistance and assistance with housing, medications, food, re-employment. My friend Jim Casey's company Integrated Wealth Management was the presenting sponsor for the evening and also pledged one million dollars in support over several years. During his remarks to the audience, he said last night's event was expected to raise more than $1.2 million. In a tough economy, the organizers managed to increase corporate sponsorships by 50 percent. The success of this fundraiser was critical, due to cutbacks in state and federal grants.
Star Power and Glamor turn out to Help the Desert Aids Project

above: Co-hosts of the evening were actors Richard Chamberlain and Stephanie Powers

above: Entertainment was provided by three legends of stage: Linda Eder, Jennifer Holiday and Roslyn Kind. The evening also attracted a plethora of stars to lend their support such as Linda Gray, Morgan Fairchild, Donna Mills, Michelle Lee, Elliott Gould, Diahann Carroll, Jimmy Van Patten, Rose McGowan and Kaye Ballard. The stunningly beautiful and talented Ann-Margaret was scheduled to appear to receive the Arts and Activism Award but was snowed in in New York and couldn't make the event in time.
I was especially excited to spend a lot of time with actress Stephanie Powers. She is a local favorite here in Palm Springs but I've liked her since her popular Hart to Hart TV series, a show I never missed. She looks as beautiful today as she did in the 80's. We both attended a private dinner the prior evening; she was asking about my opinion on dog foods, knowing I now work for Dick Van Patten's Natural Balance Pet Foods. She has the cutest little dog (who was quietly sitting in a little bag under the table). One of the things she told me was how much she liked being able to lend her support and name to help organizations like the DAP. She is grateful for having a successful career and felt it was important to give back. Some celebrities may not be able to write huge checks on their own, but by attending these events, they help sell tickets for these gala events and get people who might not otherwise planned to make a donation to open their wallets. Stephanie Powers is someone who is easy to like because she is quite genuine and glamorous at the same time.

above: Singer Roslyn Kind, award honoree Bob Mackie and actress Donna Mills

above: Co-hosts Stefanie Powers and Richard Chamberlain pose here with Elliott Gould who was a presenter to Ann-Margaret for the awards ceremony.

above: Celebrities Galore! These lovely ladies all posed for photos with the press in the "green room". From left to right: Rose McGowan, Linda Gray, Donna Mills, Jennifer Holiday, Michelle Lee, Morgan Fairchild, & Roslyn Kind. The photographers kept calling each of their names, so it was hard to figure out when to snap my own photo. I spent most of the evening chatting with friend Linda Gray, one of my favorite TV actresses. I like Linda from her role as Sue Ellen on "Dallas" all those years, but also from her recent work, including the soon to be released Expecting Mary film.
The Height of Style and Glamour

above: Pink was the theme, with beautiful fresh floral arrangements throughout the convention center.

above: the lobby of the convention center had these tall towers swathed in pink fabric, illuminated to create a dramatic glow in the hall.

above: the main stage, with the Pat Rizzo Orchestra

above: the tables were beautifully set...

above: a different camera setting enabled me to capture the glow of the wine glass stems, which changed colors all evening.

above: the floral centerpieces on each table were orchids, roses and some other pretty white flowers.

above: I thought the salads were a work of art, but I was hungry and they tasted delicious too.

above: Regular readers know I love chocolate cake. This dessert was really good, and not too rich either.

above: Sitting with actor Richard Chamberlain, we shared a few laughs in between courses.

above: Looking lean and incredible, Jennifer Holiday performed her legendary rendition of “And I'm Telling You (I'm Not Going)" of“Dreamgirls”.

above: Roslyn Kind sang “How Do You Keep the Music Playing”. You may not know that she is the sister of Barbra Streisand and shares the same looks and voice.

above: Broadway star Linda Eder sang “Something to Believe In" which was uplifting and had everyone swaying to the beat.

above: the amazing Miss Diahann Carroll returned to the Steve Chase Awards this year to present an award to her longtime friend, designer Bob Mackie. He was really nice and down to earth.

above: Here with actress Michelle Lee. At a private dinner the night before, I sat between Michelle Lee and Morgan Fairchild, they were both so sweet. Michelle is a lovely woman and cozied up to me for this photo. (I always liked her on Knots Landing)

above: another legend of the stage and screen, Miss Lorna Luft (daughter of Judy Garland and half sister of Liza Minelli). She is a real hoot. It was a fun evening that I won't soon forget.
-Rick Rockhill

15th Annual Steve Chase Humanitarian Awards Gala

On Saturday night I attended the 15th Annual Steve Chase Humanitarian Awards. It was a fundraiser for the Desert Aids Project (DAP), a non-profit organization that provides medical care and comprehensive support services to people living with HIV/AIDS in the desert community. They provide free, HIV testing and counseling, home health services, legal counsel and assistance with housing, medications, food, and re-employment. They also promote prevention and education outreach efforts. This year's awards gala was fully underwritten by donors, so the proceeds from the ticket sales, silent auction and live auction all went to the DAP. I believe they raised over $1.1 million at the event-hopefully even more after the final tally is complete. The awards gala honors people who have helped raise awareness, raise money, or advance the cause of helping people living with or affected by HIV/AIDS. The evening was presented by my good friend Jim Casey at Integrated Wealth Management who was a major sponsor to underwrite the event. In an era of economic uncertainty, Jim's firm is providing sound wealth management to its clients and has really stepped up as a fine corporate citizen in the Coachella Valley. This year's honorees included: Barry Manilow, Bebe Neuwirth, Kristin Chenoweth, Dr Anthony Fauci (Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases), and local residents Bill Jones and Harriet Goldberg. The event was co-hosted by Linda Gray, Donna Mills and Morgan Fairchild, and the evening's entertainment was the incomparable Diahann Carroll. I was in the VIP room when the press were shooting photos during the cocktail hour. In this photo you can see from left to right: Linda Gray, Bebe Neuwirth, Barry Manilow, BD Wong, Morgan Fairchild, Kristin Chenoweth, Suzanne Somers, Donna Mills and Dick Van Patten.

above: the three co-hosts. TV and stage giants Donna Mills (Knots Landing), Morgan Fairchild (Falcon Crest, Paper Dolls) and Linda Gray (Dallas). I always loved these women.

above: the dinner tables were set in silver, with beautiful red roses in the center of each table. The red ribbons has tiny lights that blinked softly, giving the table a magical feeling. I sat in between Linda Gray and Dick Van Patten, which made for fun table conversation all evening.

above: the co-hosts were gracious and charming

above: Suzanne Somers presented a special Community Service Award to her friend and neighbor Barry Manilow.

And speaking of Barry Manilow...

above: Here I am with Barry Manilow...I'm a fanilow for sure. I always enjoy talking to Barry, he is a great guy.

above: with actress/singer/dancer Bebe Neuwirth, who is very pleasant.

above: Kristin Chenoweth (Wicked, Pushing Daisies, Legally Mad, West Wing..and lots of stage work too). She is a Tony and Emmy winner with a big personality and voice to match. I really enjoyed speaking with her-it was the first time we've met. She has a warm personality and wonderful Southern charm.

above: I watched Linda Gray as Sue Ellen Ewing on Dallas for 12 years and always liked her. I've met her many times- she is such a doll. We sat next to each other all evening at dinner. I can't speak highly enough of Linda. She is one of the easiest people to chat with and very genuine too. She served as a UN Ambassador for 10 years in support of women's issues worldwide. I admire her a great deal.

above: I also sat with Morgan Fairchild for awhile and caught up on things. She looks AMAZING. Morgan is very intelligent, especially regarding health and HIV related issues. Not only has she donated her time to raising awareness of health issues, but she is quite knowledgeable as well.

above: I had time to catch up on things with Donna Mills during the cocktail hour. She has so much going on I don't know where she gets the energy, but she looks great too.

above: Glamorous and stunning friends Heather and Jason

Fabulous Headline Entertainment!

Above: Diahann Carroll was the headline entertainment for the evening, and wowed the audience. She is a real pro, with incredible poise and great timing. She sang a combination of standards and some Broadway too. After the night was over, I walked Diahann to her limo and thanked her for her performance and support of the event. Palm Springs is lucky to have her!

A Palm Springs Life Magazine cover too
The January edition of Palm Springs Life magazine featured the three co-hosts of Steve Chase Awards. They had a photo shoot at a private home in the Movie Colony area of Palm Springs. It was marked the first time the stars of Dallas, Falcon Crest, and Knots Landing “worked” together, although they have known each other over the years in Hollywood. To make things fun for the photo shoot, they built on their former TV role character reputations as "bitches" and staged a pillow fight. I spoke with Linda and Morgan about it last night, both said they had a lot of fun doing the photo shoot, particularly since they were all dressed to the nines and swinging down feather pillows at each other!

Above: a fun way to get people interested in the Steve Chase Awards Gala. The pillow fight was pictured in Palm Springs Life magazine. These ladies know how to have fun.

All in all, it was a fantastic, fun-filled night, all for a good cause that I was happy to support in a small way. I am grateful to have been a part of the evening, one which I shall not soon forget.

-Rick Rockhill