The Municipal Arts Society bestowed the Lucy Moses Awards, and the Girl Scouts honored Sandra Lee on the same night PEN saluted Philip Roth. At Madison Square Park Mayor Bloomberg helped unveil Orly Genger’s Red, Yellow and Blue sculptural fantasy the morning before the International Center for Photography honored Pat Schoenfeld, while over at Cipriani authors were reading from their works at the Literacy Partners gala.
Thursday night POSH’s Visonary awardees included “My Beverly Hills Kitchen” cookbook author Alex Hitz and fashion visionary Lorry Newhouse while elsewhere National Magazine Ellie Awards were being handed. The World Policy Institute was holding a dinner conversation celebration, and Leonard Lauder was hosting a Connoisseur’s Dinner at Sotheby’s to raise money for Alzherimer’s research.
We couldn’t be everywhere, but here are some events we managed to cover.
NY Pops performers gather onstage at Carnegie Hall
Monday: NEW YORK POPS 30TH ANNIVERSARY GALA
The stage of Carnegie Hall was crowded with winners of Grammys, Tonys, and Oscars at the New York Pops annual gala. Paula Zahn hosted and Leslie Uggams, Marilyn Maye, Donna Murphy, Kelli O’Hara were among the stars singing along to the popular orchestra led by Steve Reineke. Besides saluting the music of Jule Styne and Frank Loesser, the evening included a tribute to Danny Kaye with film clips introduced by his daughter Dena Kaye. www.nypops.org
Tuesday: PLAZA HOTEL UNVEILS THE FITZGERALD SUITE
One of the more restrained elements of the marketing mayhem surrounding the latest film version of “The Great Gatsby” is the Fitzgerald Suite unveiled at the Plaza Hotel. Designed by the film’s production and costume designer Catherine Martin, the decor features wallpaper, rugs and deco-inspired Restoration Hardware furniture to create the atmosphere evoked by the film. Shiny crystal chandeliers, a mini-bar, a reading nook stocked with the author’s titles and a room service menu of 1920’s specialties help set the mood.
Mentioned in the novel and the setting of the penultimate confrontation scene between Tom Buchanan and Jay Gatsby the Plaza is featuring other tie-ins: a “Fitzgerald Tea for the ages” in the Palm Court and a Moet Pop-Up shop to conjure up images of Gatsby’s champagne soaked soirees. www.theplazany.com
Wednesday: We-news 21 LEADERS FOR THE 21ST CENTURY
Every year Women’s eNews salutes 21 outstanding women newsmakers. Honorees this year included women creating media, supporting female refugees, building hospitals, saving the lives of new mothers. My friend Jurate Kaczikas an awardee noted for supporting educational and social organizations in Haiti, Kenya, and her native Lithuania challenged the group to raise funds to investigate abuse of women in the Syrian conflict and before the evening concluded more than half of the required $50,000 had been pledged. www.womensenews.org
Thursday: 2013 VOICES OF COURAGE AWARDS LUNCHEON
Jurate was at the podium again the next day reading a memorial tribute to the late Catherine O’Neill, a founder of the Women’s Refugee Commission at its annual fund-raising luncheon. Cited for their leadership were amputee Dahabo Hassan Maow, who created an entrepreneurship training program for vulnerable girls in Kenya; Atim Caroline Ogwang a co-founder of the Southern Sudan Deaf Development Concern; and the Government of Australia for overseas aid programs that enhance the lives of persons, many displaced with disabilities. www.womensrefugeecommission.org
ACKNOWLEDGING AUTHORS
Also on Thursday, Common Good attorney Philip Howard hosted a reception and panel for Alan Siegel and Irene Etkorn, advocate authors of a “Simple: Conquering the Crisis of Complexity” a book which champions simplicity as a competitive advantage and a consumer right. Consultants to international businesses, they propose streamlining products, services, processes and communications to improve customer relations, business practices, and bottom lines.
