Look To The Stars News: Robin Leach

Comedy Celebration To Raise Money For Myeloma Research

Fri, 14 Nov 2008 14:00:00 -0000

Ray Romano is set to host the International Myeloma Foundation’s second annual Comedy Celebration tomorrow night, November 15.

The event will kick off at 6pm at the Wilshire Ebell Theatre and Club on South Lucerne Boulevard with a cocktail reception and silent auction, with the comedy show starting at 8pm. The evening promises to deliver hilarious performances from Patricia Heaton, Jeff Garlin, Kevin James, Robert Klein, Doris Roberts, and Fred Willard, and will also feature the original one-and-only Blues Brothers – AKA Dan Aykroyd and Jim Belushi.

Proceeds from the evening will go to the Peter Boyle Memorial Fund at the International Myeloma Foundation, dedicated to fighting the deadly cancer of the bone marrow for which there is currently no known cure.

Honorary chairs of the event include Alec and William Baldwin, Halle Berry, Candice Bergen, Kim Cattrall, Ted Danson, Mariska Hargitay, Ethan Hawke, Michael Keaton, Robin Leach, Bette Midler, and many others.

The event is almost sold out, but more information and tickets can be found at the Comedy Celebration website.

Siegfried And Roy's Magical Return

Wed, 26 Mar 2008 13:13:01 -0000

Written by Elizabeth Willoughby

Illusionist team Siegfried & Roy’s long awaited return to the stage has finally been scheduled, and will be their first performance since Roy was mauled by a tiger in 2003. The one-night only show, next February at the Keep Memory Alive (KMA) foundation’s “Power of Love” gala, will benefit the Lou Ruvo Brain Institute (LRBI) in Las Vegas.

Under construction since last year, the Institute will aim to provide the most current research and scientific information for the prevention, early detection, treatment, education, and support of memory disorders and neurodegenerative dementia diseases. LRBI plans to “house the world’s most powerful brain doctors”, and predicts that the cure for Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, Huntington’s, and Lou Gehrig’s disease will be discovered there.

High profile galas with big name guests play a major role in KMA’s fund raising, a strategy that has worked well for founder Larry Ruvo, who named LRBI after his father, a victim of Alzheimer’s. The twelfth gala, held in February this year, was attended by such celebrities as Muhammad Ali, Danny DeVito, Lorraine Bracco, Steve Schirripa, David Copperfield, Leeza Gibbons, Siegfried & Roy, and Teri Hatcher, whose lunch date was auctioned for thousands of dollars. Robin Leach played host, with performances by Michael Buble, and celebrity chefs Wolfgang Puck, Guy Savoy, and Tom Colicchio.

“[We] are simply overwhelmed by the outpouring of support for the institute,” said Ruvo. “There are no words to express our deep gratitude for the generosity shown. It only deepens our resolve to build an institute that… the medical world will recognize as one of the finest of its kind.”

Nearly five years after the accident, despite still undergoing daily physiotherapy, Roy feels ready for the stage again and to support LRBI in a big way. Siegfried didn’t at first, as he told the Las Vegas Review Journal in December: “I was really not ready for it. All the doctors say what [Roy is] doing now is impossible.”

The tiger that dragged Roy by his neck, causing extensive blood loss and damage, was actually attempting to get him to safety after a fall. Unbeknownst to the animal, humans have substantially thinner hides than tigers.

“I’ve always said, ‘I am the magician and Roy is the magic,’” said Siegfried. “And Roy shows me every day the magic – the magic of life.”

The Lou Ruvo Brain Institute is expected to be finished next year.

Country Stars Put Their Cards On The Table For Charity

Fri, 18 Jan 2008 09:27:34 -0000

Written by Elizabeth Willoughby

Robin Leach, host of “Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous”, played Master of Ceremonies for the TJ Martell Foundation’s annual No-Limit Texas Hold ’Em Tournament, in which dozens of country music and rodeo stars came together last month during the National Finals Rodeo week.

After a silent auction kicked off the event, country music artists Charley Pride, Luke Bryan, Buddy Jewell, Brice Long, and Tracy Byrd joined rodeo stars Britt Bockius and Justin McBride at the tables. The event raised thousands of dollars for the Foundation.

“I don’t play poker that much,” said Pride, who came third overall. “I know very little about Texas Hold ’Em, but it is for such a good cause.”

“I got beat by Charley Pride,” lamented Bryan, who did not fare quite so well in the tournament. “That was a fun day.”

The T.J Martell Foundation was created 32 years ago by music industry executive Tony Martell, to raise money for leukemia research in honor of his son, who succumbed to the disease in 1975. Since then, under the banner “Where Music Brings Hope”, the Foundation has raised over $225 million and branched into cancer and AIDS research through eight top US research hospitals.

“This is the first time we have had a tournament during Rodeo Week,” said Laura Heatherly, the Foundation’s Executive Director. “Every little bit of money raised helps, because it is vital for us to continue.”

Look To The Stars News: Robin Leach

Comedy Celebration To Raise Money For Myeloma Research

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