Thursday, October 03, 2002
Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal
ON THE SCENE: Dorothy Huffey
Auctions, food and entertainment highlight Grand Slam benefit
As part of the Andre Agassi Charitable Foundation's Grand Slam for Children fund-raiser, the event's 2002 commemorative artwork was unveiled at a reception Friday at the Four Seasons.
The gala's big sponsors gathered for cocktails and to meet world-renowned artist Steve Hanks and Agassi for the premiere showing of the watercolor painting that has become a symbol of the concert benefit.
Also attending were the two young girls, Rachel Moeller and Courtney Zimmerman, who are the subjects of the painting. They unveiled the artwork, titled "Shelter for the Heart."
On Saturday evening, the seventh annual Grand Slam for Children got under way at 5 p.m. with an exclusive black-tie cocktail reception and silent auction in Studios A & B at the MGM Grand.
Bidding packages included such things as a Vera Wang wedding dress, concert tickets, a trip to Paradise Island's Atlantis in the Bahamas, yoga classes, a Baldwin grand piano, original works of art and fine dining at Las Vegas' gourmet restaurants. Among the more unusual items were a walk-on part on the TV show "Friends" and signed scripts from "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation" and "The West Wing." Sports items for the auction were offered by Agassi, Shaquille O'Neal, Wayne Gretzky, Jeff Gordon, Greg Maddux and Muhammed Ali. The auction's special feature included 12 unique hearts made into art pieces with flair and whimsy by famous artists.
Bidders included Kathy and Ernie Becker, Cheryl and Bert Purdue, Barbara Helgren, Beverly and Mike Mykisen, Sue Sullivan and Richie Clyne, Jan and Owen Nitz, Diana and David Chesnoff, Linda and Rod Reber, Susie and Joe Tom, and Chuck and La Vern Thompson.
At the appointed hour, guests descended the escalator down to the MGM Grand Garden arena for the event's highlights of a superb dinner and exciting concert.
Dining tables were done in shades of metallic bronze with fresh floral centerpieces of assorted stemmed flowers tightly assembled in moss-covered containers.
Guests including artist Mackenzie Thorpe, basketball star Shaquille O'Neal, Gloria and Mark Fine, Perry and Rosemarie Rogers, Claudine Williams, Leslie and Ron Parraguirre, Linda and John Robinson, Bill Boyd, Corrine Tiberti, Kitty Rodman, Peggy Bostian and her daughter Troy, Irais and Robert Kolesar, and Judy Gersten and her son, Milo Koslecky, and mother, Mary Gersten, dined on the first course of lobster and cheese flan topped with chilled shrimp with piquillo pimento relish.
The entrée was braided beef short ribs with western Australian shepherd's pie. Southern Wine & Spirits provided the selected wines.
Dessert was a beautiful presentation of a cappuccino sacher, double chocolate and pistachio timbale, and white chocolate and strawberry bavaroise enjoyed by Charles Mathewson, Pamela and Pierre Omidyar, Rosemary and Billy Vassiliadis, Jody Ghanem, Linda and Russ Karlen, Lynn Wiesner, Victoria and Dan Otter, Jan Jones, Susan Molasky, Robyne and Randolph Townsend, Becky and Frank Visconti, Joyce Mack, and Lynn and Bill Weidner.
Midway through dinner, the live auction began with auctioneers Jack Williams of Royal Caribbean International and Celebrity Cruises and Robert Earl of Planet Hollywood. Bidding was so competitive that many providers consented to doing two packages for the high bid as in the case of dinner with Robin Williams at his Rubicon Restaurant in San Francisco that went for $130,000 apiece.
Chef Emeril Lagasse's offer to fly anywhere to the bidder's home to do dinner for 12 was doubled at $145,000 each.
Two Mercedes-Benz cars went for $90,000 each; two self-balancing Segways went for $145,000 each; and the Ashoka diamond ring from the Four Seasons Jewelry Salon went for $120,000.
Trips to faraway places brought in winning bids of $75,000 for a week at the new exclusive Katafanga Island Resort in Fiji; $40,000 for an evening at the Vienna Opera Ball; $80,000 for a French wine country trip to the Loire Valley; $50,000 for the Tennis Masters Cup in Shanghai, China; and $85,000 for a seven-day escape to Richard Branson's Necker Island Resort in the Virgin Islands.
A sleepover in the new FAO Schwarz store in The Grove in Los Angeles -- with bedtime stories read by Shaquille O'Neal -- went for $120,000.
The Grand Slam Around the World trip with first-class flights and accommodations in Australia, France, England and New York City went twice for $125,000 each.
Two bidders got the private tennis clinic with Agassi and Stefanie Graf for $150,000 each.
The top bid, which also was won twice at $275,000 apiece, was an invitation to Elton John's private White Tie and Tiara Ball at his home in Windsor, England, next summer. The first-class trip on American Airlines is for two nights in London and also includes a Badgley Mischka gown and a diamond and pearl necklace by Fred Leighton.
The concert followed with the entertainers praising Agassi for his charitable work helping at-risk children. The Grand Slam raised $5.6 million to be added to the $18 million raised since the foundation's inception in 1995.
