LEAH SYDNEY reports from last night’s 100th anniversary of The Beverly Hills Hotel party, held to raise money for the Motion Picture Fund. Leave it to Leah: she asked host Warren Beatty why his beautiful and talented wife Annette Bening was AWOL. Warren said: “Annette broke her foot, so she couldn’t come here tonight.”
How did she do it? Beatty replied: “She doesn’t quite know, but she has a cast on it. She’s had it for a few days, She’s fine, but she can’t stand for a long time.” Warren is a sport for putting up with our questions. He hates interviews! Warren then told the crowd: “It’s almost impossible to imagine a history of Hollywood without imagining the things that may or may not have occurred in this hotel. If only these wall could talk. I want to personally thank these walls for not saying anything.” Warren then went on to thank, “my friend the Polo Lounge and the indefatigable general manager Ed Mady.”
Beatty did not want to discuss his long in the planning movie about Howard Hughes. “I don’t talk about movies,” he said. “Ask me something else. “
How does he feel about the current political situation?
Warren: “Asking me that question would be like asking a hemophiliac for a pint of blood.”
What he does he love about the hotel and the MPTF?
“I love this hotel. And I love the MPTF. It’s been around for a long time, and the significance of it is important to Hollywood.”
Why is philanthropy so important to him?
“It’s fun, and I enjoy it. As long as I don’t have to do a red carpet.
Beatty’s co-hosts were Jeffrey Katzenberg and Brett Ratner. Katzenberg quipped to the crowd as he was introducing his pal Warren, “There are few people who are more important, more successful and contributed more to Hollywood than Warren. For many, many, many decades he has exhibited greatness, talent, class and charm to which women and men can’t resist. I assure you that no one, no one, no one knows more about this hotel than Warren.” To which Warren chimed in, “Jeffrey, you couldn’t just say a few decades?”
Guests then went downstairs to see a Chuck Workman film about the Hotel’s history, with a cameo by Clive Davis who said, “This hotel is like my second home. They know I like my coleslaw with raisins.”
Brett Ratner then introduced Mary J. Blige who rocked the A list crowd that included Cat Deeley, writer/biographer A. Scott Berg, producer Kevin McCormick, vivacious actress Brenda Vaccaro, songwriter Diane Warren, new re-elected PGA head Hawk Koch, producer/director Irwin Winkler, actresses Joely Fisher and Donna Mills.
Robert S. Anderson, the bon vivant author of “The Beverly Hills Hotel-The First 100 Years,” which was on display at this glittering event summed up the evening: “I’m fourth generation of Beverly Hills. My great grandmother used to own this hotel, my grandfather was the manager. The reason why this hotel is so famous worldwide is the beauty of it, the hotel, how it sits on a knoll above the city and the gardens that surround it. It’s a luxurious hotel, the service is impeccable and the food is fabulous. It took me ten years to get this book together. I’m a little bit of everything; I was the Beverly Hills Commissioner, a real estate developer and now an author. Everybody who has done a major deal, actors,talent, executives has done some part of it here. This hotel is a focal point for show business.”
