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 Curtain Calls
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| Michelle Miller Morial, Marc Morial, Patricia Clarkson, Brian Williams, Hoda Kotb, and Hal Williamson |
New York movers and shakers mixed with New Orleans revelers last Thursday night at the Top of The Standard (a.k.a. the Boom Boom Room) for the annual New Orleans Preservation Resource Center benefit, which honored NBC’s Brian Wiliams for his steadfast coverage of the Big Easy post-Hurricane Katrina.
Co-chairs Alexa Georges of New Orleans, Hearst’s Deb Shriver, and George Lancaster of Houston tapped sultry New Orleans’ native Patricia Clarkson to introduce Williams, as well musicians Kermit Ruffins and Dr. John to entertain.
Former New Orleanian Hoda Kotb emceed as guests, including NY school chancellor Cathie Black, Carson Kressley, Julia Reed, USA Today’s Jerry Shriver, and Michelle and Marc Morial (he a former New Orleans mayor), mingled with a bevy of New Orleans’ finest atop The Standard. Gregory Morey, who hosted a Galatoire’s-catered patron party in his art-filled East Village loft the night before, compared notes with Anne Shearman-Betts, artist Hunt Slonem, and Angele Parlange. An unexpected front-row seat for Cunard’s glittering Hudson River fireworks show and parade of cruise ships was, as they say in the Big Easy, Lagniappe.
— Daniel Cappello for NYSD |
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| Peggy and Henry Schleiff, Hal Williamson, Patricia Clarkson, Michelle Miller and Marc Morial |
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| Olga Skidmore, Dathel Georges, Karen Solomon, Stephanie Bruno, Alexa Georges, and Anne Redd |
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| Brian Landry, Barbara Sieg, Federico Wasserman, John Mosko, and Kendall Winingder |
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| Stephen Parker, Dathel Georges, and Christopher Meeks |
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| John Bennette and Hal Williamson |
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| Hal Williamson, Stephen Parker, Lally Brennan, and Hunt Slonem |
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| Brigid Walsh and Ed Gerrard |
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| Rebecca Singley, Roger Wilson, and Sam Himelstein |
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| Dana Hansel, Thomas Jayne, Lynn Long, Hoda Kotb, and Betsie Gambel |
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| Olga Skidmore, Rachel Hayes, Carson Kressley, Alexa Georges, and Dathel Georges |
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| Richard Perlman, Alexa Georges, and Ellen Hanson |
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| Dana Hansel and Leslie Milsten |
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| Stuart Milsten, Lisa Smith, Dana Hansel, Baker Smith, and Leslie Milsten |
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| Jerry Shriver, Meredith Wagner, Deb Shriver, and Thomas Jayne |
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| George Schmidt, Patty Gay, Gail Bertuzzi, and Hal Williamson |
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| Charlene Berger, Dr. R. Dale Le Blanc, Patricia Clarkson, and Hal Williamson |
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| Anjele Fischer, Rachel Hayes, Alexa Georges, and Terri Pope |
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| Jane and Brian Williams, and Julie Reed |
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| Patty Gay, Rob Nelson, and Jenny Hurwitz |
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| James Skidmore, and Jerry and Clark Armatis |
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| Lisa Smith, Allyson Seinfeld, Dana Hansel, and Betsie Gambel |
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| Anne Shearman-Betts, Alexa Georges, George Lancaster, and Hoda Kotb |
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| Meghan Baker, Kendall Winingder, Alexa Georges, and Anna Coleman |
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| Hoda Kotb, Cathie Black, Hal Williamson, and Patricia Clarkson |
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| Julie Cappa and Carlo Romero |
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| Nishan and Victoria Vartanian |
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| Dr. John, Brian Williams, and Marc Morial |
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| Emeline and Mark Klein, and Caitlin Delisser |
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| Mark McMillan and Chase Bodine |
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| Barbara and Robbie Evans |
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| Alexa Georges, Roger Wilson, and Linh Kieu |
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| Susan Wormser, Mark Klein, and Toby Florman |
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| Greg Levato and Meghan Baker |
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| Kim Bartee and Tara Simon |
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| Thomas Jayne, Ronda Carmen, and Malcolm Kutner |
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| Sheree Yellin, Brigid Walsh, and Anne Shearman-Betts |
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| Patricia Clarkson and Gary Solomon |
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Last Sunday night at Zankel Hall in Carnegie Hall, actress Laura Linney along with a host of Broadway’s biggest stars and some very talented young adults brought the house down in a unique and dramatic event presented by the McCarton Foundation for Developmental Disabilities.
The “Genius of Autism” honored 16 enormously talented autistic youth for their accomplishments in the fields of music, visual arts, poetry and athletics. The brainchild of Dr. Cece McCarton, founder of the McCarton Foundation for Autism and Developmental Disabilities, expressed her motivation for creating this event best; “Often talents are not discovered in autistic individuals because so many people have stereotyped or limited expectations of their abilities. The line between ABILITY and DIS-ABILITY is a very thin one that often goes undetected. The tragedy of autism is not only with the individual who has autism but also with us who are often blind to the talents that lay hidden within them.” |
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| Cocktails at Zankel Hall |
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| The auction consisted of 20 pieces of artwork by various artists affected by autism |
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| NYC, Stephen Wiltshire |
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| Central Park, Stephen Wiltshire |
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| Self Portrait, Jonathan Lerman, |
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| White Daisies, Amanda Lamunyon |
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| The Dog Has Nine Lives, Justin Conha |
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| Indian Man, Justin Canha |
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| Here They Come, Donna Lerman |
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| Untitled 2, Jonathan Lerman |
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These brilliant and brave children, who were the real stars of the evening, were honored by world renowned performers including Dr. William H. Cosby, Jr., Dr. Deepak Chopra, Alicia Keys, Malaak Compton-Rock, Michelle Miller (CBS News), and Holly Robinson-Peete. The crowd was wowed with performances by Kelli O'Hara from South Pacific, Billy Porter, Brian Stokes Mitchell, Lauren Kennedy (Sunset Blvd, Spamalot) and Ann Harada (Avenue Q) and a chorus with singers from Wicked, The Drowsy Chaperone, Hair, RENT, The Lion King, Everyday Rapture and the TV series "Big Love.”
Morgan Stanley Smith Barney kicked the evening off with a VIP reception in the Rohatyn Room. Speakers Lou Toscano and Chad Kasprzak started the bidding off on over 20 pieces of artwork by various artists affected by autism including honorees Stephen Wiltshire, Justin Canha and more. |
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| Dr. Deepak Chopra |
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| Mistress of Ceremonies Laura Linney |
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| Brian Stokes Mitchell |
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| Matt Savage, jazz prodigy |
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| Singers from Wicked, The Drowsy Chaperone, Hair, RENT, The Lion King, Everyday Rapture, and the TV series Big Love |
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| The Miracle Project presents the Fly Singers |
| The evening was produced by the incredibly talented Daisy Prince Chaplin and Elizabeth Howell and commandeered by parent and visionary Michele Pierce-Burns whose son Danson’s poetry inspired the audience of over 500 supporters including Penny Toepfer, Kate Grandin, Linda Zelenko, Whitney Loy, Jordyn Kopin, Shawn and Suzanne Rubin, Roberta Loewenstein, Mitchell Rubin, David and Jill Robbins, Alan and Karin Wilzig, Ronald and Michelle Herzlinger, Stephen and Lora Barbera, Michelle Russell Johnson, and Pam, Valerie and Joel Edelman. |
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| Maria, Noa, Warren, and Emma Davis |
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| Terry, Kayla, Lou, and Talina Toscano |
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| Vincent, Carly, and Karen Ryan |
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| Amanda Lamunyon |
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| Brannon Pischke and Blair Meisels |
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| Robin Downes |
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| Jennifer and James Bistis |
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| Anjhula Singh Bais and b michael |
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| Sig Ackerman, Dr. Cece McCarton, Penny Toepfer, Ellie Libby, Linda Belenko, and Kate Grandin |
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| The Global Autism Project |
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| Daniel Anderson, Joe and Roberta Lowenstein, and Peggy and Alexis Meisels |
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| Moms and daughter's night out to support Autism |
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| Rita Cosby, Joey and Roberta Lowenstein, and Tomaczek Bednarek |
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| The Miracle Project Fly Singers, Rio Wyles aka MC Soul-shocker, Elaine Hall, RJ Peete, and Wyatt and Diane Isaacs |
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| Peter Gerhardt and Dr. Cece McCarton |
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| Renate Newmark and Anna Castillo |
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| Rita Cosby, Anne White, Lorraine Canero, and Tomaczek Bednarek |
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| Michele Pierce Burns, Lou Toscano, and Michael Burns |
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| Suzanne and Shawn Rubin |
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| Ellie Libby and Pam Keld |
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| Allan, Alexis, Peggy Meisels, Roberta Lowenstein, and Daniel Anderson |
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| Rita Cosby, Dr. Gayatri Devi, Kyle Reiter, and Roberta Lowenstein |
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| Suzanne Simon and Engin Bayraktaroglu |
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| Terry Watkins and Anna Castillo |
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| Beverlee Miller, John Raymond, and Collen Glynn |
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| Lou Toscano, Rodney Peete, and Stephen Wlitshire |
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| Allan and Alexis Meisels |
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| Jamie and Greg Aronoff |
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| Mitchell Rubin and Dr. Cece McCarton |
| The opening night of Oscar Wilde's "The Importance of Being Earnest" starring Brian Bedford at the American Airlines Theater, arrivals, curtain calls, and the after-party ... |
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Sherie Rene Scott |
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David Pittu |
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Estelle Parsons |
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Charles Strouse |
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Byron Jennings and Carolyn McCormick |
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Debra Monk |
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Michael Cerveris |
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F. Murray Abraham |
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Roger Rees |
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Alan Cumming |
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Jane Alexander |
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Sarah Steele |
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Victor Garber |
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Sheldon Harnick |
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Tony Roberts |
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Walter Bobbie |
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Curtain call with Tim MacDonald, Santino Fontana, Dana Ivey, Sara Topham, Brian Bedford, Charlotte Parry, and David Furr |
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Tim MacDonald, Santino Fontana, Dana Ivey, Sara Topham, Brian Bedford, Charlotte Parry, and David Furr |
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Amanda Leigh Cobb and Sean Arbuckle |
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Dana Ivey |
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Charlotte Parry and Sara Topham |
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Cynthia Nixon |
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Brian Bedford |
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David Furr |
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Donna Murphy |
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Paxton Whitehead |
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Paul O'Brien, Sandra Shipley, Amanda Leigh Cobb, and Sean Arbuckle |
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Santino Fontana |
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| Photographs by Ann Watt & Gregory Partanio (Autism); PatrickMcMullan.com (New Orleans & Earnest) |
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