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More
from Monday night's Fete de
Swifty
— benefiting the Parks Afterschool Program of the Mayor's
Fund to Advance New York City |
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Clockwise
from above: The entertainers; Diana Taylor, Peggy
Race, and Barry Diller; Liz Smith, Victoria
Gotti, and Joel Getz.
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The
first annual Fete de Swifty was held on this past Monday night in a great
big tent that stretched the length of the
block of East 73rd Street between Lexington and Third. The event
is named after the restaurant on Lexington between 72nd and 73rd,
an exponent of the former restaurant Mortimer’s which used
to exist up the block on 75th where they held an annual Fete de Famille
to raise funds for AIDS care.
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Fete
de Swifty tent
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Liz Smith came up with the idea in order to raise more funds for
the Parks AfterSchool Program of the Mayor's Fund to Advance New
York City. This free program serves 3000 kids ages six to thirteen,
80% of whom receive public assistance, in 33 recreation centers in
all five boroughs.
Monday night’s “do” was a great success, greater
than any of us on the planning committee anticipated although Liz
predicted it long in advance saying that “everybody loves a
big cocktail party with lots of people.” This one not only
had lots of people but also great food from Swifty’s including
a shellfish bar and a mammoth buffet and a dessert table that could
get anybody in trouble. Not to mention the cocktail bars with everything
including champagne and as much as you wanted. There were also stiltmen
(and ladies), jugglers and a lady who made cut-out hats while you
waited (and you didn’t wait long) as well as a photo booth
(a la Coney Island). Mayor Bloomberg made an appearance and a speech
and Jamie Niven conducted a live auction that grossed $22,000. |
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Joel
Getz, Steven Attoe, Peter Rogers, Susan Rotenstreich, Mayor Bloomberg,
Chris Meigher, Liz Smith, Robert Caravaggi, and DPC
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It’s
always interesting to see what kind of bargains (or non-bargains
people
can get at these benefit auctions, so here it is:
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Jamie
Niven
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John
and Susan Rotenstreich with their daughter
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Helen
O'Hagan and Peter Rogers
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DINNER WITH FOUR AUTHENTIC TEXANS
The former governor of Texas, the Hon. Ann Richards; the Abilene
media maven Joe Armstrong of ABC; the gossip columnist from Ft.
Worth, Liz Smith; and, the authentic Miss America from Denton,
Phyllis George.
They will take you and a guest to the El Rio Grande restaurant
at 37th Street and Third Avenue and ply you with frozen Margaritas
and
other goodies. Or you might prefer to go to lunch at Michael’s
with these 4. It is your choice.
They will all talk at once. You will receive a Texas souvenir from
Joe and Ann, Phyllis and Liz will force their signed books on you.
A Genuine Hoot and a Half is guaranteed. Valid
until September 2005.
The winning bid was $2600.
LAW & ORDER
Let the grand super detective/writer/former victim’s
unit office of the District Attorney Linda Fairstein put
you as a character into one of her coming novels. You’ll be the talk of the town. It
was Linda’s office that inspired Law & Order: Special
Victims Unit on TV.
Linda will also take you and two guests to lunch at the exclusive
New York literary haunt Michael’s and autograph copies of
her books for you.
Subject to scheduling availability. Valid until September 2005
The
winning bid was $2600.
MIRAMAX SCREENING
Let New York City’s resident premier publicity
queen Peggy Siegal arrange your own private screening for you and
60 of
your
guests for a coming MIRAMAX movie blockbuster.
Movie, time, place to be decided on future availability. Valid
until September 2005.
The winning bid was $4000.
BEAUTIFYING NEW YORK PARKS WITH BETTE MIDLER
Meet the Divine Miss M – the one and only Bette
Midler – and
spend some time with her on one of her special garbage details picking
up trash and beautifying New York’s parks for her Restoration
Project. You will go along with Bette, not only to see her works
but to help out if you like. Wear rough clothes and gloves.
Half of your auction price will go to the Restoration Project and
half will go to the Mayor’s Fund for the Parks After School
children’s programs.
This is an experience you will never forget and one you will enjoy.
You will see a New York you never saw before including the new Peter
J. Sharp Boathouse on the Harlem River.
Valid until September 2005. The
winning bid was $2500.
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Martin
Bregman and Ahmet Ertegun
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GOTTI
AT RAO’S
Enjoy dinner at famed Harlem restaurant
Rao’s
with the glamorous bombshell, TV star, gossip columnist and novelist Victoria
Gotti.
Victoria will ask Liz Smith to go along for
the ride! You can bring yourself and three guests. If you would
like to meet one of Victoria’s
handsome sons from her reality TV show, this can be bargained
for and then you can bring only two guests.
You will also receive a CD of Rao’s owner Frankie singing.
It bears the words “Buy this CD because it’s a cinch
you’ll never get a reservation at Rao’s.”
Subject to Victoria’s demanding schedule! Valid until
September 2005.
The winning bid was $5000.
DISHY DINNER
A dishy dinner of gossip for two people at Le Cirque with Liz
Smith of Newsday, the Post and the Staten
Island Advance, and also with
Billy Norwich, formerly of the Times, now of Vogue, and also with
Linda Staasi of the New York Post, and add Jess
Cagle of People Magazine.
A veritable smorgasbord. Valid until September 2005.
The winning bid was $5500. |
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The
scene behind the bar
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There
were also twenty-two items in a silent auction including:
• Dinner for 10 in the backroom at Swifty’s. Your
menu and wines will be selected in consultation with Stephen
Attoe and Robert Caravaggi.
The winning bid was $3500.
• Oil portrait by Peter Rogers of advertising fame and
known portrait painter of important New York women – to be in time, in
a future exhibit and then yours forever after.
Mr. Rogers invented the Blackglama What Becomes a Legend Most? Campaign
and many more. He lives in Manhattan and in the Kent community of Connecticut.
The winning bid was $2400.
• The fabulous “Kids Meal” as dreamed up for Barbara
Walters by Sean Driscoll of Glorious Food. Mr. Driscoll’s
minions will come to your house and execute this dinner for 10. Your guests will
never get over it!
Caviar, Toast, Crème Fraiche
Miniature Hot Dogs and Hamburgers
Individual Ramekins of Macaroni and Cheese
French Fries
Cole Slaw
Ice Creams with toppings for “make your own sundaes”
The winning bid was $2000.
• Go to a great Broadway show and take two other guests. Your escort will
be famous theater maven Diane Judge who writes the “Dear
Boss” columns for Liz Smith. Diane will take you backstage
and onstage after the curtain falls and introduce you to the star players.
Then she will take you to dinner in the exciting aura of Joe Allen’s
well-known theater restaurant on West 46 Street. There you see only poster’s
of Broadway flops, but you’ll probably see a lot of Broadway stars in hits
in attendance.
The winning bid was $500.
• A fabulous portrait of yourself, your loved one, your children, your
pets or whatever from the fabled photographer Ellen Graham.
Plus an autographed copy of her beautiful new portrait book The Bad and the
Beautiful to be published in November.
The winning bid was $3900.
• Two one-hour sessions of lectures and talks focusing on your choice of
Greek, Roman or Egyptian antiquity with Professor Iris Cornelia Love,
the famous classical archeologist and historian who found the Temple of Aphrodite
in Knidos, Turkey.
Professor Love will speak at your home or your children’s school. (She
will adjust the talk considering listeners’ ages.)
The winning bid was $550.
• Enjoy 15 box seats at Shea Stadium for a fabled Yankees/Mets subway series
games.
The winning bid was $750.
• You and a guest will spend an afternoon watching the rehearsal, lighting
and filming of an episode of Law & Order. You will meet the director,
writer, and producer of the episode as well as the cast members working that
day. Before you leave, you’ll receive an escorted tour of the Law & Order studios
as well as a gift basket.
The winning bid was $250.
• Sail off Newport, RI as the 17th crewmember aboard COURAGEOUS, two time
winner of The America1s Cup. Become part of the racing crew on this historic
yacht, which experts agree is the fastest of the modern 12 Metres.
The winning bid was $1025.
The two auctions took in a total of $48,625. The final tally was $624,620. Pretty
good for a first time, no? |
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Robert
Caravaggi and Chris Meigher
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Joel
Getz and Iris Love
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Tobie
Roosevelt (right)
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Mrs.
and Mr. Bob Hardwick with Barbara Tober and Susan Burke
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Harry
Stendhal, Joel Klein, and Tina Louise
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Dennis
Basso, Craig Reynolds, and Tom Quick
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Nathan
Saint Amand, Cece and Lee and Black, and Judy Cormier
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Robert
Caravaggi with Debbie Bancroft and friend
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Dagmar
de Brantes and Linda Healey
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Patti
Harris and Mayor Bloomberg
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L.
to r.: Beth DeWoody, Howard Blum, and Fran Lebowitz;
The scene under the tent.
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Coney
Island Foto Booth
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Getting
ready for 4 shots
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Nina
Richter with Jonathan Eliot and Liz Finkle
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Rat
hat
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Steven
Attoe looks for ..
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...
and locates his wife
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Helena
Lehane and Geoffrey Bradfield
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Jim
Kaufman and Barbara Ruig
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Eric
Javits and Susan Bodnar
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Jamie
Niven and Peggy Race
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Mark
Gilbertson and Courtney Arnot
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Mario
Buatta and Roger Webster
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Grace
Meigher and Percy Steinhardt
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Hilary
Geary and
Wilbur Ross
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Charles
Evans and Bonnie Pfeiffer
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James
and Toni Goodale
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Marc
Rosen and Arlene Dahl
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Ellen
and Ian Graham
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Muffie
Potter Aston and Dr. Sherrell Aston
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Larry
and Michele Herbert
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Andrew
Saffir and Daniel Benedict
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Deborah
Norville, Karl Wellner, and Caroline Roehm
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Amy
Fine Collins and Richard Turley
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Jill
Brooke and Nan Kempner
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Marjorie
Reed Gordon and Jesse Araskog
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Kristi
Witker and Jackie Weld Drake
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Gillian
Miniter, Michael Cominotto, Dennis Basso, and Scott Currie
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Alexandra
Kotur with her mom
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Fernanda
Kellogg, Parker Gentry, and Barbara Hodes
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Wendy
Vanderbilt, Michael and Joan Steinberg, and Dr. Frank Petito
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Jim
Zirin, Marlene Hess, Sean Driscoll, and friend
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A
Jim Zirin and James Goodale sandwich
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Judy
Peabody and Gale
Hayman Haseltine
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Len
Morgan, Robert Couturier, Amy Fine Collins, Alex Hitz,
and Angus Wilkie
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Anne
Miller and Mimi Stafford
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Sessa
von Richtofen, Richard Johnson, Jill Brooke, and friend
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Chappy
Morris and Melissa Stanley
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Louise
Grunwald and Billy Norwich
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Katherine
Oliver, Jonathan Capehart, and Patti Harris
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L.
to r.: Eumy Rha and Jason Hirsch; Fete de leather;
Frances Schultz.
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Lara
Meiland, Muffy Miller, and Lisa Meiland
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Cece
Cord and Tom Ward
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The
juggling act
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Kimberly
Merritt and Blaine Caravaggi
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Elizabeth
Ballard, John Demsey, and Mai Harrison
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Ron
Tilles and Judy Agisim
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| Photographs
by Jeff Hirsch/NYSD.com |
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