The weather reporters forecasted a hurricane-watch weekend, but there wasn't a cloud in the sky during the 10th annual Kids for Kids benefit for the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation. Held at Industria Superstudio, the fund-raiser drew 1,200 guests—both adults and kids—for an extravaganza of top-notch food, entertainment, classic carnival games and plenty of branded promotional areas. But the weather didn't draw any problems. "Everything went exactly according to plan," said J. B. Miller of event production company Empire Entertainment.
Guests entered the venue to find an avenue filled with game stations manned by celebrities such as Julianne Moore, Ellen Barkin, Jesse L. Martin, Carol Alt, Todd Oldham and Natalie Portman (who brought along her pooch). Children racked up prize tickets to exchange for gifts at the Toys "R" Us Tower of Treasures, and volunteers snapped shots of parents and kids with their favorite stars using Polaroid OneStep cameras in the shapes of kid-friendly characters like the Tasmanian Devil.
On Industria's ground floor, kids got comfy on citrus-colored pillows while listening to Marcia Gay Harden and Hallie Kate Eisenberg read children's stories at the Target Story Time Area. Meanwhile, grown-ups snuck next door to the candle-lit Rodale Relaxation Room for massages.
On the second floor, guests got to be stars in photo sessions with Molly Sims and Oksana Baiul that generated mock People magazine covers at an imaging station sponsored by the magazine and run by Archive Technologies. At the adjacent table, guests could make their feet fancy by adding pompoms and glitter to flip-flops supplied by New York Fun Factory.
MTV, VH1, and CMT's SuperFly5 dance club allowed visitors to learn the latest moves with celebrity choreographer Wade Robson as One Dream Sound kept DJ Colt Seavers' record-spinning sound levels in check. Some guests were shy about the dance floor and opted to shimmy over and get a fabulous feather and ribbon hairdo from the hair stylists of Pipino. In Nickelodeon's Bikini Bottom room, parents marveled at the under-the-sea-inspired screen projections produced by Charles Cameron and Traci Klainer of Luce Group while kids tried out THQ video game stations and colored their own SpongeBob SquarePants T-shirts with Marvy fabric markers.
Scrumptious servings dominated Restaurant Row, which was coordinated by the Jonathan Morr Group. Republic handed out mini takeout boxes filled with noodle salad while Bond Street chefs made sushi rolls on the spot. Michael's served up melt-in-your mouth potato chive raviolis and Canteen dished out tins filled with kid-pleasing macaroni and cheese. For dessert, mouths watered for Inside's good-humored "Chocolate Blackout Cake of 2003," Monkey Bar's orange blossom and lime pudding (sprinkled with mini M&M's and garnished with a sweet-tasting biscotti), and bite-sized chocolate and vanilla cupcakes from Simon Kitchen and Bar pastry chef Justin Nilson. Everything could be washed down with a bottle of one of the chilled green tea mixes supplied by Ito En. Other restaurants offering tasty teasers included Eleven Madison Park, Town, Gramercy Tavern, Vintage, Serendipity 3, Citrus Bar & Grill, the Mercer Kitchen, Spring Street, Caf? Lebowitz, 92, Gotham Bar and Grill and Patroon.
After getting their fill of the culinary choices, people headed over to the main stage where there was no shortage of live entertainment. With lighting and sound by Robert Isabell, special appearances by the Power Rangers and Strawberry Shortcake wowed the little ones and performances from Antigravity and teen pop group Pebble Drive entertained older folks. Whoopi Goldberg and Tom Kenny hosted a SpongeBob-inspired fashion show with models like Roshumba Williams in designs by Betsey Johnson, Sean John, Diane von Furstenberg, and Giorgio Armani. The grand finale included a showcase of the new song and dance revue Red Hot Broadway.
—Laura Young
Read about last year's Kids for Kids benefit...
Guests entered the venue to find an avenue filled with game stations manned by celebrities such as Julianne Moore, Ellen Barkin, Jesse L. Martin, Carol Alt, Todd Oldham and Natalie Portman (who brought along her pooch). Children racked up prize tickets to exchange for gifts at the Toys "R" Us Tower of Treasures, and volunteers snapped shots of parents and kids with their favorite stars using Polaroid OneStep cameras in the shapes of kid-friendly characters like the Tasmanian Devil.
On Industria's ground floor, kids got comfy on citrus-colored pillows while listening to Marcia Gay Harden and Hallie Kate Eisenberg read children's stories at the Target Story Time Area. Meanwhile, grown-ups snuck next door to the candle-lit Rodale Relaxation Room for massages.
On the second floor, guests got to be stars in photo sessions with Molly Sims and Oksana Baiul that generated mock People magazine covers at an imaging station sponsored by the magazine and run by Archive Technologies. At the adjacent table, guests could make their feet fancy by adding pompoms and glitter to flip-flops supplied by New York Fun Factory.
MTV, VH1, and CMT's SuperFly5 dance club allowed visitors to learn the latest moves with celebrity choreographer Wade Robson as One Dream Sound kept DJ Colt Seavers' record-spinning sound levels in check. Some guests were shy about the dance floor and opted to shimmy over and get a fabulous feather and ribbon hairdo from the hair stylists of Pipino. In Nickelodeon's Bikini Bottom room, parents marveled at the under-the-sea-inspired screen projections produced by Charles Cameron and Traci Klainer of Luce Group while kids tried out THQ video game stations and colored their own SpongeBob SquarePants T-shirts with Marvy fabric markers.
Scrumptious servings dominated Restaurant Row, which was coordinated by the Jonathan Morr Group. Republic handed out mini takeout boxes filled with noodle salad while Bond Street chefs made sushi rolls on the spot. Michael's served up melt-in-your mouth potato chive raviolis and Canteen dished out tins filled with kid-pleasing macaroni and cheese. For dessert, mouths watered for Inside's good-humored "Chocolate Blackout Cake of 2003," Monkey Bar's orange blossom and lime pudding (sprinkled with mini M&M's and garnished with a sweet-tasting biscotti), and bite-sized chocolate and vanilla cupcakes from Simon Kitchen and Bar pastry chef Justin Nilson. Everything could be washed down with a bottle of one of the chilled green tea mixes supplied by Ito En. Other restaurants offering tasty teasers included Eleven Madison Park, Town, Gramercy Tavern, Vintage, Serendipity 3, Citrus Bar & Grill, the Mercer Kitchen, Spring Street, Caf? Lebowitz, 92, Gotham Bar and Grill and Patroon.
After getting their fill of the culinary choices, people headed over to the main stage where there was no shortage of live entertainment. With lighting and sound by Robert Isabell, special appearances by the Power Rangers and Strawberry Shortcake wowed the little ones and performances from Antigravity and teen pop group Pebble Drive entertained older folks. Whoopi Goldberg and Tom Kenny hosted a SpongeBob-inspired fashion show with models like Roshumba Williams in designs by Betsey Johnson, Sean John, Diane von Furstenberg, and Giorgio Armani. The grand finale included a showcase of the new song and dance revue Red Hot Broadway.
—Laura Young
Read about last year's Kids for Kids benefit...
Celebrities including Marcia Gay Harden read children's stories at the 10th annual Kids for Kids benefit for the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation.
Kids could show off their artistic talents alongside famous artists in an art studio set up with buckets of paint and a plethora of paintbrushes.
Robert Isabell gave a summer garden feel to the dining area with imported potted trees, bright tablecloths and sunflower centerpieces.
The older kids learned steps from professional dancers in an area sponsored by MTV, VH1, and CMT.
