In a galaxy far, far away—well, actually, at the Shops of Sunset Place in South Miami—the Miami Children's Hospital Foundation hosted a benefit screening of Star Wars: Episode III—Revenge of the Sith. Ivette Diaz, the foundation's director of marketing and community relations, worked with Bob Holtzman and Randy McKey of Holtzman & McKey to turn the AMC theater lobby into Mos Eisley's cantina, the bar where Luke Skywalker meets Hans Solo in the original movie. The foundation was one of ten sites in the United States selected to screen the film from among more than 100 charities initially approached for consideration by Marcy Ginsburg of Lucasfilm corporate public relations and marketing.Frank Clemente and Lynn McGhee of conceptBAIT joined Pete Diaz and Jair Alzate of Pete Diaz Productions to create an intergalactic environment for V.I.P. guests who paid between $500 and $1,000 per ticket for the gala and screening of the final installment of the series.
The Florida 501st Garrison provided more than 50 actors dressed as Star Wars characters. Heroes Luke and Leia, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Chewbacca, C-3PO, and Princess Amidala posed with guests, as did the villainous Darth Vader and his Imperial stormtroopers. In a gaming area set up in one of the theaters,.phpiring Jedi tested their skills on the XBOX version of the movie, provided by Intec.
R2-D2 greeted guests at the entrance to a long dark corridor filled with fog and shimmering lights that led into the theater. The audience watched the film on a special concave screen while munching on complimentary popcorn and M&M's. Afterward, guests picked up cocktails from tables covered in black spandex as they passed through a separate hallway lined with movie posters from all six Star Wars episodes.
In the lobby-cantina, the tables were topped with low centerpieces of yellow and orange pincushion protea blooms and glow sticks. A band of "aliens" played upbeat tunes on a stage backed by a black curtain with sparkling blue and green lights.
A Joy Wallace Catering Production provided "Orbital Bits": a buffet filled with cheese wedges, marinated olives, and a seafood station with Star Wars-inspired items such as "The Force Chilled Seafood Salad," "Jar Jar Binks Smoked Fish Dip," and "General Ackbar Chilled Mussels Pomodoro," a dish with chopped tomatoes, garlic, and basil chiffonade. A Yoda statue brandishing a lightsaber sat atop the buffet beside tall clear cylinders filled with colorful stones and set on a bed of what looked like sea urchins. Waiters passed hors d'oeuvres including guava-glazed chicken with avocado salsa, beef Wellington, calamari mandarin duck pancakes, fresh sushi rolls, tuna tartare, and more.
Guests returned to earth with a souvenir satchel from BlueCross BlueShield of Florida Inc. filled with candy, toiletries, and a Star Wars action figure, comic book, and trading cards. V.I.P.s also received a sterling silver star key chain from Tiffany & Company.
With the force on its side, the foundation raised more than $150,000 plus an additional $500,000 pledge from BlueCross BlueShield.
—Vanessa Goyanes
Photos: Brandy Urbine (buffet station)
The Florida 501st Garrison provided more than 50 actors dressed as Star Wars characters. Heroes Luke and Leia, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Chewbacca, C-3PO, and Princess Amidala posed with guests, as did the villainous Darth Vader and his Imperial stormtroopers. In a gaming area set up in one of the theaters,.phpiring Jedi tested their skills on the XBOX version of the movie, provided by Intec.
R2-D2 greeted guests at the entrance to a long dark corridor filled with fog and shimmering lights that led into the theater. The audience watched the film on a special concave screen while munching on complimentary popcorn and M&M's. Afterward, guests picked up cocktails from tables covered in black spandex as they passed through a separate hallway lined with movie posters from all six Star Wars episodes.
In the lobby-cantina, the tables were topped with low centerpieces of yellow and orange pincushion protea blooms and glow sticks. A band of "aliens" played upbeat tunes on a stage backed by a black curtain with sparkling blue and green lights.
A Joy Wallace Catering Production provided "Orbital Bits": a buffet filled with cheese wedges, marinated olives, and a seafood station with Star Wars-inspired items such as "The Force Chilled Seafood Salad," "Jar Jar Binks Smoked Fish Dip," and "General Ackbar Chilled Mussels Pomodoro," a dish with chopped tomatoes, garlic, and basil chiffonade. A Yoda statue brandishing a lightsaber sat atop the buffet beside tall clear cylinders filled with colorful stones and set on a bed of what looked like sea urchins. Waiters passed hors d'oeuvres including guava-glazed chicken with avocado salsa, beef Wellington, calamari mandarin duck pancakes, fresh sushi rolls, tuna tartare, and more.
Guests returned to earth with a souvenir satchel from BlueCross BlueShield of Florida Inc. filled with candy, toiletries, and a Star Wars action figure, comic book, and trading cards. V.I.P.s also received a sterling silver star key chain from Tiffany & Company.
With the force on its side, the foundation raised more than $150,000 plus an additional $500,000 pledge from BlueCross BlueShield.
—Vanessa Goyanes
Photos: Brandy Urbine (buffet station)
A Yoda statue decorated the buffet at the Miami Children's Hospital Foundation's benefit preview of Star Wars: Episode III—Revenge of the Sith.
Guests walked through a shimmering, spandex-lined hallway designed by conceptBAIT.
An alien band, like the one in the original movie, played upbeat tunes throughout the night.
Familiar characters mingled with the crowd and posed for pictures with guests.
