If heartstring-tugging wasn't enough incentive for guests to turn up at the Make-A-Wish Foundation's eighth annual Wish Night gala at the Beverly Hills Hotel on Friday, there was at least one rarely seen entertainer in the room to keep things interesting: Monkees veteran Micky Dolenz. “We wanted to spice it up this year, and we had a dance floor—something that we haven’t done in the past,” said the org's special events director, Tessa Bowser. M.C. Joel McHale also brought his controversial, cheeky sense of humor to the mix.The gala honored Bebe owner Manny Mashouf, My Name Is Earl's Greg Garcia, and Nancy Cartwright, the voice of Bart Simpson, and featured an auction, with the event raising $200,000 in all—enough for the nonprofit to grant 40 wishes. “We wanted to raise funds, grant more wishes, and create an avenue for new people to get involved with the organization,” Bowser said. A live auction offered packages including Grammy or Emmy tickets and privileges. Those ticket packages sold for $5,000 and $6,000, even though eight-year-old Christian Pierce (a beneficiary of the charity and an award presenter) assured the crowd they were worth “$2 billion" in an impromptu comment during the live auction.
Photo: John Heller
Photo: Peter Brooker
Photo: Peter Brooker
Photo: Peter Brooker
Photo: John Heller