Arguably the most prestigious local event outside of award season, the Carousel Ball operates on a well-established principle—if it ain't broke, don't fix it. On Saturday evening, social lion Barbara Davis' biannual benefit for the Children's Diabetes Foundation welcomed the return of her longtime collaborators—music director David Foster, show producer George Schlatter, and M.C. Jay Leno—as well as an unusually diverse Hollywood guest list with stars and execs from three branches of entertainment: film, TV, and music. A sold-out crowd of 1,150 flocked to the "Mercedes-Benz 30th Anniversary Carousel of Hope Ball," as it was billed, at the Beverly Hilton, where vast auction rooms and the International Ballroom were outfitted in Davis' signature candy pink.
At first blush, one might have thought that the recent months of economic turmoil, which have hurt many nonprofits, hadn't happened. For that, the hands-on Davis credits her tendency to fret. “I can't relax until I get something done, so I sold this [out] 10 months ago,” she says. “As it turned out, I was very lucky, because I really had it done right before the economy turned.”
Perseverance helped too. Rather than farm out the tasks of inviting guests and soliciting auction donations, the well-connected Davis—the widow of billionaire oilman and former owner of Fox Studios Marvin Davis—picked up the phone. “Everybody there was invited by me,” she says. “I made every telephone call.” And she's difficult to turn down. The ball's arsenal of silent- and live-auction donations came to about 1,000 items—trips, dinners, designer duds, and a $5,200 Neorest 600 toilet with a remote control and catalytic air purifier, which went for $2,500.
Indeed, one might conclude that Hollywood is recession-proof, judging from the enthusiasm for luxury items and the success of the live auction, in which Kelsey Grammar bid $150,000 on a $140,000 2009 Mercedes-Benz SL63 AMG roadster. But the economic downturn, combined with competition from political fund-raisers, did take a bite out of the silent auctions. The silent and live auctions have so far brought in $455,000—nearly $300,000 less than the 2006 ball's total of $740,000. Most of the event's fund-raising comes from corporate and private donations, however, so the shortfall did little damage to the overall take of roughly $4 million.
Another change was subtly scaled-down decor. Rather than drape all four auction rooms, a task that consumes time and money, organizers draped the entrance hall in thick stripes of pale pink and raspberry and the largest auction room in white with pink trim at the top. “I thought we should try to be fiscally responsible,” says Chrissy Lerner, executive director of the Children's Diabetes Foundation, who oversaw the event decorated by Mindy Weiss Party Consultants.
After the two-hour silent auction, the black-tie crowd moved to the ballroom, where tables were covered in pink cloths created by fashion designer Reem Acra and topped by centerpieces of pink roses tucked inside miniature carousels. Actual carousel horses, which are trotted out each year, were affixed to one wall of the ballroom and the stage backdrop.
Davis' old friends Quincy Jones and Clive Davis presented the Brass Ring Award to Pauletta and Denzel Washington for their charitable work. Performances by Kenny “Babyface” Edmonds, Katharine McPhee, 16-year-old Youtube sensation Charise Pempengco, Josh Groban, and the Jonas Brothers, whom Davis personally called after learning that Nick Jonas had diabetes, followed. Guests left with Guess totes stocked with Diamond Castle Barbie dolls, a Dayna Decker candle, and bath and body products from Boots, Ahava, Kat Burki, and Glospa, among other items.
