Watch those hands, Sir Bob! Photograph by Darren Santos.
What: YouthAIDS Annual Gala, “The Power of Music.”
Where: Ritz-Carlton, Tysons Corner.
When: October 3, 6:30 to late.
Who: A cross-section of moneyed and celebrity Washington, including Sheila Johnson, Ted Leonsis, Mark Ein, Kathleen and Chris Matthews, and Septime Weber—plus the usual YouthAIDS crowd, such as Ashley Judd, YouthAIDS global ambassador and founder Kate Roberts, and assorted celebs—from jewelry designer Roberto Coin to tennis player/model Anna Kournikova to Miss Universe 2008, Dayana Mendoza, to reality-TV star of the moment, Suede from Project Runway. Honorees were MTV CEO Judy McGrath, musician/activist Bob Geldof, and singer Annie Lennox, who videoed in after having a back injury. Sharon Osbourne was mistress of ceremonies, and the musical guest was John Mellencamp.
Ticket price: Who was cheap enough to buy just a single ticket? Not this crowd, which raised some $1.2 million—or, as one speaker said, enough to save 120,000 youth in Africa.
Want to see more photos from Washington events and parties? Click here for Washingtonian.com's photo slideshow page.
Scene: Perhaps it was the election year bailout-battle royal that shook Washington this past week or the waxing hunting moon, but, a much lower-key crowd than in past years showed up at the Ritz for the fourth annual gala. Whereas previous years featured circus performers on stilts and traditional Indian Dhoonya dancers, this year’s theme, “the power of music,” included a lot of Gibson guitars and a Nintendo Wii set up amid the silent auction so guests could take a turn at the game Rock Band. The crowd had very different interpretations of the dress code—“rock-star chic”—but the most popular seemed to be a T-shirt underneath a fancy tux or suit.
The evening’s emotional high point came when Daily Show correspondent John Oliver gave a hurried comedic warmup introducing his boss, MTV’s McGrath, saying that he thought it was still too early to rule Hillary Clinton out of the presidential race—that “something as trifling as the will of the people” was unlikely to dissuade her from taking the inauguration stage on January 20, 2009. Oliver, whose uncle died of AIDS when the British comedian was 15, was in town for a friend’s wedding and ran out the door as soon as his bit was finished.
The evening’s emotional low point came during lengthy and depressing speeches by Ashley Judd and Bob Geldof about the impact of AIDS and poverty overseas and how the crowd was “living in the lucky world.” Greed, Geldof told the crowd, is not good: “Greed is imperishably stupid.” Given the silent auction items outside ranging from Gucci handbags to trips to St. Thomas, perhaps this wasn’t the crowd most attuned to that message.
The crowd took to the dance floor for a brief acoustic gig by John Mellencamp after Geldof’s 20-minute speech. Mellencamp sang favorites like “Small Town” and “Jack and Diane,” although he improvised some lyrics—in the latter song, he inserted into the chorus: “My wife was 13 when I wrote this song.”
Food highlight: The spicy tuna-cube appetizer.
Main course: Adobo filet mignon, crab cake, and vegetable terrine.
Beverage of choice: Courvoisier Exclusif Cognac, served after dinner.
Sign of the nation’s economic collapse: No one bid on the $17,000 trip to Canada to drive a Bentley recklessly on a frozen lake—not even for the bargain opening bid of $5,000.
Gift-bag contents: Lots of magazines and pamphlets, full-size bottles of Kiehl’s grapefruit lotion and sea-cucumber wash, sunflower seeds (for planting), chocolates, mini-bottles of Jim Beam.
A Night Out: YouthAIDS Annual Gala
Stars like Ashley Judd and more turned out for the fourth annual YouthAIDS Gala.
What: YouthAIDS Annual Gala, “The Power of Music.”
Where: Ritz-Carlton, Tysons Corner.
When: October 3, 6:30 to late.
Who: A cross-section of moneyed and celebrity Washington, including Sheila Johnson, Ted Leonsis, Mark Ein, Kathleen and Chris Matthews, and Septime Weber—plus the usual YouthAIDS crowd, such as Ashley Judd, YouthAIDS global ambassador and founder Kate Roberts, and assorted celebs—from jewelry designer Roberto Coin to tennis player/model Anna Kournikova to Miss Universe 2008, Dayana Mendoza, to reality-TV star of the moment, Suede from Project Runway. Honorees were MTV CEO Judy McGrath, musician/activist Bob Geldof, and singer Annie Lennox, who videoed in after having a back injury. Sharon Osbourne was mistress of ceremonies, and the musical guest was John Mellencamp.
Ticket price: Who was cheap enough to buy just a single ticket? Not this crowd, which raised some $1.2 million—or, as one speaker said, enough to save 120,000 youth in Africa.
Want to see more photos from Washington events and parties? Click here for Washingtonian.com's photo slideshow page.
Scene: Perhaps it was the election year bailout-battle royal that shook Washington this past week or the waxing hunting moon, but, a much lower-key crowd than in past years showed up at the Ritz for the fourth annual gala. Whereas previous years featured circus performers on stilts and traditional Indian Dhoonya dancers, this year’s theme, “the power of music,” included a lot of Gibson guitars and a Nintendo Wii set up amid the silent auction so guests could take a turn at the game Rock Band. The crowd had very different interpretations of the dress code—“rock-star chic”—but the most popular seemed to be a T-shirt underneath a fancy tux or suit.
The evening’s emotional high point came when Daily Show correspondent John Oliver gave a hurried comedic warmup introducing his boss, MTV’s McGrath, saying that he thought it was still too early to rule Hillary Clinton out of the presidential race—that “something as trifling as the will of the people” was unlikely to dissuade her from taking the inauguration stage on January 20, 2009. Oliver, whose uncle died of AIDS when the British comedian was 15, was in town for a friend’s wedding and ran out the door as soon as his bit was finished.
The evening’s emotional low point came during lengthy and depressing speeches by Ashley Judd and Bob Geldof about the impact of AIDS and poverty overseas and how the crowd was “living in the lucky world.” Greed, Geldof told the crowd, is not good: “Greed is imperishably stupid.” Given the silent auction items outside ranging from Gucci handbags to trips to St. Thomas, perhaps this wasn’t the crowd most attuned to that message.
The crowd took to the dance floor for a brief acoustic gig by John Mellencamp after Geldof’s 20-minute speech. Mellencamp sang favorites like “Small Town” and “Jack and Diane,” although he improvised some lyrics—in the latter song, he inserted into the chorus: “My wife was 13 when I wrote this song.”
Food highlight: The spicy tuna-cube appetizer.
Main course: Adobo filet mignon, crab cake, and vegetable terrine.
Beverage of choice: Courvoisier Exclusif Cognac, served after dinner.
Sign of the nation’s economic collapse: No one bid on the $17,000 trip to Canada to drive a Bentley recklessly on a frozen lake—not even for the bargain opening bid of $5,000.
Gift-bag contents: Lots of magazines and pamphlets, full-size bottles of Kiehl’s grapefruit lotion and sea-cucumber wash, sunflower seeds (for planting), chocolates, mini-bottles of Jim Beam.
Ratings (See our ratings explanation here):
Boldface names: 4 out of 5
Swankiness: 4 out of 5
Food and drink: 4 out of 5
Overall exclusivity: 4 out of 5
Total score: 16 out of 20
More>> Capital Comment Blog | News & Politics | Society Photos
Most Popular in News & Politics
What’s Going On With These Allegedly Stranded Astronauts?
Lauren Boebert and Kid Rock Could Be the Perfect MAGA Power Couple
Spoons Are Becoming a Symbol of Feds’ Resistance to Trump and Musk
In the Event of a US Invasion, Canadians Really Like Their Chances
Trump’s Attempts to Shrink the Federal Workforce Could Hit the DC Area’s Economy Hard
Washingtonian Magazine
February Issue: 100 Very Best Restaurants
View IssueSubscribe
Follow Us on Social
Follow Us on Social
Related
DC Culture Roundup: Book, Podcast, Album, and TV Recommendations
The National Building Museum Wants to Show You Its Weird Stuff
These DC Food Activists Were Behind the Ranked-Choice-Voting Initiative
A Biography of Perle Mesta Sheds Light on a Famed DC Figure
More from News & Politics
Enrique Tarrio Weighs Run for Matt Gaetz’s Old Congressional Seat
5 Things Know About Richard Grenell, the Interim President of Trump’s Kennedy Center
Sheer Madness at the Kennedy Center, Mass Layoffs Begin at Federal Agencies, and We Found a True Hidden Gem of an Eritrean Restaurant
More Wet Weather, Trump Promises Federal Workforce Cuts, and Elon Musk Occupies the Oval Office
Lauren Boebert and Kid Rock Could Be the Perfect MAGA Power Couple
Here Comes More Snow, Trump Names New Boss for Kennedy Center, and Indie Films Take Over Downtown
What’s It Like to Be on “The Bachelor”? A Local Wedding Planner Shares Her Experience.
Trump Takes Over Kennedy Center, Federal Workers Watch for Court Decision About Buyout Offer, and You Should Try Our Food Critic’s Favorite Hummus