The Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation on Wednesday announced it will host an inaugural fundraising gala, the Elizabeth Taylor Ball to End AIDS, on the Fox Studios backlot, the studio for which Taylor starred in the classic 1963 film Cleopatra.
Plans are underway for the April 30 event, which will include dinner for 350 guests, an auction supervised by Andrea Fiuczynski, a performance, dancing and a first look at personal artifacts from the Elizabeth Taylor Archive that she left behind following her death on March 23, 2011. Gilead Sciences and Bulgari are the title sponsors, with American Airlines on board as official airline of the event.
Gilead will also accept the first Elizabeth Taylor Commitment to End AIDS Award, created to recognize companies or individuals whose dedication supports Taylor’s vision for an AIDS-free world. The host committee includes Dr. Gabriel and Christine Chiu; President Bill Clinton; Colin Farrell; Aileen Getty; Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson; Kathy Ireland; Elton John and David Furnish; Cookie and Earvin “Magic” Johnson; Elizabeth Segerstrom; Sharon Stone; and Whoopi Goldberg. Benefit committee members are Angela Bassett; Joan Collins; Alexandra Daddario; Tom Ford and Richard Buckley; Sherry Lansing and Billy Friedkin; Jean-Paul Gauthier; Valentino Garavani and Giancarlo Giammetti; Christian Lacroix; George Hamilton; Paris Jackson; Iman; Isabelle Huppert; Zac Posen; Lionel Richie; Darren Star; Carole Bayer Sager; and Vanessa Williams.
