HOLLYWOOD — One key to the success of Thursday’s Fulfillment Fund dinner is it had honorees (and thus donations) from two completely different L.A economic worlds: the entertainment industry and Downtown banking.
From the L.A. financial world came Les and Sheri Biller (he’s former chief operating officer of Wells Fargo and on the board of Visa USA); from entertainment came Megan and Peter Chernin (if you don’t know who he is, you shouldn’t be reading Daily Variety).
One guest said the dinner on the Fox lot was “all about major kissing of the ring.” Of course, half the room didn’t know whose ring the other half was kissing. But that didn’t matter: The event raised $3.5 million for the Fund’s mentoring program.
One prominent industry ring-wearer was Chernin’s boss, News Corp. topper Rupert Murdoch, who said he supports the Fund because, “when your own doctor started it, you better do what you’re told.”
The evening included remarks from that founding physician, Dr. Gary Gitnick, plus Annette Bening, Garry Shandling, Andrea Cockrum and a Tom Sherak-led auction. Roger Daltry capped things with a high-energy, microphone-twirling perf of Who classics.
Among those enjoying the lyric “Meet the new boss/same as the old boss” were Warren Beatty, Arnon Milchan, Michael Milken, Philip Anschutz, Marvin and Barbara Davis, Sandy Climan, Bernie Brillstein, John Kissick, David Matalon, Frank Biondi, Bill Bratton, Howard Weitzman, Calista Flockhart and Haim Saban.
