David Nevins serenaded by Matthew Morrison, Julianne Hough at star-studded 'Taste for the Cure' [Updated 2:18 p.m. April 18]

 
In terms of talent, wines and gourmet cuisine, Friday’s “Taste for a Cure” benefiting UCLA’s Jonsson Cancer Center Foundation was certainly a top-drawer affair.

Matthew Morrison of “Glee” and Julianne Hough, two-time winner of “Dancing with the Stars,” came to serenade honoree David Nevins, president of entertainment at Showtime Networks. Laura Linney of “The Big C” served as honorary co-chairwoman, and Eric Stonestreet of “Modern Family” introduced the entertainment. Among the 400 guests were Michael C. Hall of “Dexter,” Evan Handler of “Californication,” Kathleen Rose Perkins of “Episodes,” and Jennifer Grey, previous winner of “Dancing With the Stars.”

Jon Holman called this year’s event “an hommage to the Willamette Valley in Oregon,” explaining that this year the committee invited the Valley’s top restaurants and wineries to set up food stations beside the ballroom at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel. The Holman Group’s president served as dinner co-chairman, along with Far Niente’s Chief Executive Larry Maguire; 20th Century Fox Television Chairman Dana Walden; and United Talent Agency partner Jay Sures.

And there was nothing mundane about the grazing possibilities, which included smoked pork cheek sliders from Jory at Allison Inn, Beaker & Flask’s rabbit rillette tartlets and the Lincoln Restaurant’s creamed morel mushrooms on brioche. Fifteen wineries brought the Valley’s famous pinot noir, and for those who preferred white wine, Far Niente Chardonnay from Napa Valley accompanied a cheese plate.    

Some said they came to pay tribute to Nevins; others, such as Michael C. Hall, said they had also been touched by cancer. Hall said he celebrated the one-year anniversary of his last treatment for Hodgkin’s lymphoma on March 17. 

Judith Gasson, the center’s director, said Showtime’s “The Big C” played a major role in the center’s choice of honorees. “We could see [Nevins] had a real interest in the subject,” she said.

The show’s star, Laura Linney, said the script arrived at a time when she was “mulling over the subject” and observing friends’ difficulties with aging.

“I get tired of people complaining about growing old,” she said. “We are privileged to have time that others may not have.”

-- Ellen Olivier

[An original version of this post misselled Judith Gasson's last name as Basson.]

Photo (top): Honoree David Nevins with Julianne Hough. Credit: Vince Bucci

Photo (bottom): Honorary co-chairwoman Laura Linney, left, Jennifer Grey and Clark Gregg. Credit: Vince Bucci

 

UCLA's student-run fashion program, FAST, announces its 2010 benefit

UCLA doesn't have a formal fashion program, but a handful of its students are as fired up about trends as any FIDM alumni. 

The school's Fashion and Trends (FAST) organization counts students from departments all over campus as members, and hosts an annual benefit fashion show.

This year's student-produced event, called "Catalyst," benefits Food on Foot, a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing L.A.'s homeless with meals, clothing and assistance to transition off the streets and into homes.

The May 26 event, which starts at 7 p.m. in the Ackerman Grand Ballroom (9308 Westwood Plaza,
Los Angeles), is open to the public and will  feature 55 student models, 12 student designers and two UCLA dance teams. 

Guests are asked to bring at least one item of clothing to be donated to Food on Foot at the door.

--Emili Vesilind

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Photo: A student-made look from FAST's 2009 fashion show, "Unleashed." Credit: Christophe Wu for FAST.

 

Fashion Diary: Costume design gets its due at UCLA

Gossip, first impressions, trends in the making, celebrities and style setters. A regular feature by fashion critic Booth Moore.

I’ve always thought that L.A.’s fine arts and academic institutions should do more to promote and preserve Hollywood costume design, which is as much a part of our cultural history as anything that happened on 7th Avenue. And this week, UCLA took a huge step in the right direction by naming Deborah Nadoolman Landis the first David C. Copley Chair for the study of costume design at the School of Theater, Film and Television.

An Academy Award-nominated costume designer, Landis’ credits include "The Blues Brothers," "Animal House," "Coming to America," "Thriller" and "Raiders of the Lost Ark." (Her husband is director John Landis.) She is a past president of the Costume Designers Guild, a teacher and an author, most recently of "Dressed: A Century of Hollywood Costume Design" (HarperCollins).

Landis is going to be a busy woman in the coming months. In addition to her new post, which is being endowed by San Diego Union-Tribune publisher David C. Copley, she’s curating the upcoming exhibit "Icons: A Hundred Years of Hollywood Costume Design," opening in 2012 at the Victoria & Albert Museum in London.

We chatted for a few minutes on Tuesday about her future plans for the Copley Center.

How did you score this post?

I met David Copley because he has a huge collection of motion picture costume illustrations. I went down to his house and was overwhelmed! He has Cecil Beaton’s original sketches for "My Fair Lady," Jean Louis’ sketches for "A Star is Born," I could read the walls like Egypt. At the time, I was working "Dressed" and it was already at HarperCollins. But when I saw Beaton’s original sketch of Audrey Hepburn in the Ascot dress, I had to have it in my book. He lent me the sketch, and then we spent some time together at Cannes.

At the same time, I had been talking to Robert Rosen, who is the dean at the UCLA school about a chair in costume design. We wrote a proposal and I never thought it would be funded, but David has a profound appreciation for the role costume plays in our imagination and I couldn’t be happier.