Daily Front Row

2008 December 4

Winter's Wonderland

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Lucy Liu in J.Mendel
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(NEW YORK) "Don't worry--we only got here ten minutes ago," said Sylvester Miniter as incoming guests like Barbara Bush scrambled to their tables. It was 7:30 p.m. on the dot, and UNICEF's 5th annual Snowflake Gala was beginning its program right on time. Why the hurry? "The Mayor is here," Miniter explained, as lights dimmed in the cavernous space at Cipriani 42nd Street. Over 500 charitable types sat down at tables decorated with enticing Tiffany & Co. boxes, which sat underneath a branched centerpiece that shimmered with snowflake ornaments.

As waiters unloaded the parsnip and sweet potato first course--concocted by UNICEF ambassador Marcus Samuelsson, Marc Hoyle and Charlie Trotter--the Mayor himself took to the stage. "I can't get enough of this guy," murmurred one male-variety chicette. "Can he please be governor?"

"My name is Mike, and I believe in zero," proclaimed Bloomberg, who dropped in before jotting up to Rockefeller Center to light the tree. The zero in question referred to the desire to save all children from preventable deaths. The Mayor's involvement with the cause has been life-long. "We would go around the neighborhood with a milk carton collecting money," he recalled. "That tells you how old I am--but I am one of those people who wants to get older, so it's no problem."

Next, event co-chairs Hilary Gumbel and Amy Robbins appeared, followed by Hilary's husband Bryant, who served as the evening's emcee. Guests like Snowflake Project co-chairs Charlotte Moss and Pamela Fiori were so moved by the telling videos and speech by Helenta Pantaleoni award winner Gary Cohen that they scarcely touched their polenta. (It was delicious, FYI.) "I cried twice," Gillian Miniter confessed afterward to tablemate Douglas Hannant. "I can't help it--this cause is all about children. There are so many causes out there, but this is one of the best." "One of the best in the world!" her husband piped in. At the other end of the table, Milly's Michelle Smith and husband Andrew Oshrin and Frederick Anderson talked economic matters. Who will file? Who will fold?

Luckily, the live auction soon got underway to wrangle all that talk back to the pressing issues at hand. "It's amazing--we managed to sell absolutely nothing and raise $250,000," said one awestruck organizer. Instead, Sotheby's Hugh Hildesley coaxed guests to bid on intangibles--a $5,000 pledge to help build a kindergarten, for example. After a performance by crooner Jon McLaughlin, UNICEF ambassador Lucy Liu was honored with the Danny Kaye Humanitarian award--on her birthday, no less.

As the emotionally (and fiscally) drained crowd departed--the event raised an astonishing $2 million--the emcee expressed relief while saying goodnight to the likes of Elyse Newhouse. "This was really a great crowd, and I'm grateful for that," he said. "It was like herding cats."
ASHLEY BAKER