We felt good about our table number (69!) at the annual UNICEF Ball held in the Beverly Wilshire ballroom on Thursday night (Dec 10, 2009), until we saw Table 24.


Table 24 was easy to notice -- thanks to the giant spotlight pointed directly at it -- and for good reason. Seated at the Hollywood power table was Jerry Weintraub, the night's honoree, for his commitment to help save children's lives around the world through UNICEF. 


He, of music and movie-producer fame (think Elvis, Frank Sinatra, "Oceans 11" and many, many more), sat beside his wife, singer Jane Morgan, who belted out a few tunes before sharing company with George Clooney cozied up with his latest, Elisabetta Canalis, Bruce Willis and new wife Emma Heming, Matt Damon escorted by wife Luciana Barroso, and Brad Pitt with Angelina Jolie. Oh, and Larry David. Prettttty, pretttttty pretttty good.


Surprise guest Muhammad Ali did not win a place in the golden circle, but as Weintraub crowed to the crowd, "I really didn't know he was coming!" Also down on the food chain in the star-studded room were celebrities old and new, from supermodel Cindy Crawford to musicmakers Joel and Benji Madden, Anthony Kiedis, and David Foster, and  Dustin Hoffman, Suzanne Somers, Joan Collins, Don Johnson, Jeremy Piven, Ellen Barkin, Selena Gomez and Alyssa Milano.


Dolled up and ready to party, the room also held the likes of Barbara and Nancy Davis, Sumner Redstone, Alan Horn, Bryan Lourd, J.J. Abrams, Candy Spelling, and Carol Stern, UNICEF president and CEO. She also scored a seat at Table 24 and launched the glittery night by saying, "Jerry is an exceptional individual, whose philanthropic commitment to UNICEF is truly inspirational."

 

His pals were pretty inspired too, as old homies Frankie Valli, Tony Bennett, and Paul Anka performed their signature songs -- the songs that made both they, and Weintraub, richer than Croesus. Anka tweaked his famous ditty

brangelina and jerry
Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie and Jerry Weintraub (WireImage)
"My Way" to suit Jerry, with lyrics like "Fast cars, Cuban cigars, and superstars keep you grounded/while other guys our age can't keep it up, you can't keep yours down."

 

And while Brangelina and Damon kept a low profile, both Willis and Clooney did mini-roasts from the stage, skewering Weintraub and his foibles; as Willis joked, "we're here to honor an old, tired guy." Clooney handed over the Danny Kaye Humanitarian award to the 72-year-old, and a big wad of cash for the cause, too, saying, "Nobody guilts better when it comes to charities, than Jerry!"

 

The Baccarat-sponsored night ended in an elegant scrum of hundreds waiting patiently for the valets to deliver their cars. Crowded under the porte cochere of the hotel trying to avoid the rain, Dustin Hoffman got in one last jab. "My overall feeling about this night?" the 72-year-old smiled. "I'm thinking 80 ain't what it used to be! Whew there were some old folks up on the stage tonight!"