OUT & ABOUT
Saturday's Heartsongs Gala at the Ritz-Carlton had all the trapping of a lively party: 700 guests; an exotic "Orient Express" theme with rooms dedicated to London, Paris, Venice and Istanbul; a gourmet five-course dinner; and three different entertainers. But despite the fancy trimmings, the fundraiser for the Muscular Dystrophy Association was dominated by the absence of one person: Mattie J.T. Stepanek.
"Mattie would have loved this -- he was a party animal," said his mother, Jeni Stepanek. The Maryland teen, who died last June from the disease, managed to capture the world's attention in his 13 years. His winning personality, his wisdom and his poetry made him a media darling. (Oprah Winfrey called him one of her "best friends.") His hope was to find a cure and travel the globe to spread his message of world peace.
David Reznick, left, accepts a Heartsongs Award from Robert Giaimo Saturday at the Ritz-Carlton.
(Melissa Cannarozzi - The Washington Post)
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The night, which raised $585,000 for local families struggling with the disease, was a delicate balance between party and pathos. Many of Mattie's friends from camp were stationed about the sprawling rooms as goodwill ambassadors -- in wheelchairs beside a mockup of London's Victoria Station and an ice sculpture of the Eiffel Tower. "I haven't talked to too many people yet," said Kelly Cooper, posted beside a Venetian gondolier. Guests enjoyed Turkish dancers, Louis Vuitton handbags for auction and shots of raki donated by the ambassadors of Turkey, Morocco, France, Italy and Great Britain. The crowd was entertained by Big Bad Voodoo Daddy and singers Billy Gilman and Christopher Cross.
Jeni Stepanek, with Mattie's dog, Micah, catches up with Glen Harwood.
(Melissa Cannarozzi - The Washington Post)
The story is very operatic: Starving artist dies penniless in a Paris garret, and his grieving mistress kills herself the very next day. But there's more to Modigliani than meets the eye -- which is why 200 people braved the snow and ice Thursday to preview "Modigliani: Beyond the Myth" at the Phillips Collection.
The reception was just one party in a week-long celebration for the show, which is expected to be the Phillips's biggest of the year. Modigliani was a rich mixture of painter, sculptor, Italian and Jew, and the rare assemblage of his works at New York's Jewish Museum broke a century-old record last year -- so people were understandably eager to get the first peek here in Washington. "We had people join because they knew they could come to a preview," said Phillips development director Richard Russell.
George Grant looks for the man behind the myth of Modigliani at the Phillips Collection on Thursday night.
(Rebecca D'Angelo For The Washington Post)
The heat generated from Thursday night's "Celebracion Latina" to benefit Women in Film and Television International (and the local chapter) wasn't quite hot enough to melt the snow, but it was close. The City Museum was dolled up in chili pepper red, 200 women wore sizzling dresses, and the salsa band was hot to trot. The night's steamiest guest was Spanish-language television star Cristina Saralegui ( "The Latin Oprah"), who was honored for her humanitarian work. "We've opened up doors for young women, not just to be in front of the camera, but also to produce and get their stories out there," she said.
TV host Cristina Saralegui was honored Thursday night at the City Museum.
(Rebecca D'Angelo For The Washington Post)
