Winning rounds

Winning rounds

Peace, love, puppies -- and an eight-hour party.

That was Thursday night's 16th annual Knock Out Abuse gala, where Washington's upper-crust ladies -- and 700 friends -- spent a lot of money in the name of domestic-abuse prevention. This year's event had a '60s theme: "protesters" at the Ritz-Carlton's front door, flower-child entry bracelets (worth $500 a pop) and male models in hippie garb, handing out flowers.

From 6:30 on, open bars kept the cocktail reception humming. Carol Joynt, Lisa Collis, Pamela Sorensen, event co-founders Cheryl Masri and Jill Sorensen and event chair Gina Adams mingled; rumored "Real Housewives" Mary Amons and Lynda Erkiletian were there, as was Paul Wharton, a local style-setter linked to the in-production series. Meanwhile, Marlene Cooke perused the silent-auction spread (an assortment of laser lipo packages, baby clothes and Yves Saint Laurent sunglasses, among other things).

The real spending started after dinner, live-auction style. First on the block: a real live Shih Tzu mix puppy, sleeping in a basket. Until a shirtless guy picked it up and held it aloft. Boom: $3,250.

It was rapid-fire after that. Eyebrow-shaping party for 30 at Erwin Gomez's Georgetown salon: $7,000. Private tango lessons with Robert Duvall: $3,000. Catered dinner for 10 at a D.C. firehouse: $6,000.

And here are the firefighters, onstage in yellow "I Rescue Knockouts" tees, hoping to up the bidding. How about the very shirts off their backs? $500 apiece. Not many takers. "They sweated on them!" the auctioneer offers. A few more hands shoot up. A few more shirts come off.

Of course, "this is a serious event," emcee Andrea Roane reminds the noisy crowd. Actress Robin Givens, a former Sarah Lawrence classmate of Knock Out committee chair Ann Walker Marchant, achieved the night's closest thing to hushed silence. After being introduced as a "domestic-abuse survivor," she spoke of her marriage to ex-husband Mike Tyson.

"I know there is opportunity in adversity. He really helped make me the woman I am today," Givens said. "Far from perfect, but on a good road. I like myself, you know?" (We'd like to point out that she's got a bright career in motivational speaking, if she wants it.)

Among the missing: Knock Out fixture Clinton Portis. The Redskins running back was expected, but halfway through the live auction, someone announced he'd had "a medical emergency." It's unclear what that meant, but the Redskins assured us he's fine: Portis was at practice Friday is set to play in Sunday's game against the Falcons in Atlanta.

Around midnight, the mostly male crowd from partner event Fight Night, held simultaneously at the Hilton Washington, peppered the Ritz with tuxedos. (Among them: Michael Saylor, Mark Ein and Late Night Shots founder Reed Landry.) How was that party?

Our colleague Amy Argetsinger says it was its usual swaggering self -- 1,500 well-heeled men choking down Scotch, thick steaks and cigar smoke. The entertainment: boxing matches, Redskins cheerleaders doing a stripper-ish bump and grind, a parade of former champs (Joe Frazier, Sugar Ray Leonard), a four-song set by Joan Jett and the Blackhearts and an auction where suburban tycoons outbid each other on a single American flag from an Afghan military base until it sold for $62,500.

Amid the machismo, tribute was paid to D.C. philanthropist Joe Robert, Fight Night's founder. Robert looked fit and confident, but -- as everyone in the room knew -- is fighting brain cancer. Video testimonials praising his work came in from Colin Powell, Don Graham, Lionel Richie, Quincy Jones, Peter Pace, Kiss and Oprah Winfrey.

End note

Sarah Palin is coming to town. The former Alaska governor/Republican vice presidential hopeful will speak at this year's Gridiron Club dinner Dec. 5, her spokesperson confirmed to Reuters on Friday. It won't be Palin's first exclusive Washington dinner engagement: She headlined at the Alfalfa Club dinner at the Capital Hilton in February.

-- Marissa Newhall, from staff and wire reports