Scene & Heard: Heal the Bay’s ‘Bring Back the Beach’ gala
Flip-flops were encouraged at Heal the Bay’s 25-year celebration, “Bring Back the Beach,†staged under the stars May 20 at the Jonathan Beach Club in Santa Monica. In keeping with the organization’s eco-friendly principles, chandeliers were made from the bottoms of plastic bottles and flowers fashioned from recycled plastic bags topped centerpieces.
“This is where we belong,†said Luann Laval Williams, adding that she was glad to have good weather for the elegant beach gala. Williams received an award that night, along with Jack Baylis and the Walt Disney Co. for their environmental leadership and dedication.
On ascending the podium, Julia Louis-Dreyfus greeted the crowd of nearly 900 people, encouraging them to support legislation to reduce beach litter caused by one-time-use plastic bags. Heal the Bay champions such programs as eradication of plastic pollution and works to improve South California’s oceans and waterways by monitoring water quality and organizing beach cleanups.
Also spotted were Brian O’Malley with Katie Cameron, Annette and Peter O’Malley, Chad Lowe with Kimberly Sweet, Kathy and Matthew Hart, Lisette and Mark Gold, Stephanie Medina Rodriguez, Nancy Goodson, Assemblywoman Julia Brownley (D- Santa Monica), California Sen. Fran Pabley (D- Agoura Hills), and L.A. City Controller Wendy Greuel. The evening ended with a performance by Jakob Dylan.
Young Musicians Foundation
At the spring luncheon for the Young Musicians Foundation, held May 22 at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel, Ann Rutherford had a few things to say about music.
The actress, who starred opposite Mickey Rooney in “Andy Hardy†films and played Scarlett O’Hara’s youngest sister in “Gone With the Wind,†said that in her youth, every school had a student orchestra.
“Artie Shaw told me he never had his hand on an instrument until he went to school,†Rutherford said of the swing era’s celebrated musician and bandleader.
In celebration of its 55th season — the foundation, which provides scholarships, performance opportunities, instrument loans and other programs for young musicians from different ethnic and socioeconomic backgrounds — named Rutherford its YMF Legend and Tracey Bregman, of “The Young and the Restless,†its Emerald Star. Bregman’s great-uncle was the illustrious songwriter Jule Styne, and her father is Buddy Bregman, a noted arranger, composer, record producer and producer-director of musical films.
“I started coming to these luncheons in 1988 for the mother-daughter fashion shows,†she said, once again joining her mother, Suzanne Lloyd Bregman.
Young musicians provided the entertainment and included Ashley Argota, Brandon Jarrett, Marina Chen, Daniel Kim and Yul Kim. Also on the agenda was “Bridge Across Forever and a Day,†a song from a new musical Bregman co-wrote with Tony Bull Bua and Gene Bua.
The luncheon attracted 250 guests, among them Roma Downey, Cindy Landon, Bobi Leonard, Anamika, Beverly Bergmann, Louise Danelian, Olga Altman, Susan Chalek, Betty Rose, Martha Lyles and Joan Benny. Presenting the awards were Anne Jeffreys Sterling, Jonathan Weedman and Christian LeBlanc.
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