APJ Gala

Last night was the debut Artists for Peace and Justice (APJ) fundraising gala for the children of Haiti, the poorest country in the Western hemisphere. I was amazed when I stepped outside at 8 p.m. to see that a crowd had already gathered, in hopes of catching a glimpse of their favourite celebrity who were due to arrive at 11 p.m.

Last night’s carpet was literally painted red…by celebrity feet! New York-artist Peter Tunney, dressed in a fluffy white Windsor Arms bathrobe, created an exquisite collage on a large canvas that read “Peace and Justice”. Peter was in fine form as he jovially invited celebs to dip their feet in red paint, creating a red carpet as they posed and stopped for interviews along the canvas, the message being "one step at a time, together we can make a difference". As hosts of the event and members of the APJ board, Paul Haggis and Olivia Wilde were the first to walk. Olivia was brave enough to wear a long dress, but hiked it up as she graciously dipped her feet in paint and walked across the slippery red “carpet”. In keeping with the generous spirit, before walking the red carpet for the children of Haiti, Kim Cattrall crossed the street into the swarms of fans screaming her name, smiling for photographs and signing autographs. Colin Farrell looked super cool, wearing a fedora as he walked for APJ. Other celebrities who came out to support the children in Haiti include Jason Reitman, Vivica A. Fox, Marlon Wayans, Adam Brody, Kelly Rowan, Peter Gallagher, Jane McLean, Jimmy Jean-Louis, Rochelle Lefevre, Russell Peters, The Three Canadian Tenors, Tom Cochrane, Grace Park, Timothy Olyphant, Dana Delany and Eion Bailey.

Inside, the Windsor Arms Hotel was breathtaking. The grand Tree for Peace and Justice was the centerpiece of the evening illuminated in the centre of the room, with donation tags ornamenting the branches. Lucky auction bidders won some amazing items, including the Milk script autographed by James Franco, and one of Peter Tunney’s art pieces.

Thank goodness for my SoU! Liquid Nutrition, which is keeping me going with all these late nights during the festival. I’m really looking forward to swapping my heels for my Teva flip flops! I’ll post again tomorrow to tell you everything about last night's HELLO! big party. Talk soon!