Scene and Heard: Jane Fonda on the senior years
Before she could present Jane Fonda with the UCLA Longevity Center’s Icon Award, Jennifer Lopez had to pause midway in her recitation of Fonda’s lofty achievements — actress, fitness guru, author and activist for environmental, human rights, health, women’s empowerment issues and more. “You’re busy like crazy,” Lopez said. “I thought I was busy.”
No doubt. Lopez herself had just been introduced as an “actor, producer, recording artist, entrepreneur, fashion designer, wife, mother and humanitarian,” as well as People magazine’s “most beautiful woman in the world.” And that honor, said emcee Jason Alexander, merely “confirmed what any man with a pulse already knew.”
On ascending the podium at the Beverly Hilton Hotel at the June 4 event, Fonda talked of the “rectangularization” of aging, replacing the notion that “you’re born, you peak at midlife and then you decline” with a long healthy life. She then ticked off reasons life improves with age, among them, “You know where the tiger is hiding; you don’t have to keep looking for it in the bush.”
Awards also went to philanthropist and entrepreneur James Collins and the Jules Stein Eye Institute’s founding director, Dr. Bradley Straatsma. Also in attendance were Dr. Gene Washington, dean of the David Geffen School of Medicine; center director Dr. Gary Small; and actors Peter Fonda, George Segal, Joan Van Ark and Iqbal Theba and Josh Sussman of “Glee.” Louise Horvitz and Timothy Noonan co-chaired the event, which raised funds for the center’s mission to enhance and extend productive and healthy lives. Kimberly Locke and the UCLA Gospel Choir performed.
Befriending foster kids
Two days earlier at the Beverly Hilton, Wallis Annenberg accepted the Nancy M. Daly Founder’s Award at the Brass Ring Gala and announced a $500,000 pledge to the United Friends of the Children.
Combined with an additional $240,000 from an auction offering, among other items, tickets to both “The Ellen DeGeneres Show” and the final “Harry Potter” movie premiere, UFC’s gala ended up taking in $2 million to help foster youth transition into successful adult lives.
Kimberly Marteau Emerson and Ande Rosenblum co-chaired the dinner, which also honored Phil Kent, chief executive of the Turner Broadcasting System. Other guests included Jeff Bewkes, Steve Mosko, Joyce and Kent Kresa, Sherry Lansing and William Friedkin, Jamie McCourt, Gayle and Ed Roski, Eva and Marc Stern, Regina King of “Southland,” Scott Bakula of “Men of a Certain Age” and Sela Ward of “CSI: NY.”
