Jamie Lee Curtis hosted the fifth annual What A Pair! Event at the Orpheum Theatre on June 3, 2007. Benefiting the John Wayne Cancer Institute at St. John’s Health Center, a various selection of women spanning all fields of the entertainment business paired off to perform songs from top Broadway musicals.
As the brainchild of movie executive Jo Levi DiSante, What A Pair! was envisioned to honor her mother and sister’s love for Broadway, as well as their fight against cancer. Enlisting fellow producers Jody Price and Ruth Stalford, the women put up their first cabaret in 2002 to a 1200 seat house. With 100 percent of the proceeds going to breast cancer research, What A Pair! has amassed over $1,000,000 in donations.
Among the starlets that performed at this year’s event were Marg Helgenberger (CSI), Joely Fisher (‘Til Death), Marcia Strassman (Third Watch), Sharon Lawrence (Desperate Housewives), Loretta Devine (Dreamgirls), Rosa Blasi (The Grudge), Lea Thompson (Caroline in the City), Jasmine Guy (Dead Like Me), Jayne Atkinson (24), May Birdsong (Reno: 911!), Elaine Hendrix (Joan of Arcadia), Jane Lynch (Two and a Half Men), Maggie Wheeler (ER), Lisa Ann Walter (The Next Best Thing), Kathleen Wilhoite (Gilmore Girls) and many more!
What A Pair! will next be put up in Nashville Tennessee on November 11, 2007 at the Ryman Auditorium. If you plan to be in the area, you can purchase tickets by visiting WhatAPair.org. In the meantime, if you are interested in volunteering, you can send an email to [email protected], or if you’d like to make a donation, send a check made out to: What A Pair to 9663 Santa Monica Blvd #927, Beverly Hills, CA 90210.
The John Wayne Cancer Institute has been committed to groundbreaking cancer research and education since 1981. JWCI has received worldwide acclaim for its advances in various forms of cancer, and its unique ability to rapidly turn scientific breakthroughs into innovative approaches to treatment and early detection provides immediate hope to cancer patients from around the globe. For further information go to jwci.org.
Sponsors for the event included Marina Rinaldi, Judi Lewinson Media, It’s In The Bag, Gold Circle Films, Kérastase Paris, Fred Segal Beauty, Smashbox Cosmetics, Sue Wong, Erica Courtney, Sauza Tequila, Vox Vodka and Asia de Cuba.
