Sylvester Stallone gala KO’s celeb crowd at Wynn
It was fitting that Jay Leno honored Sylvester Stallone on Friday night. A recent tumble left Leno looking like Stallone’s most famous character.
“Right? It’s ‘Hey, yo!’ with me right now,” Leno said, doing a quick Rocky impression during a walk-and-talk at Wynn before hosting the amfAR, The Foundation for AIDS gala at the Pavilion events space. “But I’m feeling better. I just need to shake hand left-handed for a while.”
Leno fractured his right wrist and came away with a bruised left side of his face after a fall prior to a show on Nov. 15 at the Palace Theatre in Pittsburgh. He tumbled down a hill while walking to an early dinner. He made that meal, that night’s show and has not missed a commitment since — including Saturday’s.
“I noticed when I was eating my left eye was swelling up, it’s getting dark, and I thought, ‘Maybe this chicken parm isn’t the best thing to do,” Leno said. “So I went to a CVS and got an eye patch. I got some stuff to just put on my arm to get me through the show. I had 2,600 people waiting for me, so I had no choice.”
Leno did not mention the incident from the stage, and did not take questions on the red carpet prior to the event. The charity was focused on its mission, to honor Sylvester and Jennifer Stallone with its Award of Inspiration.
Diana Ross headlined with a medley of Supremes, solo hits and a cover of Gloria Gaynor’s “I Will Survive.” She smiled when spotting her actor son, actor and recording artist Evan Ross, grooving near the front of the stage.
The official, wide-ranging of those at the event presented with partner Paramount Global: Show opener Amber Riley, Michael Fassbender, Jodie Turner-Smith, Jeffrey Wright, Tommy and Dee Hilfiger, Keegan-Michael Key, Juno Temple, Tyler Hoechlin, Evan Ross, Ian Bohen, Jonathan Cheban, Caylee Cowan, Jack Flaherty, David Glasser, Brandon Sklenar, Julia Schlaepfer, Katee Sackhoff, Jessica Wang, Jason Tartick, Zarina Yeva, Sophia Stallone, Sistine Stallone, Scarlet Stallone, Trixie Mattel, amfAR CEO Kevin Robert Frost and board member Tony Mancilla.
Introduced by the his friends and neighbors the Hilfigers, Sylvester Stallone reminded the crowd of the long battle against AIDS, led by several legendary figures.
“Quite often we forget, as we move down the road, how far this was to get going. It was a very, very difficult task,” Stallone said. “This was all initiated by the by legendary Princess Diana, in 1991. She had the guts to go to hospitals and transfer the the public relations and perceptions about the illness, globally.”
Stallone then mentioned Elizabeth Taylor, Madonna and Elton John, who Stallone joked was “a who couldn’t sing a note — I taught him how to sing!”
“They are big people with big hearts,” Stallone said. He continued, “It’s up to us to keep all the fires blazing … This illness will be beaten to a pulp.”
The night unfolded as a financial smash for the charity’s first Vegas event, collecting more than $3 million, aside from the nearly $11 million raised with RM Sotheby’s in the live auction of rare luxury automobiles.
The night’s most lavish vehicle, the final Mercedes-Benz 300 SL ever produced, went for $2.4 million. The car is alternately known as The Last Gullwing or The Last One, and came off the line in 1957.
That car has been compared to a work of art (from here, anyway). You could charge $20,000 just to kick the tires. But it wasn’t the only art piece featured at the event. Stallone’s “Knocking Heads” piece (mixed acrylic, oil and stencils) from 2018-2019 gaveled down for $410,000. The torrid bidding war drew the auction’s only standing ovation.
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A lucky, and well-funded, bidder made off with Aaaaaaaaa, the name of Italian artist Paolo Pivi’s pink polar bear, lifesize (or approximately) and made of urethan foam, plastic, and feathers. This creature is an endangered species, No. 2 of 3 in existence.
Assisting Sotheby’s auctioneer Michael Macaulay, Trixie Mattel of “Ru Paul’s Drag Race” offered “a friendly handshake, from me!” to the winning bidder. If you don’t know, don’t ask. But the bear fetched a staggering $80,000. When the bid was announced, someone at our table called out, “Aaaaaaaaa!” A perfect way to cap the night.
Cool Hang Alert
Nowhere at Fontainebleau continues its noble live-music series with Pinot Noir from 9 p.m. to 1 a.m. on Friday and Saturday (Nov. 29-30). The chic bar and lounge is the quintessential cool hang, a nod to Fontainebleau Miami Beach’s “Stairs to Nowhere.” This is “Stairs to No Cover.” Reservations available but not required, go to fontainebleaulasvegas.com for intel.
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John Katsilometes’ column runs daily in the A section. His “PodKats!” podcast can be found at reviewjournal.com/podcasts. Contact him at jkatsilometes@reviewjournal.com. Follow @johnnykats on X, @JohnnyKats1 on Instagram.