William Shatner's annual
Hollywood Charity Horse Show normally draws out a number of familiar names and faces (such as
Leonard Nimoy and Jim Belushi
last year), but the caliber of celebrity at the event this year was downright surprising. Sylvester Stallone? Ben Stiller? That's just for starters...
Yes, the Italian Stallion was there with his two youngest girls to watch the riding demonstrations in the L.A. Equestrian Center arena, and to catch up with Shatner and other friends. Comedy great Stiller ("Starsky & Hutch") was there with his wife Christine Taylor ("Marcia" in "The Brady Bunch Movie") and young daughter and other family. Stiller, Taylor and Shatner all appear in the upcoming movie "Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story."
Other personalities present at the afternoon arena show and/or the evening banquet included actors Eric Roberts, Rebecca De Mornay, Beau Bridges (who starred in the just-aired miniseries "10.5"), Allison Balson (Little House on the Prairie), and world figure skating champion and Olympic gold medalist Scott Hamilton, who is also famous for his heroic battle with cancer.
Country music star Brad Paisley was the featured entertainment at the evening dinner party, and he also sang the national anthem to kick off the arena show. Paisley flew in from Nashville for the day just for this event. He and Shatner are friends and collaborators; they recorded an album last December which will be a followup to Shatner's "The Transformed Man."
Like in previous years, the horse show began in the afternoon with Kid's Day, featuring a variety of activities for children, many of whom were there on behalf of the Tilden's Children organization and the Camp Max Straus Foundation, two of the beneficiaries of the event. A number of Star Trek fan club members from around Southern California and as far away as Las Vegas were there in costume to add a fantasy flair to the program. Starfleet officers, both human and Vulcan, plus Klingons and a Mugato mingled with the kids in the Equestrian Center yard, autographing their event T-shirts with their characters' names and keeping them entertained.
The arena show in the Equidome was for both kids and adults. The riding demonstrations began with one from AHEAD (Accelerated Habilitation Education And Development) With Horses, the principal recipient of the fundraising efforts. Several young disabled children, including one otherwise confined to a wheelchair, showed off some of the skills they've developed from the therapeutic program that helps them gain strength and confidence by developing a bond with a horse. The rest of the arena show consisted of Freestyle Reining competitions and other elaborate presentations.
Most of the actual fundraising took place at the $250-a-plate Western Dinner Party. Before Paisley began singing and drawing everyone out onto the dance floor, Shatner auctioned off a number of items including two Paisley-autographed guitars, a Pagsta motorcycle, and a Caribbean cruise. That live auction alone brought in about $18,000 in a few minutes. A Silent Auction outside the banquet room, which was open all day, also collected a substantial amount of further donations, with a huge variety of Star Trek, Hollywood and equestrian memorabilia up for bid (including many photos and other items autographed by Trek stars, a "Starsky & Hutch" poster signed by Stiller, an original Barry Manilow manuscript, and a "The Last Samurai" cap signed by Tom Cruise). Exact dollar amounts are not yet available, but the event raised at least $100,000 for the children's charities, according to Shatner's office.
