Sponsors and Stars Gather to Support the Fourth Annual 'Night Before' Fundraiser for the Benefit of the Motion Picture & Television Fund

Sponsors and Stars Gather to Support the Fourth Annual 'Night Before' Fundraiser for the Benefit of the Motion Picture & Television Fund

BEVERLY HILLS, Calif., March 5 /PRNewswire/ -- In what has become an awards season tradition, Hollywood luminaries and leaders of industry came together at the "Night Before" party to benefit the Motion Picture & Television Fund (MPTF). Beginning in 2003, the "Night Before" events have raised millions of dollars to support the MPTF. This year's benefit proved to be another great success, bringing in an estimated $6.1 million.

(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20060305/NYSU012 )

In keeping with its name, the party was held on the night before the Oscars(R) -- Saturday, March 4 -- and, in keeping with tradition, took place at the historic Beverly Hills Hotel, where the pool was decked over for the event. Casual dress is the standard for this party, which has quickly become one of the most anticipated awards season events of the year.

Fundraising and fun are the goals of the "Night Before" party, but neither could be accomplished without the generosity and support of its sponsors. Returning "Night Before" sponsors Variety, Hewlett-Packard (HP), Target, and America Online (AOL) were joined by first-time sponsors Lexus, L'Oreal, and McDonald's. Each of the sponsors had come up with some exciting and original ideas that made this year's benefit a great time for all of the attendees, including such celebrity guests as George Clooney, Jamie Foxx, Tom Cruise & Katie Holmes, Scarlett Johansson, Jake Gyllenhaal, Matt Dillon, Joaquin Phoenix, Tom Hanks & Rita Wilson, Russell Crowe, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Sienna Miller, Will Smith & Jada Pinkett Smith, Justin Timberlake, Felicity Huffman & William H. Macy, Steven Spielberg, Eric Bana, the Black Eyed Peas' Fergie & Josh Duhamel, Jack Black, Amy Adams, Cuba Gooding, Jr., Mike Myers, Chris Rock, Elton John, Ang Lee, Ellen Pompeo, Jon Bon Jovi, Owen Wilson, Ben Stiller, Nicolette Sheridan, and Olympic medalists Sasha Cohen and Shaun White, among many others.

Making his second appearance at the "Night Before," celebrity DJ Tony Okungbowa got some unexpected backup from Jamie Foxx, who grabbed a wireless microphone and became the evening's impromptu roving emcee, much to the delight of the guests.

Here is an overview of what the seven presenting sponsors also had in store for attendees of the 2006 "Night Before" benefit:

Variety:

In its fourth year as a presenting sponsor of the "Night Before," Variety had a delicious surprise for the attendees. Everyone made sure to stop at the Variety booth, where renowned chef Nobu Matsuhisa and his team served up an assortment of delectable dishes to please every palate.

Charlie Koones, President and Publisher of Variety said, "Everyone at Variety is proud and honored to once again lend our support to the 'Night Before' benefit. It is a wonderful evening with friends and colleagues who share the common goal of giving something back to our industry through the remarkable work of the MPTF."

Hewlett-Packard (HP):

Perennial "Night Before" sponsor HP helped partygoers get animated at this year's event. Animators were stationed at HP's booth to create color caricatures of willing guests on tablet PCs. Passersby could watch as the portraits materialized on plasma screens suspended on the back wall of the booth, and each "model" received a printout of his or her sketch. Some participants were randomly chosen to win one of hundreds of new HP printers that were given out over the course of the evening. One extremely lucky guest, however, won the night's grand prize: a 58-inch HP High-Definition television.

"HP is delighted to be part of this worthwhile event and to provide a showcase of our latest consumer technology aimed at celebrating the art of entertainment," said Doug Cole, director of HP entertainment marketing.

Target:

Night became day, and day became night at the booth of returning sponsor Target. This year, Target featured its Thomas O'Brien "Vintage Modern" home collection at their booth, where the decor was divided into "Morning" and "Night" selections. Guests could choose from gifts in either section, whether to brighten their mornings or enhance their evenings.

"Target is proud to be a returning sponsor of the 'Night Before' supporting the Motion Picture & Television Fund," said John Remington, Vice President Communications, Target. "We are thrilled to be part of this exciting evening, and we hope everyone will enjoy our custom-designed gifts from Thomas O'Brien."

America Online (AOL):

Music was the main theme of the AOL booth, which was decked out to showcase some of the wide-ranging content that can be found on AOL.com. In its second year as a "Night Before" sponsor, AOL brought back its hit interactive "Red Carpet Game," in which partygoers had a chance to "race" with AOL's Running Man down the Red Carpet. The winner of each round took home an authentic commemorative Live 8 guitar. In addition, every guest received the Live 8 DVD Box Set along with a miniature Live 8 guitar.

Jonathan Miller, Chairman and CEO of America Online said, "AOL is delighted to once again have the opportunity to be a part of this amazing evening. And we are proud to lend our support to the MPTF's noble efforts to improve the lives of those in the entertainment community."

McDonald's:

Guests were "lovin' it" at the McDonald's booth, where they sampled the upcoming addition to McDonald's menu: the new Asian Chicken Salad. In addition, mini versions of other McDonald's favorites were served throughout the evening, so partygoers also snacked on mini Big Mac sandwiches, those world-famous fries, and Fruit 'n Yogurt Parfaits. To commemorate their first year as a "Night Before" sponsor, McDonald's also gave away vintage McDonald's t-shirts, as well as "Arch cards(TM)"-McDonald's gift cards-which guests can later redeem for any of their favorite menu items at their local McDonald's.

Mike Roberts, McDonald's President and Chief Operating Officer, said, "McDonald's is honored to be invited to participate in the 'Night Before' and to join our friend Jeffrey Katzenberg and others in sponsoring this important event, which over the years has raised millions of dollars for the Motion Picture & Television Fund. This organization has the vision of helping those in need, consistent with the values we share at Ronald McDonald Houses and Charities, which are dedicated to helping children and families."

Lexus:

The race was on at the booth of first-time "Night Before" sponsor Lexus. Awards season may be nearing its end, but the competition had just begun when the number one luxury automaker in the U.S. put guests on the fast track in its customized interactive racing game. Up to four people at a time could race one another to earn the best time. All race participants received a scale model car of the popular performance sport sedan, the Lexus GS 430. At the end of the evening, the player who emerged with the best race time won the grand prize: a full-size 2007 Lexus GS 450h, the world's first luxury performance hybrid sedan.

"The Oscars(R) are about rewarding great performances, but for Lexus, this benefit preceding the Oscars(R) is about being able to give back by way of another kind of great performance," said Deborah Meyer, Vice President of Marketing for Lexus. "We'll be pleased to present to the grand prize race winner one of our own star performers-the new high-performance hybrid version of the Lexus GS 450h, which also gives back to the environment."

L'Oreal Paris:

First-time sponsor L'Oreal Paris made its "Night Before" debut in high style. The booth featured looks from L'Oreal's new "HIP High Intensity Pigments" makeup line. Women could choose from one of three exclusive color collections-Cheeky, Fierce or Ingenue. L'Oreal did not forget the men, who received the best in skin care from the new Men's Expert line.

"We're thrilled to be a sponsor of the 'Night Before' party," said Carol Hamilton, President, L'Oreal Paris. L'Oreal has a strong heritage of working with great TV and film talent-from Heather Locklear and Andie MacDowell to Scarlett Johansson and Penelope Cruz-and we're pleased to be able to give back to this community by supporting the MPTF."

MPTF Chairman Jeffrey Katzenberg remarked, "Three years ago, we started with the idea of giving something back to the Hollywood community in a time when the focus is on receiving. The response has been beyond all our expectations, and I am deeply gratified by the generosity of the entertainment industry and our corporate sponsors. The 'Night Before' party is a fun night for a great cause-one Marilyn and I care very deeply about-and the millions of dollars raised will help the MPTF continue to do its vitally important work for many years to come."

Ken Scherer, CEO of the MPTF Foundation, stated, "The response this year was overwhelming. MPTF is a $100 million health and human service organization with a large charity mission that touches the lives of thousands of industry workers and their families. The 'Night Before' has become the largest single source of charitable donations to the MPTF Annual Fund, allowing us to give more support to those in need. On behalf of all we serve, I want to thank our sponsors and donors for giving so generously."

For 83 years, The Motion Picture & Television Fund has served the entertainment industry as its foremost provider of health and human services. The mission of the organization is to enrich the lives of people in the industry through health care, children's day care, social and charitable services, and, retirement and residential services offered with compassion and respect for the dignity of each person.

Photo: NewsCom: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20060305/NYSU012
AP Archive: http://photoarchive.ap.org/
PRN Photo Desk, photodesk@prnewswire.com
Source: The Motion Picture & Television Fund

CONTACT: Jennifer Fagen of The Motion Picture & Television Fund,
+1-818-876-1544

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