I arrived at 9:00 that morning and immediately set to work fixing all the tables so they passed the perfection standard of Versace. I kid you not we probably changed table settings around 80 times (since celebrities don't find the need to call before deciding they want to attend). The site looked absolutely stunning and I only wish I could have taken pictures to show you the amazing work Versace and her team dreamed up. That afternoon we were able to hear Annie Lenox warm up before her evening's performance and then were shown to the beach front cabanas we were able to use to prepare ourselves for the evening (keep in mind this is the most exclusive hotel in all of France). We looked out over the Mediterranean as we primped and pampered.
So since I had been volunteering earlier in the week, I was given 1 of 6 volunteer wrist bands that granted me access to the actual tent (not everyone got in because of the tight security that comes with Bill Clinton). The evening began with a speech by Bill Clinton and Sharon Stone and an opening number by Annie Lenox. It really was amazing to me how little attention the guests paid to the stage and most of the time they simply talked and networked with each other (I even saw some model on facebook on her phone!). The ladies always travel in groups of at least 3 to the restroom or else force their date to parade across the room with them. After this there was a tribute to the late Natasha Richardson (who had been a huge supporter of AMFAR) and even included a note from her husband. It was very moving and Sharon Stone could hardly make it through her speech.
Next up was the live auction. This was super cool to see since the auction items included things like Bill Clinton's old sax, a private screening of Inglorious Bastards, a Chanel segway and plenty of jewels and babbles oh and Robert Pattinson agreed to kiss 2 gentlemen's daughters for $20,000 each! When I wasn't helping to move table settings at Paris Hilton's table or Mini Me's table, I was posted up right next to the stage in between Josh Hartnett, Hayden Panettiere and Dolce and Gabbana! Throughout the course of the evening I had the opportunity to see so many people I admire (and some that I don't) such as....Sharon Stone, Bill Clinton, Mini Me, Mike Myers, 50 Cent, Joshua Jackson, Diane Kruger, Armani, Dolce and Gabana, Cavalli, Missoni, Paris Hilton, Doug Reinhardt, Hayden Panettiere, Claudia Shiffer, Versace, Kerri Washington, the CEO of google, Dita Von Tesse, Kenneth Cole, the editor of Vogue, Robert Pattinson (without a date ladies..), Peaches Geldof and countless young, cute gold diggers on the arms of 80+ gentlemen. I was not nearly as star struck as I thought (probably due to the fact that I was constantly running around and sweating) and really it was just interesting to sit and observe and see they actually are just real people (and pretty rude at that). During Annie's final song almost no one in the crowd was listening so after she finished she stood up and through her bottle of water all over the stage then stormed right past me.
After the dinner (which hardly anyone ate) they crowd moved on down the road to the afterparty. Also very interesting to observe the happenings around here. We finally called it a night around 1:30 then crawled back to our beds, satisfied with my celebrity intake for the next lifetime!
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