Photo by Faye Sadou
The L.A. Gay & Lesbian Center‘s annual Women’s Night benefit was given an elegant makeover in 2009 largely in thanks to one woman – Linda Perry. Her vision and rolodex of creative contacts (she’s written & produced major hits for Pink, Christina Aguilera, and Gwen Stefani) re-energized the gala, now named An Evening with Women: Celebrating Arts, Music and Equality, and it attracts some of the biggest names in entertainment. The money raised goes to benefit the women-specific services of the L.A. Gay & Lesbian Center’s women-specific services including women’s health and medical, legal assistance, domestic violence prevention & education, cultural programs, self-enrichment courses, social events and discussion groups.
Despite being held on the same night as the White House Correspondent’s Dinner, the Evening With Women 2010 was a star-studded event featuring dinner designed by Top Chef‘s Jamie Lauren (which included lesbian vegan cake FYI), a show and silent auction. Gina Gershon (Bound) hosted and performed an opening number wearing a pair of the most glamorous boots ever with re-sexually-oriented lyrics to the old ’60s song “Is That All There Is?” to reflect lesbian life in LA, with references to The Abbey and Girlbar. All told, the evening raised $379,000 for the L.A. Gay & Lesbian Center.
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So here we go, the top 5 moments at
An Evening with Women 2010:
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5. Best Auction Ever
Somewhere between Linda Perry auctioning off a day with her in the recording studio and a tattoo by Kat Von D, Pink strolls up on stage, smoking a cigarette and drinking a glass of red wine and she sits her hot ass down on a Vespa, auto-straddling the hell out of that $12,000 unit. Pink was not advertised as a performer prior to the event so everyone pretty much lost their shit and started looking around for hidden trapeze equipment that might suggest an impromptu performance.
4. L.A. Gay & Lesbian Center Success Stories
Linda Perry explained how she became involved with the event through her friend (and event co-chair) Shannon Del. Shannon shared her story of being disowned by her family after coming out and turning to the Center where she found a therapist who offered homeless teens five dollar sessions, which is genius.
We all experienced a sobering communal womyn moment watching a video featuring interviews with young people who’s lives had been saved by the Center.
3. Gina Gershon introducing Sarah Silverman
“I love her not only because she’s Jewish, but because she has great tits. When she sang the song I’m Fucking Matt Damon, she was really talking about me.”
Sarah then told the crowd that Gershon’s full name is “Va-Gina.”
2. Heart.
The band performed Barracuda and Crazy on You (omg, remember when Jenny went to their concert in season 2 and then went home and cut herself? Memories!) as well as a few new songs from their upcoming album, Red Velvet Car. It was around this time of the evening that I realized I had been sitting at the same table as Cherie Currie from The Runaways… (like, the REAL one – not Dakota Fanning or Brandy Howard).
1. Pink buries the hatchet & performs with Linda Perry
I’ll spare you the details of the decade long estrangement between these two obvious soul mates (okay fine, Pink felt Linda–her mentor–was disloyal by going on to work with Christina Aguilera after she rediscovered her career in 2001). We sat approx three chairs away from Pink as she was totes in the zone of Linda’s re-worked acoustic version of her 4 Non Blondes hit “What’s Up?” before surprising everyone and jumping on stage to perform it AGAIN with Linda accompanying on guitar.
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The “Straddle This” Series
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Bridget McManus
The Real L Word's Tracy Ryerson
The L Word's Clementine Ford
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Stay tuned for AutoNatic’s interviews with Heart, Linda Perry, Clementine Ford and more!
Sarah Silverman is not funny, mainly because she forgets her white privilege when she makes racist jokes and tries to mask them is satire. Her comments about Hispanics and blacks is in no way appropriate and if given by a man everyone would be up in arms, but it is hip to like her and ignore her racist jokes.
I don’t like Sarah Silverman either, but I feel like most everyone else I know does. I could talk about why I don’t like Sarah Silverman for a long long time.
But great recap and event coverage Jess!
Let’s start a club of people who think Sarah Silverman is super overrated and unfunny!
Can we hold off on that club til after she does an interview with us?
To be fair, a man making those same jokes would have white man priviledge which is, like, x100 priviledge-wise.
Is saying “Hispanics and blacks” PC? Idk.
Personally, I think Sarah Silverman is hysterical. I know a lot of people have beefs with her “racism” and have commented that she’s “too Jewish” (as in, always jokes about being Jewish) but her on-stage persona is that of an ignorant white girl. And personally, I think the acknowledgment of racism, even through her “racist” jokes is quite progressive. It shows that as a society we are recognizing these stereotypes and laughing about it, rather than hiding it in our homes. I think it’s quite cathartic having a room full of white, black, Hispanic, Chinese, Jewish, Catholic, gay, straight people laughing at and with each other. It’s not Silverman’s fault that there are people who are actually racist and she can’t control the way people perceive her humor.
Now, I would like to share my favorite Silverman bit:
I’m working on an open letter and it goes like this. Guess what, Martin Luther King, I had a fuckin’ dream, too! I had a dream that I was in my living room. It wasn’t my living room but it was, like, playing my living room in the dream. And I walked through to the backyard and there’s a pool and as I’m diving in, there’s a shark coming up from the water… with braces! So maybe you’re not so fucking special! Martin Loser King! Yeah, I wanna be the first comic ever to shit on Martin Luther King because people only talk about the good things. They don’t mention he was a litterbug. He would roll up all the windows and lock them and fart in the car with the heat up while his family suffered… and he would laugh.
http://www.metacafe.com/watch/fd-648e1531df/sarah_silverman_martin_luther_king/
Thank you for your time.
I agree with everything said here by Ric. It’s kinda what I wish i would have said, but I guess I was too lazy/sleepy/incoherent.
I don’t think any part of a white woman laughing at the expense of stereotypes of me as a black woman is funny in the least bit…. I actually find it insulting. And I have heard that MLK joke and did not laugh at all and found it uncomfortable to be in a room with white people laughing at it. But for some reason she gets a pass and now its edgy to make racist jokes as a white woman. She has also used the N-word in sets. Is that okay?
The problem with “hipster racism” (Sarah Silverman’s raison d’etre) is that it’s ignorant and exclusionary.
Hipster racism seeks to say, “Ha! Listen to this racist shit! Could you believe that anyone would ever say this for realsies, except maybe ten guys in the KKK? Because I can’t! That would never happen! That’s why we can all laugh about it!”
Except … people do say that shit sincerely. Lots and lots of people. And Sarah Silverman gets to be ignorant of it because she’s not the target of it, but the people who are not only have to hear that real racism and be aware of it, but are explicitly (if in ignorance) excluded from her humor because they do deal with that shit IRL.
Basically, when the point of a joke is, “Nobody would ever say this and mean it, ha ha!”—better make REALLY FUCKING SURE that’s accurate. And Silverman has never bothered to check.
Well, I do understand why some people may consider Silverman to be racist, but I just don’t think it’s true (that she is, indeed, racist). And the two times I’ve seen her perform the place was packed with people from all walks of life. Yes, I understand that the world is full or racism and homophobia and am quite aware that I’m very lucky to live in a country, a city (Toronto, Ontario Canada)that is accepting for the most part – but perhaps I feel the way I do because of the diverse city I live in. The last time I went to a Sarah Silverman stand-up, I saw a wide range of people enjoying and laughing together.
Also, “hipster racism”? Okay.
Sorry, just something I found online while reading about Silverman’s new memoir…
“Clearly Silverman’s humour is not for everyone and it seems obsessed with child-like insults over race, sex and bodily functions. But her point is not to lampoon race or sex but mock racists and sexists.”
http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2010/may/09/sarah-silverman-comedy-autobiography
tracy’s eyes are scaring me. it’s like cyclops lost his visor…
Awesome! Great cause.
Can’t wait to see the AutoNatic’s interviews.
Ah Pinks a big legend, im not a huge fan of that type of music but I got to see her live for free a while back and was so impressed, her voice was savage and she really acted like she wanted to be there so ive the utmost respect for her now. She has a massive gay lady following, the gig’s audience was made up almost entirely of baby lesbians, I was probably the oldest gayer there!!
Anyway, what was my point, oh yes, you gays in L.A are awful lucky to have such a fantastic resource in the Gay and Lesbian center, if only every city had one! Also, how can you make a vegan cake, doesnt that just go against the point of cakes which are meant to be terrible for you?!
Don’t stop trying to make savage happen! It’s going to happen!
I like it and will appropriate it for us spanish speakers. ¡Salvaje!
Things can be vegan and still terrible for you!
@ Wepa, haha, nice, thanks for remembering, I like your faith in the Savage movement! Im definitely going to use the Spanish word for it to, it’ll make me seem all exotic and well travelled! Viva el/la (?) Salvaje!
Yeah that’s so true, silly me and I should know as a veggie, chips or fries as the Yanks call them are vegan and they’re terrible for you, as are lot of other things!
I am not a vegan but have a weird attraction to vegan scones. It’s amazing what bakers these days can do without butter.
re: “The Straddle This” Series….
I love Bridget and I met her, she is awesome.
Tracy looks kind of scary.
Clementine… oh Clementine. Yes, I will straddle that ;)
Glad you enjoy the “Straddle This” series! I made that sign while waiting around on the red carpet… more Straddle This photos to come :)
SO happy that Autostraddle was there for all this magic!
I am totally mesmerized by that picture of Gina Gershon and Sarah Silverman. Her glittery sequined pants make me inexplicably happy. I can’t look away! HALP
Wasn’t just me drawn in my the sparkly legs then! I too was meserized. I wonder what would happen if we stared too long. Can’t be anything bad…
I think Gershon could be starting off a new trend, we should all purchase a pair and wear them for everyday use, it’d inject a bit of fabulous into the lives of whoever saw them!
oh wow, in the feature graphic i thought the person holding the ‘straddle this’ card was riese but it’s actually clementine ford. to be fair, it’s covering half her face.
I thought the same thing. I maybe still think it.
O_o?
Crazy eyes = Riese. Obvs. I completely understand your reasoning.
Gah, Pink inspires me so much. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yp-VnlSWo30 I love that woman.
I know this is kind of off topic, but why did Pink think Linda Perry was betraying her to work with Christina? Linda Perry works with a lot of artists…
Back in 2000-2001 Linda Perry was struggling to get a record deal and pretty much couldn’t get arrested in LA. Pink had worshiped her and plucked her out of obscurity and wanted to work with her. Following the huge success of Missundastood, Pink was caught off guard when Linda went on to work with Christina Aguilera, especially b/c Pink & Christina pretty much hate each other after butting heads working on the Lady Marmalade remake in 2001. So, she felt betrayed by Linda and the two had a big falling out and haven’t worked together since. Meanwhile, Linda’s gone on to huge success with other artists, working on 3 albums w/X-Tina.
Oh crazy. I had no idea that it was Pink who sort of revived Linda Perry’s career. Good tale. You should be one of those talking heads on E! True Hollywood Story.
i truly don’t think you guys understand WHY Sarah Silverman makes “racist”jokes…. her whole stage persona is a parody of the ignorant white westerner of which there are many….and she has OPENLY admitted she is using her being a female to highlight just how ignorant people are. The reason most of her fans find her funny is due to them seeing the subtle parody beneath the overt obnoxiousness which is evidently lost on people of a different sense of humour…
I think until you’ve watched her Program , and you can comment on all her other jokes that AREN’T racist, of which there are many, you can’t really call someone “unfunny”.
She’s done a huge amount for women in the comedy circuit and female parts in TV generally with her tomboyish lack of grace that is missing from a majority of roles in the media for women.
I have watcher her program and three sets she has done, because many of my white friends have tried to again tell me how funny she is. So I think i reserve the right to say her jokes a racist. I also think its rather disturbing that people are using the fact shes overtly saying racist things as if that okay because its in the spirit of comedy. I bet you can say the same things about some of the biggest bigots in the country who are saying things, but “they don’t really mean it in that way” (ex. that guy from sienfeld said in the N-word… of course it was all in fun and he was making a point). I believe many “progressive” individuals given Sarah Silverman a free pass which puts into question the things they find funny about race and racist comments. I think maybe some took a step back and looked at it from a minority perspectives it is ridiculous.