[IMG:L]If laughter is the best medicine, Billy Crystal is just what the doctor ordered. The funnyman and that not-so-Desperate Housewife Marcia Cross came out to help celebrate 50 years of fundraising for the Cedars-Sinai Medical Center Women’s Guild 50th anniversary gala in Beverly Hills on Sept. 15. And they brought a few friends with them to commemorate the evening—Christina Ricci, Desperate Housewives creator Marc Cherry and a few more new housewives—and househusbands—Dana Delany, Tuc Watkins and Kevin Rahm.
“As a guy that does shows about women, supporting the Women’s Guild seemed like a natural,” said Marc, who was also there to support Marcia Cross, who is an accomplished actress and quite familiar with the medical profession herself. Not only did she play a hot doc on TV’s Melrose Place, but in real life she just completed her clinical training to earn a Masters Degree in psychology.
“The work they do for Cedars-Sinai is just amazing and I’ve had some friends in Cedars-Sinai over the years and have taken advantage of the programs that the Women’s Guild has helped build,” Marc continued. “So I’m happy to come out for the evening.”
Founded in 1957, the Women’s Guild is dedicated to supporting patient care, vital medical programs, biomedical research and education at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles. Through fundraising efforts, the Guild is currently underwriting ongoing programs and projects such as the Women’s Guild Pulmonary Disease Institute, Women’s Guild Chair in Women’s Health, Saul & Joyce Brandman Breast Cancer – A Project of Women’s Guild, AIDS & Immune Disorders Center and Women’s Health Conference.
For the event, Marc enlisted the help of his new kids on the block—Dana, Tuc and Kevin. “Dana’s moving onto the street and causing all sorts of trouble. You know, it’s not a peaceful street,” Marc said, laughing.
Dana, dressed in Dolce & Gabbana, compared her new status to the first day of school. But lucky for her, she knew most of the housewives before coming onto the hit show. Also a newcomer to the Guild, Dana knew it had been around for many years, and that was something to celebrate.
“I’m as old as the Guild,” she said, laughing.
[IMG:R]Now is Desperate Housewives changing to Desperate Househusbands? Don’t worry, Wisteria Lane is the same, just getting some new faces. A gay couple is moving onto the block, escaping from the big city to a more homey place—or so they think.
One Life To Live’s Tuc Watkins partners with Kevin Rahm, formerly of Judging Amy, in the recurring roles on ABC’s popular series. Tuc said when he was told they were moving into the old Munsters house, they thought it was the coolest part of the job.
“We live at 1313 Mockingbird Lane, the old Munsters address!” he said.
Tuc’s character, Bob, decides he can’t take it in the city and tells his partner “it’s my way or the highway.” So they move to the ‘burb’s right next door to Teri Hatcher. “Our first taste of Wisteria Lane is through Teri‘s character, so you can imagine as well intentioned as she is about greeting us, it doesn’t go very well,” Tuc said.
And how are they being treated by the women of Wisteria Lane?
“We’re sort of the new kids on the block and I think everyone on the show is trying to make us their favorite. ‘Well, we want you to like me the most.’ So everyone is putting on their game faces so far,” he revealed.
But what about all the female drama?
“Well, I’m going to disappoint you, because I was looking forward to getting in there and getting into the dirt of like ‘okay, who hates who and who likes who?’ It’s a very well oiled machine; everyone seems to get along well. Everyone is kind to each other and supportive of one another. And I know this is a really boring answer, but Kevin Rahm won’t even show up for my close-ups! I have to do them all on my own. Please note that Kevin Rahm is standing right next to me as I say that.”
Kevin, who also made an appearance to celebrate the Guild’s anniversary, plays Lee, who really doesn’t want to be on Wisteria Lane.
“My character is very much the New York City, with friends having dinner parties kind of guy. So living in the suburbs is not very appealing,” he said.
But because of his other half, he tries to make it work.
Any time the writing is good, he said, it’s challenging. But the nerve-wracking part was walking onto a set with that many talented actors. Add to that, most of them are women.
“The daunting part is to have a scene with Marcia Cross one day, and have a scene with Felicity Huffman the next day. Those are big shoes to step next two. They have small feet though—big shoes, small feet,” he said, laughing. But being surrounded by women at the Women’s Guild gala did not come quite as challenging—it was a simple choice to make. In fact, he wanted to celebrate its longevity and the challenges that come along with a lasting relationship.
“A 50th anniversary and it’s the same group of women I understand. I was just saying, any group to last that long, any group that gets together and lasts 50 years—whether it’s a marriage or a friendship, much less a philanthropic organization—that’s phenomenal in and of itself. And they’ve raised $40 million, you can’t beat that. And our healthcare system is in such shambles, anything I can do to help that,” he said.
[IMG:L]To commemorate the special milestone, renowned artist Robert Graham (and Anjelica Huston’s husband) created and produced a limited-edition work to benefit the Women’s Guild and Cedars-Sinai. The sculptures titled, “Elisa,” will help raise much-needed funds for Women’s Guild Pulmonary Disease Institute and honors the long-standing service the organization has given to the Los Angeles community.
Red carpet fashion maven and The Insider correspondent Steven “Cojo” Cojocaru underwent a kidney transplant operation as a result of the genetic illness, polycystic kidney disease, and received treatment at Cedars-Sinai, which he credits to saving his life “The Women’s Guild is very powerful. They kick butt. They’re not just about board meetings or crab salad at The Ivy. These are very powerful dynamic women who get things done. That’s the bottom line,” Steven said.
“When I was ill, [Executive Vice President] Wendy Goldberg called Cedars for me and they really helped. You can be a civilian and the care was exquisite. I hope I can get really rich like Oprah and buy hospitals for people.” Now feeling “wonderful,” Steven is a Cedars-Sinai success story.
“They saved me physically, but they also saved me emotionally—the nurses, the kindness, the doctors. I felt safe. I complain about everything—no suit is good enough, no wool is good enough. This is the only place that I felt really safe and I put my life in someone else’s hands. So I can’t say enough,” he added.
Billy Crystal was the perfect man for the night’s house call, bringing down the house as he recalled his own personal Cedars’ stories—the part of the night everyone was waiting for. After Marcia Cross introduced the renowned comedian, in his one-and-only Billy Crystal style, he called her “too beautiful to be desperate.”
While on stage, he recalled the day he was asked to perform at the Women’s Guild gala—a moment he’ll never forget. It was during a hernia check-up. “It’s tough to say no when someone’s got their hands on your goodies,” he said. Billy remembered when he first came to Los Angeles in the 1970s he found the idyllic lifestyle of Hollywood not too helpful for his stand-up act material. He needed something grittier and to get it he went to the local small claims courts and the emergency room at Cedars-Sinai, which was his introduction to the hospital and its good works.
[IMG:R]Now 59, 60 is definitely not the new 40, he said. “Stuff starts to grow on you. I swear, I’m like the bottom of a boat now.” At his older age, Billy admitted to not only not getting enough sleep, but constantly thinking about the ever more important, serious aspects of day-to-day life. That’s right, even Britney was not safe from Billy’s act.
“I worry that Britney Spears will never sing again! I worry that Jennifer Aniston won’t find a man!”
Whether it was Britney or Jennifer, the night was definitely all about women—the Women’s Guild, that is—and Billy didn’t forget it.
“After 50 years, you look mahvelous.”
