The Elton John AIDS Foundation Academy Award Party is one of the annual parties held in Los Angeles following the Academy Awards ceremony the same evening. The first party was held in February 1993 at Maple Drive Restaurant and raised $300,000. [1] It had been produced by Patrick Lippert, an AIDS activist who died of the disease just months later. [2] In recent years it has been held at the Pacific Design Center and was attended by 650 people in 2009. [3] It is hosted by Elton John and the AIDS Foundation, and is one of the most high-profile parties in the Hollywood film industry, particularly for people of British origin working in Hollywood films or the entertainment industry. The annual party contributes to the foundation fund by its high priced ticket sales which are given by invitation only ($3500 or £2400 as of 2009 [3] ) and a celebrity auction. The 2010 party raised over $8 million or £4 million. [4]
Elton John has been quoted as saying that 98% of the proceeds of the party go to the foundation. [5]
This party became a point of contention between two Real Housewives of Beverly Hills stars, Sutton Stracke and Lisa Rinna, when it was revealed that Stracke provided Rinna with a ticket when Stracke bought a table and never received a thank you from Rinna. [6]
Venues
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Seal Henry Olusegun Olumide Adeola Samuel is a British singer, songwriter, and record producer. He is the recipient of three Brit Awards, four Grammy Awards, and an MTV Video Music Award, with sold 20 million albums or singles sold by October 2011. He signed with record producer Trevor Horn's ZTT Records to release his eponymous debut studio album (1991). Met with critical and commercial success, it spawned the singles "Crazy" and "Killer", which peaked at numbers two and one on the UK singles chart, respectively, while both entered the US Billboard Hot 100. His 1994 single, "Kiss from a Rose", peaked atop the latter chart after its inclusion on the film soundtracks for The NeverEnding Story III and Batman Forever.
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