19th Annual Elton John AIDS Foundation Academy Awards Viewing Party, Hosted by Sir Elton John and David Furnish, Raised Nearly $4 Million for the Fight Against HIV/AIDS

LOS ANGELES, Feb. 28, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- The 19th annual Elton John AIDS Foundation Academy Awards Viewing Party hosted by Sir Elton John and David Furnish raised nearly $4 million for the fight against HIV/AIDS.  The gala, which took place on Sunday, February 27, at the Pacific Design Center in Los Angeles, was co-sponsored by Chopard and Jo & Raffy Manoukian.  Attendees included Sir Ben Kingsley, Heidi Klum & Seal, Jamie Foxx, Steven Tyler, Zac Levi, Sharon Stone, Matthew Morrison, Paul Rudd, Paz Vega, Claire Danes & Hugh Dancy, Ashley Tisdale, Baz Luhrmann, Emma Stone, Smokey Robinson, Quincy Jones, Chace Crawford, Hayden Panettierre, Kelly & Sharon Osbourne, Dave Annable, Cee Lo Green, Chris Colfer, Eric Stonestreet, Jane Lynch, Kim Kardashian, Nicole Richie & Joel Madden, John Waters, Miranda Cosgrove, Serena Williams, Joel McHale, Rashida Jones, Vanessa Hudgens, Taye Diggs, Rufus Wainwright, Natasha Henstridge and Tori Spelling, among many others.  

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20100203/LA48779LOGO)

Guests arrived at the Academy Awards Viewing Party for cocktails followed by a gala dinner and viewing of the 83rd Academy Awards® telecast.  This year Chef Ludo Lefebvre, owner of the wildly popular touring restaurant LudoBites, supported by Los Angeles-based Crumble Catering, prepared an innovative menu with his classic French styling.  The menu included seared beef tenderloin with charcoal oil, a crispy bacon and goat cheese soup, and an apple tart garnished with orange creme fraiche and caramel syrup.

The dinner was followed by a lively auction conducted by Jamie Nivens of Sotheby's.  Auction items included a five-night stay in Sir Elton John and David Furnish's private Venice residence, which sold for $150,000; and a Taylor Swift concert package including tickets and a meet-and-greet with the Grammy Award-winning singer/songwriter, which sold for $50,0000; in-home cooking class with Chef Ludo Lefebvre, which sold for $20,000. Following the auction, Florence + The Machine took the stage to perform several songs including her hit "The Dog Days are Over".  Elton John joined Florence Welch onstage to perform "Tiny Dancer" and "You Got the Love".  

2011 marks the 30th year since HIV/AIDS was first observed by physicians in American patients, and while tremendous strides have been made in our understanding of this terrible disease, there is still a lot of work that needs to be done.  In 1993 Sir Elton John pledged to the Hollywood community that he would hold this event every year until a cure for HIV/AIDS had been found. Nearly 20 years later, the Hollywood community is still standing with Sir Elton John, showing their support for the Foundation and this worthy cause.

Follow the Elton John AIDS Foundation on Facebook:  http://apps.facebook.com/causes/5321. And on Twitter @ejaforg.  

ELTON JOHN AIDS FOUNDATION - The Elton John AIDS Foundation (EJAF) was established in the United States in 1992 (EJAF-US) and in the United Kingdom in 1993 (EJAF-UK) by Founder Sir Elton John. Together, both entities have raised more than $220 million for worthy programs in 55 countries around the globe since inception. Today, EJAF is one of the world's leading nonprofit HIV/AIDS organizations supporting innovative HIV prevention programs, efforts to eliminate stigma and discrimination associated with HIV/AIDS, and direct care and support services for people living with HIV/AIDS. EJAF-US's current grant-making priorities target HIV prevention programs in the Southern United States, the Caribbean, and Latin America; HIV prevention and care services for highly marginalized and vulnerable populations; and HIV/AIDS prevention education and the promotion of sexual health for adolescents.  For more information, please visit www.ejaf.org.

CHOPARD:  For over 150 years, Chopard has built an international reputation for luxurious jewelry designs and impeccably crafted high-precision timepieces. From the founding family to the Scheufele family, who purchased the company in 1963, Chopard continues to be governed by its enduring principles: a penchant for excellence, the pursuit of quality, creativity, independence, and fundamental human respect. The Scheufele family regards serving just and noble causes as a natural duty. Building on its success, Chopard devotes its talent and its reputation to the most vulnerable members of society. For over a decade, Chopard has supported the Elton John AIDS Foundation. Caroline Gruosi-Scheufele, Co-President and Artistic Director, designed a watch collection in collaboration with Sir Elton John himself; a testament to their friendship, the watch collection reflects the artist's extravagant personality as well as his tremendous generosity. A percentage of sales from these watches benefits the Elton John AIDS Foundation. For further information please visit: www.chopard.com.

JO and RAFFY MANOUKIAN:  Jo and Raffy Manoukian are honored to sponsor the annual Elton John AIDS Foundation Academy Awards® Viewing Party. They have been personal friends of Sir Elton John since the early 1990s and are actively involved with the Foundation as both Trustees and Board Members. The Elton John AIDS Foundation forms only one part of Jo and Raffy's philanthropy. Their charitable efforts span the globe with special emphasis on health, education, human rights, music, sports and media ventures.

AMERICAN AIRLINES: American Airlines, American Eagle and the AmericanConnection airlines serve 250 cities in over 40 countries with more than 3,400 daily flights. American Airlines is the official airline of the Elton John AIDS Foundation.

SOURCE Elton John AIDS Foundation