This just in: Rich people drink wine, too. As I was reminded at the Vintage Hollywood Foundation’s annual fundraising wine & food fest (cum live auction), at a private home in the Pacific Palisades. This year’s beneficiary was the Ocean Park Community Center, a multi-program organization to help the less fortunate in Santa Monica.
La Fenetre's winemaker Josh Klapper
Locals providing nice bites included Bouchon, Bar Toscana, Jar, Literati, Mozza, Simplethings pies, Tavern, and Waterloo & City. But perhaps more notable was the uncommon selection of California wineries pouring, including Clos Pepe, Hitching Post, La Fenetre, Terra Valentine, Malibu Family/Saddlerock and Ampelos, who introduced me to the surpisingly impressive wine of actor Kurt Russell, called Gogi.
Just after MC Jim Thornton (from KNX-AM) announced that “The Wolf Blitzers” had made a significant donation, my friend Kasey (from Pourtal) kept looking at one of the Waterloo & City chefs trying to figure out how she knew him (I couldn’t help think it was a flirt—the guy was blond, six foot something, with piercing green eyes). But it turned out I was the one who knew him…sort of. It was actor Kip Pardue (Remember the Titans) who I’d interviewed ten years prior in my former Hollywood life, and remembered as a surprisingly grounded actor. Turns out he invested in Waterloo specifically so he could spend some time in the kitchen (and no, not as some vanity ‘celeb’ chef, he doesn’t work the tables). Guess that’s what actors call therapy…
Kip cooks.
I saw another former interviewee of mine, David Arquette at one point (he’s one of the charities’ chairs), but unfortunately Kasey wasn’t able to flirt with him for me to get a pic 
Later, I was sucking down the chocs at Valerie confections when I pointed to something on the table for Kasey to try, and auctioneer Kevin Pollak (helping out Greg Proops) asked me if I was putting in a bid, for whatever they were auctioning at that moment, at 22,000.
“No! Nooooo!” I shot back, slapping my arm like Dr. Strangelove. I was tempted to say I’d double the bid if he’d do his Shatner impersonation, then realized that was a pretty dated request. Oh, and that was more money than I had in the bank.
It was the kind of event you see in a movie, where there’s a spy sneaking into the house to steal a piece of microfilm? Unfortunately, nobody uses microfilm anymore. Maybe the spy would settle for some gelato?