Burt
Reynolds Raises Heat
For Chernobyl Children
Text
by Nina Boxer
Photos by Tim
Boxer
he ladies were
swooning over heartthrob Burt Reynolds. The handsome
actor was the centerpiece at a gala dinner and celebrity
auction at Sotheby’s in New York to benefit Chabad’s
Children of Chernobyl (CCOC). Singer-actress-impressionist Marilyn
Michaels, who had one of her paintings up for bids, told
me she used to go out with Burt before her present marriage.
After meeting her former sweetheart she sighed, “He just
embraced me and I melted, melted.”
Marilyn, who has
since found happiness with heart surgeon Peter Wilk,
said, “The only way to find a perfect man is to give birth
to one. Meet my son Mark.”
To ingratiate
himself with Mark, Reynolds did an impersonation of Gregory
Peck. The 16-year-old was not overly impressed. The
talented kid showed off his impressions of Woody Allen
and Michael Caine.
“Genetics
works!” Marilyn exclaimed as Reynolds applauded.
Reynolds tried to
impress a young dinner guest with his screen credits.
“Have you ever seen Smokey and the Bandit?”
he asked 11-year-old Danni Falk. The youngster said
no. “Well,” he said, “next year it’ll come out with
sound.”
The bidding became
heated with the offering of a dinner for 20 of your intimate
friends with Dr. Ruth Westheimer catered at your home by
Foremost. I asked Dr. Ruth if she’d given any advice to
sex symbol Burt Reynolds. “No,” she replied. “He gave me
advice!”
Oliver Stone’s
mother, Jacqueline,
said her son’s away making a new movie called, Beyond
Borders, starring Kevin Costner and Meg Ryan.
“He’s doing it for his mother,” she said, “because
I’ve always wanted him to do a love story.”
Celebrity chairman Jon
Voight presented the Children at Heart Award as tribute
chairmen, Nancy Spielberg and Gabriel Erem
stood by.
“I am pleased to
present this award to my friend who has a great and handsome
heart, Burt Reynolds,” Voight said. If I may quote from
the Talmud, one of the highest mitzvahs, deeds, is to
provide a person with work.”
“I am the only
actor,” Reynolds chuckled, “to be cancelled by all three
networks.”
Voight also
presented a Humanitarian Award to Jonathan Durst, a
board member of Chabad’s Children of Chernobyl and
co-manager (with brothers Douglas and Kristoffer)
of the Durst Organization, a real estate dynasty that has
shaped the midtown Manhattan skyline.
In its 10 years,
CCOC has rescued 2,000 children from Ukraine and Belarus
following the Chernobyl nuclear disaster 14 years ago. The
contaminated children were brought to Israel for cancer
treatment, rehabilitation and education. Although President Bill
Clinton recently announced that the Chernobyl nuclear
power plant would be closed, people will continue to suffer
the effects of the radiation spill.
As
Burt Reynolds said, “I am here because of the children.” |
The
Main Event
