PARTY WITH NATIONAL ARTS AND HUMANITIES MONTH

WITH MARCY MACDONALD

It’s not often that every star billed to appear at a Gala actually arrives, but celebrities were crawling out of the woodwork and from behind the marble columns at Cipriani Midtown to honor Aretha Franklin, Jake Gyllenhaal, Kitty Carlisle Hart (who, at ninety-something is going on the road with her one-woman show!), Jeff Koons and Sheila Johnson as part of National Arts and Humanities Month. No one was surprised that all of Jeff Koons’ paintings had already been sold, but were amazed to see Eli Broad present the award so soberly -- unlike Robert Downey, Jr. who, before presenting the Young Artist Award to Jake Gyllenhaal, announced to the multitudes “We’re all just freeballing at our table,” which, presumably had nothing to do with either freebasing or pocket pool. Aretha Franklin knocked them absolutely dead -- and almost smothered Victoria Rowell from ‘The Young and the Restless’ when she accepted her award. Tim Gun (the kind of man who looks as if he sleeps in white tie) as the chair of Parsons’ Department of Fashion Design and a regular on television’s Project Runway, presented the Philanthropy award to Sheila Johnson. What can one say about Mario Cuomo? The former Governor of New York presented yet another award to Kitty Carlisle Hart who obviously doesn’t believe in getting old. Should she ever decide to do so, Bette Davis advised: “Getting old isn’t for sissies.” Maria Bell, the event Chair, is about as un-sissie as they get: She’s one of these gorgeous, tireless workers who actually looks good getting off an airplane. Which she does regularly as she commutes between New York, Aspen and Washington, D.C. to get the job done.

JAKE GYLLENHAAL--ROBERT DOWNEY JR

MARIA BELLS BEAUTIFUL FASHION

TIM GUN AND SHEILA JOHNSON

LANCE ARMSTRONG