Mega-Yacht Adds P’zazz to Fund-Raiser

Everywhere they looked aboard the P’zazz yacht on Sunday night, party-goers saw fragility. A pile of paper-thin ostrich eggs filled a bowl. Rare twin vases graced a table. A marble sculpture shone atop a slender pedestal.

What happened to it all when the 127-foot vessel hit high seas, guests wanted to know.

“Bob and I tuck everything that’s not bolted down into blankets and stash it,” said party hostess Beverly Cohen. “The P’zazz has lots of empty drawers!”

The Cohens, residents of John Wayne’s old manse on Newport Bay, welcomed supporters of the new Heritage Pointe Jewish Home for the Aging aboard their mega-yacht for a cocktail cruise. Afterward, guests--who had donated $18,000 each to attend--enjoyed a Mexican buffet, on the Cohens’ bay-side patio.

Hate to gush, but this bash--which raised an outstanding $222,000 for the Mission Viejo facility--was as sophisticated as it gets. Guests, many of them swaddled in fur, spent the cocktail cruise peering into the yacht’s ultramodern rooms. And when they got the chance, they visited with the charismatic Cohens.

“We love it here,” Bob replied to a guest who asked why the couple had moved to Newport Beach from Palos Verdes. “We needed a place for our yacht,” Beverly added with a laugh.

As for what it was like to live in the imposing residence that once belonged to the Duke, Bob said there hadn’t been a day since they moved in seven months ago that he hadn’t thought about John Wayne. “He and Malcolm Forbes are my heroes,” said Bob, who owns the Four Seasons Hotel in Beverly Hills (a spot that Forbes occasionally visits).

Guests included Heritage Pointe President Meryl Schrimmer and her husband, Hank; Martin Brower (publisher of Martin Brower’s Orange County Report); Shirley (wearing black deck shoes adorned with rhinestone hearts) and Earl Feiwell; Jacquee and Mel Lipson; Joyce (smothered in fox) and Tom Tucker; Sheila and Leo Pinsky; Ellie and Irv Berg; Ellie and Michael Gordon; Elaine and Martin Weinberg; Rita and Bob Teller, and Loretta and Dr. Herb Modelevsky.

Loving a parade: The world is beginning to catch up with the Huntington Harbour Philharmonic Committee’s best kept secret--the boat parade that kicks off its annual Cruise of Lights. On Saturday night aboard Dick and Deeanna Ashby’s 65-foot yacht, the Mariah, the sparkling flotilla was filmed by a Japanese film crew for a 1990 screening in Tokyo.

“And just a few days ago, the city of Honolulu called and asked us how to do a boat parade,” said Sue Madison, Cruise of Lights chairwoman.

No wonder. The committee not only had “boat-parading” down pat (65 crafts were featured), its 10-day Cruise of Lights is expected to bring $150,000 to the Orange County Philharmonic Society. The cruise gives the public an opportunity to tour Huntington Harbour waterways and view its decorated homes.

Celebrating aboard the Mariah were Boat Parade grand marshal Court Prowell, his wife (and committee chairwoman) Missy, their children, Julie and Ron, and a host of friends, including Ed and Kathleen Suddarth and Huntington Beach Mayor Tom Mays and his wife, Sydne.

Party-goers, many bundled up in fur jackets, gathered on the dock of the Huntington Harbour Yacht Club to await the arrival of the Mariah, a yacht Deeanna Ashby said was “having its swan song in the parade.”

“Our new boat goes into the mold next week,” said Deeanna, adding that she and Dick hoped to take it on an around-the-world cruise.

While guests cozied up in the cabin and feasted on hearty sandwiches and holiday cookies, Court and Missy did what every good grand marshal and his wife have done in past parades--stood on the bow and waved at the hundreds of parade fans who lined the waterways.

“Merry Christmas! We love your decorations,” called Missy to one cheerful group. “Thanks for decorating your beautiful home,” Court said to another. “Happy holidays!”

After the three-hour parade, the Prowells joined committee members for dinner at the Yacht Club, where trophies were awarded to boat- and homeowners. Receiving the Sweepstakes Award for most beautifully decorated home in an off-water locale was the Robert Chick family. The Brownell family got the sweepstakes trophy for the most beautifully decorated home on the water. The Sunset Aquatic Yacht Club’s boat entry, the Lady Louise, won the sweepstakes trophy for most gorgeously decorated yacht (atop the 55-footer was a moving carousel that saluted the Parade’s “Symphony of Toys” theme). Winner of the Most Beautiful Boat Award was Joe Hugheses’ 83-foot yacht, the Lazy H, which featured a revolving Ferris wheel. Valerie Ingham was chairwoman of the boat parade.

Carols by candlelight: You’ve come a long way, Christmas Candlelight Concert. From your 1974 debut in an abandoned dime store to your 16th annual appearance on Sunday night in the Grand Ballroom of the Disneyland Hotel, you’ve become the favorite holiday party of local arts lovers.

Nearly 1,000 guests attended the black-tie affair sponsored by the board of the Orange County Performing Arts Center. On the menu: filet of trout, veal and chocolate torte and a concert featuring holiday music performed by the Pacific Symphony and the Pacific Chorale.

Up for heavenly listening were such holiday favorites as the “Hallelujah!” Chorus from Handel’s “Messiah” and Johann Sebastian Bach’s “Dona Nobis Pacem,” from his Mass in B minor.

Ciel Woodman was chairwoman of the event, which is sponsored by the board of the Orange County Performing Arts Center. Proceeds were estimated at $70,000.

A Dickens of an idea!: Why hadn’t someone thought of it before? It took a 10th anniversary performance of “A Christmas Carol” to kick off a gala that a few hundred South Coast Repertory supporters hope will become an annual performance. Before the beloved tale was played out recently on the theater’s Mainstage, more than 300 playgoers enjoyed a variety of wines (with bottles elegantly presented in silver bowls brimming with crushed ice) and a buffet of hors d’oeuvres.

After guests spilled out of the theater, Christmas carolers led them to the Westin South Coast Plaza hotel for a post-performance feast, complete with carolers, a forest of decorated trees and a dance band. The gala was sponsored by the Theatre Guild of SCR. Irene Mack was chairwoman. Committee members for the $100 per person Christmas Spirits event were Diana Peel, Ellen Ann Kaylin, Kathy Fiorini, Marie Lapin, Nancy Carlson, Irene Iverson, Joy Owens, Phyllis Balderston, Julie Maglione and Vicki Katzin. Proceeds were estimated at $13,500.