Austin360 blogs > Out & About > Archives > 2010 > December > 06
Monday, December 6, 2010
Headliners revealed for Austin City Limits’ studio gala
The top tickets for the seated dinner on the studio floor are already sold out. Still for sale are dinner-by-the-bite-plus-performance tickets at $500, and performance-only tickets in the balcony at $150. Following the performance, the entire theater will open up for a reception with snacks and a chance to tour every seat in the surprisingly intimate house. Get more information at KLRU.org.
The hotel itself opens to the public on Thursday.
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Dancing with the Stars Austin (and Bruno) at the Hilton Austin
I’ll admit, playing Bruno Tonioli for Dancing with the Stars Austin was a blast!
The deliriously popular local edition of “Dancing with the Stars” raises money for the Center for Child Protection, a public-private collaboration that focuses on reducing trauma to victims of child abuse during the investigation and prosecution of their cases. Gross take: $905,745. More than 900 guests packed Hilton Austin’s large ballroom. John Paul DeJoria pledged $50,000 during the “need auction,” and two people paid $11,000 each to dance next year.
I wish this delightful event didn’t linger quite so long on the gruesome details of those criminal investigations. For decades, the media has informed us about the horrors of child abuse. We don’t need the evidence repeated, especially during dinner, no matter how important it is to remind diners of the cause.
But that’s a minor flaw when one considers the distraction provided by the Austin celebrities behaving outrageously on the dance floor.
Other memorable dances from the celebrities and their pro partners: Joe Ross’ backwoods swing; Amy Rudy’s sexy, bespangled tango; chef David Garrido’s leathery swing; Kristie Dennis’ pro-quality cha-cha/salsa; Mayor Pro Tem Mike Martinez’s slap-happy salsa; Stacey Hammer’s flawless disco/salsa; and Wendy Topfer’s youthful cha-cha.
My far more practiced — and habitually funny — fellow judges were radio personality Ed Clements and all-around talent Turk Pipkin. I knew I’d have to resort to gimmicks, so I studied the over-the-top flummery that is “Dancing with the Stars” judge Tonioli. Most of the responses to this smarmy act were quite kind and positive, although one colleague joked that I might be hearing soon from the Italian American Defamation League!
[Gala photos by Robert Godwin.]
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CORRECTION: The Dancing with the Stars Austin took place at the Hilton Austin, not Hyatt Austin.
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