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SPOTLIGHT ON CELEBRITY FIGHT NIGHT
XVII
 $6.6 million raised at
Saturday's Celebrity Fight Night
Photos
by Glenda S. Paradee
$6.6
MILLION RAISED AT MUHAMMAD ALI'S CELEBRITY FIGHT NIGHT XVII
HALLE BERRY, BOB PARSONS, RED MCCOMBS AND CRISTIE KERR
HONORED
PERFORMANCES BY MATCHBOX TWENTY, KELLY CLARKSON, AMERICAN IDOL'S
2011 FINALISTS, BRET MICHAELS AND MORE
PHOENIX, AZ. (March 21, 2011) - On Saturday, March 19, 2011 stars
and athletes from around the country converged on the J.W. Marriott
Desert Ridge Resort & Spa in Phoenix, Arizona for Muhammad Ali's
Celebrity Fight Night XVII. GRAMMY Award winning leading lady
of country music, Reba McEntire returned for her sixth year as
emcee, and Lee Greenwood opened the evening with a touching
rendition of 'God Bless the U.S.A.' in which a rare Bald Eagle was
released into the room to the surprise of the audience. Billy
Crystal, longtime friend of Muhammad Ali, made a special
introduction of The Champ who walked on stage to a standing ovation.
With Muhammad Ali on stage, Academy-Award winning actress Halle
Berry was presented with the Muhammad Ali Celebrity Fight Night
Entertainer Award, No. 1 ranked LPGA Champion Cristie Kerr received
the Sports Achievement Award, Go Daddy CEO and Founder Bob Parsons
received the Muhammad Ali Celebrity Fight Night Entrepreneur Award,
and former NBA and NFL owner Red McCombs received the Muhammad Ali
Celebrity Fight Night Humanitarian Award.
Following the awards the American Idol Finalists took to the
stage and wowed the room with a special Michael Jackson
medley. The packed crowd was also treated to a host of
performances under the direction of multiple GRAMMY Award winning
musical director David Foster including multi-platinum recording
artist Matchbox Twenty, who performed hit songs including '3 A.M.,'
and 'Bright Lights,' Bret Michaels, who kept the audience rocking
with his songs 'Every Rose Has Its Thorn' and 'Nothing But A Good
Time,' Lee Greenwood who sang 'Go The Distance,' as well as 10-year
old 'America's Got Talent' contestant Jackie Evancho and musical
prodigy Derek Paravicini. Comedian Sinbad also entertained the crowd
with jokes and an impromptu performance. GRAMMY® Award winning
vocalist Kelly Clarkson closed the evening with hits including 'Walk
Away' and 'My Life Would Suck Without You' in which they brought up
all the women in the audience to sing together.
The black tie event also featured cocktails, a silent auction, an
elegant dinner and an exciting live auction featuring one-of-a-kind
luxury items. The live auction featured items such as dinner
at Reba McEntire's Beverly Hills, CA home which went for $800,000 -
two bidders paid $400,000 each for a chance to dine with the country
superstar, a dinner in Los Angeles with Billy Crystal and Robert
DeNiro which sold for $400,000, as well as a dinner with Bret
Michaels which went for $200,000 to a lucky bidder. Celebrity Fight
Night XVII raised a total of $6.6 million benefiting the Muhammad
Ali Parkinson Center at Barrow Neurological Institute in Phoenix, as
well as several other worthy charities. Each year dozens of
celebrity guests attend the event that has raised more than $70
million dollars in 17 years.
After Kevin Costner & Modern West teased the crowd early in
the evening with a brief performance on the main stage, they kept
the event going late into the night with a performance at the
after-party.
About Celebrity Fight Night
Celebrity Fight Night Foundation is a non-profit organization
that was founded in 1994 by Jimmy Walker and supports the Muhammad
Ali Parkinson Center at Barrow Neurological Institute in Phoenix, as
well as several other worthy charities. www.celebrityfightnight.org.
Sponsors of this year's event included CA Technologies, Go Daddy,
Sports Illustrated, US Airways, FedEx and FlightOptions.
Thanks For The Music! |
