My night at the HRC dinner...[Updated w/pics]

OK, I've written about the speeches from last night's Human Rights Campaign 2007 Los Angeles Gala, now it's time for the dish.
I get to the Century Plaza Hotel and head straight to the pre-dinner reception and silent auction. I always bid on stuff that I can't afford at events like this and if i win it, I go into a cold sweat wondering if I'll have to sell a kidney to pay for it.
So I decided to briefly look at what was up for bid, almost write in a bid for a script signed by the entire cast of "Scrubs" then ask myself, "Why?" I move away from the auction tables and do what I really like to do: I start people watching.There's Judith Light! Wonderful woman. A gal standing near her breathlessly tells her friend: 'I just loooooved her in "Who's The Boss."
Then Gov. Bill Richardson (pictured, left) sweeps in with HRC President Joe Solomonese and Eric Alva . I actually know Joe and Eric by now (that's me pictured at the top of this post with them) and hug them hello. Joe introduces me to the New Mexico governor who is a big bear of a man.
They move on and I go back to people watching. Maybe it's because I'm wearing a tuxedo but I'm feeling a little catty all of a sudden (meeeooow!). I mean, I hate to be mean, but I've never seen so many fake tans in one room in my entire friggen life! There was most certainly some botox injected into more than a few dog-eared faces and then there were some guys attending this black-tie affairs looking way too casual and like they could benefit from a flea dip (meeoww!). Other than that, it was just your basic room of annoyingly attractive men, some cool lesbians, and our wonderful straight allies.
Oh! There's Jane Lynch! I love her work! She was so good in "for Your Consideration" as this Mary Hart-like TV cohost and as Steve Carrell's boss in "The 40 Year Old Virgin." I don't know why but I suddenly get shy and don't approach her. Usually I just bust in on people and say, "Hiiii!" But Jane, who is the hardest working actress in showbiz, is with a few friends having a good time and I don't want to bother her.
George Takai on the other hand...not so lucky! I say hello to the actor best known as Sulu on "Star Trek" who is now appearing on the NBC hit 'Heroes."
George could not be nicer and we end up having such a long chat about his life since coming out so publicly a few years ago, his new "Star Trek" project, and his relationship with Howard Stern, that I am going to have to share it with you tomorrow.
They are turning the lights on and off as a not so subtle way of getting us the heck out of the reception area and into the ballroom. George and I part ways and I enter the dinner and rather than struggle to find table 145, I ask a handsome guy at the door wearing a badge if he could help me. He directs me to a table right near the stage! Then he slips me his phone number (I wish!). I run up to my friend, the great publicist David Beckwith (pictured, left), and give him a big hug. I'm so glad to see him and to be at his table.
We are still eating our salads when Gov. Richardson takes the stage and before beginning his more political remarks, he confesses to being a true Trekkie and acknowledges George Takai in the audiience and says, "I'm so proud of you."
But he does have a bit of a gripe: "I'm the only Hispanic-American governor and the only Hispanic-American presidential candidate. I don't understand why the hispanic, Kahn (played by Ricardo Montalban), is always the bad guy!"
This is my first HRC dinner and i was told by someone at the reception that a year earlier, the dinner had dragged on until near midnight. So, i decide to pour myself some red wine. It is delish! So after the governor does his thing, Jane Lynch takes the stage and intoduces Joe Solmonese. He looks so different in a tuxedo compared to the jeans and T-shirt I saw him in yesterday. Joe definitely works out. He's also funny.
He begins his remarks by saying, "I have to say, i really miss Charo." The room roars. I wonder what the heck he's talking about! He explains: "Remember last year when we opened with Charo instead of Bill Richardson and she sang FIVE songs?"
Now i know why the night dragged on so long! I take another sip of wine.
But to my surprise, the evening flies by and we are wrapped up by 10 p.m. Good thing I stopped drinking the wine! So, I find my friend Trevor, the intrepid Trevor Daley (that's us, right), who was on the HRC dinner planning committee and who is THE best person to work a room with.
We start schmoozing with everybody and Trevor introduces me to what seemed like half the room. We snapped all kinds of pictures and I introduced Trevor to Eric Alva who was the big hit of the night.
We meet Eric's partner, Darrell, who had urged the first soldier injured in the Iraq war to join HRC in the first place, and Trevor chats up Eric who is as personable as he is courageous.
Then Trevor and I bumped into someone we both knew: the great saxophonist Dave Koz who has a new CD 'At the Movies" out now. i congratulated Dave on his performance at the Academy Awards last month and thanked him fior sending me his new CD. After we gabbed with him a bit, Trevor - eyes always scanning the room - found someone else for me to meet.

I said to Dave: "We have to go. We're on our way to a Dave Koz Fan Club meeting. I'm the president and Trevor's the vice president."
[Yes, I REALLY said that! Egads.]
Dave laughs and as we walk away Trevor says, "Why aren't I the president?"
It was an awesome night...