Elizabeth Taylor,
wearing a coffee-colored, gold-sequined Naeem Khan gown
accented with diamond jewelry, put some superstar sparkle
into an HIV/AIDS fund-raiser.
Taylor, 75 and in
a wheelchair, is a founding chairwoman of the annual
Macy's Passport event, a charity auction and showcase for
food and fashion.
Since 1988,
Passport has raised $25 million for HIV/AIDS services,
prevention, and research. The actress was honored Thursday
night with its first Humanitarian Award for AIDS
Activism.
''I have done
this every year for years,'' Taylor told the Associated
Press in an interview. ''It's tradition and it's part of my
existence.'' As her longtime friend Rock Hudson
battled AIDS, which killed him in 1985, Taylor began
work to raise funds and increase awareness of the
disease.
''I used to have
doors slammed in my face, telephones hung up on me,''
she said when asked about the differences between her early
fund-raising efforts and today. ''This [is a] 100%
turnaround.''
Taylor, who has
been married eight times (twice to Richard Burton),
appeared amused when asked if she'd ever marry again.
''N-o-o-o!'' she shouted, and then laughed. ''Now I'm
gonna howl.''
Then she actually
howled.
So, how's she
doing?
''Physically?''
asked Taylor. ''I'm going to try and walk on the stage
tonight. And say a little prayer for me that I don't fall.''
She did not.
Taylor, with some assistance, walked on the stage to a
standing ovation. She made her way to a chair, sat down, and
accepted her award.
''I was here at
the first night, here last year,'' she said. ''I will
continue to be here until we defeat the enemy of HIV and
AIDS.'' (AP)
