Elton John fund-raiser nets $1.4 million for AIDS charity (1596)

According to the BBC, the third annual White Tie and Tiara Ball, hosted by Elton John and this year held at his Windsor mansion, raised PS1 million ($1.4 million) for the Elton John AIDS Foundation. The event, which was emceed by actor Kevin Spacey, was PS1,000 a head; attendees included the Duchess of York, actress Kate Winslet, and models Naomi Campbell and Elle Macpherson. An auction, which included a pair of diamond-encrusted shoes donated by Salvatore Ferragamo, raised more than PS200,000 ($282,101), while an anonymous donation of PS300,000 ($423,159) boosted the night's grand total even higher. Elton John declared, "I am completely bowled over at the amount raised and would like to thank everyone for making this possible. It was a great party, and it's so fantastic to know that the monies raised are already committed to international projects helping people affected by HIV and AIDS."