Hollywood is accustomed to rolling out its fair share of red carpets for an evening of honorees—however, last night, Tinseltown left the red carpet behind, and chose instead to toast United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon with a gold-trimmed, Sinatra-serenaded soiree. The room was the perfect mix of Hollywood’s creative elite—stars Emily Ratajkowski, Sharon Stone, and Camilla Belle mingling in the courtyard with directors, executives, and producers like Les Moonves with hosts Brett Ratner and David Raymond. The evening began as most celebrations in Beverly Hills do, cocktails and passed hors d’oeuvres served to guests standing on a cleverly covered pool. But inside the house, Stevie Wonder, Naomi Campbell, and Mariah Carey exchanged words of welcome with the visiting secretary-general, while Larry King made his way to the stage to begin the evening’s remarks.
Ban Ki-moon’s objective? To use the international reach of Hollywood creatives to shed light on global issues. RatPac announced a new TV miniseries, In Harm’s Way, that will feature the global work of the United Nations throughout history. Filmmaker and host Raymond has already begun his work on the first season, which will narrate the efforts of the organization during the U.N. East Timor crisis in 1999. This kind of narrative is key, according to Ban Ki-moon, to showing the efforts of the U.N. to an international audience. “You are the ones who can motivate,” remarked Ban Ki-moon, “you have the global reach.” Also taking in the secretary-general’s comments were chef to the stars Wolfgang Puck, Fifty Shades’s Dakota Johnson, and designer Hedi Slimane, all exemplifying Ban Ki-moon’s message of universal inspiration. Ban Ki-moon definitely felt the Hollywood welcome, urging guests to take selfies with him so he could impress his family back home.
