The March 24 black-tie gala at JW Marriott Desert Ridge Resort & Spa honored Arizona Cardinal Larry Fitzgerald, Starkey Labs CEO and founder Bill Austin, and Discount Tire founder Bruce Halle and his wife, Diane, with the 2012 Muhammad Ali Celebrity Fight Night Awards.
Honorees Bruce and Diane Halle
America's Got Talent" sensation 11-year-old Jackie Evancho; Billy Crystal
There was no shortage of stargazing opportunities. GRAMMY® Award winning Reba McEntire returned for her seventh year as emcee of the event. To the surprise of the audience, a bald eagle was released into the room during the singing of the national anthem. That was followed by a performance from John Corbett.
Rita Wilson sings with Michael Johns
Previous fight Night honoree Bob Parsons, founder and executive chairman of Go Daddy, kicked off the evening with another surprise: a $1 million donation.
GRAMMY® award-winning musical director David Foster
Following the awards, David Foster directed musical performances by Rascal Flatts, Miley Cyrus, Rita Wilson, former American Idol finalist Michael Johns and 11-year-old America’s Got Talent contestant Jackie Evancho. Comedian Sinbad entertained with jokes and an impromptu performance. Lionel Richie closed the evening with hits including “Brick House", “All Night Long”, “Hello” and “Dancing on the Ceiling” in which Rascal Flatts joined him on stage.
Is that music coming out of the mouths of Fight Night founder
Jimmy Walker and actor Tom Hanks?
John Corbett; Jordin Sparks and Jason Derulo
The evening concluded with a special cake presentation from “Cake Boss” for Ali’s 70th birthday.
Miley Cyrus on the red carpet
A live auction helped swell the coffers for the Muhammad Ali Parkinson Center at Barrow Neurological Institute and several other charities. Dinner at Reba McEntire’s Beverly Hills, Calif., home, with special guests Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson, went for $1.8 million from three bidders who paid $600,000 each. A vacation in Tuscany and dinner with Andrea Bocelli sold for $1.4 million, raising the total for Celebrity Fight Night XVIII to $9.1 million.
Article and photographs courtesy of azredbook.com
