By MEGAN TURNER
New York Post
Bidding will begin at a live event hosted by Broadway star Bebe Neuwirth at Studio 54 tonight and continue over the next 10 days online through Yahoo!
"All the items offered are kind of unusual," says Neuwirth, the Actors' Fund's committee chair. "In the last few years, people have auctioned off extra work on sitcoms, but these are a bit more personal and interesting.
"It's not just a bunch of signed scripts - there's a great variety of experiences on offer."
Spending the day with Ernie and Bert on the set of "Sesame Street" sure beats the heck out of an autograph.
Preliminary bids in four figures have already been posted for "celebrity experiences" such as a day sailing with Walter Cronkite, lunch and a behind-the-scenes tour with Shirley MacLaine on the set of her latest movie, or a lunch meeting at which acclaimed screenwriter and producer Aaron Sorkin critiques the bidder's screenplay.
Other offerings include a walk-on part in TV series "Will and Grace," "Frasier" or "The Bold and the Beautiful"; a chance to hit Broadway in "Annie Get Your Gun," "The Phantom of the Opera" or "Saturday Night Fever" and private swing dance lessons from the cast of the hit musical "Contact."
Neuwirth has her eye on a dinner party with Celeste Holm, followed by a screening of "All About Eve," with running commentary provided by the Academy Award-winning actress.
"I would hate to single anything out, but if I had to pick one, watching ‘All About Eve' with Celeste Holm would be sensational," she says.
The Actors' Fund plans to stage a second celebrity auction in December and, between the two events, hopes to raise $1 million.
The money will go to support the 100-year-old Fund, which offers social services when a personal or family crisis threatens any member of the entertainment industry.
The online auction will be held at http://auctions.yahoo.com. For further information, visit www.actorsfund.org.