42nd & Vine: Hollywood Hits Broadway
November 12, 2002
· Waldorf-Astoria Hotel
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Katie Couric and the Entertainment Industry Foundation (EIF) brought together some of the biggest names in film, music, television and theater to raise money for the Jay Monahan Center for Gastrointestinal Health at New York-Presbyterian Hospital, Weill Medical College of Cornell University and EIF's National Colorectal Cancer Research Alliance (NCCRA). "42nd & Vine ... Hollywood Hits Broadway," was held on Tuesday, November 12, 2002 at the Waldorf-Astoria in New York. Hollywood and Broadway's leading stars - ranging from Meryl Streep and Susan Sarandon to Bette Midler and Robin Williams - unite in this special event performing selections from Leonard Bernstein's "West Side Story."
Robin Williams, Susan Sarandon, Meryl Streep, Kelsey Grammer, Josh Groban, Beyonce Knowles, Kevin Kline, Bette Midler, Rita Moreno, Chita Rivera, Amy Grant, Vince Gill, Tony Danza, Jesse L. Martin, Davis Gaines, Heather Headley, Rebecca Luker, Paul Stanley and "Sopranos" cast members Tony Sirico, John Ventimiglia, Steve Schirripa and Federico Castelluccio.
Colorectal cancer is the second-leading cause of cancer death for both men and women in the U.S., causing approximately 55,000 deaths a year, but, at the same time, one of the most preventable with early detection. The Jay Monahan Center for Gastrointestinal Health, named in honor of Katie Couric’s late husband, will offer a unique model of service for gastrointestinal (GI) cancers. The Monahan Center is the first comprehensive, fully integrated and interdisciplinary program that stresses education and prevention in addition to diagnosis and treatment of GI cancer. The Center’s goal is to make dealing with the difficult diagnosis of these cancers much easier for patients and their families. “EIF has been an extraordinary partner in the work I’ve been doing to raise awareness and research dollars for the fight against colon cancer since losing my husband Jay to the disease in 1998. I am thrilled to have EIF’s support as we establish the Monahan Center here in New York City. I know from personal experience what an enormous help the Center will be to families dealing with the devastating diagnoses of a variety of gastrointestinal cancers,” Couric said.
“It’s rare that I’m speechless, but that’s how I feel about the incredible array of stars – from film, television, Broadway and the music industry – who will perform to benefit the Monahan Center,” Couric admitted. “I can’t begin to express how grateful and touched I am by the entertainment industry’s generosity – both the Foundation’s help and the personal commitment of each and every person who will participate in ‘Hollywood Hits Broadway.’ November 12th is really going to be an amazing night. Knowing that all the proceeds will go to a great cause will make it even more so.” “We feel privileged to have an opportunity to honor Jay’s memory by helping establish the Monahan Center,” said Lisa Paulsen, president and CEO of the Entertainment Industry Foundation. “That so many leading performers will participate in this event speaks volumes about how much the entertainment industry respects Katie’s work in combating these terrible cancers. The creation of the Monahan Center is a wonderful next step in that effort, and we are very proud to support it.”
