Muhammad Ali.  Very few names can immediately conjure-up the myriad images from the past half-century as this man’s – and it’s his second name!  Frankly, I wasn’t sure how the folks behind the philanthropic juggernaut that is Keep Memory Alive were gonna top the final performance of Siegfried & Roy, but when I first heard Ali’s name, I said to myself “Oh!  That’s how.”

And while I could wax on for pages about Ali’s various ties to KMA, I’m gonna assume you read my last post, wherein all of the dry details are laid-out for you in a very comprehensive release, courtesy of KMA and PR Newswire.  So, herein, I’m gonna focus on the benefit.

Ali 70/Power of Love has, as of this writing, raised upwards of $11 million through table-sales, donations, and the event’s signature luxury auction (where a pair of Ali’s gloves went for $1.1 million and Bob Arum declaring “I love the UFC!” from the stage).

As is the KMA-way, the food was overseen by a quartet of culinary giants, each doing a course with the foods for which they’re known – Wolfgang Puck with David Robins and Eric Klein took charge of the hors d’oeuvres (served during the Dom Pérignon cocktail reception), Michael Mina the fish, Scott Conant the pasta, and Tom Coliccio the beef.

And the performances!  Lenny Kravitz at the top of his game.  Cee Lo Green with a half-dozen showgirls from Jubilee at Bally’s.  LL Cool J in full boxing regalia.  Snoop Dogg embodying fresh and fly.  Kelly Roland channeling the recently departed Whitney Houston with “The Greatest Love of All” – and hitting all the right notes.

The evening came to a head when Stevie Wonder (who had flown-in from performing at Whitney Houston’s memorial, in New Jersey) sang a customized version of “Happy Birthday” to Muhammad Ali, while The Champ sat, surrounded by his wife, the evening’s headliners, the Ruvo family, and the event producers (oh yeah, and me, in a cheongsam and one-of-a-kind diamond and titanium "Scraffito" brooch by Cheva), as confetti cannons showered the MGM Grand Garden Arena in a blizzard of ticker-tape.

Ali 70/Power of Love 2012
benefiting Keep Memory Alive and the Muhammad Ali Center
Click HERE for info

Get into it!