A Night With the Stars Under the Stars at the Pageant of the Masters Saturday, August 25th

LAGUNA BEACH, CA--(Marketwire - Aug 15, 2012) - On August 25th, five-time Grammy, Oscar and Golden Globe award-winner Christopher Cross will perform during the most momentous night of the summer art season: The Acura Celebrity Event, Concert and Pageant at the Laguna Beach Festival of Arts. All summer long, Festival of Arts visitors have been purchasing raffle tickets for a chance to win a 2013 Acura RDX AWD with Tech Package plus $5,000 cash (valued at nearly $50,000), and on this night the winning ticket will be pulled by Marcia Gay Harden.

The evening will be one to remember, beginning at 5 pm when anticipated attending celebrities will walk the red carpet at the Festival of Arts entrance, including Barry Bostwick (COUGAR TOWN & SPIN CITY), David Chokachi, (SOUL SURFER & BAY WATCH), Seamus Dever (CASTLE), Joely Fisher ('TIL DEATH), Kate Flannery (THE OFFICE), Jennifer Hall (UP ALL NIGHT), Robert David Hall (CSI), Richard Karn (HOME IMPROVEMENT), Cloris Leachman, Jerry Mathers (LEAVE IT TO BEAVER), Donna Mills, Connie Stevens, Patrick Warburton (RULES OF ENGAGEMENT) and many others. 

At 6pm, in the intimate ambiance of the Festival of Arts, guests will be treated to a rare performance by Christopher Cross. Cross was by far the biggest new star of 1980, virtually defining adult contemporary radio with a series of smoothly sophisticated ballads including the #1 hit, "Sailing." His 1980 self-titled debut album with the lead single "Ride Like the Wind" rocketed to the #2 spot; the massive success of the second single "Sailing" made Cross a superstar, and in the wake of two more Top 20 hits, "Never Be the Same" and "Say You'll Be Mine," he walked off with an unprecedented and record-setting five Grammys in 1981, including Best New Artist and Song of the Year for "Sailing." He soon scored a second #1, as well as an Academy Award, with "Arthur's Theme (Best That You Can Do)," which he co-wrote with Burt Bacharach, Carole Bayer Sager, and Peter Allen for the smash Dudley Moore film comedy Arthur. With a string of post-megahit albums from the mid-1980s to the present represents, Cross has remained a unique artist, replete with that confounding blend of sensitivity, determination and conviction of his own artistry.

At 8:15pm on Saturday evening, Marcia Gay Harden will pull the winning ticket for the 2013 Acura RDX AWD with Tech Package plus $5,000 cash, up until which time tickets will continue to be sold ($5 for one ticket, $20 for five tickets -- the winning ticketholder need not be present to win). The funds raised will benefit the Festival of Arts programming and Building Fund for improvements and renovations. Following the pulling of the ticket, the evening will conclude with a captivating performance of the critically acclaimed Pageant of the Masters production of "The Genius."

"It's the most anticipated night of the season," said Sharbie Higuchi, director of marketing and PR for the Festival of Arts. "Acura has been incredibly generous and they deserve a great amount of recognition for their dedication to the arts. We also appreciate KOST Radio 103.5, which has shown tremendous support for the Festival of Arts and Pageant of the Masters. We can't wait to welcome Christopher Cross and Marcia Gay Harden, our other celebrity friends and most of all, the Pageant fans who will have a fabulous time at this special event!"

Tickets for the Christopher Cross concert and Pageant event are $40 - $250. Acura and KOST Radio 103.5 sponsor this event. To purchase tickets, go online to www.PageantTickets.com or call 1-800-487-3378.

The Festival of Arts and Pageant of the Masters are sponsored in part by Acura, Fidelity Investments, KOST Radio 103.5, the Ritz-Carlton Laguna Niguel, Cox Communications and the Orange County Register. The Festival of Arts is a non-profit organization that produces The Festival of Arts -- California's Premier Fine Art Show and the Pageant of the Masters -- Where Art Comes to Life. The event is located at 650 Laguna Canyon Road, Laguna Beach, California. Proceeds support the arts and art education in and about Laguna Beach.