A Night With the Stars Under the Stars at the Pageant of the Masters a Great Success

LAGUNA BEACH, CA--(Marketwire - Sep 4, 2012) - On August 25th, five-time Grammy, Oscar and Golden Globe award-winner Christopher Cross performed during one of the most momentous nights of the summer art season: The Acura Celebrity Event, Concert and Pageant at the Laguna Beach Festival of Arts. Christopher Cross performed to nearly 3,000 fans on the Festival of Arts center green. "It was a spectacular concert," said Special Events Director Susan Davis. "The fans loved it!" Guests also enjoyed a private showing of the Festival of Arts Fine Art Show.

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." With a string of post-megahit albums from the mid-1980s to the present, Cross has remained a unique artist, replete with that confounding blend of sensitivity, determination and conviction of his own artistry.

After the concert, guests proceeded to the Irvine Bowl to enjoy a performance of the Pageant of the Masters hosted by Oscar® winner Marcia Gay Harden. Harden addressed the audience and applauded the volunteers and their commitment to the arts. She said, "My daughter and I attended the Pageant last year and were amazed not only by the beauty of the production but also by the dedication of the many volunteers in the cast and behind the scenes." She also indicated how excited her daughter, Eulala, was to be in the Pageant that evening.

Harden then pulled the winning ticket for the 2013 Acura RDX AWD with Tech Package plus $5,000 cash. The winner was Sheila Yee-Murrin from Bellflower, California. The evening concluded with a performance of the critically acclaimed Pageant of the Masters "The Genius."

Marcia Gay Harden has forged a remarkable body of work, always staying true to her chameleon style of "becoming the character." From the glamorous Ava Gardner in Sinatra, to the artist Lee Krasner in Pollock (for which she won Best Supporting Actress Oscar®), to the down and out Celeste in Mystic River (another Academy Award® nomination) Marcia has created a signature style based in character transformation.

The event grossed approximately $230,000 for future arts programming and the Building Fund for improvements of the Festival of Arts and Pageant of the Masters facility. Festival of Arts President Fred Sattler thanked the sponsors of the event Acura and KOST radio and the patrons. "We're looking forward to a bright future for our premier juried art festival, our Laguna Beach high school scholarship program, our many other activities in support of this community and of course, the world-famous Pageant of the Masters," Sattler said.

Also in attendance were many other celebrity guests including Gloria Allred, Barry Bostwick, Seamus Dever, Annika Dries, Bruno Gunn, Robert David Hall, Hal Linden, Al Joyner, Richard Karn, Christopher Knight, Jerry Mathers, and Donna Mills.

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.

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